Member Reviews
A Season to Celebrate by Fern Michaels, Kate Pearce, Donna Kauffman, and Priscilla Oliveras, is a wonderful compilation of four holiday romance romances. Each author brought their romance to life in a short novella and left you looking forward to more from each of them. Each wrote a delightful romance in their style in order to tell their own story. A soldier returning home is given a chance at love with a new doctor in town. A widower learns that love can be found close to home in the form of a longtime friendship. A young woman whose life isn't going the way she wants it to finds love and hope while attending her brothers Christmas wedding. Finally we meet an event planner who meets someone with the same family issues she is struggling with and together they help each other resolve their problems and fall in love in the process. This was a great read, especially if you love romance during the holidays.
Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls by Donna Kauffma, novella 2.5 in her Blue Hollow Falls series was my favorite read. This is Moira Brogan’s book, Seth sister. Aussie chef Hudson Walker, wasn’t expecting to be arrested and in jail for checking on his mate’s sister after the wedding party had departed, but that’s exactly where he found himself after rescuing Moira from a nasty situation, that escalated into an all-out bar brawl.
Moira is at a crossroads in her life, and Hudson enjoys taking the unexpected turn at any crossroads he comes across, so they are quite the pair of opposites. One is a planner, the other lets life lead the way. Yet, their attraction is undeniable, their connection deeper and more meaningful than either expected. These two were so in tune with each other, and as they discover more about each other, and themselves, they must decide whether to take the next road together or separately. A quite difficult decision for Moira, who was recently hurt by what she had thought, was love. I loved their ending. The train cars were so unique and the entire setting was very picturesque.
Ms. Kauffman and the other authors wrote wonderful and moving Christmas stories that are not to be missed. Each story is filled with fun dialogue, endearing characters and the magic of love and Christmas. I highly recommend this book to other.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
A fun compilation of holiday themed novellas by great writers. Each story is well written, perfectly paced and of course, full of romance. A good book to curl up with with a cup of cocoa or a glass of wine!
Thank you NetGalley for ARC in exchange for my honest review
A Season to Celebrate is four wonderful romantic novellas by four gifted writers. Each story is well written and really draws you in. Perfect for curling up on the sofa with hot cocoa and escaping for a few hours. Terrific holiday book!
This book is a set of four novellas, all of which were very good reads! I had read other works by Donna Kauffman and Fern Michaels, but not the other two authors. I will definitely look for more of their works in the future. Each novella has a holiday theme, but also focuses on a romance. The writing is good, characters are exceptional, and I found each very enjoyable to read. I actually liked this format. Each work was long enough to be substantial, yet not drawn out unnecessarily. If you want to read a good romance novel with a holiday theme, this is a great bargain!
<i>Christmas Homecoming </i> Fern Michaels
Kevin Matthews is grateful to be back home in Texas after his time in the Air Force. He's trying to figure out his next move but his interest in the town's new surgeon, Kate Stafford, may make the decision easier.
This story was a little hard to follow in places but I suspect that regular readers of the series would have no problem.
<i>An Unexpected Gift</i> Kate Pearce
A nice story about an older couple. Bella is helping to plan her son's wedding and Billy is happy to help her get things done. And maybe they might find their own HEA.
I think having read other books in the series would have made this book more understandable but it was a very cute story.
<i>Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls </i> Donna Kauffman
Chef Hudson Walker has just finished working a wedding when he sees Moira Brogan being harassed in a bar. He steps in to help even though she's got it handled. They then start to spend a little more time together even though she's a planner to the nth degree while he tends to be a little more free form.
I was so looking forward to this story and... I just didn't feel it. After reading about Moira in the previous book, I was hoping for a little more of her story. But I did appreciate the story of her previous romantic fling not turning into an HEA.
<i>Holiday Homerun </i> Priscilla Oliveras
Julia Fernandez is sick of hearing about baseball. She just wants to pursue her dreams of a being an event planner in Chicago rather than taking over the family business in Puerto Rico. So why is she getting so distracted by the VIP for her event, former pro baseball player Ben Thomas.
This was a little too sweet for me but I think regular readers will enjoy.
Three stars
This book came out October 30
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley
What an absolutely sweet anthology filled with fabulous stories by wonderful authors. I wanted this book for Kate Pearce's story about Dad Billy from her Morgan Ranch. It was delightful but I have to say Donna Kaufman's story stole the starring role for me in this book. Priscilla Oliveras was third and sweet former athlete story filled with helping others. This was the Fern Michaels story and it felt like the first chapter for a full sized story, a taste and set up for the couple's story.
The Stories in this anthology are:
Fern Michaels "A Christmas Homecoming", is a series of wrong assumptions until the circumstances work out to dispel them. A few appropriate questions at the start could have eliminated the whole 70 pages and got the story off the ground.
Kate Pearce's "An Unexpected Gift" is well named. Prodigal son Billy, and father of the Morgan Brothers, has returned home and hasn't found a place at his family's ranch as his mother and sons seem to have everything covered. He does anything to help, trying to make up for his past failures with his family. He and Bella Williams have been friends since kindergarten. He rescues her from a disgruntled employee and volunteers to help in her kitchen at the Red Dragon Bar when she's short handed. Turns out he went to culinary school after his stent in prison. I loved this story of found love and healing forgiveness.
Donna Kaufman's "Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls" was packed with a rich romance filled with wisdom and perspective. Moira Brogan, attorney, is a co-Maid of Honor for her brother's Christmas Day wedding. Hudson Walker is an Aussie Chef for her brother's partner in the Blue Hollow Falls Mill complex. Her brother Seth askes Hudson to keep an eye out for Moira as she was coping with a really rough patch in her life. Hudson ends up trying to peacefully extricate her from a bullying chap bent on dragging Moira away for a night of passion she has no interest in. One massive bar fight later Moira ends up bailing him out of jail. This was such a fun adventure of two very different souls discovering that the life path they've been on can be richer by joining them together. It is jam packed with such great life wisdom that I'll have to go back an pick up quotes I want to keep. That and Donna Kaufman's books will have to go on my list to investigate further.
Priscilla Oliveras' Holiday Home Run was a sweet tale about an event planner visiting her cousin and trying to get a foot in the door in Chicago so she can escape her family's plan for her to take over her mother's catering business in Puerto Rico. She's volunteering on the committee to raise money for the Chicago Youth Association. Benjamin Thomas is a retired Pro Baseball Pitcher who agrees to be emcee for the event to help them raise money. The best way to describe this story is sweet and filled with the flavor of the Puerto Rico culture.
Thank you Kensington and Kate Pearce for granting me the opportunity to review this story.
I am a huge fan of Christmas anthologies! What I particularly love is that I'm always introduced to new authors. So, thank you to Fern Michaels for all the new authors I've gotten to "meet" over the years!
In this particular book, my favorites were Priscilla Oliveras, Donna Kauffman, Kate Pearce and Fern Michaels. I felt like Oliveras and Kauffman had the best complete stories and they both made me want to check out their other books and read more!
An awesome collection of romance stories. From a second chance at love to a hero who finds love and a family all at once. There’s something for everyone. Definitely 5 stars!!
A Christmas Homecoming - Two extremely well-adjusted people with positive outlooks on life move to the same town and make googly-eyes at each other for like 80 or so pages. Really. That's it. For the bulk of the story, the two leads don't even interact, it's all just other people trying to shove them together and/or discussing inane domestic topics. The story ends right after the leads realize the other is single and just smile across the room at each other. And there were so! many! exclamation! points! Also, I'm a veteran from Texas, and even I think the opening of this book went waaay overboard on harping that Kevin is a vet from Texas. Yeesh.
An Unexpected Gift - Widower Billy saves his old friend Bella from an altercation, and the two rekindle a friendship that quickly grows into a romance. Both leads are over 50, which is not something I encounter a lot in this genre, and it was really nice to see them discussing elder-oriented concerns. They were very cute together. Short, sweet, and uncomplicated, which is just about right for a short story like this. Might be frustrating to those who haven't read Kate Pearce's series; there are a LOT of characters mentioned as if the audience should already know them.
Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls - After her brother's wedding, Moira finds herself in a bar trying to drink her way through her blues, and winds up in an altercation with a smarmy jackass. She gets rescued by Hudson, and they hit things off. Much as I liked both characters, I feel like this short story really should have been a full novel. The bar-fiend and the altercation that resulted gets waved about as a villain, but then nothing comes of it. Both leads have a lot of issues and backstory, but instead of being delved into, the two just talk about it. A lot. In depth and with no hesitation. Because how else are you going to get through the whole arc in such a short time? A lot of potential here, but just not truncated well. Does make me want to check out the author's actual series, though, and see what she can do with the proper amount of page time.
Holiday Homerun - Julia is in Chicago, visiting from Puerto Rico, to spend time with family and help host a charity event. Unbeknownst to her family, Julia is hoping that the event will lead to an offer of full-time employment and she can move to Chicago permanently. Things get complicated when the emcee of the event, a very handsome baseball player, takes an interest in her. I liked Julia's relationship with her family (both the family she's visiting and the family back in PR) and her concerns about moving and breaking the news. However, when it comes to her and Ben...the tension felt a little forced. She doesn't want to get involved...because he's a baseball player? And that...is bad? There was definitely the beginning of a conflict there, as his job tied back to her emotional history with the sport, but it wasn't followed through because, well, because it's a short story. The focus was on her job/moving drama. So when sports drama came up, it was mentioned and then they just kept going on dates anyway. Another case of "I can see good ideas here and I'm curious to check out the author's full length work," I guess. :)
This collection of Christmas stories are sure to generate good feelings, as each author creates a tale of heartwarming romance.
I was looking forward to reading AN UNEXPECTED GIFT by Kate Pearce featuring another member of her Morgan Ranch series. Billy Morgan has overcome troubles from his past. He has been fortunate to rebuild his relationship with his family. He never expected to find a second chance at love wit his old friend Bella. Their coming together was a sweet and cathartic journey, that was definitely heartfelt. It was nice to see a mature couple depicted enjoying their lives individually and together.
CHRISTMAS IN BLUE HOLLOW FALLS by Donna Kauffman was a highly enjoyable story also. Moira Brogan and Hudson Walker had good chemistry, as love finds them when neither were looking. Hudson's outlook on life was the ideal counterpoint to Moira's more structured outlook.
CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING by Fern Michaels and HOLIDAY HOMERUN by Priscilla Oliveras were first time reads for me. I will be reading other stories from them as I found these stories very entertaining also.
I loved this anthology! Kate Pearce is the only author I have previously read, and I now have three more authors I know I will enjoy reading.
All of the stories are great, heartwarming, holiday romances. This is the perfect book to snuggle up in front of the fire with a cup of cocoa and get lost in the beautiful romances.
This is definitely one that I will keep with my to read again holiday collection!
A Season to Celebrate is a holiday anthology by four well-known romance authors: Fern Michaels; Kate Pearce; Donna Kauffman; and Priscilla Oliveras.
A Christmas Homecoming by Fern Michaels is exactly what the name implies. Kevin Matthews returns from a career in the military to the family Texas tree farm and unexpected love.
An Unexpected Gift by Kate Pearce is a Morgan Ranch story. The steamy of the four, it gives the reader two people who have lost their first loves in lives. Wonderful that this is a 50ish couple who find a second chance at love.
Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls by Donna Kauffman is my favorite but know I enjoyed all the stories. However, there is just something extra special about the Blue Hollow Falls Series. This is Seth’s sister, Moira Brogan’s story. It is a case of opposites attract.
Holiday Home Run by Priscilla Oliveras is by the author whose work I am not as familiar with reading. This romance takes place in Chicago, with charity work, baseball and some sweet children as family obligations collide with personal dreams.. I enjoyed it very much.
Each story is very different but with the Christmas theme. One begins with a wedding, one has a wedding being planned, and some have children, some have charity work, but all have romance at this special time of year.
I love a Christmas story and this one was great by Kate Pearce. A nice addition to the series. Billy and Bella finding love together was such a good story at the holidays. Perfect!
This four book Christmas collection gave me hours of reading enjoyment! Each and every book in this collection had great character and storyline development which kept me totally enthralled until the very last page!
"Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls" I think, was my favorite read with well developed characters and a story that I could really feel. Hudson, with the Aussie accent, and Moira, of the Irish brogue and huge clan, were in tune with each other, arriving at the same place but from much different paths and I loved their ending. The train cars were so unique and the whole setting was very picturesque in my mind.
