Merry Christmas!

 Merry Christmas

I hope that you and your family have a jolly holiday season.  I will return soon to share new books with you.  Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!  I hope all of you have a delightful holiday.  I am enjoying the day with my mother, daughter and her significant other plus my fur babies.  I will see you when I return with my review of Avoiding the Mistletoe by Anne Greene.  Take care, stay safe and warm, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

Merry and Bright: Debbie Macomber's 2017 Christmas Novel

Salutations! There are some delightful new cozy mysteries coming out in November.  They include A Deadly Eclair by Daryl Wood Gerber, X Marks the Scot by Kaitlyn Dunnett, Death Comes to the School by Catherine Lloyd, The Plot is Murder by V.M. Burns, Full Bodied Murder by Christine E. Blum, and Canal Days Calamity by Jamie M. Blair.  Check out this new titles on Amazon.

Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber is set in Seattle, Washington.  Merry Knight is a temp at Matterson Consulting.  Her contract will be up on December 23 and Merry will be glad for the break.  Her by-the-book boss has been pushing the workers and the mandatory overtime has put a kink in her social life.  Merry’s mother (Robin) and brother (Patrick) set up a profile for her on Mix and Mingle with a photo of their dog.  They want to find someone for Merry who will be interested in her as a person (not her outward appearance).  Merry is stunned, but, to her surprise, one man stands out to her.  He did use a photo of himself either (his childhood dog).  The pair start chatting online at night while Merry deals with her difficult boss during the day.  After getting to know each other, they agree to meet in person and Merry is astonished by the man’s identity.  It is the last person she expected to see or wanted to.  To find out what happens between Merry and her online suitor, pick up a copy of Merry and Bright.

Merry and Bright is a fun, entertaining story (Debbie Macomber never disappoints).  It has good characters, a lovely city (I want to live there), a cute premise, and a set during a magical time of year--Christmas.  I liked the themes presented in the story—Christmas is a condition of the heart (isn’t that just beautiful), kindness, generosity, openness, showing love to those we cherish, bad things about assumptions, misconceptions and judgements can be harmful/detrimental.  I found Merry and Bright to be well-written with a nice ease to the writing (it flowed nicely).  My rating for Merry and Bright is 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it).  My one critique is the story is predictable.  Once I started reading, I accurately predicted the rest of the story.  Merry and Bright is a lovely, heartwarming Christmas tale that will delight fans of Debbie Macomber.

Thank you for visiting today.  I will return tomorrow with my review of March of Crime by Jess Lourey.  Have a beautiful day and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader

Colors of Christmas: Two Christian Christmas Stories by Olivia Newport

Happy Monday!  The Skeleton Paints a Picture by Leigh Perry will be out on Tuesday, October 10. Sid is back in the fourth book in A Family Skeleton Mystery series.

Colors of Christmas by Olivia Newport contains two inspirational Christmas stories.  Christmas in Gold stars Astrid who recently suffered a fall in her home causes her to break her ankle.  It was all her children needed to force her move into Sycamore Hills Community Living.  Carly is Astrid’s physical therapist at Sycamore Hills.  She has been having a challenging time since Truman started harassing her.  As time passes, Astrid tells Carly the story of her life in Germany during the war and what she experienced after immigrating to America.  Astrid’s strong character and perseverance give Carly hope and strength.   Is there a chance for a happily ever after in Carly’s future?  Will Astrid adjust to her new living arrangement?

Christmas in Blue is the second story starring piano teacher, Angela Carter.  Angela lives in Spruce Valley and she is lacking the Christmas spirit this year.  Her best friend, Carole passed away earlier in the year and it has left Angela feeling very blue.  Angela is late to A Christmas to Remember committee meeting and finds herself in charge of the whole events with only eight days to go.  A Christmas to Remember was Carole’s baby and the last thing Angela wants to do is take it over.  She soon discovers that the event seems to be doomed from the start with one catastrophe after another.  There is a stranger in town that stands out to the locals and they blame him for problems plaguing their celebration.  Angela, though, is happy to see Gabe despite what brought him to town.  Gabe provides Angela with hope and inspiration.  Will Angela be able to pull of A Christmas to Remember?  Why is Gabe in Spruce Valley? 

Colors of Christmas is well-written and easy to read.  I liked the characters, setting, and the Christian elements/lessons.  Astrid was a woman who had endured much hardship, but she had such a strong faith in God.  It was inspiring and heartening.  Christmas in Blue deals with depression which is common for many people during the Christmas season.  I liked the uplifting ending.  Some of the Christian messages or themes were faith, trust in God, hope, acceptance, courage, and perseverance.  I give Colors of Christmas 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it).  My favorite story was Christmas in Gold.  It had more depth and such a heartwarming conclusion.  Colors of Christmas contains two lovely, inspirational stories.  They show that Christmas is not about presents, but about helping people and honoring the one person who sacrificed everything for His believers.

May each of you have a dazzling day.  I will be featuring A Cajun Christmas Killing by Ellen Byron tomorrow.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader

The Christmas Blessing: A Christian Christmas Novel by Melody Carlson

Happy Sunday!  A Simple Wish by Charlotte Hubbard will be published on Tuesday, September 26. It is the second book in Simple Gifts series.  It is a charming Amish novel with engaging characters. The Amish Christmas Candle by Kelly Long, Jennifer Beckstrand and Lisa Jones Baker will also be out on September 26.  So many books and I do not have enough time to read them all (those pets of mine keep me hopping).

The Christmas Blessing is the latest story by Christian author Melody Carlson.  It is November 1944 in San Diego, California.  Amelia Richards and her baby, Jimmy has decided to pack up and move to Rockford, Montana to be near Jimmy’s paternal grandparents.  James Bradley is the father of little James and he passed away a month after he was shipped out.  James and Amelia were going to marry on the first leave that he received, but his plane was shot down before that could occur.  Amelia is spending the last of her funds to get her to Montana in the hopes of a better life for Jimmy and herself (a family).  The only hitch in Amelia’s plans is Mr. & Mrs. Bradley are unaware of Amelia and Jimmy.  Amelia is not sure how they will be received.  Will they be welcomed or turned away?  Christmas is the season for miracles.  Will Amelia’s dreams come true this Christmas? 

The Christmas Blessing is a lovely story.  I found it to be well-written and to have a good pace (once you get into it—it starts off slowly).  It is a short shorty containing under 200 pages (can be finished in just a couple of hours).  It contains good messages (forgiveness, trust, power of prayer, faith) and has a heartwarming ending.   My rating for The Christmas Blessing is 4 out of 5 stars.  I did feel that the characters are not fully developed (fleshed out), the ending is slightly rushed, and the story is predictable (unoriginal).  I missed the humor that is present in Melody Carlson’s other Christmas stories (Christmas at Harrington’s and The Christmas Joy Ride).  The Christmas Blessing is a charming novella that will appeal to readers who enjoy happily-ever-after romance stories.

Thank you for visiting and may each of you are having a satisfying Sunday.  I will be sharing my thoughts about A Catered Costume Party by Isis Crawford on Monday and Wagging through the Snow by Laurien Berenson on Tuesday.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader