Twelve Days of Christmas, book #40

So when I ran out of books on my Paperwhite to read, I decided ~ shock of all shocks ~ to go to the library for a hardback book.  😄  I quickly discovered more Debbie Macomber books and at first I was a little hesitant, but I just jumped in with this one and never put it down.  Yes, it's like reading a Hallmark Movie, but still fun and clean and silly and sweet all at the same time.

Friendly and bubbly, Julia Padden likes nearly everyone, but her standoffish neighbor, Cain Maddox, presents a particular challenge. No matter how hard she’s tried to be nice, Cain rudely rebuffs her at every turn, preferring to keep to himself. But when Julia catches Cain stealing her newspaper from the lobby of their apartment building, that’s the last straw. She’s going to break through Cain’s Scrooge-like exterior the only way she knows how: by killing him with kindness.  To track her progress, Julia starts a blog called The Twelve Days of Christmas. Her first attempts to humanize Cain are far from successful. Julia brings him homemade Christmas treats and the disagreeable grinch won’t even accept them. Meanwhile, Julie’s blog becomes an online sensation, as an astonishing number of people start following her adventures. Julia continues to find ways to express kindness and, little by little, chips away at Cain’s gruff façade to reveal the caring man underneath. Unbelievably, Julia feels herself falling for Cain—and she suspects that he may be falling for her as well. But as the popularity of her blog continues to grow, Julia must decide if telling Cain the truth about having chronicled their relationship to the rest of the world is worth risking their chance at love.  (description and picture at Amazon)

Interestingly enough, this cover doesn't quite make sense to me.  It is different than the library book I have ~ which I get ~ but this has two dogs on it and there was only one dog mentioned in the book.  Hhm .... unless maybe another artist was using the dogs to symbolize Julie and Cain?

Already started on another Christmas book.  Wasn't sure I would like it at first, but not too many pages in I was hooked again.  

Happy Reading!

O:)
Melissa

A Plain and Fancy Christmas, book #39

Wow.  Just wow.  

It's been a while since I have read an amish book and my selection of Christmas books on my paperwhite was getting thin.  I decided surely I could read this and it might not be too bad.

So chapter one starts and talks about Rachel Yoder (aren't all amish girls named Rachel Yoder?  yawn.) and her little life situation.  She has a daughter named Katie Yoder.  (I was wrong.  Only half of the amish girls are named Rachel Yoder, the other half are named Katie Yoder.  double yawn.)  

Then chapter two talks all about Ellie Lawrence in a big exciting job in big exciting NY and so I'm thinking, "Ok, this is going to be one of those where something happens and fancy Ellie has to go to Lancaster and learn how to do amish things ... blah blah ... "

Then chapter three starts and talks about an old nurse who married a doctor and the life they had, but on one fateful night everything changed, when THE DOCTOR SENT HOME THE WRONG BABY WITH THE WRONG PARENTS!!!  Now for some of you that may start another snoozefest, but I have to admit once that revelation broke through I was trapped in this book!  I could not put it down!  I won't give away how Ellie and Rachel - and their birth parents/raised them parents - reacted to this news, but I was enthralled from that point on.  I was sad to see it end and while the author has written other books, they are all stand alones.  So this is one where I get to decide how I want it all to end ....

Raised in a Pennsylvania Amish community, young mother Rachel Yoder has led a simple life within her close-knit family. Widowed three years ago, she has moved back in with her parents, attempting to raise her daughter, Katie, without further emotional upheaval. Meanwhile, four hours and a whole world away in New York City, Ellie Lawrence is laser-focused on a high-powered public relations career, with too little time for her family, her friends, or even her boyfriend. Then one fateful day, these two very different women receive shocking news of a mistake made three decades earlier and long kept hidden: Shortly after their births, the two were accidentally switched in the hospital. Shaken to the core by this momentous news, Rachel and Ellie are plunged into an exploration of who they are and where they really belong. While Ellie is eager to learn more about her Amish family and their life in the countryside, Rachel cannot help but feel jealous as she watches the only mother she has ever known bonding so easily with her natural daughter. But Rachel also knows that her own biological family is out there, and with Katie at her side she heads for Manhattan, where she establishes a connection with the raucous, spirited Lawrences. As Ellie and Rachel make their way through unfamiliar landscapes, they face life-altering challenges and grapple with a crucial question: Will their old conventions and desires give way to new customs and yearnings? With the Christmas holidays fast approaching, it takes the love of two families for Rachel and Ellie to discover their own paths to fulfillment and happiness. (picture and description from Amazon)

Highly recommend this one!  And check out An Amish Gift, written by the same author, here.

