Make it a merry Christmas with four stories of the special way the holidays warm our hearts… Kate Stafford . . .
AN UNEXPECTED GIFT * Kate Pearce
Widower Billy Morgan wishes his grown children still needed him. Good thing his longtime friend, Bella, does. She’s planning her son’s Christmas wedding and Billy is happy to help. Along the way they just might discover their own occasion to celebrate . . .
CHRISTMAS IN BLUE HOLLOW FALLS * Donna Kauffman
Attorney Moira Brogan expects her brother’s Christmas wedding to be a peaceful affair. She doesn’t expect to be cornered by an unwanted lothario, rescued by a gorgeous Aussie chef—or be swept off her feet by said chef. Nursing a broken heart, the last thing she wants is a new romance. But Hudson Walker has other ideas . . .
HOLIDAY HOMERUN * Priscilla Oliveras
Event planner Julia Louisa Fernandez dreams of a life in Chicago. But her family in Puerto Rico expects her to take over the catering business. Former pro baseball player Ben Thomas knows what that’s like—and when they meet, he might be the one to inspire a winning strategy, just in time for the holidays . . .
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This anthology is made up of sweet, holiday stories perfect for getting you in the spirit of Christmas .
Since they are novellas, they don’t get a chance to have a very developed plot, but still, they are entertaining.
Those that have read Ms Kauffman’s Blue Hollow Fall series, or Ms. Pearce’s Morgan Ranch stories, will get a chance to visit with characters in those series.
In Kate Pearce’s An Unexpected Gift, I was happy to see that both Billy Morgan , the patriarch of the Morgan’s and Bella, are older adults. We don’t get many stories for that age group.
Holiday Homerun by Priscilla Oliveras was special for me, since I am Puerto Rican and still have family on the island.
All entertaining stories for an afternoon of leisure. More of a 3.5 star anthology, but in the spirit of Christmas, I am giving it a 4 star.
I was entrusted this copy by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.
A Season to Celebrate by Fern Michaels; Kate Pearce; Donna Kauffman; Priscilla Oliveras
This is such a great box set with some cute and feel good stories. This box sets total about 305 pages with four different stories by different authors. This is a great way to get a ‘taste’ of authors you might not have read before and also to get you a great quick story to get you romance fix for the day.
Overall loved each story and would recommend this book. Here is a copy of the stories you are getting with a blurb from each:
CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING * Fern Michaels
Former Air Force Pararescueman Kevin Matthews is back home in Texas, working at his family’s Christmas tree farm while deciding his next move. Or maybe he won’t move at all, if sparks keep flying with the town’s new surgeon, Kate Stafford . . .
AN UNEXPECTED GIFT * Kate Pearce
Widower Billy Morgan wishes his grown children still needed him. Good thing his longtime friend, Bella, does. She’s planning her son’s Christmas wedding and Billy is happy to help. Along the way they just might discover their own occasion to celebrate . . .
CHRISTMAS IN BLUE HOLLOW FALLS * Donna Kauffman
Attorney Moira Brogan expects her brother’s Christmas wedding to be a peaceful affair. She doesn’t expect to be cornered by an unwanted lothario, rescued by a gorgeous Aussie chef—or be swept off her feet by said chef. Nursing a broken heart, the last thing she wants is a new romance. But Hudson Walker has other ideas . . .
HOLIDAY HOMERUN * Priscilla Oliveras
Event planner Julia Louisa Fernandez dreams of a life in Chicago. But her family in Puerto Rico expects her to take over the catering business. Former pro baseball player Ben Thomas knows what that’s like—and when they meet, he might be the one to inspire a winning strategy, just in time for the holidays . .
Very good Holiday stories that are well written and held my interest throughout. Each of these stories has there own merits and are well worth reading. I received a copy of this set and I am voluntarily reviewing it.
This was a lovely compilation of four holiday romances by four different authors. Each brought their romance to life in a short novella and left you looking forward to more from each of them. With a style of their own each had a delightful romance to tell. A soldier returning home is given a chance at love with a new doctor in town. A widower learns that love can be found close to home in the form of a longtime friendship. A young woman whose life isn’t going the way she wants it to finds love and hope while attending her brothers Christmas wedding. Finally we meet an event planner who meets someone with the same family issues she is struggling with and together they help each other resolve their problems and fall in love in the process. This was a great read, especially if you love romance during the holidays.
“Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls” I think, was my favorite read with well developed characters and a story that I could really feel. Hudson, with the Aussie accent, and Moira, of the Irish brogue and huge clan, were in tune with each other, arriving at the same place but from much different paths and I loved their ending. The train cars were so unique and the whole setting was very picturesque in my mind.
