Review: The Night Before Christmas by Mary McNear

The Night Before Christmas

by Mary McNear

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 112

Format: ebook

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:   Butternut Lake is so beautiful at Christmas—from the delightfully decorated shops, to the cozy homes with their twinkling lights outside, to the lake itself. And this year so much is happening!

A wedding: Caroline meticulously plans her perfect Christmastime dream wedding to Jack, remarrying him after many years apart.

A baby: Allie and Walker are expecting the best Christmas gift of all—their first baby together.

A reunion: Daisy, Caroline and Jack's daughter, is returning home after a long semester away at college.

But what's Christmas without complications? Walker smothers Allie with worry; Daisy pines for her true love, Will, away in the army. And then the unthinkable happens—and Caroline's wedding plans are ruined.

And just when it seems all is lost, the people of Butternut Lake come together to give their friends the greatest gifts of all. . . .


Kritters Thoughts:  The Butternut Lake series is a series that can be read out of order as each book centers around a different resident whether they be new to the lake or not, so as this book is technically 2.5 in the series, I have read the whole series minus #3 and may have to remedy that soon!

Set during the holiday season this novella centers around Caroline and Jack who have reconnected after decades apart and have decided to marry again and start new.  Their daughter comes home to celebrate and there are a few secrets and surprises in store for this short and sweet book.  

I am usually antsy about novellas that are a part of a series that I love and adore but this one stood up to the full novels.  I loved getting a glimpse of this community during the winter season because the rest of the series that I have read take place in the peak of summer season as the lake community has quite a bit of visitors and things going on.  

My review of this short and sweet novella will be short and sweet, I loved it.  I didn't regret for one minute that this was a novella and in fact I kind of liked to read something that I could curl up and finish in just one sitting.


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel (and got one!)

Ebook 2017 Challenge: 19 out of 50
   (read this back in June, hence the number is out of order)

Review: Christmas, Present by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Christmas, Present

by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Publisher: Harper

Pages: 144

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  A fourteenth wedding anniversary is nothing to sneeze at, Elliott Banner knows, but it's not exactly a landmark year—like fifteen, or twenty, when he plans to take his wife, Laura, to Paris. But when a headache on the drive home from their anniversary date—two days before Christmas—turns out to be more than a migraine, he wishes he had celebrated every year as though it were their last.

In this poignant, touching, uplifting story, a woman calmly gathers her family around her during the Christmas holiday to celebrate their lives together—both past and future—and to truly count their blessings.

A family history unfolds in a single night in this deeply affecting story that speaks volumes about love, trust, and letting go—a perfect holiday read that underscores the true meaning of the season.

Kritters Thoughts:  What a heartbreaking little book.  It could be described as a novella, but I read it in physical form so it felt like the perfect little book to read.

Elliott and Laura have been married for 14 years and have made quite the life for themselves and out on a date night near Christmas to celebrate an anniversary the tides change and they are suddenly wishing for more years.  

Because this book is short and sweet, I am going to keep the description as short and sweet as what is on the back of the book.  I will warn and say this book was great to read during the holidays because of its short nature, I could easily curl up with it one afternoon and in two hours read it from cover to cover, but I will warn this one will require some tissues.  The story is so sweet and heartbreaking all at the same time that you want to envelope this family in a warm hug and wish for better days for them.

I loved this sweet little book and I would love to read more this holiday season that are short and sweet and are perfect little pieces of fiction amongst the crazy holiday season.  


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Review: Moonlight over Manhattan by Sarah Morgan

Moonlight over Manhattan

by Sarah Morgan

Publisher: HQ

Pages: 384

Format: ebook

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  She'll risk everything for her own Christmas miracle… 

Determined to conquer a lifetime of shyness, Harriet Knight challenges herself to do one thing a day in December that scares her, including celebrating Christmas without her family. But when dog walker Harriet meets her newest client, exuberant spaniel Madi, she adds an extra challenge to her list—dealing with Madi's temporary dog sitter, gruff doctor Ethan Black, and their very unexpected chemistry. 

Ethan thought he was used to chaos, until he met Madi—how can one tiny dog cause such mayhem? To Ethan, the solution is simple—he will pay Harriet to share his New York apartment and provide twenty-four-hour care. But there's nothing simple about how Harriet makes him feel. 

Ethan's kisses make Harriet shine brighter than the stars over moonlit Manhattan. But when his dog-sitting duties are over and Harriet returns to her own home, will she dare to take the biggest challenge of all—letting Ethan know he has her heart for life, not just for Christmas?

Kritters Thoughts:  Twin, Harriet Knight, is the quiet twin that has always let her twin and her sibling be at the forefront of things, but with both of them in relationships she is feeling like the 5th wheel and the single, so she is challenging herself to do things outside of her comfort zone.  

Out of these three siblings and their stories, Felicity from yesterday was my favorite, but Harriet was a close second.  I loved how positive and kind Harriet was and it seemed just so genuine and truthful.  I also loved her leading man Ethan and yes he was divorced and a little jaded to love, but it wasn't over the top like romance can sometime do.  Unlike Daniel's story, there wasn't a ton of repetition and just a good full story.  

Like with Felicity, I wanted a sequel to Harriet's story and hear how her and Ethan progress past where this book ended.  

I am intrigued as to where this series can go from here, I wouldn't mind returning to the original four friends and checking back in with them and their loves, anyone have any clues as to where Sarah Morgan will go with this series?


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2017 Challenge:  63 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Holiday in the Hamptons by Sarah Morgan

Holiday in the Hamptons

by Sarah Morgan

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 384

Format: ebook

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  The perfect summer escape…?

Professional dog-walker Felicity Knight loves everything about New York…until her ex-husband starts working at her local vet clinic. She hasn’t seen Seth Carlyle in ten years, but one glimpse of him – too gorgeous, and still too good for her – and Fliss’s heart hurts like their whirlwind marriage ended yesterday. So when her grandmother in The Hamptons needs help for the summer, it seems the perfect way to escape her past…

Their relationship might only have lasted a few scorching months, but vet Seth knows Fliss – if she’s run away to The Hamptons, it’s because she still feels their connection and it terrifies her. He let her go once before, when he didn’t know any better, but not this summer! With the help of his adorable dog Lulu, and a sprinkling of beachside magic, Seth is determined to make Fliss see that he’s never stopped loving her…

Kritters Thoughts:  A "sibling" book to the book I reviewed yesterday, as Felicity Knight is one of the young siblings of Daniel Knight from yesterday and she is a twin (her twin's story is tomorrow's book).  Felicity Knight is one part of the owners of Bark Rangers a company the specializes in reliable dog walkers across Manhattan.  She has built this business with her twin and loves the organization of it all.  She has a relationship from the past that has popped back up and is the center of this story.

I definitely loved this one much more than yesterday.  I am still disappointed that none of the characters from the first four books showed up in these books, but I enjoyed this one because I enjoyed Felicity and Seth's story.  Through Felicity and Seth you learn more about Felicity's past and how that informs both her and how she is now and both her brother and sister.  I think I am very similar in personality to Felicity which may give me some bias as to enjoying her story more.  

I know that in romance books usually the series hop from book to book to character to character and you don't usually get more than one book about a character, but in this instance I wouldn't mind another one based on this couple and see their relationship move forward beyond what was presented in this book.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2017 Challenge: 62 out of 50

Review: New York, