Three CHRISTMAS Books I Recommend!

The Christmas Spirit by Susan Buchanan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“I need a Sugar and Spice Bakery and a Natalie Hope in my life!” I’m sure you’ll agree with me, so let’s savor this sweet book together.

It’s December 1 in a small town in Scotland. Natalie Hope has just settled into the Rose Cottage and is looking forward to the Christmas season and her part in it. Her task is to run the Sugar and Spice Bakery and café while the owner is in the hospital. But is that really why she’s here, baking scrumptious Christmas cakes, or is there another more special reason?

Every day in December, we meet and then get involved with the lives of five main characters. Stanley is 82 years old and lonely after the recent death of his beloved wife. Jacob is a recent university graduate puzzled by his difficult job search. Meredith is a demon of a boss and Sophie is her loyal assistant. Rebecca has been walloped by a sudden break up with her partner.

What do these charming and memorable characters have in common? They are all searching for hope and joy and they all frequent the Sugar and Spice Bakery.

While you may suspect that there will be a happy and satisfying outcome for each one by the time Christmas arrives, there is plenty of joyful, positive reading to absorb you as you take in this story. I found myself loving and caring about each character and their story. And then there were all the amazing “Christmas Cakes of the Day”!

If you need a little Christmas, then right this very minute read this sweet delight. And let’s hope that there really are Christmas Spirits like Natalie.

Thanks to at Rachels Random Resources for a review copy. This is my honest review.

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A Prickly Christmas Kiss by Allyson R. Abbott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Emma Louise Fallon, “Elf” for short, has decided that Christmas is not the most wonderful time of the year, at least this year. Disappointed by her latest boyfriend, and in danger of losing her job, Elf can’t bear “to see the pity in everyone’s eyes because she has to spend another Christmas alone.” So, she decides to go to a secluded cabin for the Christmas holidays with her best friend Carla.

Of course, events continue to go wrong for Elf, and when we meet up with her, she is running out of gas near the small, quaint town of Polerton on her way to the cabin. She also learns that Carla can’t make it to the cabin after all. Can Elf face a bleak, dark cabin in the woods all alone?

Yes, it turns out that she can thanks to the magical characters that she meets that not only help her, but provide us with the most delightful Christmas love story I have read in a long time! Nick and Mrs. C run the general store in Polerton and they give Elf a warm welcome and plenty of food. But Elf’s best friend turns out to be the cat, Sue, who turns up at the cabin and helps Elf turn on the generator, gather logs, and start a blazing fire in the fireplace. Sue the enchanting cat even encourages Elf to cut down a fir tree for Christmas and helps Elf get it in the cabin and finds the decorations!

But, despite her pride in her pioneer accomplishments, Elf can’t decide “if living alone in a cabin is fun or torturous.” Until she meets the last marvelous character, Rudi the town vet and part-time cop. When Nick C. (Santa?) gets in a pickle, can Rudi and Elf guide him?

Yes again, in the same way that Author Allyson Abbot steers us to a satisfying and heart-warming conclusion that will jingle all your Christmas bells. The author writes in a clear voice, with fresh characters, and adds just enough surprises, and romance. Sweet, amusing, whimsical, charming- this book is a Christmas gift!

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The Twelve Dice of Christmas by Gail Oust
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love discovering a new book and if it’s a series, and features a Christmas story- then yes, Santa, please tuck it in my stocking! You may want to ask Santa for this gift, too. Author Gail Oust published 9 romances before she retired. After she “supposedly” stopped working, she decided to write a cozy mystery series, and this is the 4th book featuring heroine Kate McCall and the mysteries she decides to solve.

Kate is one of The Bunco Babes, all retired gals who live near Serenity Cove in South Carolina. Kate originally hailed from Ohio. Her husband recently passed away, but enough time has gone by and she has found a good friend and companion in Bill. If you are like me and haven’t read the previous books in the series- no worries at all. The author deftly reveals any back story that we would need to enjoy the book. I bonded right away with Kate.

The Bunco Babes are feeling festive and they are planning a cookie exchange and ugly sweater contest for their last game session of the season. As they plan their holidays, they decide to help an elderly friend decorate her house for the annual charity Christmas Home Tour. The Bunco Babes swing in to action, and in the process of prepping the house, Kate discovers a skeleton. Kate now has a twenty-five-year-old mystery to contend with. Can she solve it?

I don’t know about you- but I have enough to do during the holidays without worrying about murder. But Kate has a good heart and soon she is on the trail. I had fun as she meets a variety of ornery suspects, all the while dealing with her Bunco friends. Bill and she have a lovely relationship and that was fun to read about, too. At the end of the book is a recipe for Pecan Tassies. You’ll enjoy this sweet Christmas mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy and Beyond the Page Publishing for a review copy.

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