Tag Archives: Holiday Book

Another Holiday Book

Posted on by
Reply

I saw this while I was out shopping
and my daughter said it was really good,
so I didn’t think twice –
I picked it!

Goodreads:  This funny, charming and heartwarming new Christmas novel is USA TODAY bestselling author Sarah Morgan at her festive best!

In the snowy perfection of Aspen, the White family gathers for youngest daughter Rosie’s whirlwind Christmas wedding. First to arrive are the bride’s parents, Maggie and Nick. Their daughter’s marriage is a milestone they are determined to celebrate wholeheartedly, but they are hiding a huge secret of their own: they are on the brink of divorce. After living apart for the last six months, the last thing they need is to be trapped together in an irresistibly romantic winter wonderland.

Rosie’s older sister, Katie, is also dreading the wedding. Worried that impulsive, sweet-hearted Rosie is making a mistake, Katie is determined to save her sister from herself! If only the irritatingly good-looking best man, Jordan, would stop interfering with her plans…

Bride-to-be Rosie loves her fiance but is having serious second thoughts. Except everyone has arrived–how can she tell them she’s not sure? As the big day gets closer, and emotions run even higher, this is one White family Christmas none of them will ever forget! 

Thanks Kristin for a good recommendation!

Christmas in Vermont

Posted on by
1

Author: Anita Huges
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Holiday Book
Source: Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads:  A sweet holiday love story about the magic of synchronicity and fate set at a quaint Vermont inn during the week after Christmas.

Emma can’t believe her luck when she finds an open pawn shop on Christmas Eve in Manhattan. She’s there to sell the beautiful bracelet her ex-boyfriend gave her when a familiar looking watch catches her eye. It’s the same engraved watch she gave her college boyfriend, Fletcher, years ago. On a whim, she trades the bracelet for the watch and wonders at the timing.

Practical Emma thinks it’s just a coincidence, but her best friend Bronwyn believes it’s the magic of synchronicity that caused Emma to find the watch. Fletcher was the one that got away, and somehow Emma never quite moved on.

When Bronwyn finds out that Fletcher is in snowy Vermont at a romantic inn for the week, she can’t help but give synchronicity a push. She signs Emma up to help the inn keeper as the children’s activity coordinator. Emma agrees that a week filled with quaint shops and maple syrup would do her good… and maybe Fate really does have a Christmas gift in store for her. That is until she sees Fletcher with his daughter and fiancée.

Suddenly, the fairytale trip seems doomed to fail… much like the innkeeper’s dwindling cashflow. It will take a miracle to save her heart and the inn. And that just might be what Fate has in mind.

Christmas in Vermont is a delightful and charming love story about the magic of second chances during the most festive time of year. 

Ope’s Opinion:  This was the perfect Hallmark movie book.  If you would like to be put in the holiday mood – this is the book for you.  It is a warm cozy story that makes you smile.  

The characters are well developed.  The setting was a wonderful winter town. The story was a great balance between present day and memories.

The ending was exactly what you would expect and everything you want from a holiday romance book.

Let It Snow

Posted on by
1

Author: Nancy Thayer
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Holiday Book
Source: Purchased

 

Goodreads:  A Nantucket shopkeeper discovers that Christmas is the perfect occasion to make unexpected friendships . . . to warm the coldest of hearts–and maybe even find love.

Christina Antonioni is preparing for the holidays at her Nantucket toy shop, unpacking last-minute shipments and decorating for her loyal Christmas shoppers. But when her Scrooge of a landlord, Oscar Bittlesman, raises her rent, it seems nearly impossible for Christina to continue business on the wharf.

Even so, Christina hopes there is a warm heart underneath Oscar’s steely exterior. When she bonds with Wink, his sweet, young granddaughter who frequents the shop, it becomes clear that perhaps he isn’t so cold after all. And with the help of Wink’s uncle, who happens to be a charming and very handsome bachelor, this may be the best Christmas any of them could have ever imagined. Nancy Thayer’s enchanting Nantucket setting provides the perfect backdrop for this holiday love story.

Ope’s Opinion: The setting and the story was perfect for this time of year.  It made me want to take a trip to Nantucket and walk around the wharf – it sounds wonderful!

Christina is the main character – I really liked her, but I didn’t care for the part where she talked to herself and called herself IC ( Inner Christina ).  I would have rather she talked to her cat, then herself.  It was not constantly through the whole book, so I enjoyed the most of it.

The ending was predictable – exactly what you want and expect for a holiday story.

