Starlight Haven: A He Always Loved Her Holiday Romance (Christmas House Romances Book 7), book #1

 

Well, here I am, always finishing up my last Christmas book in January! 😊Seems like that always happens, but I'm not sad about it.  

What I am sad about is that this is the end of this series of books I have thoroughly enjoyed these last two months!  I would highly recommend them if you get the chance to read them.

Their first Christmas kiss—on a high school stage—was their last. He intends to change that.  It’s Christmastime, and Olivia Olsen has returned to her hometown of Mendon with the goal of giving back. Years ago, she sped away in a cloud of humiliation—at the insistence of her overprotective family. The last person she wants to see in Mendon is the person who not only remembers her embarrassment but who caused it: Cody Haught.  What's Cody Haught doing in her hospital? And why is he even better-looking now?  Dr. Cody Haught, bachelor surgeon at Mendon Regional Hospital, can't believe his eyes. Is the new hospital administrator actually Olivia Olsen, the best kiss of his life? The kiss that ruined all subsequent kisses for him?  Is this holiday season the perfect chance for Cody to see whether he imagined the intensity and perfection of the kiss he stole from Olivia on the high school stage, or will he mess up and send her running before Christmas once again?  Starlight Haven is a sweet dose of flutter-filled, snowy holiday romance, healing, and family Christmas traditions, all set in a small-town hospital.  (picture and description at Amazon)

So what now?  I'm still debating whether it will be a non-fiction book yet, but I'll decide soon!

Happy Reading!

Melissa

CSB Day-by-Day Chronological Bible, books #50-113

 

Ok, so this generic picture from Amazon doesn't do this much justice, but  MY Bible like this is well worn, marked up, prayed over, cried over, highlighted in several colors, etc.  This book -- and my Jesus -- has lived some life with me this past year.  Since this was "encouraged" by our church, the pastors would preach a sermon over the passages we just read the week before.  I learned SO MUCH than I ever have in reading the Bible, between the words of God themselves, the additional notes from George Guthrie, the organization of it, and the sermons.  

The CSB Day-by-Day Chronological Bible features a narrative approach to the Bible, arranging the full text into a clear chronological reading plan with daily readings guided by Dr. George Guthrie.  In this unique plan, the books, chapters, and verses of the Bible are organized for readers in three main acts to track the story of Scripture from beginning to end. This format is designed to draw readers into the biblical narrative, helping them apply it in their own lives. Unlike most other chronological Bibles, this arrangement is not date-specific (e.g. “January 1”), so you can jump into the plan at any point in the calendar year.

FEATURES

52 weeks of readings (six readings per week) in chronological order

Scripture presented in three main acts (God’s Plan for All People; God’s Covenant People; God’s New Covenant People) and seventeen total scenes

An introduction for each act and scene to provide context for the story

Durable Smyth-sewn lay-flat binding 

Single-column text format with wide margins for notes

The CSB Day-by-Day Chronological Bible features the highly readable, highly reliable text of the Christian Standard Bible® (CSB). The CSB captures the Bible’s original meaning without sacrificing clarity, making it easier to engage with Scripture’s life-transforming message and to share it with others. (picture and description at Amazon)

While I started one last Christmas book in December, since I will not finish it until January I'll count it there.  

So, my totals?

113 books (including the 66 in the Bible)

16,981 pages

My goal for 2025?  I have lots of goals and dreams and plans for 2025 that are easy to make when you are home over break laying the sofa, but I am hoping I can make progress with some of them. 😉 

For a reading goal, I see it two-fold:

1. Read at least one non-fiction for every two fiction books, if not every fiction book.  (lofty, I know!)

2. Read all the actual books I have sitting around that I haven't read yet.

I'm going to try and put myself on a Kindle buying ban, but if Tamara Alexander comes out with a new book she keeps talking about, it is for sure going on my Paperwhite.

Happy New Year and New Books!

Melissa

The Hot Chocolate Shop: A Book Club Romance (Christmas House Romances 6), book #49

 

Grant Calhoun is working around the clock in his laboratory in Wilder River to create the perfect hair product. He doesn’t have time for fiction reading, even though it’s always been his favorite pastime. If he doesn’t finish the formula before Christmas, his beloved company—and his grandfather’s legacy—could go down in flames.  Roxanna Reid needs to join a book club to satisfy a professor’s whim before she can get her master’s degree started. Lucky for her, the perfect book club, Twelve Slays of Christmas, just launched at The Hot Chocolate Shop in Wilder River, the small town where she’s temporarily working. Unlucky for her—she can’t join it.  Unless Grant Calhoun joins.  Meanwhile, Roxanna is harboring a secret, one that makes her Grant’s biggest enemy—and neither of them knows it.  Yet. (picture and description at Amazon)

I have one book left in hand in the series that I am going to go ahead and finish before I start on my New Books in the New year.  There are two other ones I don't have in hand but I think it is time to move on from this sweet series and start with other Christmas books in November.

Stay tuned for a year end reading update!

