Great book. I loved how all 3 stories connected. The characters were great. Jodi Thomas is a fantastic writer and that's why I read this book.

A compilation of three short stories by different authors. A quick and easy read. Nothing too deep or spectacular, but enjoyable.

I received a free ARC eBook from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinions.

It’s Christmas Eve, 1859, and everyone who’s anyone is headed to the glorious St. Nicholas Hotel for the most talked about ball of the season. It’s the kind of Texas night where anything can happen—even love . . .
This was a cute anthology. I enjoyed all three stories and was happy to find new authors I like. I highly recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Loved it, I would highly recommend this book. Beautifully written. Jodi Thomas is a masterful storyteller.

Set in the early days of Dallas at Christmastime, this trio of historical fiction romances share a common thread – the St. Nicholas Hotel. Each story in this anthology features a fiesta heroine and a swoon-worthy hero – and each has a distinctly different feel. All three stories quickly drew me in and kept me turning pages.

Jodi Thomas kicks things off with her story “One Night at the St. Nicholas.” I confess, I’m not ordinarily a huge fan of love at first sight tropes, but I also remember that relationships didn’t necessarily have the baggage or expectations we have today – and it’s a short story, so there’s no time for months of wooing – and I can move past it and into the story – which actually gives us two tales of happily ever after, with a bit of confusion involving a switched dress, one spirited girl determined to forge her own path, another spirited girl who dreamed of something more, and two unlikely heroes. Actually, for a novella-length story, there are a lot of characters that are fairly well fleshed out for the shorter length. This story has a lot of action that moves along quickly, more sneaky switching, and interesting characters.

The second tale in A Texas Kind of Christmas was my favorite: “Birdie’s Flight” by Celia Bonaduce. This little story packs a lot into it: survival, betrayal, romance, friendship, and new beginnings. This story had excellent pacing, a good twist, and characters that did not disappoint. Birdie is a character I’d like to read more about. This was my first introduction to Celia Bonaduce, and I’ll be looking for more from her.

Rounding out the anthology is a story from Rachael Miles titled “Spirit of Texas”. This one appealed to the bookish geek in me: Eugenie is led by a spirit of adventures AND a book about Texas that has touched her heart and made her fall in love with the idea of it (and the author, who she hasn’t met), and along the way, they encounter all kinds of pretty incredible obstacles. This story has a strong start – Eugenie has an interesting back story, and the action picks up quickly, but there wasn’t enough conflict (I’m not sure who the antagonist was once they reached Dallas) and the story wrapped up more quickly than I anticipated.

All three stories take place at the same time and location. Each an individual story with different plots and characters. All surrounding Christmas 1859 in frontier Dallas Texas. Best of all the stories are fiction based on actual history. When I was a newcomer to Texas years ago, historical western romance novels gave me more actual Texas history than native Texans did. Jodi Thomas comes up with an excellent first story in this anthology. BRAVO!

These three novellas, connected by the 1859 Christmas Eve ball at Dallas’s St. Nicholas Hotel, are uneven tales of frontier romance. Thomas opens the anthology with “One Night at the St. Nicholas,” a jam-packed story of instant love between unlikely partners. Jacqueline, an heiress, falls not for any of the eligible gentlemen wooing her but for a Northern actor on the run from the law. Cody, a war hero, mistakes Jacqueline for a servant with a traumatic past, and his heart softens. Though the many plot twists might better suit a longer form, this is the most gripping of the stories. Bonaduce’s “Birdie’s Flight” introduces Birdie, a seamstress altering a ball gown for spoiled but spirited Charlotte, who flirts with the sheriff despite her father’s wish for her to marry handsome Captain Newcastle, Birdie’s crush. Through a series of coincidences, Birdie gets to go to the ball and find her happily ever after, but not before her past catches up with her. Miles’s “Spirit of Texas” best evokes time and place as a ranger with a way with words escorts bookish Eugenie across the Texas wilderness. Though the trip bonds them, their connection is tested when they arrive in Dallas and must face society. The moments of connection between the stories will keep readers invested, but the history of the woman behind the real-life St. Nicholas Hotel, as related in the endnotes, is more interesting than any of the novellas. This was a cute little read, you can read by the fire with a cup of hot coco

This book contains a group of stories that center around an event in the early settlement of Texas. All of the authors do an excellent job of placing the reader in that time and place. Well done historical fiction.

Dallas wasn't always the bustling metropolis area I know today, and a look back to 1859 sheds new light on how small of a town it really was in the mid-1800s.