Sharing Books

Posted on by
Reply

The best books are the ones someone ( Kristi )
shares with you.

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: October 15, 2019

Goodreads:  A sweet holiday love story about the magic of synchronicity and fate set at a quaint Vermont inn during the week after Christmas.

Emma can’t believe her luck when she finds an open pawn shop on Christmas Eve in Manhattan. She’s there to sell the beautiful bracelet her ex-boyfriend gave her when a familiar looking watch catches her eye. It’s the same engraved watch she gave her college boyfriend, Fletcher, years ago. On a whim, she trades the bracelet for the watch and wonders at the timing.

Practical Emma thinks it’s just a coincidence, but her best friend Bronwyn believes it’s the magic of synchronicity that caused Emma to find the watch. Fletcher was the one that got away, and somehow Emma never quite moved on.

When Bronwyn finds out that Fletcher is in snowy Vermont at a romantic inn for the week, she can’t help but give synchronicity a push. She signs Emma up to help the inn keeper as the children’s activity coordinator. Emma agrees that a week filled with quaint shops and maple syrup would do her good… and maybe Fate really does have a Christmas gift in store for her. That is until she sees Fletcher with his daughter and fiancée.

Suddenly, the fairytale trip seems doomed to fail… much like the innkeeper’s dwindling cashflow. It will take a miracle to save her heart and the inn. And that just might be what Fate has in mind.

Christmas in Vermont is a delightful and charming love story about the magic of second chances during the most festive time of year.

Thank you Kristin of Kritters Ramblings for sharing another book with me.  

Worst Christmas Ever!

Posted on by
Reply

Author: Mallary Mitchell
Publisher: White Rose Books
Genre: Holiday
Source: Library

 

Goodreads:  After being jilted the day before her Christmas wedding, Sara Jane hates the holidays. Holly and mistletoe are a painful reminder that happily-ever-after isn’t for her. Now, this Christmas, her baby sister is getting married. Talk about adding insult to injury! Forced into faux Christmas joy while she helps plan the nuptials, Sara Jane just wants to escape to Athens, Greece–away from the judgmental stares and snickers of her family and friends. God, on the other hand, may have other plans. Maxwell Dixon has secretly loved Sara Jane since they were children. Like so many tragic childhood love stories, however, he was relegated to “friend status” long ago. But when Sara Jane needs him for moral support and to be a safe date at the wedding, Max decides it’s time to show Sara Jane what love and Christmas are all about.

Ope’s Opinion: This is perfect read for the holiday season.  It is a quick, really cute read, which is what you need at this time of year.   It just sets the mood for a great Christmas!

Seasons of Wonder

Posted on by
1

Author: RaeAnne Thayne
Publisher: HQN Books
Genre: Holiday Romance
Source: Claire at Little Bird Publicity

 

Goodreads:  He’s giving her children a season of wonder…

Dani Capelli seized a chance to start over in a small town with her daughters. Now, facing her first Christmas in Haven Point, she wonders if leaving New York was a mistake. Dani loves working alongside veterinarian Dr. Morales, but her two children aren’t adjusting to small-town life. And then there’s Dr. Morales’s son, Ruben—Dani’s next-door neighbor. Gorgeous, muscled and dependable, the deputy sheriff is everything she secretly craves and can’t bear to risk loving…and losing.

Ruben never pictured himself falling for a big-city woman like Dani. But beneath her prickly facade, she’s caring and softhearted and she needs all the love and protection he can give. When Dani’s teenage daughter starts acting out, Ruben draws on family traditions to show the girls just how magical a Haven Point Christmas can be. But can he convince Dani that she’s found a home for the holidays—and forever—in his arm.

Ope’s Opinion:  This is a perfect read to get you in the holiday mood.  It is a  wonderfully predictable romance.  It is easy to pick up when you have to put it down during the holiday interruptions.  You will want to get right back to it. Being in Haven Point during the holidays is a wonderful place to escape to for a little while.  

You can read this one without having read the other Haven Point books.  You will not feel lost or like you are missing something.  If you really enjoy this one, go back and read the others, it is worth your time.

 

Mrs. Miracle

Posted on by
Reply

Author: Debbie Macomber
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Holiday Fiction
Source:  Harper Collins

 

Goodreads: Seth Webster’s heart never healed after he lost his adored wife. Now, with Christmas approaching, wild twin boys to raise alone, a home in chaos, and the latest in a long line of exasperated housekeepers quitting in disgust, Seth needs more than help to keep his family together…he needs a miracle.

And then a miracle arrives on his doorstep. Her name is Mrs. Merkle, but the kids call her “Mrs. Miracle”—and from the moment the warm, knowing, and very patient nanny appears, everything is different. Her sassy spirit is infectious, and it gives Seth the courage to approach Reba, a beautiful travel agent who’s been hurt and betrayed, and is afraid to ever love again. Through the magic of faith—and with a little help from a children’s Christmas pageant and a lot of encouragement from Mrs. Miracle—Seth and Reba might just be able to find a Christmas miracle of their very own: true love.

Ope’s Opinion:  This is such a prefect read for the holidays.  It is light, easy and happy at the end.  All the ways a holiday read should be. 

Although I thought the movie was better then the book, I did enjoy the book.  I saw the movie first, so that may have something to do with my point of view.

I am usually not one to read about angels and ghostly happenings, but for the Christmas season this seemed appropriate.

If you like Debbie Macomber books, you will enjoy this one too!

Christmas, Present

Posted on by
1

Author: Jacquelyn Mitchard
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Holiday Fiction
Source: Harper Collins

 

Goodreads:  A fourteenth wedding anniversary is nothing to sneeze at, Elliott Banner knows, but it’s not exactly a landmark year—like fifteen, or twenty, when he plans to take his wife, Laura, to Paris. But when a headache on the drive home from their anniversary date—two days before Christmas—turns out to be more than a migraine, he wishes he had celebrated every year as though it were their last.

In this poignant, touching, uplifting story, a woman calmly gathers her family around her during the Christmas holiday to celebrate their lives together—both past and future—and to truly count their blessings.

A family history unfolds in a single night in this deeply affecting story that speaks volumes about love, trust, and letting go—a perfect holiday read that underscores the true meaning of the season.

Ope’s Opinion:  Although this book was on the sad side, it reminded me to enjoy each moment.  It made me stop and think about how precious my family is – especially at a time when we are all so busy. 

Since this book was so short, some of it felt rushed and the ending came a little too fast.

The Thursday Night Club and Other Stories of Christmas Spirit

Posted on by
1

Author: Steven Manchester
Publisher: Fiction Studio Books
Genre: Holiday Book
Source:  Steven Manchester

 

Goodreads:  A joyous and deeply emotional collection of three unforgettable Christmas novellas.

With a series of #1 bestsellers like Twelve Months, The Rockin’ Chair and Pressed Pennies, Steven Manchester has established himself as one of the premier voices of moving and heartfelt fiction. Now, he collects his three unforgettable Christmas novellas in one volume.

The Thursday Night Club: Five college friends, three men and two women, have been getting together every Thursday night to share humble meals and an abundance of laughter. But when tragedy takes one of them, leaving the others to question the fairness of life, the Thursday Night Club decides to embark on a contest in the memory of the generous spirit of their fallen brother. The objective of the contest is simple: whoever performs the kindest deed by Christmas night wins the pot – four quarters. And there are only two conditions: the benevolent deed must be anonymous, and it cannot cost a single penny to pull off. As the four friends undertake the contest, the healing begins and they become inspired beyond their expectations. There might be a winner in this competition, but it is very clear there will be no losers.

A Christmas Wish: Steph is on a search for truth in her heart as she faces the prospect of real love for the first time. Brian is out to enjoy his favorite season in a way that doctors never thought he could. And at the center of it all is their grandmother, affectionately known as Mama, a woman of remarkable commitment and charity who knows something very important about making Christmas wishes come true.

The Tin-Foil Manger: Published in this volume for the first time, this is the story of Nancy, an elderly woman with little to live for and Jeanne, the caretaker who wants to believe that Nancy has more to live for. Together, they embark on a journey to the past – a past of modest Christmases, tin-foil mangers, and abundant love – to rediscover the time when Nancy felt truly alive. Nancy’s memories and how they touch Jeanne, will turn this Christmas into one for the ages.

Rich with emotion and profound with meaning, these three stories of Christmas spirit that will strike a chord in your heart any time of year and make you look at the holiday season in new ways.

Ope’s Opinion:  A year ago I read The Thursday Night Club and enjoyed it.  I decided when Steven sent me this book to reread it.  It was just as good the second time.

The other two stories were just as good as The Thursday Night Club.  They were perfect for this busy time of year – short, meaningful and a reminder of the reason for the season.  They made me stop for a minute, relax and think about what is really important.

Thank you Steven for writing such heartfelt characters and stories.