A Season to Celebrate

A Season To Celebrate
I knew of 2 of the Authors in this anthology before reading this and I have found me a new Author to look forward to as well.
Fern Micheals as usual brings you a great story that keeps you reading.
Donna Kauffman is the main reason I read this anthology so I could keep up with her Blue Hollow Falls Series. As usual a great story that shows great characters and a great story line.
Priscilla Oliveras is a new to me Author and I throughly enjoyed her addition to this book.
Each story helps put you in the Christmas mood.

I especially wanted this collection because I have been avidly following Donna Kauffman’s Blue Hollow Falls series. The second full book, Bluestone and Vine, began with a house swap like in the movie The Holiday, but we only followed Pippa’s half of the swap. We got hints about what happened to Moira in Ireland, and I was so happy to get the rest of the story. I really liked Moira, and I am glad that Hudson helps her not be so hard on herself. They spend a lot of time discussing unrequited love, the nature of failure, and relationship mottoes. Their conversations are fascinating. And now I totally want to live in a converted train car. This was a good addition to a terrific series.
I have also read Fern Michaels’s story. I am not as familiar with her writing, but I really enjoyed these characters. They got so twisted up trying to figure out what to do. It’s a good thing Kevin’s mother was there to fix everything!

This book has four short holiday stories in it. Perfect types to read during the holidays.

CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING by Fern Michaels
Kevin Matthews is finally coming back home to Cedar Park, Texas after 3 tours of duty in the military after hurting his leg. He’s 32 and not sure what he wants to do, but in the meantime he will help out on his family’s tree farm. Before he left, he had his whole life planned out but when his girlfriend Melissa broke things off, he joined the service.
Kate Stafford is a doctor, recently divorced and a single mother to Emma. They just relocated to Cedar Park, Texas. When taking Emma to her Sunday school classes, Kate bumps into Kevin and sparks fly. Of course everyone in town is trying to be a matchmaker between these two, even Emma! Some holiday magic is just what is needed to give Kevin and Kate their happy ending. This was a fun, sweet and romantic story.

AN UNEXPECTED GIFT by Kate Pearce
Widower Billy Morgan has had a tough time of things lately. Still feeling guilty over things from his past, Billy is trying make amends with his family and is wishing he was needed more. When his old friend, widow Bella Williams is in need of his help, Billy jumps right in and a new, different type of friendship is started. When Bella wants to throw a surprise party for her son and new daughter-in-law, she enlists Billy’s help. As these two spend more time together, sparks start to fly. It takes some huge leaps of faith for these two people to jump into a relationship again but together they find a wonderful happy ending.

CHRISTMAS IN BLUE HOLLOW FALLS by Donna Kauffman
We finally get Moira Brogan’s story! After her brother Seth’s wedding to Pippa, Moira heads back to her hotel and ends up in the bar. When Max, a drunk, rich idiot starts to come on to her and starts to get a little physical, a handsome stranger comes to her rescue. Hudson Walker is her brother’s friend and was actually the chef for their wedding. He recognized Moira as soon as she entered the bar but didn’t make himself known until it looked like she was in danger. Having been attracted to Moira but knowing she was only in town for the wedding, Hudson didn’t make any moves on her since she was one of his best friend’s little sisters. Moira ends up going back to Hudson’s place for the night after she bails him out of jail from his fight with Max. The next morning the two of them hit if off after her love of his cooking. They spend the day together being open and honest with each other and even though neither of them is looking for anything serious, sparks fly. It takes trust, a leap of faith, and getting over their past before Moira and Hudson can find their happy ending and boy do they end up finding it! I loved this story. My only complaint would be that it was too short! I love Moira and want more of her!

HOLIDAY HOMERUN by Priscilla Oliveras
Julia Louisa Fernandez wants to live in Chicago, IL, not in Puerto Rico. She finally gets her big chance at catering a big gala and she is hoping that afterwards, the head of the gala will offer her a permanent position. Unfortunately, the guest star of the gala is none other than former pro baseball player Ben Thomas. Too bad all ball players are had egos so big they could barely fit in the room, but Julia was determined to see this gala through. Ben on the other hand was determined to see Julia. He was intrigued by her. As these two spent more time together, Julia realizes that Ben is not like most ball player. As the gala day draws closer, so do Ben and Julia. He really wants her to stay in Chicago and decides to try and help it along. Too bad best thought out ideas are not always what is best. In the end these two do get their happy ending though.

I thought this was a fantastic collection of novellas by some of my favorite authors. I’m very familiar with Ms. Michael’s books as well as the connected series from Ms. Kauffman and Ms. Pearce. Priscilla Owens is new to me but after this sampling of her storytelling I will definitely be looking for more from her. While I enjoyed all these stories my favorite was Ms. Pearce’s An Unexpected Gift, having read all of the Morgan Ranch books I was thrilled to see Billy find his own little piece of happy.

Overall each of these stories where wonderful and will absolutely help you get in the holiday mood. I highly recommend this book.

CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING Fern Michaels 4 Stars
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. I can’t believe this is the first story I’ve read from the author, I really enjoyed it & look forward to reading more from her.

AN UNEXPECTED GIFT Kate Pearce 4.5 Stars
Widower Billy Morgan has returned after years away & wishes his grown children still needed him. Good thing his long time friend, Bella, does. She’s planning a Christmas celebration for her son’s wedding as he married in Vegas. Billy is more than happy to help. If you love the Morgan boys then you won’t want to miss this delightful short story. Billy & Bella have been friends for decades but things change after a thank you kiss. Well written, great characters, well paced everything I expect, it was different in that Billy & Bella are in their 50’s with grown children.

CHRISTMAS IN BLUE HOLLOW FALLS Donna Kauffman 4 Stars
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 . Another new author to me, it took me a while to ‘get into’ this novella. I think if I’d read other books in the series then it would have been easier. However it did whet my appetite enough to search our more from the author.

HOLIDAY HOMERUN Priscilla Oliveras 3 Stars
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. Another enjoyable read & ideal for whiling away a couple of hours. I found my interest waning at times so for me the length was about right.
Four engaging short stories, I read each one in a sitting. Kate Pearce is a must read author for me & her story was the icing on the cake in this anthology & I must admit the reason for reading it. However I was delighted with the other novellas from three new to me authors who I’ll certainly be reading more of.

My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This is a review of Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls one of the stories in this collection.
I was so excited to go back to Blue Hollow Falls at Christmas and to learn more about Moira, who we met in Bluestone & Vine. Moira’s story touched me, as chasing after dreams and finding out they weren’t what you expected, is difficult. Throw in a bar fight, lamenting over a broken heart and a hot new Aussie chef and this story will make you forget about dreams once imagined. Thankful for this peek back into the community that I have fallen in love with and can’t wait for the next full story in the series.

I’m also looking forward to reading the rest of the stories in this collection, as I need some holiday cheer and romance to last me through to the holidays.

First three stories better than the fourth.

Reviewed by Jen
Book provided by Netgalley
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

I love Christmas anthologies. I get several short, hopefully well rounded romance with all the magic from the Christmas season. And A Season to Celebrate delivered that feel-good feeling I wanted.

CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING by Fern Michaels — I think Fern Michaels is the queen of Christmas short stories. Her tales headline many anthologies, several of which have a keeper place on my shelves. In this story, Kevin is returning to his hometown after an injury sustained ends his military career. And then there is Kate who has moved to town with her daughter to advance her career as a surgeon. It’s a small town, so they keep running into each other and there are definite sparks. But there are also misunderstandings that provide a little tension in this novella. The characters are likeable and the situation believable. I’m not always fond of kids in stories, but Kate’s daughter added a little comic relief. All in all, I finished the story with a smile on my face.

AN UNEXPECTED GIFT by Kate Pearce — Kate Pearce is a new-to-me author. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her, but I hadn’t read any of her books until this anthology. I didn’t know what to expect going in to the story, but what I found was a story featuring mature characters finding love later in life. Billy and Bella have know each other for years but never really looked at each other that way. But they’re thrown together and they just… fit. I don’t read many books with older couples and it was refreshing to have one included in this anthology. I walked away wanting to read more by Ms. Pearce.

