Treat Yourself to Christmas Novellas!

 

Novellas: A Christmas Duet and A Christmas Romance

 

I enjoyed exploring artistic careers in these e-book novellas that are set on Puget Sound at Christmastime. 

A Christmas Duet  

Sequel to Finding Love on Whidbey Island, Washington

 

A professional cellist.
A widower pianist.
And the duet that brings them together.

 

A Christmas Romance

Sequel to Finding Love on Bainbridge Island, Washington

A wannabe novelist with writer's block.
A best-selling children’s book author with a knack for story.
And the romance they brainstorm together.

Though these novellas are each sequels to my full-length novels, they can be read as stand-alones.

They're free on Kindle Unlimited!

 

 

This Time Around: a novella collection by Denise Hunter, Melissa Ferguson, and Kathleen Fuller

This Time Around

Love this cover! This Time Around is a compilation of three novellas by well-loved authors of Christian contemporary romance. Helpful hint: read the other books by these authors, just in case they tie in to their current series. (I was a little lost at times.)

Let’s begin with each novella’s summary:

In A Summer Detour by Denise Hunter, you’ll meet free-spirited Allie Adams, who undertakes a road trip to deliver her grandparents’ newly restored ’57 Chevy in time for their fiftieth anniversary party . . . along with Luke Fletcher, the former boy-next-door who callously crushed her heart.

Pining for You by Melissa Ferguson invites you to a cozy Virginia mountain town where Christmas tree farm owner Theo Watkins III has the opportunity to drop everything for one weekend to play farmer and potentially win back the heart of his childhood best friend, Skye Fuller. Only problem? He’s the kind of man who drives a Tesla, not a tractor.

Last but not least, He Loves Me; He Loves Me Not by Kathleen Fuller will transport you to a small town in Arkansas where thirty-five-year-old Sophie Morgan has spent years making her flower shop a success. But when this workaholic decides she’s ready to make time for dating again, she finds herself with two handsome men vying for her attention.

Whether your perfect romance involves rows and rows of Fraser firs and white pines glinting in the moonlight, childhood love that never ends, or a second chance at a happily ever after, you’re sure to find a story within this collection to warm your heart any day of the year.

And now, my review:

These are each reunion romances, thus the collection’s title. I enjoy watching characters have a second chance at love.

The heroine in A Summer Detour must prove herself to herself and to her parents. She takes on a too-big task and of course runs into tons of trouble along the way. A humorous and light summer read. The heroine can’t let her family down, and the hero can’t either, as they are his honorary family. That tie-in compelled these two to work together, which led to the romance. A couple of unfortunate ingredients: predictability, shaming, a rushed romance. However, this was my favorite novella in the group.

In Pining for You, our hero is a “fish out of water,” which was a fun twist. Plenty of humor making for another light read. One of this novella’s themes was the heroine learning to do what she chose, without letting other’s opinions paralyze her. Readers may relate as many of us worry about what others think. Another theme was facing one’s regrets with courage and hopefully, victory. I like that element. A touch of critique: Seattle isn’t on the coast, it is not oceanfront. Seattle is on Puget Sound and Lake Washington. There were several POV missteps in the advanced reader copy that may have been addressed in rewrites. I also felt I was missing something from not having read an earlier series, maybe?

I found more humor early in He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not. Sometimes it’s the random elements that make readers chuckle. I’ll be honest and say I didn’t get too far into this third story. Juvenile and contrived aspects kept me from engaging. Perhaps her full-length fiction connects to this novella? 

Overall, a light, romantic summertime collection. Well-read fans will likely connect easily with these novellas.

I wish these authors all the best.

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.

A Brush with Love by Rachel Hauck

A Brush with Love by Rachel Hauck

Here's the next novella in Zondervan's Year of Weddings series, and it's the first for 2015! In the author’s note, Rachel mentions having more material than a novella could hold. I believe it. Fantastic story! One of my favorite reads this year.

Let's begin with the summary: 

Ginger Winters is a gifted hairstylist with scars no one can see. The last thing she expects from the New Year is a new chance at love.

Overcoming a childhood tragedy, Ginger emerges from the pain and trauma with a gift for bringing out the beauty in others. From the top big city salons to traveling the world as personal stylist to a country music sensation, success was almost enough to make Ginger forget she would never be one of the beautiful people. She was always "that girl," forever on the outside looking in. But she needs her confidence this weekend. She’s the acclaimed “beauty-maker” for the Alabama society wedding of the decade.

When high-school crush Tom Wells Jr. also returns to town and shows up at her shop looking for a haircut, Ginger’s thinly veiled insecurities threaten to keep her locked away from love. Despite Tom’s best efforts, Ginger can’t forget how he disappeared on her twelve years ago and broke her heart. Can she ever trust him again?

When Tom challenges her to see her own beauty, Ginger must decide if she will remain chained to the past or move freely into a new, exciting future. 

And now, my review:  

Ginger has solid reasons for believing the lie she believes. She has literal scars and internal ones too. It’s the internal ones she needs to overcome. She wants to feel beautiful. She wants to be accepted.

Enter Tom—a former Marine who is now a pastor. He has always thought her beautiful, scars and all. He’s carried secrets about how they parted all those years ago. I loved his heart, his calling—to pronounce her beautiful. (In this story, beauty represented so much more than superficiality.) He’s also called to help her return to Jesus, leaving his own desires to woo her in the background. I liked how he represented God's heart for us.

Their adventures were fun to watch, couched in Rachel’s phenomenal descriptions and fun scenarios. I had plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.

