Every year the Green family has a Christmas project. This year's project is: 12 dates for daughter Merry. Why Merry is made into the Christmas project is not disclosed, but probably has something to do with fact Dad is going to try to convince her her future lies in her home town and the family business.

I take some issue with family that basically tell someone: we're going to set you up on dates with a number of strangers and you must pick one of them to bring to Christmas dinner.

Moral issue aside, this could have been an entertaining story, had it been actually written. As it is, it reads more like the plot outline of a story with a few bits of dialogue thrown in. This story could do with some considerably more fleshing out. For instance, more words are spent on how Merry prepares for her date with Ben, than on her actual date with him. Actually, there are no words on her date with him, only a summary afterwards: It was a pleasant night, but there just wasn't any spark.

To that I want to say: show me the money! Show me the goods. Show me that it was a pleasant evening. Show me that there wasn't a spark.

Just as I was getting used to this, the book is over. There isn't even a date 12. There's an epilogue that tells us who date 12 was, but I felt cheated nonetheless.

No, definitely not a good book. And not worth paying for unless you plan to use the plot outline to write an actual novel.