A joyful novella to brighten your day!Adelene Almanza, an accomplished violinist and Spanish teacher, has only one Christmas wish—to buy an old decrepit schoolhouse and create a teen and literacy center in her small hometown of Bluestone Bluff, New York.When she tries to attend the sale of the building, she is injured and must rely on her old boyfriend and owner of a construction company, Clay … a construction company, Clay Ciaffonni, to help purchase the building and help with the renovations. But money is tight, and a demolition and salvage company is pressuring her to give up and sell.
Despite an act of vandalism, mounting costs, and a stray puppy, the couple pushes forward to restore the structure to its natural beauty. Will they discover the long-forgotten secrets of the old schoolhouse hidden away in its boarded-up attic? And will the sparks of love ignite a second time for Adelene and Clay?
more
This is a great novella that lets you escape your problems and worries for a while and leaves you with warm fuzzy feelings. You have a teacher trying to help her students and families, a construction business owner with the hots for the teacher, his loving and crazy family, Beulah Big Bust and her greedy nephew, and Calamity (a cute abandoned puppy). Get you a cup of something warm and settle in for a visit to Bluestone Bluff.
I enjoyed this story so much more than I expected! I usually read intense and dark books. Lots of worrying and crying and exhaustion afterwards. This book is nothing like that.
Its light and joyful. Full of caring and genuine love. I found myself relaxed and happy when I got to the end. It’s a perfect story for bedtime. It also reminded me to NOT get stuck in one genre or tone when picking something to read.
If you’re looking for a quick read about family, community, good food and goodwill towards others, this is perfect for you. There is mystery and mischief makers involved as well. Just enough to make you need to know the ending.
By the way, there is the yummiest looking recipe from the story at the end!
This was the definition of a fun, unputdownable story that will make you smile uncontrollably. My son caught me right after I finished this tale:
Son: Mom? What’s wrong? You have a weird look on your face
Me: Its happiness. This book brought me joy.
Son: Oooookkkkkk. (Rolls eyes) what’s for dinner?
This waa a spectacular small town romance where you pretty much know what’s going to happen… But you don’t care and still enjoy it. Writing was great and editing flawless. I was puzzled a few times when Adages were used that I didn’t understand, even using the context. Couple of examples:
““Eager, aren’t you? If you think a little dust vacuum and a few rags are going to spruce up your attic, your optimism defies logic. It’ll be like spitting in the ocean with the amount of accrued dust. There are layers and layers of it.””
“Despite her sometimes prickly independent moods, Adelene was like a full moon on an inky night. She radiated light and happiness.”
Maybe these are Southern sayings? I don’t know, but I was baffled by them and how the fit in the scene. Maybe its just me? But it didn’t stop my enjoyment. And lets talk about how well she describes the scene:
“The round tables, now scrubbed to a shine, were surrounded with comfortable, stackable padded chairs and were sprinkled throughout the room. They offered a clean, warm welcome to anyone who entered the building. A new modern chalkboard and a dry erase white board, both framed in oak to match the restored wainscot along the lower walls, hung on the front wall of the classroom. The old cracked linoleum had been removed and the dark walnut wood floors gleamed in a rich chocolate patina to accent the lighter wood of the rest of the room.”
I am loving this author’s style of writing. And while my 20 yr old son may not get it, readers need to read this asap. Just close the door to your room so you don’t have to explain your happy face to anyone.
Good 3.5 stars. This was a cozy, heartwarming Christmas time romance with a dash of mystery. Clay and Adelene were dating briefly when she decided it wouldn’t be ideal to continue on. I liked the characters but didn’t feel the chemistry between them. There were a few kissing and snuggling scenes, but it fell a little flat in the romance department. And I was curious to know what became of Beulah? Overall a good curl up with a blanket read, but lacking the fireworks I was looking for.
A joy to read – A heart warming Christmas romance that is fun to read. There is joy in the interaction of the charcters especially re-discovering a former love and the discvery of a myterious puppy. Struggles also exist in hidden agendas, vandalism, and jealousy. The rumor of a hidden tresure adds to the drama. I plan on checking out the other books in the series as I love the feel good characters.
A great feel good story with lots of great characters. Filled with community spirit and family/friends helping one another during times of need along with mystery and romance. Absolutely fell in love with Calamity.