The Lights on Knockbridge Lane

Starred review from August 30, 2021
Parrish’s standout third Garnet Run romance (after Best Laid Plans) pairs quirky neighbors at Christmastime. Single dad Adam Mills recently returned to his hometown of Garnet Run, Wyo., with his eight-year-old daughter, Gus, settling next door to mysterious shut-in Wes Mobray, who only ventures outside his house after dark. After precocious animal lover Gus breaks into Wes’s house to see his fabled menagerie of unusual pets, the men come face to face for the first time. Their chemistry sparks immediately leading to a hot hookup, and soon Adam, Wes, and Gus settle into a comfortable domestic dynamic. Wes even joins Adam and Gus in their attempt to completely cover their new house with Christmas lights, leading them to go viral on Instagram. But when people-hating Wes gets spooked by the attention, their happily ever after may become a thing of the past. Adam’s open personality and Wes’s guarded one perfectly complement each other, while bright, spider- and snake-loving Gus steals every scene she’s in. Parrish elevates what often can be formulaic in category romances to a fine art, with laugh-out-loud dialogue, eccentric but endearing characters, and an emotionally satisfying finale. Any romance lover will get caught up in this charming Christmas tale. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary.