DON'T Wait for Christmas to read this one!
348956
Well written, brilliantly paced and laugh-out-loud funny, Lizz Lund rises head and shoulders above a lot of the offerings out there. Her books are chock full of accessible characters, unpredictable conflicts and wonderful plot twists. Farcical perhaps, but there's never a sense of it being self-conscious or contrived. Mina Kitchen's just an ordinary gal, struggling to make ends meet, looking for love, and finding herself  knee- and sometimes neck-deep in bizarre developments. But in the end, it's her down to earth, roll with it attitude that engages the reader and keeps us laughing all the way.
1090394
I was delighted to win a copy of Christmas Bliss by Mary Kay Andrews in a recent Goodreads.com giveaway, and I loved this book even more than I expected!  I have adored the characters of Weezie and BeBe from the first book in the series, and this book is no exception. The story takes place around Christmas but the holiday is background to the two main story lines, one focusing on Weezie and one focusing on Bebe. There is plenty of the interaction between them that make these books work so well and a touch of the holiday fills the air.

What could be more wonderful than the joy of Christmas, the excitement of preparing for a wedding, and the thrill of an impending birth!  Everything is perfect,...well, there are a couple of issues to put a damper on the season like that divorce thing that just might not have happened, maybe. There is that newspaper picture of Daniel with the hot Italian restaurant owner in New York City.  That doesn't exactly make Weezie's day.  The trials and tribulation are expected in a book by MKA, but the path is never quite the one we expect her to take.  There is enough of the predictable for comfort, but this is not that wedding catastophe book your have read a dozen times.  It is a truly lovely story about four people that we already care about.

While you would be fine reading it as a standalone, the richness of the characters is developed through the series.  If you have a choice, read them in order.
4025722
If you are wondering why you should read this Christmas story. It's very simple, it starts with the characters. So please let me tell you about the four characters that spoke to me.

First, Alexa you are going to love Alexa! She is down on her luck in a big way. But, what makes you love her is she never losses herself to her circumstances. She stays sweet, kind and strong. Even when a out burst from her adorable daughter, in a busy store tests her strength. I couldn't help myself from hoping that Alexa and her sweet daughter Cara would be able to turn there luck around in time to have a lovely Christmas!

Then there is Blake, honestly I just wanted to wrap him up and take him home and for oh so many reasons. Blake is a hard working man with a big heart. Who's love for his daughter, even when she tests him never waivers. His big heart is evidant for those who work for him. He works hard to give everything that he can to help those in need. Who wouldn't want Blake around them?

Then there is Miss Brittney. Brittney is a young girl who never wants for anything. Most would say spoiled... Yup, a brat and Ohhh, what a brat she is. I wanted to scold her so many times I literally lost count. But, her saving grace is she is so young and has many people around her that fight for a better life for her.

An Angel for Christmas is a great read for ages 10-100. During the crazyness of the holidays, less face it we all need a pick me up! So grab some cookies, a hot cocoa and An Angel for Christmas and enjoy sometime just for you!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. (And I am truly thankful to have gotten the chance!)
4767396
A wonderful read for young adults. I am excited to see the rest of the series and expect this book to be a great Christmas gift for the holidays!
4018257
I want to meet everyone in Jess Riley's newest book! The characters span a range from genuine to shallow, gracious to obnoxious, warm to distant...just like real life. The main characters are quirky and you want to keep reading to find out what happens to them. The book starts out during the holidays so you definitely want to read this book before Christmas, or give it as a gift (maybe to yourself!) to read when recovering from holiday stress. The main character has touching insights about her mother, which will hit home with many readers.
926766
This book will be added to my "must read each Christmas" list. I loved the characters and how Joe works so hard to get his marriage back together, This story will be a good reminder for me each year. J. Scott Bennett did a great job narrating this book!
1228894
What a wonderful, heartfelt story with a powerful message for readers of all ages! The surprise ending brought a tear of joy to my eyes. I am looking forward to giving this book to my children on Christmas Day, and having it become a family tradition to read every year on Christmas Eve!
3252573
My Thoughts on this book!
When Sadie catches her friend in the arms of her beau, she knew she could never trust him enough to marry him, so she moves away from home to heal. Sadie enjoys her freedom, but then her dad summons her back home and back to the Old Order Amish ways. But Sadie is different now. Can she find peace in her home town with her Amish family? And can she ever trust another man enough to find love and a happy ever after with him?