Brushes were a symbol in this story. Ginger is renewing her salon with paint, which she brushes on. Plus, she works as a hairstylist and makeup artist to help people look beautiful. Still, she can’t do anything to brush over her own scars—so she wears long sleeves and scarves. I believe that whether readers have literal scars or internal ones, they’ll relate with this heroine and her struggle. Plus this call to believe the truth and leave behind the chains of the past is a profound beckoning. Rachel touches on the shame of our scars and demonstrates we're each called beyond the agreement with that shame into a place of freedom.

I loved that Alisha Powell (of IHOPKC) made an appearance, and I always appreciate Rachel’s unapologetic message of worship—that God delights in us and wants to fascinate us with His love.

Zondervan’s Year of Weddings series of novellas has been great in 2014. I’m thrilled they’re doing it again for 2015.

Highly recommended!

Evergreen by Susan May Warren

Evergreen by Susan May Warren

It’s always such a treat to read one of Susie’s books!

Let’s begin with the summary:

An empty nest has Ingrid Christiansen dreading the upcoming holidays, but her husband, John, couldn’t be more excited about this new season of life. He even has a surprise trip planned abroad. He’s sure she’ll love it. What’s more romantic than Christmas in Paris?

Before he can stop her, however, Ingrid agrees to spearhead a major church project. Then their faithful dog, Butterscotch, needs emergency surgery, draining their savings. And then—because disasters strike in threes—an unexpected guest arrives, dredging up old hurts.

As a beautiful blanket of snow transforms the north woods into a winter wonderland, a deep chill settles over John and Ingrid’s marriage. With the holidays fast approaching, their only hope of keeping their love evergreen depends on turning the page on the past and embracing a new chapter of their future.

And now, my review:

I love novellas! They’re quick reads and when well-written, they pack a lot of emotion into a short story.

In Evergreen, we follow the empty-nest journey of the parents of the Christiansen family, John and Ingrid. The book opens with Ingrid’s repeated attempt to write her family Christmas letter, but failing because of her grief.

I appreciated how Susan kept the story from getting too heavy, yet dealt with real, even raw, issues. The layers just drew me deeper into the story.

My favorite tidbit? This is a married couple romance. You don’t see those very often. Kudos to Tyndale! (And Susie!)

Just when Ingrid thinks her useful days are over, God offers a new opportunity to her. I liked watching her competence. I sympathized with her and her empty-nest grieving. We didn’t camp on that topic long, but Ingrid’s depression resonated with me.

Being empty-nesters has brought this couple’s issues to the surface. No more hiding from the truth, or denying it. One of the themes is self-protection, and how that keeps others at a distance. Another theme was honesty and forgiveness. I liked the symbolism of the evergreen and how it relates to longevity in marriage. I think every reader will benefit from the nuggets sprinkled through this entertaining novella. 

Also, you might guess from the cover that this is a Christmastime-only read. It’s not. It’s a fall/winter read, with some Christmasy moments. I read my copy in the warm October sunshine. So, you can enjoy it anytime. One of the perks: you’ll get to revisit the picturesque northern Minnesota setting, which Susan makes sound appealing no matter what time of year.

Glad we’ve gotten to visit John and Ingrid again. Looking forward to the next book Christiansen Family series!

A January Bride by Deborah Raney

A January Bride

Let's begin with the summary:

What will happen when novelist Madeleine Houser’s “pen pal” friendship with a lonely widower takes an unexpected turn?

Who can work in a house that's overrun by contractors and carpenters? Not Madeleine Houser, a successful novelist who gladly accepts the help of her octogenarian friend, Ginny, to arrange for a temporary office in the charming bed and breakfast owned by Ginny's friend, Arthur. Maddie's never met the innkeeper - but a friendship grows between them as Maddie and Arthur leave messages for each other each day. To Maddie's alternate delight and chagrin, she seems to be falling for the inn's owner - a man who's likely many years her senior - and who she's never even met.

And now, my review:

Our heroine is a writer who desperately needs a quiet place to work. Our hero owns a B&B, which rarely has visitors since his wife’s death.

As a writer, I could relate with the longing to get away from the usual places for writing. So there was a sort of romance in the fact that this heroine got to visit a quiet B&B where she could write.

I liked that the heroine used a picture of the hero as her inspiration, without knowing it was him. I also enjoyed the "pen pal" aspect.

I respect this author and her work in the CBA marketplace. However, this story didn't work for me. As a reader, I sometimes find misunderstandings irritating, especially if one simple step could clear up the mess. That happened in this story and carried on for most of the tale. The hero didn’t take that simple step until two-thirds of the way through. Seemed common sense to me, which didn't help me respect him.

One element I expect from seasoned writers is that I’ll feel what the characters feel along with them—a difficult writing task. That wasn’t the case here. The heroine “acted” as if she cared for her mother, but never grieved the fact Mom didn’t recognize her. So, we didn’t feel (believe) either aspect. The heroine seemed too self-absorbed for readers to respect her or sympathize with her, in my opinion.

The few romantic elements felt contrived in this story. As I mentioned, a misunderstanding kept the hero and heroine apart and once it seemed they might possibly get together for even a page (screen in this e-book) or two, their interactions were muddled with confusion and loads of “skimmable” introspection. 

Overall the characters lacked layers, which meant readers might have a difficult time caring what happens to them and sympathizing with them. All the clichés were also jarring for this reader.  The author heroine explained (author intrusion) how conflict works in her writing, but then the conflict in the story felt contrived. There were POV issues, overused words, and telling instances. Besides the passionless romance, my main issues with the story were related to believability (in regards to character motivation, etc.). I believe in this series, but this book didn’t work for me. Still, I wish the author well.