St. Lucia's Day: Kirsten's Surprise

Christmas Reading

St. Lucia's Day Reading

Kirsten has always been one of my favorite American Girls. I've always had a soft-spot for anything Swedish and Kirsten and her family traveled a long journey across the Atlantic Journey from Sweden to America. In this installment, we find Kirsten a bit homesick for Sweden. In Sweden, St. Lucia's Day is celebrated and marks the beginning of the Christmas season.

Kirsten and her cousins, Anna and Lisbeth, decide to throw a St. Lucia's Day surprise for their families. The only problem is that the items Kirsten needs to be the St. Lucia's Day Queen are still in the painted trunk which the family had to leave behind a few towns away. Papa has still not gone to pick them, but decides he should do it quickly before the snow gets any thicker. Kirsten goes along with Papa to pick up the trunk, in the town of Maryville 10 miles away.

Papa and Kirsten are stuck in blizzard conditions on their way back home to Uncle Olav's farm. Their horse is frightened and will no longer walk on his own, so he has to be led by Papa. When Papa twists his knee leading the horse, it is up to Kirsten to save the day and lead them to safety. 

Readers often complain that Kirsten is a bit boring and on the dull side, however this book stands out. I find books about bad weather really interesting and so this one was definitely a bit "edge-of-your-seat". Kirsten's story also educates young readers on the Swedish tradition of St. Lucia's Day. I am giving Kirsten's Surprise 4 out of 5 stars.

Throwback Thursday: Samantha's Surprise

Christmas Reading

1986

Samantha's Surprise is the third book in Samantha's American Girl series. Just like the first book, this book also is focused on a doll which Samantha wants. Samantha is eager for Christmas. She has made Christmas decorations for Grandmary's house, has a special holiday dress to wear, looks forward to making a gingerbread house, and attending her friend Ida's Christmas party. All of these things are cancelled though when Grandmary learns that Uncle Gard will be bringing Cornelia along for the holidays. Grandmary is very eager to make a good impression with Uncle Gard's fiance and soon everyone in the home is too busy making preparations to help Samantha with her plans.

The story for this book was nice enough. Samantha isn't exactly my favorite American Girl and her stories are often centered around material things. I suppose, that's the somewhat spoiled life Samantha leads, though. Samantha still has heart though and seems like a sweet girl. She's often charitable and focused on giving to others, whether it be her family or her poor friend Nellie. 

This would be a nice Christmas story for young girls. Samantha's Surprise is a short chapter book with a bit of history woven into its story. I am giving Samantha's Surprise 3 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: Perfect

Christmas Reading

This isn't typically the type of book I read. Not that it's in the romance genre, which I do read, but I mean the free Kindle books that are self-published or from super-small publishers. I just don't typically trust that they'll be good. However, as the year is coming to an end I'm trying to wrap-up (no pun-intended) the 50 States Reading Challenge and I still didn't have a book read for the state of Vermont. I noticed this one was based in Vermont (and it was free at the time) and decided to give it a try.

The book was definitely better than I expected. The story begins as Darcy Witherspoon's South Carolina-based restaurant, Sweet Grass, is up in flames- burning down to the ground. She is invited to stay with her friend Tom in his Black Moose, Vermont home to help take her mind off the fire. While in Black Moose she is introduced to Tom's best friend, Dylan and is quickly enamored with him.

Dylan is a good guy, he moved in to his brother's home to watch over his nieces while both their parents were deployed. He's a local painter and maple farmer and a very sweet guy. He's attracted to Darcy as soon as he meets her. Soon he and Darcy are trying to brighten up the holidays for Dylan's two young nieces. When Dylan's hippy parents return to town it's evident that Darcy fits very well into his family.

This was a sweet cozy romance and a lovely Christmas read. I loved the book being set in a ski town in Vermont. It certainly added to the holiday atmosphere of the book. I have very few complaints with the book. The biggest one being the amount of errors in the text. It's possible since this just appears to be a small-time author that she didn't have an editor or scopist to review the text for her and I personally find it hard to find my own errors... so maybe that's the case here. I just think if I were publishing a book I'd have an extra critical eye. 

Also, I felt a few situations weren't explained in the book (or maybe I missed them). One being what Darcy will now do that she'll be living in Black Moose. She was offered a job at the ski resort's restaurant, but I don't believe it was ever stated whether she accepted the position or not. Another, I don't think it was explained why no one could get in contact with Dylan's brother. All of the sudden on Christmas he was on Skype, but I don't remember the brother saying why he wasn't in contact with his family for almost a month. 

Another thing that is bothering me (and this has no effect on the book's rating or the story), but that guy on the cover has really skinny legs. I'm assuming it's supposed to represent hunky mountain man, Dylan, but those definitely don't look like the legs of someone so hunky and fit. It just sort of bothers me when characters on covers don't quite match how they're described in the book.

Other than those few minor problems, I enjoyed the book and I'm giving Perfect 3 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: Holiday Royale

Christmas Reading

Holiday Royale is the latest in Harlequin's The Bravo Royales miniseries. Like most Harlequin miniseries, the books in this series can be read in any order and work well even as standalone novels. Past characters are referenced or may make appearances, but they aren't super relevant to the current character's stories. 

That being said, Holiday Royale is the story of Lucy Cordell who has been very ill most of her life with heart problems. She vacations to the fictional country of Montedoro (located somewhere in Europe) to spend time with her brother, Noah, and his in-laws who are Montedoro royalty. All her life Lucy has been treated like a child and she is still a virgin because most men won't take a chance on her, not wanting to break her heart. Lucy decides Prince Damien would be a great candidate for her first time and sets out to make that happen.

