Can Scrooge find love from a friendship gone cold? Sanford Stone cut ties with his best friend, Natalie, in favor of the love of his life … a woman who ended up walking out on him just before Christmas. Six years later, Sanford can’t bring himself to celebrate Christ’s birth with any joy. Little does he know, his grandmother and her companions have dubbed him the Scrooge and intend to help him … help him overcome his bitterness and find happiness again.
The only thing that has hurt Natalie Dunivan more than Sanford cutting her out of his life has been watching his long-held grudges slowly destroy the man she has always loved. Together with Ms. Carol, Natalie devises a plan to reach out to Sanford.
Sanford accepts his grandmother’s challenge to celebrate Christmas for 31 straight days, but he didn’t count on her plan involving Natalie. Can his family and friends help their Scrooge see the error of his ways, or will Natalie’s presence only make things worse?
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Sweet as a stick of peppermint candy, Project Scrooge has both the delightful nostalgic feeling of the Dickens story that inspired it and yet the realism of a contemporary. I couldn’t help but root for both Natalie and Sanford to overcome the habits and thought-patterns that have led to defeat, discouragement, and bitterness. I loved the creative use of the three “ghosts”, the memorable supporting cast, and the satisfying ending.
Well-recommended for those who enjoy new twists on old classics and for those who love sweet and clean contemporary romance.
Recommended for older teens through adults.
Ms. Heath has written a charming story following the premise of Dickens’ Scrooge! In this delightful, modern-day rendition, Ms. Heath’s characters deal with love, loss, anger, and eventually healing. I love the character development and storyline and how the characters are so relatable. It’s such a wonderful picture of how things can fester within us and rob us of our happiness.
I highly recommend this story for anyone looking for a good read! This story can be read in one sitting; so, allow yourself a few extra minutes to indulge.
This story has been such an inspiration to me. I love how the author gently reminds us about the real meaning of Christmas. You may recognize the similarities from a very well known Christmas story but the author has made it her own story in a compassionate way. I can definitely identify with Sanford in this story. He has not wanted to celebrate Christmas because he is bitter, unhappy and holds a grudge. Isn’t he just such a cheerful person to be around? Many of us hold own to something that hurt us years ago and allow that to define our attitude. Sanford has let things make him someone who can’t forgive and walks around with a big chip on his shoulder.
I loved Granny and wanted to be part of the family. I love cocoa and drink it every night. Oh how fun it would be to sit around drinking cocoa with her and eating her delicious food. The author touches on the subject of foster care. The characters that experienced that in their life all want to be accepted and part of a family. The story really shows how important a strong family is and the love they share.
Sanford will get to see what it is like when he takes a journey with the help of key people in his life to past, present and future Christmas. A Christmas challenge has been given and Sanford has accepted. This begins a story that gives us a glimpse into the past where Sanford’s heart was broken and I think that is the key to his bitterness. I won’t tell you much more of the story so you can enjoy discovering all the surprises the author has for readers. In this beautifully written story you will find forgiveness, redemption, relationships healed and the joy of Christmas.
I received a copy of this book from the author and Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
This was a wonderful way to write about The Christmas Carol. I liked that it wasn’t just a rehash of this classic story. I really loved both of these characters and the grandmother. I love the idea of doing something different each day before Christmas, though I would skip the hot chocolate because I do not care for it. I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
Read an early draft of this book, but definitely enjoyed it and need to reread it now that it’s completed!
My Review of Project Scrooge by A.M. Heath: Since first hearing of this novella I have been so excited to read it, knowing it would be wonderful. It was bittersweet then sweet. I have not read A Christmas Carol though I have watched once, I will say that this is much better to me since I disliked the movie. Project Scrooge is a wonderful story of healing that is perfect for Christmas.
Rating: 4 stars.
Recommendation: 16 up for romance though it is likely better for 17/18 up readers due to mentions of a cheating girlfriend, and husband.
Verse: Matthew 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (King James Version.)
Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
I absolutely love A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Every year it is a must see during the Christmas season. This cute novella is based on this classic story. We are 6 months from Christmas but there are lessons learned from it even in July!!
Forgiveness is not easy for anyone. When you are hurt by someone, there are scars. I know. But the answer is whether or not you allow the scars to heal. Sanford was going about his life trying to disguise his pain. The people closest to him knew how much he was suffering and how it negatively spilled over into his life.
His grandmother and friend were determined to help Sanford reclaim the Christmas Spirit. Hopefully, Sanford could let go of his anger and see the gifts that GOD set before him not just at Christmas but throughout the year.
I received this ebook for free from Celebrate Lit to give a honest review.
About the Book
Amazon ScroogeCan Scrooge find love from a friendship gone cold?
Sanford Stone cut ties with his best friend, Natalie, in favor of the love of his life … a woman who ended up walking out on him just before Christmas. Six years later, Sanford can’t bring himself to celebrate Christ’s birth with any joy. Little does he know, his grandmother and her companions have dubbed him the Scrooge and intend to help him overcome his bitterness and find happiness again.
