Some lovely seasonal historical romance stories from a favorite writer.

A Stockingful of Joy is very different from the Hannah Howell books of which I normally read. But, that is not a bad thing with different still being interesting. Ms. Howell created cousins Deidre and Maura Kenney as love interests for Tyronne and Mitchell Callahan. She started their connection with the death’s of Deidre’s father, also Maura’s uncle, and his close friend, Bill. Both men were contracted to take important land papers across the country to the Callahan family to secure their land and mine.

These ladies hatch a plan to get those papers to the Callahan family and let nothing get in their way, even the Callahan men themselves. Both ladies meet and fall in love with a brother, yet each journey was unique and each love interest was different.

This is a super enjoyable set and being able to read them consecutively made it all the more interesting. This is great for a light hearted weekend read as you see the Callahan and Kenney family's battle the Martin family and their hired henchmen.

Posted on Les Romantiques - Le forum du site
Reviewed by Rinou
Review Copy from the Publisher

Already published several times since 1999, A Stockingful of Joy is part of these republications I ask for on NetGalley without first checking the reviews of the previous editions. This book is made of two stories taking place at the same time.

The starting idea is the in America in 1882, a man charged with delivering deeds to a family in Montana is killed in Saint Louis by enemies of this family. Before dying he makes his daughter and his niece promise to go on with his mission. So we follow in each story the journey of both cousins.

In the first story, Deidre has decided to journey by stagecoach. She’s accosted during a stop by two men wanting to retrieve the documents she’s carrying, and she owes salvation to Tyrone’s intervention (and not Patrick as said on the blurb). Her savior turns out to be one of the brothers to which she must deliver the documents, but she refuses to give them to him and go back home because she agreed with her cousin to meet in Montana.
From the start they are very attracted to each other, Deidre tries to resist because she doesn’t want to become the mistress of a man who’s not promising anything. Of course she’ll soon change her mind, which allows us to have great love scenes. Tyrone is going to be almost at the end of the story to confess his feelings for the heroine, because of a romantic disappointment several years ago.

In the second story, Maura makes her way by train, but rail transportation t this time is irregular and dependant on the weather. While she’s assaulted by two drunkards in a little street she’s saved by Mitch, the brother of the previous hero. She refuses to give her documents too, and both go on traveling together. In this couple Mitch is ready to commit directly, convinced since their meeting that Maura is his true love. However Maura refuses to love any man after seeing her mother suffering from her father’s lack of attention. It will take almost to the end for her to change her mind, even if she cedes quickly to her desire, giving us once again great love scenes.

The common point for the two stories is evidently the style, especially what is called headhopping, in other words the fact to go constantly from the thoughts of one character to those of another and return. I find this quite unpleasant, and the all book is written like this. There are also rides through plains in the middle of winter, a part where the hero is cared for by the heroine, and of course the bad guys throw wrenches in the gears regularly almost till the end, including an episode where the bad guys almost succeed in taking the documents.

If you think the coincidence of the two brothers meeting the two cousins is a bit farfetched, it’s explain by one of the heroes with the fact there are not 50 ways to go from Saint Louis to Montana.

To conclude this is a book easily readable in spite of some flaw but which has nothing special.

This Christmas novel was a nice read. The author takes two stories and wraps them together, even though each is told separately. It is the journey, not the destination that makes people see who others truly are. This brings the possibly of love during the holidays, even though the journey is dangerous.
Deidre and Maura Kenney are cousins who promised to fulfill to Deidre's dying father the return of the deed to the Callahan family in Paradise, Montana. The Martins family sent out men that killed Deidre's father and now hunt the Kenney women who have the deed. Deidre and Maura agree to split up to try and force the men after them to follow one more so over the other. What either of them planned on was the Callahan men who would steal their hearts.
Tyrone and Mitchell Callahan are brothers who are worried that the deed proving their family's holdings has not yet arrived. If the deed is not received before the new year, they will lose their land and home. They set out to travel to St.Louis, Missouri to get the deed. Each brother takes a different path, which lands them in the paths of Deidre and Maura.
All the characters have their own trials and insecurities they need to overcome. The path each pair travels is a dangerous journey, involving kidnappings and shootings and other obstacles they must overcome to each Paradise in time for Christmas. As each pair travels together, they realize they need the other person, not just for the journey, but for a lifetime. Will they all make it to Paradise in time? Will Deidre and Maura return to St. Louis after their promise is fulfilled or can Mitchell and Tyrone convince them to stay forever?