From one of my very favorite authors comes another special Christmas story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Dawn of Christmas! I always love that Cindy Woodsmall tackles the toughest of situations in her books, and this one is no different. Sadie is heartbroken and she finds peace and healing leaving Apple Ridge and heading off on a mission trip to Peru. I really like Sadie, and was interested in seeing how she would deal with her life back in Apple Ridge. The struggles were not easy, but Sadie's faith was strong and helped her through the difficult times. And then comes Levi!  I also loved this character and the romance it brings to the story. Sadie and Levi are thrown together when Sadie finds him injured from an accident with his horse. The story gets very interesting after this and I had to keep reading to see where these two would end up.

The Dawn of Christmas is a novella, so it is a pretty short read and can be read in a couple of hours. When you choose Christmas stories to read for the coming season, This is one you surely need to check out. You will be delightfully entertained.

I received this book from the publisher Waterbrook through their Blogging For Books review program to read and review.  I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55.
2106222
If there's one book that will put you in the holiday spirit and make you believe in miracles, it is William Hazelgrove's, Real Santa.

I absolutely loved this book! Just when you thought that every possible angle for a story about Santa Claus had been covered, Hazelgrove comes up with this amazing and heartwarming story. This book is destined to become a holiday classic to be enjoyed over and over again.

Everything about this story worked for me: the story line, characters, and of course all the references to classic holiday movies about Santa Claus. Once I started reading it I could not put it down. I am so happy that I came across this book this holiday season.

Yes, folks, there is a Santa Claus. And he doesn't get any more real than he does in this heartwarming and captivating Christmas story.

Jeffrey Miller,
I'll Be Home For Christmas
4241001
Lisa Dickenson is one of those authors, who just scream YES! To me, so when Mistletoe on 34th Street came out, I bought it immediately and got really excited to read the story.

It follows Olivia, she prefers to spend Christmas alone and never actually experienced the traditional Christmas. Now one of her sisters lives in Miami, her other sister travels a lot and her parents are going away for Christmas.

A work trip takes her and her colleagues to New York and when a big snow storm hits the UK they cant get home. They are stuck, but there are worse places to be stuck at right?! Time to explore Christmassy New York.

Her friend Jon is determined to give her the best time in New York. Olivia is really torn, because she just doesnt know what she actually feels for Jon and also wants to experience other things. During these moments I didn't like her so much, but I still really loved her as a character, because she is strong and funny.

I really liked Jon and everything he did in this story. All the other work colleagues had their little story to tell as well and I think they were a great and diverse group of people, it gives the book a lot of different and exciting moments.

New York during the Christmas time must be so gorgeous, Lisas writing just captures it beautifully.

This is a wonderfully festive Christmas read full of love, friendship and family.
1763993
This is a keeper. What a heartwarming and wonderful novella. I literally stayed up till late at night just to finish it. Full of family love, support, misunderstandings, worry, fear, but most of all Christmas magic and miracles. Worth the read anytime of the year...but it will certainly be a great addition to your Christmas reading, as well. I am sure you will enoki it as much as I did. Worth it on more ways than one. Pick up a copy today, you will be so glad that you did.
2270730
I love a book that ends well....and this book does just that - tying up all the loose ends with a final lovely bow of forgiveness. It will leave warm fuzzies sticking all over your heart yet challenged in your own life.

While it was very clean (wouldn't have read it otherwise), it was also about flawed people in a flawed world. Step out your front door and look around and you just might see some or most of the characters. As the story progresses and you get to know each of them better, it's not hard to lose yourself in their stories and forget the ever-ticking clock on the wall.

One thing the book did not have that I would have liked is a listing of the main characters' names and a brief description & how they were related. At Christmas, which is when it's nice to read a book like this, time to read can be a bit sporadic and it was hard to keep the characters straight. It still gets a 5 star rating as I'm now basking in the warm glow of just having finished reading it!

If you're looking for a nice heart-warming book to relax with at Christmas-time, you'll prolly like this book!  Merry Christmas!
2757253
I so enjoyed Letting In Light, Emma Davies' first (and best selling) novel, when I read it earlier this year that I was really looking forward to reading her new novella Merry Mistletoe. I like novellas at Christmas, I'm a bit of a fan of Emma's writing after that first encounter - and this really was a thoroughly lovely read. It's always interesting to see how an author's skills translate to a short story or novella: this one's just 92 pages long, and I have to say that this author's skills translate absolutely perfectly.

It's a great story - Freya struggling with grief at the recent loss of her father and desperately trying (and failing) to keep Appleyard Farm going as Christmas approaches. Her boyfriend Gareth has moved in but offers her no help of any kind, and her only option seems to be to sell the farm. She clearly has some history with the Henderson brothers who want to buy, but she really has no options left. She's an excellent character, who you warm to immediately - she can be obstinate and difficult, but I really found myself entirely in her corner, just hoping everything worked out for her.

Emma creates wonderful characters. We never get a really clear physical description of drifter Amos beyond his bright red Doc Martins, but we certainly feel the depth of how he cares for Freya, helping her out, giving her sound advice, comforting her when she's hurting.  I'd really rather like an Amos of my own. The Henderson brothers are so well drawn too - the "pig-headed arrogant sod" Stephen and his brother Sam with the more genuine smile. I also loved her friend Merry - there are some lovely exchanges including one particular phone call I thought was quite brilliantly done. And as for detestable Gareth...

One of the strengths of Letting In Light was the wonderful descriptions, and there are some lovely ones here too that draw you right in. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the mistletoe sales, the orchards Freya loves with the dew shining on the cobwebs - and I've rarely before come across such wonderful descriptions of bacon and egg sandwiches that made me want to get the frying pan out. There were some lovely little details too - the white feathers really touched my heart.

The structure is excellent - I liked the 29 day countdown, and the feeling that it was more than just Christmas that was relentlessly approaching. The secrets at the story's heart were a real surprise, and so well handled. And as well as a beautiful human interest and love story, the author has successfully made this a real page-turner - I really wanted to know what happened, and whether Freya would find the happiness she deserved.

Can you believe that all this fits into 92 pages? Neither could I. And yet there's nothing rushed about the writing - it's smooth and flowing, and quite lovely to read. When I visited Rowan Hill in Letting In Light, I said I felt I'd been part of the community - and I equally loved my time at Appleyard Farm.  I really, really enjoyed it. And those final lines - well, they're absolutely perfect, and I sighed and smiled too...
1986103
I'm actually surprised with this one!  It's obvious this has been a book that Glenn has been working on for several years, and didn't just try to push it out for timing.  What a wonderful twist and take on the whole St. Nicholas story and bringing it full circle into the true meaning of Christmas!

I had advanced purchased a copy hardcover and was gifted an advanced copy to read a month ago.  Needless to say, neither of these hardcover copies are in my possession now and I want to re-read it again...  so I've had to go ahead and purchase Kindle and Audible versions on this one as well...
2714428
This was a great book to read at Christmas time!  I cuddled up one afternoon and read it under a blanket sipping on cocoa.  A chance to interview one of the most famous guys from the North Pole. What would you ask?  You might be surprised at his answers, even on some of societies problems.  Like world hunger!  Santa Claus has brought so much hope in our lives and our children's.  Always thought he was a fun character who brings lots of toys.  Does he have the power to heal?  Read and find out, quick read that makes you feel warm and fuzzy all over.  Made Christmas and Santa more special to me.  I plan on reading it every year during the holidays!
3627340
I loved the dialog in this novel, it was so witty and yet realistic.  The characters were fleshed out and it took me back in time in such a way I felt like it was there.  The more I read the more difficult it was to put down.  I think it could become a Christmas classic and actually a perfect Christmas gift for Christmas' to come!  Can't wait for the next book!
1991895
Another wonderful book from Jennifer Chiaverini.  I wanted to save mine to read until Christmas Eve but I could not resist peeking at the first page and after that I was hooked until the end.  I loved the way Sylvia's memories trace the Christmas traditions of the Bergstrom family.  I hope this is the start of a two-book-a-year trend from Jennifer, because I can't wait a whole year in between visits to Elm Creek Manor!