4 stars For the most part, this series is worth reading. For individual reviews, read below. The five-star stories were: The Last Cottage on Pinewood Lane by Melissa McClone, Blessings on State Street by Rachael Bloome, and A Lot Like Christmas by Kathryn Cantrell 10-31-2021 The Last Cottage on Pinewood Lane - Melissa McClone 5 stars This is a sweet story of love at first sight, even if Elias and Tasha don't immediately realize it. The cast is typical small-town characters, a villainous ex-boyfriend and his biyatch girlfriend, and two people who weren't looking for love when it clobbered them. It has a Hallmark holiday movie feeling to it, and I really enjoyed it. 11-1-2021 The Cowboy's Christmas Wish - Kristen Ethridge 3 stars It's an okay story— short and sweet, but without much meat. Sarah, who is divorced, has adopted Jamie from Haiti and Jaime has some behavioral issues. It’s unclear whether she has ASD or she just hasn’t adjusted to her new circumstances. Grant intuitively knows how to interact with Jamie and this endears him to Sarah. I didn't dislike the story and it had some good parts to it, but I didn't love it either. 11-3-2021 I’ll Be Home for Christmas - Tess Thompson 4 stars I liked this one about high school sweethearts given a second chance at love. The connections between them were a bit confusing at first, leading me to believe this was part of an already existing series. I didn’t know who Brandi and Crystal were and there was one typo where Trapper was used instead of Jack (although jarring, that was easy to figure out). I was happy Jack and Jennie were given a second opportunity to be together, but I had to wonder why Jack stayed with Malinda for as long as he did. Why not divorce when Brandi was 18 instead of 30? There’s also the fact that Jack had to be pretty dense not to suspect Jennie’s secret so I’m glad the author didn’t belabor the point by dragging out the revelation. I just think he should have approached her years earlier. Overall, it was an uplifting story and I would be interested in reading other stories in the series. 11-5-2021 No Matter How Far - Barbara Hinske 2 stars I realize this was only a novella, but I felt like I didn’t really learn a whole lot about either Judy or Jeff. Both were older (over 60, I’d guess), both were widowed, and both were given a second chance at love. Conversations were a bit stilted to my ear and the timeline was a bit wobbly. What bothered me most was that I wanted to know more about Mr. Olsson, the former owner of the mansion. Why was he such a recluse? Why did he make these gorgeous ornaments for his nephew and the neighbor girl and her mother? What else was hidden in that attic? I guess the biggest problem with the story was that I never connected with any of the characters, who seemed more like generic people than real ones. There was nothing quirky or unusual about either of them (or incidental characters), friendships were of the kind that would be expected, and the plot was predictable. The writing was fine, but the story was not compelling. 11-7-2021 Blessings on State Street - Rachael Bloome 5 stars This is a touching story about Abby, recently widowed and determined to avoid anything Christmas-related, and Logan, her husband's military pilot buddy who was injured and discharged before Donnie died. While Logan at times resents his circumstance, he reminds himself he could have ended up like Donnie instead. Meanwhile, Abby wrestles with guilt because she feels that succumbing to her budding feelings for Logan would be a betrayal of her love for Donnie. The story is told in third-person from alternating POVs of Abby and Logan so the reader always knows what each of them is thinking. It's a well-told story that explores survivor's guilt as well as how long one should mourn the passing of a loved one. It even delves into the foster care system. Overall, it's a fairly complete look at some complex characters in a novella. 11-8-2021 One Unforgettable Christmas - Tammy L Grace 3 stars It's a cheesy name and a predictable story, but uplifting and hopeful, nevertheless. Mostly, I enjoyed it. 11-2-2021 A Lot Like Christmas - Kathryn Cantrell 5 stars I received an ARC of this collection from Ms. Cantrell and this is probably my favorite story of the bunch. It begins with a powerful hook: “Iris Duncan absolutely believed in love at first sight, but when it finally happened to her, she’d expected it to feel a lot better than slamming a toe into a very solid Hepplewhite sideboard. Which hurt. A lot.” The story continues to get better from there, with Iris slowly but surely pounding away at the walls that Wesley has built around his heart. Naturally, Iris and Wesley are immediately attracted to one another, although Wesley is hell-bent to deny it. This description of his voice is wonderful: “His voice reminded her of melted caramel, right at the moment after heating it, when it tasted the most luscious and sinful. The gooey goodness would pour off the spoon in little rivulets that smooth out instantly, the same way his voice did inside her.” Iris is exceptionally intuitive and knows exactly how to treat Wesley to elicit the responses she desires, so even though he lashes out with hurtful statements intended to drive her away, she responds with dignity and compassion and forces him to reevaluate his own desires (without seeming to force him, which would have driven him in the opposite direction). The evolution of the relationship is believable and well-paced. I love the appearance of Serenity Force, the older woman who lives across the street from the antique shop in the old hotel. My immediate thought was, why didn’t Wesley direct Iris to stay at the hotel across the street? I went back to check and when Iris asked about whether there was a hotel in the area, Wesley only shrugged in response. Of course, he knew what was across the street, so the question is, did Wesley subconsciously want Iris to stay or was the hotel no longer in operation? I’d like to believe it’s the former. I thoroughly enjoyed this story which is punctuated by heartfelt emotions and ample humor. I highly recommend it and think this collection is worth the price, if only for this book (although, of course, some of the others are also good). 11-10-2021 Tinsel and Teacups - Elle Rush 1 star As I read the story, I couldn't imagine what would be the conflict between Rachel and Owen. Every good story has some kind of ordeal the characters need to overcome in order to have their happy ending. Unfortunately, this story didn't really have one. The misunderstanding at the beginning was quickly resolved, and every little challenge was just as quickly conquered. There was no tension or uncertainty. For this reason, the ending just kind of fell flat. Also, I looked up Prairie Pioneer teacup online. Since it was such an important part of this story, I wanted to know more about it. I couldn't find a single thing. That was disappointing. November 10, 2021
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Elizabeth J ConnorWriter. Editor. Proofreader. Archives
September 2022
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