I was fascinated by the history of the hotel and I like that the authors chose to center their stories around a real hotel.  I always like reading the notes at the end of a book that talks about the inspiration for the story especially when it is an actual location or real people.  I may live in the DFW area but that doesn't mean I know all of the histories of this area.  I am constantly learning new things every day and amazed at what I learn.  So if you are someone that doesn't read the author's notes, start!

I loved all three of these stories and it is hard for me to choose a favorite.  I think the one that inched its way past the others was Spirit of Texas by Rachael Miles.  I loved the humor and the thesaurus and word references.  It is the book nerd in me.

In all of the stories, each couple finds love quickly and how wonderful it is to see that love shine through no matter the time frame of how it came to be with the couple.  Times were much different than they are today, but I still believe in that initial spark that each of the main characters experienced in each book.  But love is found but there are a few hiccups along the way but it wouldn't be a good story without some tension and drama especially when it comes to family drama.  While each story isn't long (approximately 100 pages each), there are complex characters, action, deception, and love.  All the qualities I look for in a book.

I'm not sure how the authors arranged the characters that would be carried over from book to book but I loved seeing glimpses of the same character in a different light.  Even the ball from different perspectives made for interesting twists.  Despite the appearance of characters from story to story, there wasn't any overlap in details about the ball other than a minute detail here or there.

This is a fun book to read and if you enjoy history, holidays, family drama, and love then this is the book for you.

We give this 5 paws up.

The real St Nicholas Hotel is the setting for this group of Texas Christmas romances. Look for some misdirection as three couples find what they were looking for at the annual Christmas Ball. I enjoyed hearing about the very real St Nicholas Hotel and its owner. Dallas at the time was more a small town than the city it became. That made it a great choice for this group of stories.

Really loved this sweetly thrilling holiday collection of engaging adventures filled with exciting charters, witty banter and thrilling passion.... all were excellent reading. A great holiday collection!

A Texas Kind of Christmas ( A collection of stories) by Jodi Thomas, Celia Bonaduce and Rachael Miles


Publication Date:10/29/2019
Publisher: Kensington Books
Imprint: Kensington
Genre: Historical Romance
Pages: 336
ISBN-13: 978-1496721303

Spotlights are books that I didn’t have the time to review this month. But ones that still make great reading options.

One particular ball is the setting for all three stories in this great collection!

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, Book Depository

Jodi Thomas on the Web: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads

Celia Bonaduce on the Web: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads

Rachael Miles on the Web: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads

Excerpt from A Texas Kind of Christmas courtesy of Amazon’s Look Inside feature

Synopsis:

It’s Christmas Eve, 1859, and everyone who’s anyone is headed to the glorious St. Nicholas Hotel for the most talked about ball of the season. It’s the kind of Texas night where anything can happen—even love . . .

ONE NIGHT AT THE ST. NICHOLAS
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jodi Thomas
To escape her stepmother’s plot to marry her off, Texas heiress Jacqueline Hartman spends Christmas Eve sharing a hideout with an accused bank robber. After a night in Nathaniel Ward’s arms, Jacqueline is certain she has met her match after all. But will his heartfelt promise of love lead to his demise at the hands of the law?

BIRDIE’S FLIGHT * Celia Bonaduce
Seamstress Birdie Flanagan gets the surprise of her life when she receives a beautiful gown—and a sudden invitation—for the ball of the season! Birdie creates a stir from the moment she arrives, capturing the eye of the dashing Captain Douglas Newcastle. But will a secret from her past keep her from her long-awaited happily-ever-after?

SPIRIT OF TEXAS * Rachael Miles
When lovely spinster Eugenie Charpentier makes a trip across the Texas frontier with former Texas Ranger Asher Graham, she dreams of an adventure, and the rough-and-tumble cowboy is happy to oblige. But both Eugenie and the rugged lawman are keeping secrets. Can they find each other—and love—on the dance floor at the Christmas ball?

A Texas Kind of Christmas is available now from your favorite bookseller


About the author:



With millions of books in print, Jodi Thomas is both a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over 50 novels and more than a dozen novellas. Her stories travel through the past and present days of Texas and draw readers from around the world. Jodi has been inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. When not working on a novel, Thomas enjoys traveling with her husband, renovating a historic home, and “checking up” on their grown sons and four grandchildren.



Celia Bonaduce, also the author of The Venice Beach Romances and the Welcome to Fat Chance, Texas series, has always had a love affair with houses. Her credits as a television field producer include such house-heavy hits as Extreme Makeover: Home Edition; HGTV’s House Hunters and Tiny House Hunters. She lives in Santa Monica, CA, with her husband and dreams of one day traveling with him in their own tiny house. You can contact Celia at www.Celiabonaduce.com.



Rachael Miles has always loved a good romance, especially one with a bit of suspense and preferably a ghost. She is also a professor of book history and nineteenth-century literature whose students frequently find themselves reading the novels of Ann Radcliffe and other gothic tales. A native Texan, Rachael lives with her indulgent husband, three rescued dogs, and an ancient cat. Visit her at www.rachaelmiles.com.

Anthologies for me give more for the buck, with multiple stories in each collection. A Texas Kind of Christmas is even more special. Each distinct story shares a theme of Christmas love and setting of a ball at the St. Nicholas hotel. The hotel and its employees link the whole book together. The heroines of all three stories are self-rescuing; the heroes are the type of men who would easily fit into a Hallmark movie.
One Night at the St. Nicholas by Jodi Thomas: One Night is two sweet love at first sight stories. We have the primary story between Nate and Jacqueline as well as the story between Cody and Katie. Ah Nate. If I were Jacqueline, I’d probably fall for Nate in one night, too. He’s an actor, great a flirting, but most of all, he’s honest from the start with her. Cody, on the other hand, is completely pragmatic about marriage, including proposing to any woman who makes him pie! I did wonder at the beginning of the novel if this might be a love triangle\square situation. But thankfully, the right partners find each other. (See what I did there? Partners. At a dance. Sorry. I couldn’t help myself!) I really enjoyed the ending of this story, but I don’t want to spoil it for you. Let’s leave it at there is a last-minute rescue where the usual tables are turned. And the epilogue is a must read.
Birdie’s Flight by Celia Bonaduce: Birdie walks into the St. Nicholas hotel desperate for work. Luckily, the hotel needs a new seamstress. Captain Newcastle, the hero of this story, is a top-notch charmer and flirt. It’s easy to see why Birdie falls for him, both literally and figuratively. In addition to Birdie and Captain Newcastle’s love story, we also meet Charlotte Rutherford and Sheriff Joey Holden. Charlotte is a hoot, if a bit of a spoiled brat. But she is a great friend to Birdie. For me though, the mystery of why Birdie is on the run is the highlight of this story. Why did she leave her home? And why is a Pinkerton agent following her? That’s what I really want to know! And honestly, I do wish there were more details on the mystery aspect and less focus on which dress Charlotte is planning on wearing to the ball.
Spirit of Texas by Rachael Miles: By far, this is my favorite of the three stories. It’s really a love letter to words, books, and the thesaurus (a stalwart friend of mine!). Asher Graham and his brothers played word games as children with a thesaurus. He’s a man after my own heart!
“Few women – even those born here – would have weathered a tornado with as much sangfroid as you.”
Come on! Who uses words like sangfroid! That’s is a great word that I’ll be working into everyday conversation going forward. (The definition is coolness of mind, calmness, or composure in case you weren’t sure.) Books are also common ground between Asher and our heroine, Eugenie Charpentier, providing many topics of discussion on the long carriage ride to Dallas and the Christmas ball. There is some great banter between the main characters which really drew me into their story. The relationship between Asher and Eugenie grows and develops over time during their journey. I really enjoyed the Texas survival lessons that Asher imparts to Eugenie, including the all-important siesta. Eugenie has grit, as Asher calls it. The two are well suited in my opinion. I will certainly be checking out more books by Ms. Miles in hopes of additional great characters like Asher and Eugenie.
In addition to the main characters, I also enjoyed meeting the hotel staff at the St. Nicholas, especially Cook, Madam Durand, and Miss Quigley, the head seamstress. Cook is the mothering type, making sure everyone is properly fed. I’m pretty sure Miss Quigley has a bit o’ Leprechaun in her, with her Irish heritage and faster than seems possible sewing skills. I imagine both women have some great stories! Along with Mrs. Cockrell, these characters appear in all three stories. I appreciate each author’s perspective on these common characters.
I would read longer versions of each of these stories, new stories with the same characters, or stories featuring the secondary characters. I wholly enjoyed each story in the book and would recommend it for anyone interested in history romance or anthologies.

A Texas Kind of Christmas is three separate stories by three different authors, published in the one book. They all have the same time and place setting, St Nicholas Hotel in Dallas 1859. Each story also uses the grand ball which is held on Christmas Eve at the hotel. Unfortunately, however, this is the limit of the Christmas theme.

I think I whinge about this every time I read what is marketed as a Christmas themed book - the fact that there is usually a tenuous connection to the season. And here I am saying it again. These stories could have been set any time during the year. There is no real Christmas feel to them at all.

