Review: Christmas Roses by Amanda Cabot

Book Cover and Synopsis:

Celia Anderson doesn't need anything for Christmas except a few more boarders, which are hard to come by in this small mining town. She certainly doesn't have a husband on her Christmas wish list. But when a wandering carpenter finds lodging at her boarding house, she admits that she might remarry if she found the right man--the kind of man who would bring her roses for Christmas. It would take a miracle to get roses during a harsh Wyoming winter. But Christmas, after all, is the time for miracles . . .

My source for book: Personal Library

My Thoughts:
This is a sweet historical romance novella. The short length makes it ideal for reading during the busy holiday season, while the pacing and character development actually make it seem more like a full length novel. This is a win-win scenario!

I really liked both Celia and Mark, the two main characters. I do admit that it seemed like Celia had too many men chasing after her, but this didn't dampen my enjoyment of the story. The relationship development between Celia and Mark was done very well and didn't seem rushed at all. Mark's difficult past had left him emotionally scared, but I greatly appreciated how it was shown that the hard times were necessary to bring him to where he was ultimately meant to be.

The story takes place in the later part of the year, but it's not completely centered around Christmas. I feel it would be fine to read at any time of the year, but if you're like me, you'll probably want to read it at Christmas anyway. :) Though I don't think the story will be very memorable for me in the long run, I did enjoy it and it's one of the better Christmas stories I've read this year.

My Rating: 4 stars

Review: The Christmas Project by Amanda Hamm

Book Cover and Synopsis:

Hartford is full of small-town Christmas traditions and Gaby Bryant puts herself in the center of all of them. She loves Christmas and she loves things that stay the same. She spends most of the season engaged in one project after another, all intended to squeeze joy and beauty into the holiday. The fact that her friend Owen only reluctantly joins her preparations somehow adds to her fun.

But this year Owen has a project of his own. He wants to convince Gaby that not all change is bad and that if she’d stop thinking of him as “only” a friend, Christmas could be a whole lot merrier.

My source for book: Review Copy

My Thoughts:
I'm a sucker for a cute Christmas story, and while it's true they're a dime a dozen, this one is better than most of what's out there. It has a cute factor that's fun, but it's not over the top cheesy like many are. It stays grounded with the humorous realistic scenarios that are mixed in, such as Owen's extreme aversion to glittery decorations. (I have an Uncle who is even worse about glitter!)

I really liked the apartment building setting, with Gaby and Owen being next door neighbors on their floor. Their habit of often eating or watching tv together in the evenings was cute, and it really displayed the closeness of their friendship. Of course the "friends-turning-into-something-more" angle is fairly common, but it's one that I like and never get tired of--providing it's done well. This one is pretty good, and it's actually better than many I've recently read. Though they both wonder about the other's feelings, they don't spend pages and pages obsessively analyzing things. (Yay!) The sneaky Christmas-themed test that one of them comes up with to test the other's feelings is really cute and creative, and surprisingly the scene didn't turn out at all like I expected.

Overall, Gaby's love of all things Christmas is pretty fun, and I was quite amused how she continually tried to sneak Christmas decorations into Owen's decoration-free apartment. Though I do think I liked the other books in the Hartford series slightly better, I still enjoyed this one and was sad to leave the characters when the (neatly wrapped up) end came. Though it's part of a series, it stands alone perfectly fine. It's really a cute Christmas romance, and very clean as well. I'm glad to have read it, and I can easily recommend it if you're looking for a cute and clean Christmas story.

My Rating: 4 stars

Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Review: The Wishing Season by Denise Hunter

Book Cover and Synopsis:

She daydreams of whipping up sauces and souffles in her own restaurant. His heart is set on helping foster children. Both dreams are at stake. So are their hearts.

With grand plans to open her own bed & breakfast in Chapel Springs, PJ McKinley can't afford the most crucial part: the brick and mortar. But when the owner of a local historic home announces a contest and promises her property to the worthiest candidate, PJ makes a fervent wish and tosses her name into the hat.

Cole Evans is cool, confident, and successful, but he'll never forget his roots. He's thankful for how far he's come and knows his life could have turned out drastically different. If he can win the stately old mansion, he'll turn it into a home for children aging out of the foster system.

