I have loved getting on to good Christmas books finally. Well, at least one of these was good. I hate to say anything bad about my good buddies Chris Fabry and Gary Chapman, but ....
Book #40 was a true delight! And I realized there are several more in the series!
As the head of a thriving investment firm in St. Louis, Lacy Preston thinks she has it all… until her fast-paced life is disrupted one day by a single phone call. She’s shocked to discover that her estranged grandfather has died and left her his sprawling old house in Snowy Pine Ridge, New Hampshire. Although it’s the last thing she wants to do, especially with the holidays approaching, Lacy decides to head to Snowy Pine Ridge to oversee the sale of the property. She has no intention of staying in the cozy little town, and no intention of keeping the historic building her grandfather—a man affectionately called St. Nick by the locals—passed on to her. But as she works on renovating the old house to put it on the market, she gets to know the residents of the town, including local dog-sledder Derek Morse, who almost runs her over with his sled the first time they meet. Derek has lived in Snowy Pine Ridge all his life, and he has no use for the big city folks who sometimes come through… even if this particular city slicker has the most arresting green eyes he’s ever seen and a laugh that rivals the jingle of Christmas bells. Still, when she comes to him asking for help with an abandoned puppy, he can’t say no. Lacy certainly isn’t looking for love this holiday season. But as she and Derek navigate the hijinks of the mischievous pup, delve into a mystery from her family’s past, and uncover a buried secret, she starts to realize that sometimes… Love finds you even when you’re not looking for it. (picture and description at Amazon)
Book #41 was a quick read, only 100ish pages, and it was probably a small book, since I read it in about 2 hours. It was ok, but nothing to write home about. Sorry!
Jake and Marlee, a tired married couple, are about to call it quits. Over time they have drifted apart; the sparks are dead. Marlee is convinced she married the wrong man, and Jake feels tied down to the wrong woman. Jake is distant and tired of being controlled, while Marlee is tired of being the only one trying to the save their marriage. They go to bed Christmas Eve, in separate rooms, each rationalizing... life is too short to be miserable... love shouldn't hurt like this... their marriage must end for happiness to return. But then something peculiar happens: The ghosts of Marriage Past, Marriage Present, and Marriage Future reveal to them their past choices and present realities, and how their future might look if they do not change their stories. Jake and Marlee experience a Christmas gift that will radically change their thinking and cause them to look at marriage not for what they can get out of it, but for what God can do in and through their marriage. (PIcture and description at Amazon)
Now I have to find a new one to read quick before I see what Deanie chooses for us for Book Club on Thursday!
Don't you love Christmas books?!?
Melissa