It's tough being a road musician, always out away from home and family. For Jimmy Sullivan, his brother, Jack, and their band, The Unknown Souls, have been out trying to make a name for themselves for quite a while. Without a place to call home, the boys lead a nomadic life filled with music and anonymous cities. When they return to a place Jimmy never thought he would want to see again— their old hometown of Seaboro, South Carolina— he falls in love with his childhood friend Charlotte Carrington.

Head over heels in love, Jimmy writes his first love song for Charlotte. When he performs it at a holiday concert to a standing ovation, the lyrics are dubbed the "Perfect Love Song," so much so that Jimmy soon finds himself going on a whirlwind holiday tour where his song is a big hit everywhere he goes.

But as is common in the music world, the feelings that had once inspired such beautiful, genuine lyrics are soon overshadowed by what the song can do for him and his career. Caught up in the publicity, the fame and the fortune of all his new-found success, he agrees to miss Jack's wedding in Ireland to sing at a Christmas Eve concert that will be televised to millions. His relationship with Charlotte is damaged, and Jimmy finds he must choose between stardom and a chance to spend his life with the woman he loves.

I have enjoyed Patti Callahan Henry's books for several years, and was delighted to find out she had written a Christmas story this year. A semi-sequel to her previous book, When Light Breaks, it was a real treat to revisit the familiar surroundings and warm characters that I enjoyed in that story.

THE PREFECT LOVE SONG incorporates the voice of a narrator, one lively Irish lady named Maeve Mahoney, who although now deceased continues to be interested in the lives of her beloved friends and guides them to the happiness they so richly deserve. Gotta love a pushy Irish ghost!

Henry also captures the behind-the-scenes workings of the music business with accuracy, including all the wheelings and dealings that often go on in spite of what the musicians and performers want. And this story also includes a great look at how true love can overcome overwhelming obstacles.

I found THE PREFECT LOVE SONG to be a perfect Christmas story to start off the season!

Book Summary

Jimmy Sullivan has been living on the road with his brother, Jack, and his band The Unknown Souls. Without a place to call home, Jimmy and Jack lead a nomadic life filled with music and anonymous cities. When they return to a place Jimmy never wants to see again--their old hometown of Seaboro, South Carolina--he falls in love with Charlotte Carrington.

With his soul now filled with hope, Jimmy writes his first love song. When he performs it at a holiday concert to a standing ovation, the lyrics are dubbed the "Perfect Love Song," so much so that Jimmy finds himself going on tour with famous country music stars, catapulted into a world where the trappings of fame and fortune reign supreme.

All too soon, the hope that had once inspired Jimmy to write such beautiful, genuine lyrics is overshadowed by what the song can do for him and his career. In his thirst for recognition, he agrees to miss Jack's wedding in Ireland to sing at a Christmas Eve concert. And his ties to Charlotte seem to be ever so quickly slipping away.

Alone in New York City on Christmas Eve, Jimmy finally sees--with the help of a Christmas miracle or two--that his material gains are nothing compared to love, that he is losing all that really matters in his life. Is it too late to find his way to Ireland, to his brother, and to love?