Colors of Christmas by Olivia Newport

Colors of Christmas by Olivia Newport

Let’s begin with the summary for each of the novellas in this compilation:

Christmas in Blue
In the wake of a personal loss deeper than anyone realizes, Angela plans to bypass as much of the season as possible and get through her duties as the church organist by going on autopilot. Instead, she finds herself in charge of the town’s celebration. After a mysterious young man arrives, townspeople suspect he is the reason that one set of plans after another disintegrate until little is left of their traditions. Yet Angela warms to Gabe because she suspects they share a secret—his real reason for coming to town. Even when all they have to work with is a garish supply of blue Christmas decorations, Gabe helps Angela discover the hidden beauty of hope.

Christmas in Gold
After eighty years, change is nothing new for Astrid. By the time she was twenty, she survived the destructive Nazi regime, caring for her family under brutal circumstances, moving to America, and losing her husband. At forty she was widowed again and left to build a new life with her children. Now, when she faces a move into an assisted living community and meets a young woman on the brink of despair, she resolves to stir up hope through tragedy one more time.

And now, my review:

I enjoy reading Christmas books/novellas at Christmastime. I was hoping I had found two Christmas romance novellas, written by an author I respect. Unfortunately, I found two women’s fiction novellas (or if there was romance, I didn't see it in the pages I read), which didn’t interest me. The story is full of redundancies and I didn’t feel the pacing worked, probably due to the repeated information. 

These two novellas weren't for me, but I plan to read more books by this author in the future.