Christmas in the Alps by Melody Carlson

 

Can you believe it's less than 3 months until Christmas?    It's hard to imagine there will be Christmas lights, decorations and the days will grow shorter soon.  

I am a huge fan of Christmas novellas and Christmas in the Alps by Melody Carlson is a great one.  Simone finds a letter from her great grandmother after her grandmother has passed about a  treasure in Avre, France.  Kyle wants a second career in watchmaking and meets Simone on the plane to Europe.  I loved their natural chemistry, and delightful dialogue.   

This has all the makings of a great Christmas story where friendship and family are celebrated and people work through challenges in time for Christmas.  The author paints beautiful word pictures describing France at Christmas.  I felt snow on my face and saw the sparkly Christmas lights as I read this delightful story. 

 This sweet story has a mystery, a hidden treasure, romance and a happily ever after.  This beautiful hardcover book is one you would like to add to your collection or gift a friend for Christmas.  I recommend it.  

Melody Carlson was born March 2, 1956 in San Francisco, California. She grew up in Springfield, Oregon and went to Springfield High School and later Lane Community College. She currently resides in Sisters, Oregon. Some of her novels are being adapted for TV and film, including All Summer Long, which premiered for Hallmark Channel in August 2019.   Some of her most popular works are the Diary of a Teenage Girl, the True Colors Series series, The Happy Camper, and Christmas at Winter Hill. She has written more than 250 books for women and teens and children. 

A Blind Date for the Marine by Jess Matorakos

A Blind Date for the Marine by Jess Mastorakos is a sweet military romance that takes place in Carlsbad California. Claire is an administrative assistant who lives above a bookstore where she works weekends. Mateo works IT for the Marines  Claire does not particularly like the military lifestyle of moving around and avoids Mateo when they meet through mutual friends.  

They both agree to sign up for a new blind dating app when asked by their mutual friends to “test it for flaws.”  In the app you do not see a picture of anyone you're interested in until you've chatted on the app with them for 30 days. They meet on the app. Claire and Mateo have a lot to talk about in the app.   

This  wonderful romance has witty dialogue, a creative plot, and great chemistry.  The author has the gift of making all characters, including secondary ones people you absolutely want to meet. I loved Mateo's family, Amy, Dex and the guys from game night.  The story reminded me of a combination of You've Got Mail and Sabrina.  It was a great rom-com. I highly recommend this story. 

  

I was given a copy by the author and not required to write a positive review. 

Jess Mastorakos writes sweet military romance. Grab a free book at jessmastorakos.com/forever-with-you

The Mistletoe Countess by Pepper Basham

 

I have always wanted red hair! I have to settle for red highlights. I love the picture of our heroine, Grace, on the cover!

Book Blurb: Will the magic of Christmas bring these two newlyweds closer together, or will the ghosts of the past lead them into a destructive discovery from which not even a Dickens’s Christmas can save them?

Mistletoe is beautiful and dangerous, much like the woman from Lord Frederick’s Percy’s past, so when he turns over a new leaf and arranges to marry for his estate, instead of his heart, he never expects the wrong bride to be the right choice. Gracelynn Ferguson never expected to take her elder sister’s place as a Christmas bride, but when she’s thrust into the choice, she will trust in her faithful novels and overactive imagination to help her not only win Frederick’s heart but also to solve the murder mystery of Havensbrook Hall before the ghosts from Frederick’s past ruin her fairytale future.

Review : I really enjoyed reading The Mistletoe Countess It is well written and Grace is a delightful heroine who loves to read and is so fun loving! She may be my favorite heroine of 2021.  Our hero, Lord Fredrick, is swoony and oh so British.  Their chemistry is wonderful and I was rooting for them from page one.  I enjoyed the humor woven throughout the story, and the great banter between Grace and Fredrick.  

The story has great romance, mystery, and a lovely setting!  It is a delightful read!  

I was given the story by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.  

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor with a southern Appalachian flair. Her books have garnered recognition in the Grace Awards, Inpsys, and the ACFW Carol Awards, with The Thorn Healer selected as a 2018 finalist in the RT awards. Both her contemporary and historical romance novels consistently receive high ratings from Romantic Times, with Just the Way You Are as a Top Pick. Her books are seasoned with her Appalachian heritage and love for family, whether they take place in the early 1900s or present day. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the mom of five great kids, a speech-pathologist to about fifty more, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus. You can get to know Pepper on her website, www.pepperdbasham.com, on Facebook, Instagram, or over at her group blog, The Writer's Alley.

What Love Looks Like by Stacy Boatman

I  thoroughly enjoyed reading What Love Looks Like: A Diamond Lake Romance Novel  by Stacy Boatman.  This sweet romance touched on themes of  redemption, forgiveness, and choosing to walk through life’s valleys. The relatable characters were ones that I wanted to invest in, and enjoyed getting to know them better in the story.   

I felt this story was a great romance and I loved that the characters were dealing with real issues in their lives.  Simone and Mica, the main characters, were delightful to watch as they worked through misunderstandings, their pasts, and fell in love.  I found myself staying up late to find out what happened next in this  

This beautifully written story has fabulous characters, deeper themes, and deals with life issues in a realistic way.  The author has a wonderful writing style that speaks to your heart and draws you in. I enjoyed my visit at Diamond Lake and hope to visit again.  I highly recommend What Love Looks Like.

I was given a copy by the author and not required to write a positive review.

When not writing, I enjoy running in peaceful solitude, kayaking with my high school sweetheart turned husband, and the rarity of sitting down to a chaotic family meal with all six of us.