O:)
Melissa

Falling Like Snowflakes, book #38

Sweet sweet story!  After reading the last book I was ready for a little meat, a little more, and this one filled the order!  

Speeding north through rural Maine, Eden Martelli wonders how her life came to this—on the run with her mute five-year-old son dozing fitfully in the passenger seat. When a breakdown leaves them stranded in Summer Harbor, Eden has no choice but to stay put through Christmas . . . even though they have no place to lay their heads.  Beau Callahan is a habitual problem solver—for other people anyway. He left the sheriff’s department to take over his family’s Christmas tree farm, but he’s still haunted by the loss of his parents and struggling to handle his first Christmas alone. When Eden shows up looking for work just as Beau’s feisty aunt gets out of the hospital, Beau thinks he’s finally caught a break. Eden is competent and dedicated—if a little guarded—and a knockout to boot. But, as he soon finds out, she also comes with a boatload of secrets. Eden has been through too much to trust her heart to another man, but Beau is impossible to resist, and the feeling seems to be mutual. As Christmas Eve approaches, Eden’s past catches up to her. Beau will go to the ends of the earth to keep her safe. But who’s going to protect his heart from a woman who can’t seem to trust again? (picture and description from Amazon)

Earlier this year we read The Goodbye Bride, which is actually book #2 in this series.  I sure hope she writes more, there are more brothers we need stories about!!

Wonder what Christmas book is next?

Happy Reading!

O:)
Melissa

A Father for Christmas, book #37

Well, let's just say this book took us a different direction than usual for our Book Club ... 

Single mother Kelly Kennedy can't afford lavish gifts for her four-year-old daughter, Bree. Homeless veteran Tyler Manning doesn't believe he deserves a Merry Christmas. When Bree asks Santa for a father and picks Tyler, both Tyler and Kelly vow to keep Bree from being hurt while fighting their feelings for each other. Tyler struggles with frightening flashbacks that scare Kelly. Meanwhile, Kelly's criminal past threatens her chance for happiness. Tyler and Kelly must believe in the power of love to give Bree her best Christmas ever. (picture and description from Amazon)

Looking forward to the next Christmas book!

O:)

Melissa

Merry and Bright, book #36

Sweet little book, basically like reading a Hallmark movie!

Merry Knight is pretty busy these days. She’s taking care of her family, baking cookies, decorating for the holidays, and hoping to stay out of the crosshairs of her stressed and by-the-book boss at the consulting firm where she temps. Her own social life is the last thing she has in mind, much less a man. Without her knowledge, Merry’s well-meaning mom and brother create an online dating profile for her—minus her photo—and the matches start rolling in. Initially, Merry is incredulous, but she reluctantly decides to give it a whirl. Soon Merry finds herself chatting with a charming stranger, a man with similar interests and an unmistakably kind soul. Their online exchanges become the brightest part of her day. But meeting face-to-face is altogether different, and her special friend is the last person Merry expects—or desires. Still, sometimes hearts can see what our eyes cannot. In this satisfying seasonal tale, unanticipated love is only a click away. (picture and description from Amazon)

I think I may read our Book Club choice next so I don't get late again this time!

O:)
Melissa 

A Christmas Visitor, book #35

Finally finished our Book Club book for the month.  Unfortunately it was after Book Club, but only one person had finished the book before our meeting.  But really, we only spend a fraction of the time on the book anyway.  :)

In this novel in Thomas Kinkade and Katherine Spencer’s holiday series, the residents of Cape Light discover joy in the most unexpected packages this Christmas… 

Molly knows she’s fortunate, but after raising children who are near adulthood, she is pregnant again. With her own life just taking off she can’t conceal her disappointment—and will have to explore what she truly needs to be happy to recapture her Christmas spirit. Meanwhile, Miranda has found an unconscious man in her orchard, and while she nurses him back to health, an unexpected attraction develops. Can she let uncertainty back in her life again? And Reverend Ben finds his own mystery, an abandoned wooden angel statue that people believe holds miraculous powers. He’d wished for more visitors, but his church turning into a tourist attraction is more a burden than a blessing. Christmas doesn’t always bring the things we ask for or expect. But sometimes it brings gifts more wonderful than we dreamed... (picture and description from Amazon)

Good news and bad news about this book:
1.  I really, really liked this book A LOT!!!  The story lines, the characters, the everything.
2. It is a series that has 17 books in it (most well over 200 pages each) and this is book 8.  As much as I would LOVE to read all of them, well, I'm not sure I can invest that much time, when there are over 200 other books calling to me also on my Paperwhite.  I could do an "off and on" read, like I did with the with Debbie Macomber books, but I'll have to think about that.  Hhm ...

