MERRY AND BRIGHT

Imagine Merry Knight's surprise when her well-meaning mother and brother, Patrick, give her an online dating account as her Christmas gift. Soon, she finds an online sweetheart, who is actually her annoying boss, Jason Bright. Narrator Em Eldridge matches Macomber's straightforward style and hopeful belief in humanity. Eldridge portrays Merry's embarrassment over her boss with good humor and brushes past Jason Bright's standoffish demeanor with approachable internal monologues. Eldridge comfortably creates a pleasant midrange voice for Merry and a deeper, slightly stiff voice for Jason. For Patrick, who is identified as having Down's syndrome, Eldridge uses pacing to show his literal interpretations of situations. Eldridge could better distinguish between Merry and "Mary"--the misspelling that keeps Merry's online identity secret. But, overall, Macomber's many fans will be charmed by this light Christmas novella. C.A. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2017]