“An Unexpected Gift” was so good. I felt all Billy’s regrets. When he ends up saving and then helping Bella, well, just all kinds of wonderful things can happen for older couples and that touched my heart in a big way. A true feel good story for me of 2nd chances.
“Holiday Home Run” was excellent. A great story big in culture, was all goodness when Ben falls for Julia, and she for him, tho she didn’t want to, so he did have his work cut out. He almost screwed it up too, but luckily he had the charm and sincerity, truly just wanting the best for Julia, which made it easy to fall in love with him.
“A Christmas Homecoming” was a great hero’s welcome home story of Kevin, the famous tree man, K-E-V-I-N, according to Emily, Kate’s adorable and very vocal young daughter, which had me lol’ing often. I feel this one could have used more positive interactions just between Kevin and Kate, with less jumping to conclusions, just my personal preference. A happy traditional Christmas Story that I enjoyed reading, none the less.
I received an ARC thru Net Galley and am giving an honest review.
The first thing you need to know is that I will auto-buy most holiday books – I am a sucka for ‘em! As soon as I heard this collection was being released, it went on my to-buy list. I always purchase Ms. Michaels books and Ms. Oliveras was a new author to me, but this set of stories came with a favorite author (Donna Kauffman) and a “newly” favorite (Kate Pearce)! I was fortunate in that I received an early copy from NetGalley but I still pre-ordered. It really was an enjoyable read.
The four stories are about novella length so they move quickly. I also love, love, love Ms. Kauffman’s Blue Hollow series and her contribution is a part of that. I have also been reading Ms. Pearce’s Morgan Ranch series and her story is also from that series. No worries; they were all standalone reads. However, I had already “met” the characters from Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls and An Unexpected Gift.
I had some favorite lines in all the stories however I don’t want there to be any spoilers. In Christmas Homecoming, that line was almost at the end but Kevin’s and Kate’s story is sort of based on a comedy of errors. They keep misreading each other’s signals and it is Kate’s little girl that will steal the show with her one-liners, IMHO. In An Unexpected Gift, Billy Morgan finds love with an old friend, Bella. My favorite line? Bella’s Navy SEAL son tells Billy, “And all you need to remember is that if you hurt her I’ll come after you, and no one will ever find your body.”x9d “Understood.”x9d Billy nodded. Cracked me up, as you’ll see when you read it. Billy has a past and it plays a very large part of this story. In Holiday Homerun, if you have ever dealt with family expectations, the story will hit home. Julia and Ben both have things in their pasts that are probably direct opposites if you compared them, but they both have to deal with that in order to move forward. Touching and sometimes funny, but always enjoyable.
My absolute favorite of the stories was Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls by Ms. Kauffman. Again, it is a standalone however I’ve “met” Moira Brogan in a previous book about her brother Seth however this, too, stands alone. As a matter of fact, she is “rescued” by Hudson Walker after Seth’s wedding, and they are adorable together. Hudson is one of those characters where you think, this guy is too good to be true, but he never gets…sappy, for lack of a better term. And I loved his choice of housing! Moira’s life is in turmoil as she has had some disappointments and discouraging events in her past but always has the love of her big Irish family behind her. She just wishes that sometimes they were fa-a-a-a-a-a-a-arrrrrrrrrr behind her! I love these two and it was a peek into life around Blue Hollow Falls and it made me sigh and say, ‘Awwwwwwwwwwww!’ I love the series and it just carried thru with this story.
All in all, well worth the purchase of the book! I will re-read in years to come.
I just love Donna Kauffman’s way of pulling the reader into the world of Blue Hollow Falls. I read all four anthologies but was into Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls. A short and sweet love story that is a page turner. I wish it was a little bit longer but a short read was exactly what I needed at the time. I’m not recapping the story because there are a lot of them already out there but know that Donna has a special way of using words that create pictures in your mind. Loved this short and would invite you to join the Blue Hollow Falls families….they’re a joy to “know”
This review is for Christmas in Blue Hallow Falls by Donna Kauffman. One agin she struck gold. This stand alone revisits Blue Hallow Falls. The characters in this book are Moira and Hudson. They have instant chemistry and they will keep you entertained. The book made me laugh and made me cry. I love Donna’s books and can’t wait for the next installment of the Blue Hallow Falls series.
Awesome book
all of these stories were very good enjoyed them all.
This book was a very nice ready, tragic, romantic, surprising!
A Season to Celebrate
4 Novellas
Christmas Homecoming by Fern Michaels
An Unexpected Gift by Kate Pearce
Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls by Donna Kauffman
Holiday Homerun by Patricia Oliveras
Christmas Homecoming by Fern Michaels
Kevin Matthews was forced to leave the Air Force because of a service-related injury. He is home in Texas working at his family’s tree farm while trying to decide where he is going next with his life. Kate Stafford is the new doctor in town. This is a delightful “chance meeting” love story.