Anyway... The first is One Night at the St Nicholas by Jodi Thomas which started with much promise. Thomas’s writing was really a cut above the average romantic writer's I’ve read of late. There was an interesting mistaken identity mixed with a Cinderella vibe plotline and I was pretty much engrossed right up to about chapter six. From there, Thomas faded. The plot became a little ridiculous (too much love at first sight maybe?) and the charm disappeared. Average, despite the strong start. (I would probably try another of her books though because her style definitely held me captive there for a while.)

I then went on to Birdie’s Flight by Celia Bonaduce which actually had the same basic premise as the first story. That is, this installment, like the first, had two sets of potential pairings which led to a bit of mistaken identity/identity swap situation. One of the leading females was again in a servant position, meaning it also had that Cinderella feel to it. (I was assuming the writers did this deliberately but was then thrown when the third story was completely different.) I did think it was a little odd that neither story overlapped. I mean, there is two incidents involving police etc in the same motel at the same time but no character mentions the other? Seems unrealistic. I think the plot overall was a little stronger with this story. The ending was a little rushed but that might have been more to do with the short format. Overall, this was my favourite out of the three stories.

The third story was Spirit of Texas by Rachael Miles. This time most of the story took place as the leads travelled to Dallas. They talked about books and native Americans and slavery and storms. (I need an American to let me know if Texas could really have twisters and hail storms in winter. I mean, in Aus, such things would only occur during the summer and I baulked at this plot point.) A lot of the plot was glaringly obvious and cliched, including the obligatory sad back stories, but my biggest issue with this one was the weak conflict. The reason the leads can’t be together could have been sorted in two seconds. This one did mention some of the plotline from the earlier stories, but only briefly. Out of the three this was probably my least favourite.

All the stories are sweet enough I guess. Definitely not a lot to do with Christmas though. Maybe 3 out of 5 overall.

A Texas Kind of Christmas by Jodi Thomas, Celia Bonaduce and Rachel Miles

Centered around a famous Christmas Ball at the Saint Nicholas Hotel in Dallas, Texas these three stories with romance for five couples and happily ever endings kept me reading eagerly wanting each couple to find their happily ever after. The stories were heartwarming and compelling and I enjoyed each and every one of them. Note: When I read a book and would like to have the characters be my friends or BE the characters or perhaps be with the male characters in the stories...it is a keeper...and this is definitely a keeper I would gladly read each holiday season.

ONE NIGHT AT THE SAINT NICHOLAS by Jodi Thomas
Miss Jacqueline Hartman will marry by New Year’s – or so says her stepmother. A ball, men to assess, a father who will provide a hefty dowry and no interest in marriage has Jacqueline looking for an escape. Many men are on their way to woo and win the dowry and one of those is her neighbor Cody Lamar because dowry would provide him that little bit extra he needs to help him prosper. Another man, Nate Ward, is on his way to Dallas, too. Nate is handcuffed but undaunted and hopeful for a future other than the hangman’s noose. Katie, a maid at the hotel, is fairy- like while dancing in a borrowed pink dress outside under the stars. Katie and Jacqueline will find their mates at the hotel and which one each will end up with made for a great bit of reading.

BIRDIE’S FLIGHT by Celia Bonduce
Brigid “Birdie” Flanagan is on her last leg and hopeful of finding a job at the Saint Nicholas Hotel. Fainting was not in the plan but what’s a girl to do? She has been on the run and hopes to hide out in Dallas. Rachel Rutherford is a bit of a spoiled miss with more dresses than she needs but in finding that last perfect gown for the Christmas ball she and Birdie form an unexpected alliance as Birdie becomes seamstress of that gown. There is a handsome sheriff, a Pinkerton agent, a scoundrel and a Captain in the army that will all impact the futures of the two women. And, two of those men will also provide the HEA both women so richly deserve. Loved this one, too!

SPIRIT OF TEXAS by Rachel Miles
Eugenia Carptenier is on her way from England to Dallas to see her often absent now invalid mother. Her expectation is to find Lilly, assess the situation then accompany her back to England. First she has to travel overland for at least two weeks and w ill do so in the company of her guide, the guide’s brother and a young man traveling with the two men. There is a book that has allowed her a glimpse of the love one man has for Texas and she would love to meet the author of the book BUT there is one man traveling with her that steals into her guarded heart. The two have a bit of a rough patch but do find their HEA by the end of the story.

Did I like the stories ins this trilogy? Definitely (big smile on my face)
Would I Read more by these authors?