CHRISTMAS IN BLUE HOLLOW FALLS by Donna Kauffman — I’ll admit, this story was the main reason that I picked up this anthology. I have read a couple of the books in the Blue Hollow Falls series and was interested in returning to the small, unique community. The story does stand on it’s own, but there’s enough connection to the series that it’s richer if you’ve read the other books. Moira is an attorney who comes to Blue Hollow Falls for her brother’s wedding. Enter Hudson who is drawn to Moira, but she isn’t looking for a relationship but rather to advance her career. But the magic of the holiday, a persuasive Aussie and an enchanting community has her rethinking her priorities. This story is another winner by Donna Kauffman.

HOLIDAY HOMERUN by Priscilla Oliveras — Ms. Oliveras is another new-to-me author. The twist with this book was the heroine with a Puerto Rican heritage. This is another aspect (like the mature characters) that isn’t commonplace in romance novels, and it was quite welcome to me. Julia, an event planner, and Ben, a famous ex-baseball player, are thrown together in the planning of a charity event. Julia wants nothing to do with Ben and he wants everything to do with Julia. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and will be looking forward to reading more by Ms. Oliveras.

Overall, this anthology had a little of everything and I’m glad I picked it up. I found two new authors and a variety of stories to help me start to get in the Christmas mood.

I seriously don’t know how I got lucky enough to get another holiday anthology ARC. I’m sure not complaining though. First, I got to read Santa’s on His Way last month. Now I get to read this one, with some new-to-me authors and some old favorites. On top of that, this book has an amazing cover that really got me into the Christmas spirit. I love it!

A Christmas Homecoming
by Fern Michaels

Believe it or not, I’ve never read a Fern Michaels book. I don’t know if you find that odd, but I sure do. With as many books as she has under her belt and with how many books I read you’d think I would have crossed paths with her writing before now. While this story piqued my interest in her storytelling, I’m not sure exactly how I feel about her writing. It’s hard to tell from such a short story. While I definitely felt the spark between Kate and Kevin, all while things were kept G-rated to boot, there were other issues I had. I know, I know, not everyone is such a stickler for how accurately military matters are presented in such stories. But I am. It was nothing drastically wrong, but enough that it stuck in my craw. I also felt a bit like the author didn’t give nurses the respect they deserve. Again, nothing overt…just enough to annoy me. Overall, this is a really sweet story that really lets the reader fill in the blanks to their own liking. I’ll most likely look into reading more of her work now that I’ve had my introduction. ~3 stars (G)

An Unexpected Gift
by Kate Pearce

I just adore this author and her Morgan Ranch series. Although you don’t have to have read that series to enjoy this short story, I recommend you do because they’re all amazing reads. Other than getting to revisit some of my favorite characters, I enjoyed that this story is about an older couple. When I say older I mean early 50’s. But let’s face it, most contemporary romance deals with the 40 and under crowd. So it was wonderful to read about a patriarch and matriarch of two different families finding their second chance at love and have sexual feelings to go along with that love. ~5 stars (R)

Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls
by Donna Kauffman

Although I haven’t read this author’s Blue Hollow Falls series, obviously this story ties into those books. I didn’t feel lost in the story or like I was missing anything by not having read them yet though. The chemistry between Hudson and Moira is great and I was rooting for them through the whole thing. The beginning scenes in the bar were phenomenal and truly had my stomach in knots and anger welling up inside of me. The dialogue in this one was as mixed bag for me. This story is extremely dialogue heavy. At some times, I found that to be a good thing. At other times, it was a bit overwhelming. All in all, this was a really interesting and solid story. ~3.5 stars (PG)

Holiday Home Run
by Priscilla Oliveras

Now this is a new-to-me author I actually never heard of, and I loved her! I can’t wait to get my hands on more of her work. The chemistry is amazing even while keeping this story totally PG. Even though I could tell some of the more peripheral characters must be in this author’s other books, this was a complete story and I didn’t feel as though I was missing anything by having not yet read the other books. This story has a sprinkle of sports, it dabbles in the holidays, and it highlights some wonderful cultural celebrations. I was duly impressed. ~4 stars (PG)

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**

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