​A graduate of Bethel University in Saint Paul, Minnesota, I'm a pediatric nurse, and I volunteer in the fight against human trafficking.

The Heart of Splendid Lake by Amy Clipston

The Heart of Splendid Lake by Amy Clipston takes place in gorgeous Splendid Lake, North Carolina.  Brianna's life turns upside down when her beloved father passes right before it's time to open up their cabins at the lake resort.  Their family has owned cabins at their lake resort for three generations.  Scott, a real estate developer, is very interested in developing their Lake Splendid resort along with many others.  But, how do you give up on something that's been in your family so long?   

I thoroughly enjoyed the story.  I was very engaged with the characters and the author did a good job depicting how people walk through grief differently.  Brianna and Scott had wonderful chemistry and I loved how they overcame their past, and both learned to be selfless in different ways.  For me the story spoke to being  honest with yourself, not letting the past dictate your future, and the importance of making hard choices.  I loved the themes, characters, and the quaint setting.  I recommend The Heart of Splendid Lake a sweet romance.  

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.  I was not required to write a positive review.  

Amy Clipston is an award-winning bestselling author and has been writing for as long as she can remember. She's sold more than one million books, and her fiction writing “career” began in elementary school when she and a close friend wrote and shared silly stories. She has a degree in communications from Virginia Wesleyan University and is a member of the Authors Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Romance Writers of America. Amy works full-time for the City of Charlotte, NC, and lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, mother, and five spoiled rotten cats. You can find Amy at AmyClipston.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmyClipstonBooks, and on Twitter at @AmyClipston.  IG  https://www.instagram.com/amy_clipston/

Beyond the Tides by Liz Johnson

Beyond the Tides by Liz Johnson is the first in her new series, Prince Edward Island Shores.   Charming and beautifully written, the stunning cover helped to draw me into the story’s wonderful setting on Prince Edward Island. 

I was so taken with the story of Meg Whitaker and Oliver Ross.  They were both such likeable and interesting characters.  In Beyond the Tides they both have to work together to decide who will end up owning the lobster fishing business that belongs to Meg’s father.   But, the problem is Meg’s father has determined they have to spend a three month fishing season working together.   Which is very challenging since they were far from friends in the past, have a rough history, and both have their own baggage.

Beyond the Tides tells of two delightfully flawed people as they navigate their past, their present and their future. The author weaves together a delightful story with the redemptive power of forgiveness, loving unconditionally, and the value of living every moment.  I highly recommend Beyond the Tides. 

 

By day Liz Johnson is a marketing manager for a Christian publisher. By night she makes up her own love stories. She is the author of seven novels, a New York Times bestselling novella, and a handful of short Christmas stories. She’s also a two-time ACFW Carol Award finalist.

Liz is a graduate of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, where she earned a degree in public relations.

Now a resident of Nashville, she enjoys exploring local music, theater, and history of Middle Tennessee. She also takes every chance she can to visit Arizona to dote on her nieces and nephews. She writes stories filled with heart, humor, and happily ever afters.

This Time Around by Denise Hunter, Melissa Ferguson, and Kathleen Fuller

I am a big fan of novellas and This Time Around is a wonderful novella collection.  It  includes “A Summer Detour” by Denise Hunter,  “Pining for You” by Melissa Ferguson, and “He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not” by Kathleen Fuller. 

Each story has characters who knew each other in the past and have met again as different people in the present.  If you have read any of the authors’ other stories you will recognize some characters and settings and feel like you are coming home.  If the authors are new to you, I guarantee you will want to find their other books and read more! I found  each one charming and loved their small town setting.  .   

This Time Around has three novellas filled with sweet romance, wonderful characters, and a ever after.  I found this the perfect summer time read. Each story is a delight and I highly recommend this book.

I was given the book by the publisher and not required to write a positive review. 

Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of more than 35 novels, three of which have been made into Hallmark movies. She has appeared on the The 700 club and won awards such as The Holt Medallion Award, The Carol Award, The Reader's Choice Award, The Foreword Book of the Year Award, and is a RITA finalist.

Denise writes heartwarming, small-town love stories, peopled with layered characters who struggle with real-life issues. Her readers enjoy the experience of falling in love vicariously through her characters and can expect a happily-ever-after sigh as they close the pages of her books.

In 1996, inspired by the death of her grandfather, Denise began her first book, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she's been writing ever since. Her husband says he inspires all her romantic stories, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!

When Denise isn't orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking coffee, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband are currently enjoying an empty nest.

You can learn more about Denise by visiting her FaceBook page.

Melissa Ferguson lives in Bristol, Tennessee, where she enjoys chasing her children and writing romantic comedies full of humor and heart. Her favorite hobby is taking friends and acquaintances and turning them into characters in her books without their knowledge. She is confident you should read all her novels, starting with this one.

With over a million copies sold, Kathleen Fuller is the author of several bestselling novels, including the Hearts of Middlefield novels, the Middlefield Family novels, the Amish of Birch Creek series, the Amish Letters series, the Brides of Birch Creek series, the upcoming Mail Order Brides of Birch Creek, as well as a middle-grade Amish series, the Mysteries of Middlefield. She has also contributed to numerous novella collections.

She and her husband James live in Arkansas and have three adult children. When she’s not writing, Kathleen is avidly crocheting, reading, and traveling, sometimes all at the same time. She runs the Facebook group Books & Hooks, which combines her love of books, crochet, and collecting recipes that she’ll never have enough time to make.