Three CHRISTMAS Books I Highly Recommend
You’ve found your Christmas boxes, and hung your wreath on the front door to welcome the season. Now you are ready to arrange your other Christmas treasures. But first, how about your favorite beverage and a charming Christmas story? These books are gifts just for you!
Pinecones and Promises by Jane O’Brien
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Merry Christmas! Author O’Brien has presented us with a sweet and lovely gift. Her holiday story, first novella that she’s written, is a perfect snow globe of a tale. Everything that we hold dear about the holiday season is wrapped up in this charming book.
Author O’Brien is a gifted storyteller and this new book hearkens back to her earlier novels in that it contains the same tender hope and gentle details that her first books did.
Readers will grow attached to each character in the book. Nate is a solid and understanding young man who is overcoming a heart-wrenching past. He takes a job at a Michigan Christmas tree farm- perfect location for a holiday book! The tree farm is a family business and so Nick not only gains a taste of family life, he falls in love with the family’s daughter, Molly.
Pinecones and promises are at the center of this story. And holiday traditions, and the birth of the Baby Jesus are also important. But the birth of love, and the fragility of relationships take center stage.
“Would she see the promises that had gone along with pinecones in the past…?”
Readers, you might not think about this, but the pace of this novella is perfect and that’s important. The book is a well-told story, not too short and not too long. Plenty of time to fall in love with the characters and their lives. You will feel warm, delighted and happy when you finish this sweet and festive story.
“A red ribbon and bow covered the antique sled on the porch. The railing had been draped with green pine branches and lights, presenting a welcoming entrance for all. The windows were filled with a warm yellow glow from the interior lights, while candles in each window welcomed Mary and Joseph to spend the night at their house as they waited for their Child to be born.”
Happy holidays and I highly recommend this book (and all of Jane O’Brien’s books.)
Many thanks to the author for giving me a review copy. This is my honest review.
A Timeless Christmas by Alexis Stanton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Take time to read this enchanting story this holiday season! You’ll find your Christmas spirit and Christmas love with Meghan Turner as your guide. After getting her PH.D. in History, Meghan has returned to her hometown of Cutter Spring and is serving as a reenactor guide at the town’s historic home.
She is quite knowledgeable about the house’s provenance, and while she loves each artifact and fixture, she has a special place in her heart for the home’s original owner, Charles Whitely. He was a mercurial inventor who mysteriously disappeared at the height of his business life.
And then one afternoon as she is guiding a tour to Mr. Whitley’s study- there he is! He’s at his desk and very displeased to be interrupted by a crowd of people in unusual dress, holding small devices. We learn that somehow an unusual clock that he had purchased in 1902 has transported him to today’s world.
Meghan is delighted and is drawn to his old-fashioned attitude, demeanor and manners and good looks. As an inventor, he is able to quickly accustom himself to the features of the present day. He is able to understand computers, smart phones, and kitchen appliances but he has much more trouble understanding matters of the heart. In his real life, he always forged ahead, focusing on what his head could achieve and not what his heart needed.
Charles is determined to return to 1902, but Meghan begins to show him the spirit of Christmas, which includes sweet love, sugary cookies and spicy pizza. Meghan is ready to spend the future with him, but will time unbraid their love on Christmas Eve? Even though I was hoping for a Happy Ever After, I wasn’t sure if it was going to happen.
I had a wonderful time with this loveable story and I look forward to trying out the pizza recipe at the end of the book!
Many thanks to Hallmark Publishing for an ARC. This is my honest review.
Christmas with the East End Angels by Rosie Hendry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I am glad that World War II stories continue to be important to today’s writers and readers. Author Rose Henry has chosen to spotlight a fascinating and underreported part of the war- the stories of an Auxiliary Ambulance Service in London. Christmas with the East End Angels is the third book in the series.
This is the first time I’ve met the self-proclaimed three musketeers of the series- young women Winnie, Bella and Frankie. For readers who have followed this likable series, I’m sure they are delighted to be back with these capable civilians again. Trixie the dog is still an important and energetic part of the crew. They are joined by a fourth new friend, Rosa. Rosa has an interesting and tragic past- she was sent on the kindertransport from Austria to England in 1 937.
Station #75 continues to do their best during the “beastly war.” Frankie, Winnie and Bella know they are living through extraordinary times, and the women continue to face challenges to their homes and hearts. Although the ghastly nightly air raid blitz is over, the women still have plenty to do to serve their country. Many other familiar characters are back in action, too.
The station crew organizes a caroling performance at a hospital, which leads them to put on a bigger production. Bella uses her writing skills in a different way and Winnie learns something new as she helps prepare the crew for their part in a Civil Defence Parade before the King and Queen.
I commend the author for her careful research and her dedication to sharing this story. As this is the third book in the story, there is quite a bit of backstory, which slows down the pace. Readers who love this series will be glad to continue this saga.
“None of us can know the way it will twist and turn and sometimes the things that happen are hard to fathom out…”
Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources and the publisher for an ARC. This is my honest review.
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