The only thing that has hurt Natalie Dunivan more than Sanford cutting her out of his life has been watching his long-held grudges slowly destroy the man she has always loved. Together with Ms. Carol, Natalie devises a plan to reach out to Sanford.
Sanford accepts his grandmother’s challenge to celebrate Christmas for 31 straight days, but he didn’t count on her plan involving Natalie. Can his family and friends help their Scrooge see the error of his ways, or will Natalie’s presence only make things worse?
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
AMHeathBesides being an Indie Author, I’m a wife, mother of four, ladies’ Sunday School teacher, sweet tea drinker, history fanatic, romantic, bubbly, lover of broccoli, and a retired cake decorator who has a soft spot for Christmas trees, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
What I’m not is a laundress (or at least not one who keeps up very well), a duster, tall, or patient in a doctor’s office.
More from A.M. Heath
Frozen Hot Chocolate Recipes
It’s plenty hot outside but it’s just the right temperature for a tall glass of frozen hot chocolate!
Throughout Project Scrooge, Ms. Carol serves up a new cocoa recipe every day in December. So there was no better way introduce you to the cozy world of Garland, Tennessee and Ms. Carol’s cheery kitchen than by offering you two frozen hot chocolate variations. These are so easy and you likely have the ingredients already in your home.
Frozen Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
¾ cup of milk
3 Tb sugar
2 ½ Tb unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tb creamy peanut butter
2 cups of ice
Frozen Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
¾ cup of milk
2 Tb sugar
2 ½ Tb unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tb caramel sauce
pinch of salt
2 cups of ice
No matter which recipe you use, the directions are the same.
Directions:
Blend until ice is broken down. Enjoy! Sharing is optional.
Which flavor will you try first?
Blog Stops
Texas Book-aholic, July 22
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 23
Simply Susan, July 23
For Him and My Family, July 24
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, July 25
Jeanette’s Thoughts, July 25
Locks, Hooks and Books, July 26
deb’s Book Review, July 27
Kayem Reads, July 27
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 28
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, July 29
Mary Hake, July 29
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, July 30
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, July 31
Vicky Sluiter, July 31
Blossoms and Blessings, August 1
Inklings and notions, August 1
She Lives To Read, August 2
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 3
Cats in the Cradle Blog, August 3
Labor Not in Vain, August 4
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, A.M. is giving away the grand prize package of a paperback copy of Project Scrooge, 1 mug, 3 family sized bags of hot chocolate: Peppermint, Real Deal, and Strawberry!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/1102e/project-scrooge-celebration-tour-giveaway
Project Scrooge starts the delightful Christmas in Garland Collection by A.M. Heath. This is a quick read but full of fun and entertainment. I enjoyed reading Sanford and Natalie’s story. I found the two to be relatable and many readers could easily feel connected to them. There are a few laughs, as well as, some good lessons to be learned. I found the book to be inspiring. It would be a great way to start anyone’s Christmas time reading.
I am giving Project Scrooge four and a half stars. I recommend it for readers who enjoy reading clean and sweet romance set during the most magical time of the year. I look forward to reading the next installment from the Christmas in Garland Collection, The Engagement Cover.
I received a digital copy of Project Scrooge from the publisher. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.
Engaging from the very beginning, I fell in love with the original premise that puts a creative, and completely fresh spin on Charles Dickens’s classic Christmas tale.
Sanford has been stuck, ever since his fiancé dumped him right before Christmas. Six years later he still hasn’t regained his joy in celebrating Christ’s birth. His grandmother is a gem always looking out for him, challenging him to celebrate Christmas with her and her friends for 31 days, enlisting his childhood friend Natalie to help.
If you love warm and cozy Christmastime romantic comedies, then you won’t want to miss this fantastic homerun of a read that has everything you can imagine from friendship, a fresh plot that hooked me right away, and solid faith that makes it a cut above those Hallmark movies. My only complaint is that it was over too soon!
I loved the friendship between Natalie and Sanford’s grandmother, and how Natalie jumps right into the challenge. This was such a fun read, so well written, excellent premise, full of charm, and firmly rooted in faith. Even the supporting characters were so well realized. This novella hits all the right notes, and I loved every minute of it!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I wish I could say from the moment I began reading this book that it drew me into the story. I loved the idea of a modern-day Scrooge combined with a story of forgiving those who trespass against us as God commands us to do. However, it took me a bit to get into this story.
Switching back and forth between Sanford and Natalie’s perspectives initially caused me to lose focus on the plot. However, I eventually found myself caught up in the story and wanted to see how things would turn out between Natalie and Sanford.
The supporting characters in this book, including Sanford’s grandmother, Sanford’s ex-fiance, some co-workers for both Sanford and Natalie, help bring this book to life. I enjoyed how it combined the ideas of forgiveness like God calls on us to do and the story of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol eventually brought this book to life to me. I have to say the ending provided the icing for the cake. So check out this book for yourself.
I received a complimentary copy of this book, but it in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.