An Unexpected Gift by Kate Pearce
Billy Morgan is a widower. His children are grown and living their own lives. His life-long friend, Bella, is planning her son’s Christmas wedding. Billy is delighted to help. He loves feeling needed again. Could their friendship become something more?
Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls by Donna Kauffman
Attorney Moira Brogan is in town to attend her brother’s Christmas wedding. She is recovering from a breakup with the man that she thought she would be her partner for the rest of her life. After the wedding she is having a drink in a local bar, hoping to relax, when she is approached by a very obnoxious and forceful “gentleman” who won’t take no for an answer. Good looking Aussie chef, Hudson Walker, comes to her rescue. Moira has no intention of pursuing another relationship. She isn’t over the last one yet. Another sweet romance from Donna Kauffman.
Holiday Homerun by Patricia Oliveras
Julia Louisa Fernandez has plans to become a successful event planner in Chicago. Her close-knit family wants her to come home to Puerto Rico to take over the family catering business. Ben Thomas is a former professional baseball player who was forced out of the game by an injury. He is chosen to be the emcee for a large charity event being planned by Julia. I really enjoyed this story. In addition to the wonderful Christmas storyline, I enjoyed being able to test my memory of Spanish phrases learned many years ago when I studied Spanish for four years in high school. A delightful story!
I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I definitely recommend this book for some delightful holiday reading.
It is a great Christmas read. All the stories are good and just puts you in the Christmas spirit. The authors at their best.
A Chirstmas Homecoming by Fern Michaels – 2 stars
This short story was my first experience with Fern Michaels’s writing and sadly I didn’t like it. Technically it was one of the worst third person POV stories I’ve ever read. It was so carelessly crafted I couldn’t get in the story or like the characters. The timeline was very short but still mixed up and the conflict between the couple was only solved halfway. This story felt like something quickly whipped up and not at all what such a well established author would write.
An Unexpected Gift by Kate Pearce – 3 stars
It seems like there is no in between for me when it comes to Kate Pearce’s writing. Either I love her story or I just feel like “meh”. Unfortunately this Christmas short story placed in Morganstown with the well known characters of the Morgan Ranch fell in the latter category. The writing was technically good, the story was entertaining enough but still, I didn’t really feel it.
Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls by Donna Kauffman – 5 stars
Donna Kauffman was a new author to me, this Christmas novella was the first I’ve ever read by her. The story was very good and I liked the writing style. Both Moira and Hudson were lovely characters. It was very entertaining to read their story, it gave me all the feels. I will definitely check out other titles in the Blue Hollow Falls series.
Holiday Home Run by Priscilla Oliveras – 4 stars
Another first for me by Priscilla Oliveras. Julia and Ben’s story was a lovely Christmas-inspired novella. I liked the writing and how much I learned about Latinx culture in just a few pages. I loved how the importance of family love and belonging seeped through the pages. For me that’s the most important message of Christmas and I loved how the author and I had this in common.
I received an ARC via NetGalley and posted my review voluntarily.
A Season to Celebrate by Fern Michaels, Kate Pearce, Donna Kauffman, and Priscilla Oliveras, is a wonderful compilation of four holiday romance romances. Each author brought their romance to life in a short novella and left you looking forward to more from each of them. Each wrote a delightful romance in their style in order to tell their own story. A soldier returning home is given a chance at love with a new doctor in town. A widower learns that love can be found close to home in the form of a longtime friendship. A young woman whose life isn’t going the way she wants it to finds love and hope while attending her brothers Christmas wedding. Finally we meet an event planner who meets someone with the same family issues she is struggling with and together they help each other resolve their problems and fall in love in the process. This was a great read, especially if you love romance during the holidays.
Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls by Donna Kauffma, novella 2.5 in her Blue Hollow Falls series was my favorite read. This is Moira Brogan’s book, Seth sister. Aussie chef Hudson Walker, wasn’t expecting to be arrested and in jail for checking on his mate’s sister after the wedding party had departed, but that’s exactly where he found himself after rescuing Moira from a nasty situation, that escalated into an all-out bar brawl.
Moira is at a crossroads in her life, and Hudson enjoys taking the unexpected turn at any crossroads he comes across, so they are quite the pair of opposites. One is a planner, the other lets life lead the way. Yet, their attraction is undeniable, their connection deeper and more meaningful than either expected. These two were so in tune with each other, and as they discover more about each other, and themselves, they must decide whether to take the next road together or separately. A quite difficult decision for Moira, who was recently hurt by what she had thought, was love. I loved their ending. The train cars were so unique and the entire setting was very picturesque.
