Good spirits A novel

A Christmas Carol gets the Hot Frosty treatment in this zany and lopsided contemporary from bestseller Borison (First-Time Caller). It centers on antique store owner Harriet York falling hard for the Ghost of Christmas Past, aka Nolan Callahan, an Irish fisherman who died a hundred years ago and has been sent to help her mend her wicked ways. This goofy but undeniably fun premise is unfortunately undermined by the fact that, as flashbacks to Harriet's past Christmases reveal, she's not actually a bad person. Indeed, Harriet soon realizes that Nolan has been assigned to her not because he can help her, but because she can help him: her antique shop may hold the key to freeing Nolan from the ghostly plane and helping him move on. Borison's cloying commitment to painting people pleaser Harriet as a quirky, put-upon saint, more sinned against than sinning, is often at odds with the irritating incompetence she displays and misses the central appeal of Dickens's redemption plot. Die-hard fans of the original will be frustrated, and even those drawn in by the absurdity of Borison's conceit will struggle to root for the central relationship. This disappoints. Agent: Kim Lionetti, BookEnds Literary. (Oct.)

Nolan Callahan's been stuck since drowning off the coast of Ireland in 1902, forced to be the Ghost of Christmas Past who helps the living come to terms with their lives. Nolan diligently hunts his assignments and takes them to their pasts in the hopes they'll be able to move on to their present and future; maybe, someday, so will he. When Nolan receives his latest assignment, he's befuddled. Why would anyone think the gorgeous, whimsical Harriet York, purveyor of antiques, incapable of saying no or accepting a compliment, could be a bad person? Or stuck? As Nolan leads Harriet into her past, his magic starts to spin out of control, and he begins to both hope and fall in love for the first time in a century. Unsure what this means for himself or for Harriet, Nolan decides to risk forever remembering a woman he loves, even if he'll someday lose her as she moves on with her life. VERDICT An emotional and lightly magical holiday romance from Borison (First-Time Caller) that's perfect for readers who enjoyed Ashley Poston's The Seven Year Slip or Laurie Gilmore's The Christmas Tree Farm.--Elizabeth Gabriel