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

A Texas Kind of Christmas has three novellas by three authors. They are loosely linked by place and year. The first is by Jodi Thomas, and here we are taken to the Texas frontier with a mixture of ranchers, lawmen, supposed outlaws, hotel staff and a young woman about to choose her husband.  She has a wealthy father who just wants to see her married off and happy, but her step mother has nasty intentions. She eventually makes her choice as does Katie one of the hotel maids.

Birdie's Flight by Celia Bonaduce is the second story. We meet Birdie or Bridget, just arrived in Dallas needing a job. Thanks to a few serendiptious happenings she finds one as a seamstress. We also meet the capricious Charlotte who is looking for that perfect dress for the dance. Birdie is fleeing someone, just who and why we have to read on to find out. By the end of the story both girls find the one they love.

Spirit of Texas  by Rachel Miles gives us a ride through Texas to Dallas on a coach along with Eugenie who has come from England to seek out and bring home her mother.  Asher has been designated to guide her to Dallas to the St Nicholas hotel. Its a story of second chances and a ride through the wild country side.

These stories have plenty of a western feel and are a load of adventure and fun. They are short but each of them is satisfying and I felt did not suffer from being a novella.  I picked this book up because of the name of Jodi Thomas, however I have to say I enjoyed each story - all so well written and engaging.

A Texas Kind of Christmas is an anthology of three novellas all woven around the Christmas Eve Ball at the St Nicholas Hotel in a very young Dallas, Texas. Three separate stories by Jodi Thomas, Celia Bonaduce, and Rachael Miles, with mentions of characters from each other's stores, but really totally independent of one another. It is Christmas 1859 and Cody Lamar is on his way to town to offer marriage to a woman he has seen only a couple of times in his life. Love does not enter into it. His target is Miss Jacqueline Hartman, who is the only daughter of his neighbor, Harry Hartman, who has declared she will pick a groom this very night and with her she will from 25% of his land and 200 cattle. Hence, Cody's interest. He speaks to a lovely young woman in a dark blue dress but he has been told that Jacqueline will be wearing pink. He becomes fully enchanted with a fairy princess dress in pink that is dancing by herself, out of doors. Things proceed from there. A thoroughly enchanting story.

The other two stories are just as enthralling. The book is filled with romance, good characters, and devilish plots. They are feel-good stories, full of manipulation and coincidence...perfect for Christmas. The Christmas stories are a glimpse into what early Dallas might have been and the people there are just like people everywhere: some good, some bad. I have recently fallen in love with Jodi Thomas' writing but the other two were just as good. This anthology is exactly what a Christmas loving Romance reader is looking for. I recommend it.

I received a free ARC of A Texas Kind of Christmas from Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #atexaskindofchristmas

A Texas Kind of Christmas is a great book. It contains three novellas all revolving around a Christmas Ball at the St. Nicolas Hotel in Dallas, Texas. I enjoyed that all the stories and especially since they were all related around the same event. Three authors wrote the stories, they are Jodi Thomas, Celia Bonaduce, and Rachael Miles. These stories are all historical romance novellas. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.
I received this advanced copy from Net Galley for my honest review.

A Texas Kind of Christmas includes three stories that are set in 1859 Dallas, at the St. Nicholas Hotel. What makes it even more special is when you realize that Sara, the owner of the St. Nicholas hotel was a real person. Her story is fascinating.

My favorite was One Night at the St. Nicholas by Jodi Thomas. She continues to amaze and fascinate me at how she captures my attention in every book to the point I don’t want to put the book down. She has an amazing storytelling talent. This story has two couples that are just perfectly suited for each other. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Jacqueline playing out her story as she saves him. And how the other couple join in to help her. The purchase of the book is worth Jodi’s story alone.

However you get two additional stories that are sweet holiday reads.
Birdie’s Flight by Celia Bonaduce was an enjoyable read. I started to wonder if seamstress Ms Quigley was a fairy Godmother. Birdie is on the run and wants to stay as hidden as possible. Fainting in front of a handsome military officer is not the way to go about it. Birdie becomes a seamstress at St Nicholas during the Christmas season.

The final story; Spirit of Texas by Rachael Miles takes us through the rugged Texas terrain as we make our way to the St. Nicholas hotel. Texas Ranger Asher has agreed to take Eugenie to her mother. Both are holding on to secrets that will need to be revealed for them to have a future.

I received this book from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review.
You can see my full review at More Than a Review dot com where I rate the level of sex, violence, language and drug/alcohol use in books.

Three lovely novellas set in the old west. The ball of the century at the St. Nicholas. Three very different heroine's and heroes.
A criminal, a Ranger, and a Captain. A Heiress, a Maid and a Spinster. Thrown together at a ball Three fun stories ensue.