Book Review: A Christmas to Remember



A Christmas to Remember
Short stories from Jill Shalvis, Kristen Ashley, Hope Ramsey, Molly Cannon, and Marilyn Pappano
December 3, 2013
Grand Central Publishing
136 pages
Genre: Adult Romance
Source: eARC from publisher for Honest review

Book Blurb:

Curl up with this heartwarming Christmas collection!

Jill Shalvis, Dream a Little Dream: Melissa has kept every man at a safe distance-especially firefighter Ian, a sexy friend with sexy benefits. But Ian secretly longs for more. Luckily, 'tis the season for giving love a chance . . .

Kristen Ashley, Every Year: Holidays don't come easy for Shy and his brother, Landon. But with the magic of Christmas, along with a little help from Tabby and her family, the Cage brothers are about to get the gift of a lifetime . . .

Hope Ramsay, Silent Night: Down on her luck and evicted from her apartment, single mother Maryanne hopes to start over in Last Chance. When the snow begins to fall, it looks like her baby might literally spend Christmas Eve in a manger. And Maryanne might celebrate the holiday with a handsome stranger.

Molly Cannon, Have Yourself a Messy Little Christmas: Lincoln is a bachelor who's set in his ways-until a professional organizer dressed up as Mrs. Claus changes his life, one tip at a time. . .

Marilyn Pappano, A Family for Christmas: War widow Ilena doesn't mind spending Christmas alone. But when a new doctor blows into town with the winter wind, will she get her secret Christmas wish?

Plus: Excerpts from upcoming novels! 

My Review:

This was a nice collection of Christmas novellas, all of which I enjoyed, some more than others. I was familiar with only one of the authors, but hadn’t read any of their books before, so reading these novellas was a great introduction for me to these authors. Not only was I able to get to know their writing styles, but also, since each novella ties in some way to a series of theirs, I was able to get a glimpse into the style and content of their series. I did enjoy the novellas, some more than others, but I liked how they tied in to the excerpts, allowing my curiosity to be peaked with some of these series. If you like Christmas novellas, here you get five of them. And if you’ve been curious about these authors, this is a great introduction to see if their writing, style, and characters are something you would be interested in continuing with. And if you are already a fan of one or more of these series, then I imagine you would definitely enjoy the novellas from your chosen authors.

Jill Shalvis:

Novella: Dream a Little Dream
* An estranged couple with a history, a woman who wasn't ready for commitment, and a guy wanting more. Insert danger and life evaluation, and you get a sweet story of walls coming down, love coming in, and a sweet future. Really liked this one.
* Excerpt from: Once in a Lifetime

Kristen Ashley:

Novella: Every Year
* Spending Christmas day with the Allen family, along with Shy and his brother Landon. This was a very sweet story, mixed with heart as we get a small sad glimpse of what life was life before for Shy and Landon. But with the sad glimpse we get a whole lot of love and hope for this whole family. Sweet and hopeful.
* Excerpt from: Own the Wind

Hope Ramsay:

Novella: Silent Night
* A twist on a baby in a manger. Two heart-broken, hopeless people who find themselves in each other's company on Christmas Eve, breaking down the barriers in their hearts and the sadness of their circumstances, and opening up to the possibilities of love and hope.
* Excerpt from: Last Chance Knit & Stitch

Molly Cannon:

Novella: Have Yourself a Messy Little Christmas
* Messy guy meets organized girl, who has been hired by his mom to clean up the family home for Christmas. They drive each other a little crazy to begin with, but that is quickly set aside for the mutual attraction they can't deny. Cute and funny.
* Excerpt from: Flirting with Forever

Marilyn Pappano:

Novella: A Family for Christmas
* Rich doctor is in town for a couple years on a contract, a little lost with his life, but he meets a sweet, young war widow, with a baby, and finds himself re-evaluating his life and future. Though the love story is quick, I really liked this couple and their story. The military tie-in was well done.
* Excerpt from: A Man to Hold On To

4 STARS

 

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