This book was okay for me. I am discovering that the few books involving fairy tale-esque stories and women falling in love with princes from fictional European countries, don't really keep my interest so much. I've never been into the whole Prince Charming thing. Also, the writing to me wasn't very engaging. I think it was a little overly cute and sweet for me, even for a Harlequin romance. The story just didn't have a lot of intrigue for me. It really has nothing to do with the author's writing or story development. Someone else would probably love this book, it's just I didn't make a personal connection with these particular characters or their lives. 

I am giving Holiday Royale 3 out of 5 stars. 

Throwback Thursday: The Baby-Sitters Club: Baby-sitters' Christmas Chiller (Super Mystery #4)

Christmas Reading

1997

I love Ann M. Martin. She is definitely one of my favorite authors. I still look forward to her new books that come out as an adult. This is my first Baby-Sitters Club mystery and oh man, it was good!

This book is basically three mysteries in one. First, there's a series of break-ins in Kristy's neighborhood. Second, Mallory finds a woman wandering around Elm Street who can't remember who she is or where she came from. Third, Stacy and Claudia are in New York City for the holidays and it seems like they're being followed and strange things begin happening in Stacy's dad's apartment building.

The mysteries were very well thought out. Even as an adult, I was intrigued by them! Stacy and Claudia's mystery alone was like something out of a Lifetime movie. Are all the BSC mysteries this crazy? I look forward to reading more!

I am giving Baby-sitters' Christmas Chiller 4 out of 5 stars. It was fun holiday reading and the baby-sitters exhibited detective skills that would make Nancy Drew proud.

Book Review: Twice Loved

Christmas Reading

Twice Loved is a short Christmas novella set right after the end of World War II. I really loved this book and I almost wish it were longer or a full-length novel. I've never read anything from the author before, since she predominately writes Amish novels and I'm not such a fan of those.

The main character, Audrey, is a struggling single mom widowed when her husband was killed in Pearl Harbor. She receives her two weeks notice from her job and begins to seek a new one. That's when she sees an ad in the newspaper for a position available at a used toy store called Twice Loved. The owner, Dan, is also a widower who runs a photography studio in the back of Twice Loved. Twice Loved was his late wife's business.

Audrey eagerly accepts the position and everything begins to work out wonderfully. She gets along great with her handsome new boss and together they restore each other's lost Christmas cheer. There's a little bit of drama when another woman attempts to pursue Dan, but that is quickly resolved. This novel was really cute, sometimes overly sentimental, but still a romantic (and short!) Christmas read. I am giving Twice Loved 4 out of 5 stars.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Million Dollar Christmas Proposal

Christmas Reading

Audrey is sinking financially. She's trying to figure out how to send her younger brother to MIT with her small pay. Enzu is a billionaire with a problem. He needs a mother for his orphaned niece and nephew. He is prepared to offer the future "mother" to these children a high salary and a marriage proposal. 

You see where this is going...

This is my first book from the Harlequin Presents line. I've only read their Love Inspired books before, which are Christian. Like Love Inspired books, this book was pretty predictable, unrealistic, and just a dash cheesy. However, there's something so charming about these books. They're like mindless entertainment. Nothing heavy. Nothing that one has to really think about. And I like that. They're just light, fun reads.

Million Dollar Christmas Proposal was just that. It was short and sweet. I enjoyed both of the characters and the romance they shared. Audrey was down-to-earth and likable. She gave up her fortune to raise her younger brother who is gay. Their wealthy parents disowned him for being gay and then disowned her when she chose to take care of him.

Enzu was also a likable character. He was a great love interest. Smart, caring, handsome, and rich. The only thing that wasn't believable was the story line. A billionaire paying a woman to marry him and raise his niece and nephew? But, that's what makes books like this romantic. 

I'm giving Million Dollar Christmas Proposal 4 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: A Family For Christmas

Christmas Reading

I know most readers frown upon Harlequin, but I really like these books as of late. I have many of them that I really need to get around to reading. I've enjoyed all that I've read so far. I find that I especially like the two that I've read that are set in the American West, mainly Texas. There's something about Texas that makes it a great setting for books, it's certainly a preferred setting for Christian authors.

A Family For Christmas begins when Eve Pickering travels by train to Tyler, Texas where she is to take up a position in a milliner's shop. During the train ride a young boy, whom Eve has befriended, is found to be a stowaway. When he is kicked off the train at a stop in Turnabout, Texas Eve doesn't have the heart to see the boy stranded alone in a strange town. She gives up her seat- and possibly her job offer at the milliner's shop- and gets off the train to watch over the young boy. A witness to her kindness, Chance Dawson, invites Eve and the boy to stay in his home until they find a new home for him. 

This book was cute, cozy, and homey. While it was wholesome, it was never preachy. I liked both the main characters, Eve and Chance, and I enjoyed reading about the town of Turnabout. I would now to like to read the previous two books in the series. As Harlequin is famous for doing, the author has taken a small town and made a series out of the lives of the people who reside there. What I love about this, is you don't typically need to read the books in order. Past characters may make appearances in new books, but their stories aren't important to the stories of the new books, at all. 

I enjoyed this light-hearted romance and I'm giving A Family For Christmas 4 out of 5 stars.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.