When the eccentric house owner narrows the entries down to only two applicants, she extends the contest, giving PJ and Cole one year to prove which one of them can make the best use of her beloved home. As the pair competes in close proximity, something deeper than rivalry sparks between PJ and Cole. And in this battle, they're likely to lose their hearts.

My source for book: Review Copy

My Thoughts:

I really liked PJ and her extremely talkative personality. I couldn't help but grin at some of her rambling speeches which were most prevalent when she got nervous. Considering her profession as a chef, I really appreciated that she didn't seem uppity about her tastes or knowledge, and the dishes she prepared, though fancy, weren't things I'd never heard of. Usually when chefs are in novels I find there is too much fancy terminology used, but that was not the case with PJ at all. She is very down-to-earth and easy to relate to, despite having refined tastes.

I also really liked Cole, and I felt so bad for the things he went through as a child. At the same time, I also sort of wanted to slap some sense into him and tell him that the things he blamed himself for weren't valid... BUT, nevertheless I did still like him. The work he did with the older foster kids was awesome, and it serves to shine a light on an important issue that is often overlooked or forgotten.

The book title and cover design initially gave me the impression that it would be a Christmas or winter centered story, but that's not really the case. The story covers the span of about one year, so while winter is included, it plays no larger part than any other season. The story is appropriate to read at any time of the year, so don't let the cute snowy cover image hold you back. 

Something I thought was unique was how one of the major relationship conflicts was resolved in an untraditional manner, with a third party getting involved to try to fix the issues. Often times novels with a large romantic element seem very cookie-cutter in their flow, but this angle brought a unique feel to the resolution of the story that I really liked.

Denise Hunter certainly doesn't shy away from the hard issues, but I really admire how she weaves everything together. The inclusion of difficult and touchy topics gives a very realistic atmosphere, while the grace with which they're handled keeps things from feeling overly gritty. Her characters are flawed with past mistakes--some larger than others--that makes them very easy to relate to and sympathize with. Though "The Wishing Season" doesn't top the previous Chapel Springs book (Dancing With Fireflies, which is one of my all-time favorite novels), it's still a very solid story with a good message and high entertainment value. I can easily recommend it if you are looking for a good read!

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher (Thomas Nelson) for providing me with a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Buttermilk Sky by Jan Watson

Book Cover and Synopsis:

Weary of the expectations imposed on her by her strict upbringing, eighteen-year-old Mazy Pelfrey prepares to leave her home in the Kentucky mountains for the genteel city of Lexington, where she'll attend secretarial school. She knows her life is about to change--and only for the better. Everything will be blue skies from now on. But business school is harder than she thought it would be and the big city not as friendly, until she meets a charming young man from a wealthy family, Loyal Chambers. When Loyal sets his sights on her, Mazy begins to see that everything she'd ever wished to have is right before her eyes. The only hindrance to her budding romance is a former beau, Chanis Clay, the young sheriff she thought she'd left firmly behind. Danger rumbles like thunder on a high mountain ridge when Mazy's cosseted past collides with her clouded future and forces her to come to terms with what she really wants.

My source for book: Review Copy

My Thoughts:

Mazy is in a clique of girls headed up by the sterotypical "mean girl", who directs and manipulates many things to go in her favor. Mazy doesn't quite fit into the group of girls and she sometimes questions their actions, but unfortunately she generally goes along with what they do anyway. While I liked seeing Mazy question their behavior, I was kind of disappointed that she never took a big stand on her feelings. All the girls are in the same secretarial classes, and I do admit that I liked the typing class details and the different methods used to teach, such as blacking out the keys to force your memory of the letter positions, etc.

The story alternates the point of view between Mazy and Chanis, the sheriff from Mazy's hometown. Chanis's storyline mainly revolves around him dealing with different problems that he encounters in his job as town Sheriff. The situations are kind of strange, and I had the feeling that the author was trying to make them seem quirky.... but to me it just felt like it was trying "too hard" and came off as unrealistic and slightly irritating. 