Ms. Kauffman and the other authors wrote wonderful and moving Christmas stories that are not to be missed. Each story is filled with fun dialogue, endearing characters and the magic of love and Christmas. I highly recommend this book to other.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
I liked the four Christmas time stories that are offered in the books. They were light hearted and fun, and of course very romantic and cutesy. I did feel like they were more of a novella type story that more than likely goes between other books in the series for each of the contributing authors more so than stand alone stories.
What an absolutely sweet anthology filled with fabulous stories by wonderful authors. I wanted this book for Kate Pearce’s story about Dad Billy from her Morgan Ranch. It was delightful but I have to say Donna Kaufman’s story stole the starring role for me in this book. Priscilla Oliveras was third and sweet former athlete story filled with helping others. This was the Fern Michaels story and it felt like the first chapter for a full sized story, a taste and set up for the couple’s story.
The Stories in this anthology are:
Fern Michaels “A Christmas Homecoming”, is a series of wrong assumptions until the circumstances work out to dispel them. A few appropriate questions at the start could have eliminated the whole 70 pages and got the story off the ground.
Kate Pearce’s “An Unexpected Gift” is well named. Prodigal son Billy, and father of the Morgan Brothers, has returned home and hasn’t found a place at his family’s ranch as his mother and sons seem to have everything covered. He does anything to help, trying to make up for his past failures with his family. He and Bella Williams have been friends since kindergarten. He rescues her from a disgruntled employee and volunteers to help in her kitchen at the Red Dragon Bar when she’s short handed. Turns out he went to culinary school after his stent in prison. I loved this story of found love and healing forgiveness.
Donna Kaufman’s “Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls” was packed with a rich romance filled with wisdom and perspective. Moira Brogan, attorney, is a co-Maid of Honor for her brother’s Christmas Day wedding. Hudson Walker is an Aussie Chef for her brother’s partner in the Blue Hollow Falls Mill complex. Her brother Seth askes Hudson to keep an eye out for Moira as she was coping with a really rough patch in her life. Hudson ends up trying to peacefully extricate her from a bullying chap bent on dragging Moira away for a night of passion she has no interest in. One massive bar fight later Moira ends up bailing him out of jail. This was such a fun adventure of two very different souls discovering that the life path they’ve been on can be richer by joining them together. It is jam packed with such great life wisdom that I’ll have to go back an pick up quotes I want to keep. That and Donna Kaufman’s books will have to go on my list to investigate further.
Priscilla Oliveras’ Holiday Home Run was a sweet tale about an event planner visiting her cousin and trying to get a foot in the door in Chicago so she can escape her family’s plan for her to take over her mother’s catering business in Puerto Rico. She’s volunteering on the committee to raise money for the Chicago Youth Association. Benjamin Thomas is a retired Pro Baseball Pitcher who agrees to be emcee for the event to help them raise money. The best way to describe this story is sweet and filled with the flavor of the Puerto Rico culture.
Thank you Kensington and Kate Pearce for granting me the opportunity to review this story.
I received a free eARC through Netgalley.
This review is only for Donna Kauffman’s CHRISTMAS IN BLUE HOLLOW FALLS.
Moira Brogan is down in the dumps after her brother’s Christmas wedding. She’s happy for her brother and her new sister-in-law, but it’s hard to celebrate when she’s still dealing with a broken heart. Moira wants only to wallow in her misery when she’s accosted at the bar. Aussie chef Hudson Walker has been sent by Moira’s brother, Seth, to keep an eye on her and throws himself into saving her from the boor who cannot accept no for an answer. Although she’s generally more than capable of handling such situations herself, Moira does need help when it escalates out of control.
Hudson makes it known that he’s interested in getting to know Moira better. She cannot deny that she’s attracted to Hudson, but she’s afraid of another broken heart. Is she willing to take that risk again?
This is a feel good Christmas story and a great addition to the Blue Hollow Falls series. Although this novella is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone.
I loved this anthology! Kate Pearce is the only author I have previously read, and I now have three more authors I know I will enjoy reading.
All of the stories are great, heartwarming, holiday romances. This is the perfect book to snuggle up in front of the fire with a cup of cocoa and get lost in the beautiful romances.
This is definitely one that I will keep with my to read again holiday collection!
This is a book filled with great Christmas stories from four very talented writers.
My favourite is “An Unexpected Gift” by Kate Pearce as I have read all of Ms Pearce’s Morgan Ranch books.
Overall each story wonderful and will absolutely get you into the holiday mood. In Australia’s case, a nice glass of red and an air-conditioner!
I highly recommend all these stories.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book