Love's Christmas Past and Present novella review

Two new stand-alone novellas, or bundled for 

Print holiday romantic reads from Prism Book Group!

I've read three of the six so far... but here they are, great holiday quick reads for the busy season. 

At .99, they're a steal.

Love’s Christmas Past

Prism Book Group

A Medieval Christmas 

Rachel A. James 

ISBN 978-194310428-4

.99 or bundled print $13.99

Bundled with Christmas Bells, by Jewell Tweedt, Fragile Blessings by Susan Baganz

Buy on Amazon

From the publisher:

Lady Nola is a woman of good-standing, but one tragic mistake is set to change her life forever. Rather than be forced to wed a stranger to hide her transgressions, she flees from home.

With child, hungry and homeless, Nola wanders the streets of medieval London in search of a Christmas miracle. 

My review:

This short novella in the Love's Christmas Past series is packed full. The story of a maiden in medieval England taken advantage of by a roué and determined not to bring shame on anyone else is a sweet and thoughtful adventure. Nola, daughter of Lord Langley is at a marriageable age, and the nearby newly inherited Sir Guy Beauwater could use a wife. But Nola's secret threatens everything--especially when they meet by chance and fall in love. Worse, Nola's cousin may ruin everything. A freak storm, tragedy, and misunderstanding add to mix in this sweet holiday read.

Love’s Christmas Present

Prism Book Group

All’s Fair in Love and Arson 

Sharon McGregor

c. Nov 2015

Stand alone novellas or bundled three in one

Bundled with Love Again by Paula Mowery, All’s Fair in Love and Arson by Sharon McGregor

ebook

ISBN 9781943104255

Buy on Amazon 

From the publisher: 

Bella is back at her childhood home. When her mother took a fall in the Nuisance Grounds (garbage dump) and broke her leg, Bella came back to help her and run her shop, Izzie's. Soon Bella discovers she's also been handed Izzie's role in the town's Christmas theatre production, a musical version of a well-known mystery that threatens to become more bizarre each day. A serial arsonist is frightening the townspeople, a family feud threatens young romance, and intrigue and rumors are the order of the day. On top of everything, Bella's high school sweetheart Jake, who dumped her for a cheerleader, is now Chief of Police. Poor Bella! Christmas in St. Christopher's is not what it used to be.

My review:

Bella comes home to her small town of St. Christopher to help her mother Izzie at the shop while Izzie heals from a broken leg. It’s been twelve years and old wounds have festered. But St. Christopher has some secrets—some good, some not-so-good. One of them is the new chief of police—Jake—Bella’s high school honey she thought cheated on her all those years ago. She can’t decide if that’s a good or not-so-good secret. Another is the amount of nostalgia for a sense of home Bella left behind and never really felt anywhere else.

Izzie has a few secrets of her own—including a romance and a task for Bella to force her into the public through a local theater production role. A definitely not-so-good secret is there’s an arsonist afoot, and no one knows his or her next target. This is not the St. Christopher Bella left behind. In some ways, it’s better.

McGregor’s small town family stories pack a lot into a sweet, easy, quick read that tends to linger with a sense of nostalgia after the last page. Told in a folksy, third person manner from Bella’s point of view, the reader is transported to December in St. Christopher, where the nativity set in the hardware store window reminds Bella and Jake what life is truly all about. A gentle, multi-generational love story with a bit of mystery and lots of fun. For those who enjoy a quick and clean read with forgiveness to go around twice.

Backwards Christmas 

Brooke Williams

Stand alone novellas or bundled three in one

Bundled with Love Again by Paula Mowery, All’s Fair in Love and Arson by Sharon McGregor

Buy on Amazon

ISBN 978-1943104-29-1

.99 or bundled print $13.99

From the publisher:

Local tour guide Noelle Richards loves everything Backwards Christmas has to offer in South Pole, Alaska. She gets wrapped up in the upside down trees, taking presents TO Santa Clause and all the festivities. Sled dog trainer Chris Furst, on the other hand, approaches the holiday with nothing but skepticism. When their history bubbles into the present, their difference of opinion comes to a head. When Chris gets himself into a dangerous situation in the snow, Noelle and the hope of Christ are his only hope for redemption.

My review:

Where else could Backwards Christmas take place other than South Pole, Alaska? The tiny town banks on its annual backward holiday celebration and tours where groups are sung to by homeowners and mistletoe is more likely to get stepped on, rather than hung. Noelle, a wood carver, loves her home and work, even giving the tours her former boyfriends sneaks into at least every week. His sorrow and anger remained years after a tragic accident and Noelle is helpless to give him back the joy and faith they once shared. A kind busy-body pushes them in the right direction, while a humorous accident and a nearly tragic one send them the rest of the way. Delightful holiday read.

CrossReads Book Blast: Serenity to Accept by Elizabeth Maddrey

Serenity to Accept By Elizabeth Maddrey

About the Book

Karin Reid has never had much use for God. There's been too much pain in her life for her to accept that God is anything other than, at best, disinterested or, at worst, sadistic. Until she meets Jason Garcia. After his own mistakes of the past, Jason is committed to dating only Christians. He decides to bend his rule for Karin, as long as she comes to church with him. As their friendship grows, both will have to decide if they'll accept the path God has for them, even if it means losing each other.

LINK to KINDLE | LINK to PAPERBACK | LINK TO AUDIOBOOK

 

 

 

Elizabeth Maddrey Elizabeth Maddrey began writing stories as soon as she could form the letters properly and has never looked back. Though her practical nature and love of math and organization steered her into computer science for college and graduate school, she has always had one or more stories in progress to occupy her free time. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books and has mastered the art of reading while undertaking just about any other activity. She loves to write about Christians who struggle through their lives, dealing with sin and receiving God’s grace. Elizabeth lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. with her husband and their two incredibly active little boys. She invites you to interact with her at her website www.ElizabethMaddrey.com or on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ElizabethMaddrey

Follow Elizabeth Maddrey Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Book Review: On Distant Shores by Sarah Sundin

On Distant Shores by Sarah Sundin

 

Book two in the Wings of the Nightingale series

 

 

Baker Publishing Group

c. August, 2013

ISBN: 9780800720827

$14.99 print and $14.99 ebook

Historical Romance

Sarah Sundin is a favorite author, I admit. Her attention to detail is always amazing. Her latest novel which takes place during World War II features a flight nurse, Georgie Taylor, who signed up on a lark with her best friend while she was waiting to get hitched, and pharmacist John Hutchinson, who was drafted before he could enlist in officer’s training school and carries a medium-sized chip on his shoulder for being a medical professional who’s treated like a roadie.

Both the American soldiers face their worst fears under dangerous combat situations. Will they buckle or overcome? When the pair meet, she’s engaged and longing for home, unsure she’s really cut out for wartime service, yet reluctant to simply quit. He’s engaged as well, a practical situation, although he regretted not tying the knot before he shipped out. Georgie and Hutch encourage each other to be more than what they’ve been told they are, to reach for loftier goals, but for the right reasons.

When, through tragedy and adverse situations, they meet again, they are unencumbered by their intendeds and they are free to give in to their feelings for each other. The mechanisms of others, misunderstandings and more tragedy cause them to wonder if their feelings are the sum of their fears.

I could hear the music to South Pacific in the background while I read, though of course this story takes place on the western front: gorgeous European settings, Sicily, Greece, Italy, and so forth. The camaraderie, the fun, the dark places and self-discovery each soldier must face were well-drawn. Although I appreciate the depth of research, sometimes it felt as though Sundin stuck in facts simply because she’d discovered a cool detail. I personally like that because I’m a history nerd, but others may skim over it.

I like characters who have to grow, reach out for help, and learn to trust, no matter the setting. Those who enjoy detailed historical situations, particularly World War Two-era medical corps stories, will find a great story in On Distant Shores.