"An Unexpected Gift" was so good. I felt all Billy's regrets. When he ends up saving and then helping Bella, well, just all kinds of wonderful things can happen for older couples and that touched my heart in a big way. A true feel good story for me of 2nd chances.
"Holiday Home Run" was excellent. A great story big in culture, was all goodness when Ben falls for Julia, and she for him, tho she didn't want to, so he did have his work cut out. He almost screwed it up too, but luckily he had the charm and sincerity, truly just wanting the best for Julia, which made it easy to fall in love with him.
"A Christmas Homecoming" was a great hero's welcome home story of Kevin, the famous tree man, K-E-V-I-N, according to Emily, Kate's adorable and very vocal young daughter, which had me lol'ing often. I feel this one could have used more positive interactions just between Kevin and Kate, with less jumping to conclusions, just my personal preference. A happy traditional Christmas Story that I enjoyed reading, none the less.
I recried an ARC thru Net Galley and am giving an honest review.
This was a very enjoyable collection of holiday romances. Have read several of the authors before and liked them so this was a treat! All of the stories were endearing in their own ways. Really enjoyed An Unexpected Gift by Kate Pearce because it was a story of an older couple with grown children getting a second chance at love.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily chose to review it.
CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING by Fern Michaels
Sweet holiday romance that features veteran Kevin Matthews returning home from duty after a medical discharge meeting Dr. Kate Stafford and her young daughter Emma. There are some ups and downs and misconceptions but eventually they work their way toward a relationship with a future together. (3 Stars)
AN UNEXPECTED GIFT by Kate Pearce
Billy Morgan has been in the previous Morgan Ranch Series books and is the father of the four brothers that have had their stories told so wonderfully already. There is still a sister and a granddaughter that could have stories of their own but THIS is Billy’s time to find a HEA with a woman he has known since kindergarten. I thoroughly enjoyed the falling in love of this older couple that so deserve a partner, love and a HEA together. (4 Stars)
CHRISTMAS IN BLUE HOLLOW FALLS by Donna Kauffman
Fun, fun, fun! Moira Brogan is the youngest of an Irish family and has just attended a wedding when she meets Australian chef Hudson Walker. He is such a charming man and so aware of what he wants even as Moira guards her heart for a bit as she gets to know him. They were perfect for one another and I loved reading their story. (5 Stars)
HOLIDAY HOMERUN by Priscilla Oliveras
Retired baseball player Ben Thomas meets and is rather intrigued by Julia Louisa Fernandez. Why? Well, she is not only attractive but she is not bowled over by his status. They spend time together with quite a bit of Puerto Rico and family thrown into the story and eventually end up with their HEA, too. (3 Stars)
I am a total nut job for Christmas Anthologies! I've only read the story by Donna Kauffman so far, because I have read all the other books in her Blue Hollow Falls series and there was no way I was going to wait for Christmas to read it. This is the story of Moira. It starts out with her sitting in a bar and drinking in her bridesmaid dress for her brother's wedding. Can you picture that? It's not a hideous bridesmaid dress, but still...it's a bridesmaid dress!
Enter Aussie chef that's been sent to keep an eye on her and flames are flying all over the place and there's not even a Bananas Foster in his hands. (I really didn't mean for that to be dirty). Since she's recovering from a broken heart, going back to her law practice soon, and he's here from Australia there is no way they should act on it--but sometimes the heart just does what it wants to!
I loved this story and can't wait to read the rest in the book!
An Unexpected Gift
This is a short story that happens after the fifth book in the Morgan Ranch Series. I really love this series. This was a great Christmas love story. The characters in the book are older, the parents of some of the other characters in the series. I really enjoyed seeing older widowed characters get the happily ever after. The characters are well developed and the pace is fast. Though it is part of a series this can be read as a stand-alone book. A great Christmas read.
This was a lovely compilation of four holiday romances by four different authors. Each brought their romance to life in a short novella and left you looking forward to more from each of them. With a style of their own each had a delightful romance to tell. A soldier returning home is given a chance at love with a new doctor in town. A widower learns that love can be found close to home in the form of a longtime friendship. A young woman whose life isn't going the way she wants it to finds love and hope while attending her brothers Christmas wedding. Finally we meet an event planner who meets someone with the same family issues she is struggling with and together they help each other resolve their problems and fall in love in the process. This was a great read, especially if you love romance during the holidays.