By far, the most interesting part of the story was the character of Cinnamon Spicer, the homeless girl who Mazy makes an acquaintance with. Her tactics of picking through trash and selling what she found as a way of supporting herself was really intriguing to me. Unfortunately, Cinnamon wasn't really a main character--which was a shame--but the part she did have was very good. I could easily see her starring in her own story.

Overall, I have to say that it really didn't seem like the story as a whole went anywhere. For being a full length novel, not all that much happened, and what did happen was just sort of average and not extremely intriguing or out of the ordinary. It was fairly obvious that Mazy would end up with Chanis, but this always bothered me because there didn't seem to be any spark between them at all. In light of this, the ending wasn't all that satisfying for me. However, at that point I was ready to be done with the story regardless. Ultimately the story isn't really "bad", but it just doesn't have anything to make it stand out at all.

My Rating: 3 stars

Thanks to the publisher (Tyndale) for providing me with a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Lizzy & Jane by Katherine Reay

Book Cover and Synopsis:

Lizzy and Jane never saw eye to eye. But when illness brings them together, they discover they may be more like Austen’s famous sisters after all.

Lizzy was only a teenager when her mother died of cancer. Shortly after, Lizzy fled from her home, her family, and her cherished nickname. After working tirelessly to hone her gift of creating magic in the kitchen, Elizabeth has climbed the culinary ladder to become the head chef of her own New York restaurant, Feast. But as her magic begins to elude her, Paul, Feast’s financial backer, brings in someone to share her responsibilities and her kitchen. So Elizabeth flees again.

In a desperate attempt to reconnect with her gift, Elizabeth returns home. But her plans are derailed when she learns that her estranged sister, Jane, is battling cancer. Elizabeth surprises everyone—including herself—when she decides to stay in Seattle and work to prepare healthy, sustaining meals for Jane as she undergoes chemotherapy. She also meets Nick and his winsome son, Matt, who, like Elizabeth, are trying to heal from the wounds of the past.

As she tends to Jane's needs, Elizabeth's powers begin to return to her, along with the family she left behind so long ago. Then Paul tries to entice her back to New York, and she is faced with a hard decision: stay and become Lizzy to her sister’s Jane, or return to New York and the life she worked so hard to create?

My source for book: Review Copy

My Thoughts:
Food, family, and relationships are ultimately at the heart of this novel, which shows the often overlooked link between the three subjects. Elizabeth's relationship with her father and sister is not comfortable nor easy, but the occasional rawness of it struck me as being highly realistic. Very real and very hard, yes, but nevertheless I think it's very true to life for some people in the midst of such difficult circumstances.

In addition to the family relationships there is also a romantic thread in the story, though it's not immediately introduced or obvious. I don't want to give any spoilers so I won't name names, but I will say that I liked how the relationship was approached--in spite of Elizabeth's time restraints--and it was quite interesting to watch it bloom.

I really admired the idea that Elizabeth could modify foods and think up flavors that would be palatable for someone with messed-up taste buds. This aspect was very cool and unique, and it felt appropriate considering her family history and profession. I admit that some of the fancy food names and descriptions went over my head--which was sometimes irritating--but they did seem spot-on for the knowledge a chef should have.

Though the novel is published in the Christian fiction genre, the overall religious elements are actually fairly minimal. Elizabeth and a couple other characters are searching, trying to figure out what they believe in the midst of life's struggles, but there isn't really a definitive gospel message. I had the impression their mother may have had faith, but as for Elizabeth and Jane, I'm really not sure. Regardless of all that, the novel is still appropriate for a Christian audience and has a good message.

Overall, the story is extremely well written and I enjoyed it for the most part, though it didn't give me the "wow!" feeling that Dear Mister Knightley (the author's first novel) did. The story is not one that I'd normally pick up--my love for Dear Mister Knightley wouldn't let me pass it by!--but I'm ultimately glad I had the chance to read it as it really is quite good. Even though I didn't always agree with Elizabeth's actions I did want to see a happy ending for her, and the author delivered this quite nicely even while taking a detour that I didn't expect. The author is still firmly on my favorite list, and I'm anxiously awaiting her next release.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Thanks to the publisher (Thomas Nelson) for providing me with a review copy via NetGalley.