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my faithful readers (ha!)!

O:)
Melissa

Frosting and Flurries: Five Delicious Christmas Romances, books 30-34

These were cute little stories, set in different places, but lets face it ~ they had the same plot.  Girl and boy meet, girl doesn't like boy but boy likes girl, he tries to win her, he's almost there as girl starts to soften, a bad thing happens, they might break up, but in the end they get married.  

THE SWEETNESS OF HER LOVE—KIMBERLY RAE JORDAN 
James Dawson may have looked like the hero of one of the romances Erin Kirkland loves to read, but she quickly discovers that he is not the hero for her. After all, how can she have a happily-ever-after with a man who doesn’t believe in love or marriage? Who would have thought that a visit to his grandmother’s favorite bakery to order a cake for her ninetieth birthday would end up causing James to re-evaluate his whole life? Certainly not James Dawson. But following their rather disastrous first meeting, James is determined to show Erin that he is a better man than she’s first judged him to be.  Erin doesn’t want to friend-zone James, but she’s not sure she can trust that the changes he’s making will be permanent. Can someone really go from totally dismissing love and marriage to embracing it so quickly? 

SUGAR AND SPICE—CECELIA DOWDY 
Sheila Parks is stunned when Mason Smith, the identical twin brother of her ex-boyfriend Reese, moves to Blue Spring and opens a bakery. Reese’s cruel breakup still bothers her and seeing somebody who looks just like him is a painful reminder of her predicament. Unemployed, Sheila needs financial help and it appears that Mason can assist her with her problem. Can she learn to trust a man who looks just like her ex? Mason is stunned when Sheila storms into his bakery, mistakenly thinking that he’s Reese. Mason is used to comforting his womanizing brother’s ex-girlfriends. A stutterer, Mason has always had a hard time socializing with others. However, he finds himself smitten with beautiful Sheila. Can he control his stutter so that he can ask Sheila to be his date to his grandmother’s Christmas birthday party?  Both Sheila and Mason deal with past pains as they work together during the Christmas season.

MOOSTLETOE —JAN ELDER 
Rev. Samantha Evans lands in Moose Creek, Maine, where parishioners chew up new ministers for breakfast. Happily, she also reunites with forest ranger Eric Palmer, her best friend from her teenage years. With Samantha’s career on the line, Eric must save her job and rescue his own shattered heart in the process. But how does Matilda the moose factor into the mix?

THE HECTOR CLAUSE—CLARE REVELL
The last thing Brie Dalgleish expected her boss to do was ask her to play an elf in the toy store grotto. She's even less enthusiastic when she discovers Santa is the same bloke who drove his car through a puddle the previous evening, completely soaking her. Hector Clause is playing Santa in the family owned toy store under sufferance as a favor to his grandfather. He'd rather be in a nice safe office, using his law degree, than playing Santa in a shop full of squealing kids. Even if the chief elf is on the cute side. With the store's centenary fast approaching, the anniversary party is abruptly cancelled. Hector resolves to celebrate anyway, but isn't prepared for the curveball he finds headed his way.

GINGER & BRAD’S HOUSE—MARION UECKERMANN
When Brad O’Sullivan is unfaithful to Ginger Murphy, she escapes to Australia for five long years. During this time, Brad’s shotgun marriage fails. Besides his little boy, Jamie, one other thing in his life has turned out sweet and successful—his pastry business. Ginger returns to Ireland, when her mother’s diagnosed with heart failure. She loves being a wedding flautist but fears bumping into the wedding cake chef she tries to avoid. (picture and descriptions from GoodReads)

I was already committed to reading these before I went to Book Club last month but they took longer than I thought!  Now I only have a few days to read that one!


Happy Reading!

O:)
Melissa