“Available August 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

 

Meet Mary Ball, author of Escape to Big Fork Lake

Meet some of my new friends from the Prism Book Group, starting with Mary Ball, author of Escape to Big Fork Lake

Mary, what do you love about Escape to Big Fork Lake?

I love that Samantha Blacker got a new start in life. How many of us have often fantasized about starting fresh somewhere else 

 

Introduce us to the story and one character—any one:

 

Bad luck seems to follow Sam Blacker. She loses her job and faces daily struggles keeping her drunken neighbor away from her. When an unexpected inheritance gives her a chance for a new beginning, Sam, a city girl at heart, is hesitant. However, after a brutal attack she has no choice. Making a decision that will forever change her life she flees to the small fishing town of Big Fork Lake, Alabama and soon finds herself in the arms of Noah Frye. As Sam adjusts to small town life trouble lurks in the shadows, waiting and watching. Inescapable, Sam’s bad luck returns when she stumbles upon a murder and becomes the only suspect.

 

Exciting, Mary. What one new thing did you learn during the research of this book?

I discovered the beauty that lies in Alabama. (one city I haven't visited yet)

 

What’s your best marketing tip?

Stay away from blue eye shadow or use it sparely.

 

Me: Big grin! Thanks, Mary.

 

Will an inheritance bring new happiness or a trap for murder?

https://www.amazon.com/author/marylball

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y42b7wBUdHI

 

Mary L. Ball lives in the North Carolina. She writes novels and Christian articles. Her passion is weaving together Inspirational Romantic Suspense and Mysteries, which show the imperfect lives of everyday characters as they face hardships while discovering the real meaning of grace. When she’s not writing she enjoys family, the outdoors and fishing. You can visit me at http://MaryLouwrites.weebly.com Stop by and “like” her FB page.

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Give the Lady a Ride

By Linda Yezak

c. 2011

Port Yonder Press

ISBN: 9781935600190

$12.99

Contemporary western romance

From the publisher: Patricia Talbert is a high-class social coordinator from New York. Talon Carlson is a rugged bull rider from Texas. He thinks she’s too polished. She thinks he’s insane.
Opposites aren’t quick to attract when the lady who enters the cowboy’s world is on a mission to sell the ranch. But a box of letters changes her mind and her heart.

My review:

So I'm a sucker for westerns, what can I say with Zane Grey as one of my favorite authors. I fell in love with Linda's as yet unnamed story when it first crossed my desk. Already polished, I often forgot to edit as I read, which is something that rarely happens to me even with big-name publishers.

Talon (doncha love the name, but there's a reason for it, which you'll have to find for yourself), was left in charge of a Texas spread after Jake and Loretta, the owners, passed on. Leader of a rag-tag group of cowboys, he's waiting on Jake's will, hoping to be named the new owner since Jake and Loretta had practically raised him. When Jake's lawyer mentioned that Jake had left the place to a distant relative, who turned out to be a big-city socialite, Talon is devastated. Even more so when the hoity-toity young lady, senator's daughter Patricia, lets him know the place is for sale.

The cowboy's a man of faith, whereas the socialite hasn't had much time to spare for religion. When Patricia sees her first rodeo, all the horse-back riding lessons, and even a long-forgotten visit to the ranch, come flooding back. This ranch lifestyle tugs at her, and is much more appealing than the brittle glitter of New York. Talon might have an ulterior motive for convincing the lady to stay so that he can convince her not to sell; and Patricia a not-so-subtle reason for asking for bull-riding lessons, but they soon realize they're smitten with each other.

I love the behind-the-scenes looks Linda adds to the story to make bull-riding and rodeos and ranch life feel natural and alluring. In my mind those touches, along with appealing characters and heart-felt, heartstring-tugging romance makes Give the Lady a Ride a very sweet read indeed.

Lisa Lickel

Lisalickel.com