2016 Advent Calendar Review ~ Scrooged Over by David Connor

2016 Advent Calendar Review ~ Scrooged Over by David Connor

Title: Scrooged Over
Author: David Connor
Category: Holiday, Contemporary
Pages: 69

Amazon ~ Dreamspinner ~ GoodReads

For dueling radio hosts Deke and Dudley, the battle over Christmas starts the day after Thanksgiving. Deke hates the whole season. Dudley is a yuletide overachiever. They put their debate to a vote, inviting audience members to weigh in. The loser must go on a blind date of the winner's choosing. Dudley decides he wouldn't mind taking the loss, if his blind date, picked by Deke, turns out to be Deke himself. As Christmas gets closer, not only does that fantasy seem unlikely, but everything that can go wrong for Dudley does, including malfunctioning decorations, rancid cookies, and a lost pile of hundreds of handwritten Christmas cards. Just days before Santa's arrival, Dudley's about to throw in the red and green towel and join all the haters. It'll take a miracle to change his mind….

*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*

Scrooged Over is a novella in the Dreamspinner Press 2016 Advent Calendar - Bah Humbug. Radio Hosts Deke and Dudley appear to be opposites on the radio. Deke hates everything about Christmas. Dudley loves everything about Christmas. He plans every day of the holiday season out to make sure he completes everything on his Christmas list. Deke decides to make a bet with Dudley that there are more listeners who hate Christmas than love it. Loser of the bet will have to go on a date of the winner's choice. Dudley is sure he's going to lose the bet, but he still takes it. This year, though, Dudley's love for the holidays is challenged. Everything that could go wrong seems to go wrong. But, are there real issues with his holiday preparations, or is something else going on?

I enjoyed Dudley's character. He was a good guy, spreading cheer around and doing everything he could to make the season special for his grandfather. I loved his grandfather and thought every interaction with him was hilarious! I wasn't a fan of Deke, who really was just a mean-spirited jerk. His "pranks" on Dudley weren't amusing and I really found him to be a bully. More power to Dudley for being such a good guy and so accepting of him.

This was a short, quick read and if you're looking for a book about Christmas, this should definitely be added to your TBR list! As with many novellas, this had more of a HFN ending.

Rating: 4 stars