Melissa

The Candy Cane Cottage: A Holiday He Always Loved Her Romance (Christmas House Romances Book 5), book #48

 

Another adorable book in this precious series.  It was a little hard to get into, but once I did I loved it!

Real estate mogul and Army Reserve officer Jeremy Houston has finally achieved success. So much so, he's ready to go back to his hometown, wintry Wilder River, to find out whether Danica Denton—the girl who hates him most in all the world—will give him one last chance.

After all, the restraining order should have expired by now, right? And no one could actually prove he intentionally vandalized her sister's wedding.  If Danica, spunky owner of The Candy Cane Cottage, can finally see Jeremy for who he's become, she might fall for him.

Or she might push him into the freezing river.  However, when he arrives in the mountain town, an accident has made Danica completely forget Jeremy’s mistakes—and everything else.  Jeremy must choose—can he try to woo Danica while she can't remember the Old Jeremy? Or would that be wrong?  For a magical, snowy world of Christmas romance, chemistry, charm, and a sweet dose of amnesia-laced holiday humor and love, it's The Candy Cane Cottage.  (picture and description at Amazon)

I have started the next one in the series and after this there are three that I have not read.  I have the paperback of one, but the others I would have to purchase.  Also, there are now only a few days left until the new year.  A decision will have to be made as to whether I will plow through and finish the series, even if it means going into January -- or if I will stop and save the others until next November.  Even as I type this I feel certain I know what I will do :)

Merry Christmas!

Melissa

The Mechanics of Mistletoe, book #47

 

Well, I wasn't ready to move on from my sweet little series I was reading through this Christmas, but it was a book club book and I try very hard to read what is suggested.  So I did.  It was very confusing at first, as based on the cover it looked like the main characters were your typical young folks. But no!  The girl was in her late 30s and the guy was in his early 40s!  So that threw me right there.  I think if I had of read this at a different time I might have enjoyed it more, but it also doesn't mean I'm going to read the other 13 books in this series.  However, I did realize I already have one of them purchased in my Paperwhite content.  It might not be so bad to read during another time of year.

Bear Glover can be a grizzly or a teddy, and he's always thought he'd be just fine working his generational family ranch and going back to the homestead alone. But he's had a crush on Samantha Benton for a while now, and he's decided it's time to do something about it.  But his first date with Sammy is a spectacular disaster. He's embarrassed and doesn't call her back, but when three tornadoes hit Three Rivers, his first thought is of the beautiful woman he'd really like a second chance with.  Sammy feels like she has to be the strong one in her family. Ever since her sister and her husband died, Sammy's taken care of Lincoln, her sister's son, and her aging parents. And three tornadoes?  They've only added the weight of the world to Sammy's shoulders. School's been canceled, and she has nowhere for her eight-year-old to go.  Bear knows exactly what to do with an eight-year-old boy on a ranch, and he offers to take Lincoln up to Shiloh Ridge Ranch with him every day. Bear has a lot of contacts in town, and he's able to help Sammy and her parents get cleaned up and back in their houses in record time. In fact, Bear has an answer for everything—which only makes Sammy feel weak. And she hates nothing more than feeling weak.  (picture and description from Amazon)

Now back to our regularly scheduled sweet Christmas series ....

Keep Reading!

Melissa

The Peppermint Drop Inn: A Sparkling Holiday Romance (Christmas House Romances Book 4), book #46

 

History buff and blacksmithing enthusiast Bryony had very good reasons for dumping Colton two years ago.  Dumbfounded CEO Colton has no idea what those reasons could be. Things had been going so well before her demolition day struck. He'd even bought a ring!  Now, the exes work together daily, restoring the historic houses in town--while their relationship's history bubbles just beneath the surface.  When Colton’s meddling sister insists Colton show up at their family holiday gathering fake-engaged, can a holiday at a pink Victorian house give Colton a chance to rebuild love with the woman he lost?  He needs a Christmas miracle.  (picture and description at Amazon)

Time to read the book for Book Club!

Melissa

The Holiday Hunting Lodge: A Blizzard Romance (Christmas House Romances Book 3), book #45

 

Music composer Jesse Parrish has a dream contract! He’s been signed to write the soundtrack for a film with award potential. This one job could make his whole career. Twelve themes, all due to the producer at Christmas—but he’s completely blocked. He doesn’t have a single theme, let alone twelve.  He needs to get out of Vancouver and somewhere he can think.  Aspiring private pilot Mattie Daines has been crushing on Jesse since before he started dating Mattie’s older sister. His music makes her heart sing—but what kind of creep-o falls in love with her sister’s boyfriend? That’s half the reason she’s been working as an outdoors guide anywhere but Vancouver for the past couple of years.  When Mattie hears that Jesse is desperate for a private plane to take him to a friend’s mountain lodge, she leaps at the chance, if only to prove that she can be around him without her knees going weak.  Mattie whisks Jesse off to the mountains in her plane, but when bad weather threatens the flight, will this dangerous plane ride also threaten Mattie’s firm resolve not to let feelings for Jesse back into her life? (picture and description at Amazon)

Happy Thanksgiving!! 

Melissa