What a heart-touching Christmas story! It’s an entertaining story in that it’s fun reading about all the different ways that “Granny” and Natalie reached out to Sanford to help restore his Christmas joy. Celebrating 31 days of Christmas can be difficult for a guy that’s determined to stay wrapped up in his bitterness and misery, but his family, co-workers, and friends are determined to help him rediscover peace of heart and mind. (There’s also lots of hot chocolate involved in this plan . Be prepared to crave that and Christmas cookies no matter what time of year you read this book.) I also loved all the references to “A Christmas Carol” that were scattered all throughout the story.
But the best part of this book is the spiritual emphasis. Bitterness is a terrible, deceptive emotion and it had overtaken Sanford’s whole view of life, even though he thought he was past the undeserved hurt he’d experienced. The author did a beautiful job of sharing the forgiveness and redemption we find in Jesus, and being able to forgive others because of how much we’ve each been forgiven. There’s a wonderful lesson here for all of us to take to heart.
Sanford and Natalie’s story is a sweet one. This a perfect book to read during the Christmas season, or any time of year that you need some encouragement.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
I don’t know about you, but I’m always in the mood for a good Christmas story. And this one helped to get me through a summer heat wave.
An adorable story based on Charles Dickens’ familiar ghosts, I thoroughly enjoyed the shenanigans Grandma pulled, with the help of a few other people, including Natalie. The characters were well developed and incredibly likeable. I’d love to have hot chocolate and decorate for Christmas with them. Yes, even with the old Scrooge, Sanford.
A story of redemption with all the Christmas feels I need, and maybe even romance, I highly recommend it if you enjoy contemporary Christian fiction.
I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.
No matter what time of year you read this, the story and the message can find its mark in your heart. This tale deals with overcoming the hurts from the past and moving on—sometimes a person needs help to do so. Sanford Stone, also secretly known as Scrooge by his close family, may not hate Christmas, but he has refused to celebrate it after being deserted by his fiancé six years earlier. His grandmother and his former close friend, Natalie Dunivan, plot to change this and help him rediscover the joy of the season. Each day of the month before Christmas they do something together to prepare for the holiday. But Sanford faces another challenge too: the boys’ basketball team he coaches just happens to have his ex’s stepson, so he must see her rather than avoid her. Can he overcome the pain of the past and the present? The characters seem quite real and authentic. I enjoyed the novel and think others will too. It offers plenty to discuss for book clubs also. I received a copy from Celebrate Lit. All opinions are my own.
A wonderful book that I started reading and ended up staying up way too late to finish. I will confess I haven’t read any Dickens stories (a modern day Scrooge story) but that didn’t hurt my enjoyment of this story. I loved that Natalie never lost her love for Sanford and was willing to try to help him. Grandmother Carol was a hoot and I loved her role in the scheme. Sanford had a lot to work through with his bitterness that he really didn’t realize he had. The thread of forgiveness ran strong through this book. This was serious because it affected Sanford’s life and his attitude toward his family and friends. And especially his attitude toward Christmas. Even though there were serious aspects in the book there were also funny parts too. I loved when they went into the fast food restaurant. That’s all I’m going to say because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. Can Sanford celebrate Christmas for a whole month or will he give up? This is a must-read Christmas story! One of the best!
I received a free copy of this book but was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
Project Scrooge is a delightful and heartwarming take of The Christmas Carol by Dickens, but with a different focus on relatable issues individuals face today. Sanford and Natalie’s tale brought moments of pleasure and sadness in all they had endured throughout their life. I loved how Granny was determined to bring Christmas back to Sanford in so many different ways during the month of December, especially the activities and the many different flavors of cocoa. The flow of this charming Christmas tale was easy to read with a beautiful turn in the story to the real meaning of Christmas. The message of letting go of bitterness through forgiveness, God’s grace and peace will give way to new beginnings with blessings.
I received a complimentary e-book from the author and was under no obligation to write a positive review. All thoughts are my opinion. I look forward to reading more books by A.M. Heath in the future.
A Delightful Christmas Read
Years ago, I read A Christmas Carol for school and loved it so much that I sat down and read it aloud to my brothers over the course of the next few weeks. I don’t know how impressed they were, but I have always loved the story. So when I saw that A.M. Heath was writing a retelling of the book, I knew I had to read it. And what a lovely story it turned out to be!
This book is very similar to A Christmas Carol in some ways (shocker, right?). One of the main characters is quite a Scrooge, and most definitely can’t see it, but for a different reason than Dickens’ Scrooge. Also, being in modern times, there are of course a lot of details that are different—but the main storyline is similar and definitely very sweet.
Project Scrooge has a beautiful redemption story. I could really relate to one of the main characters’ bitterness, and seeing how that influenced their entire life was quite interesting. There’s also a lovely family atmosphere throughout many of the pages—not always pristine, but it’s there. Granny does a great job at trying to bring out the best in everyone, and help them to contribute to a better family as a whole, and that’s something I really appreciate about my own grandma—so it was fun to see that here!
In all, this is a very sweet Christmas story. If you have time to read it this season, I’d recommend it. It’s not super deep, but it does have a few elements that make you stop and think. I didn’t agree with everything in this book, but overall it was a wonderful read.
I requested a free review copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.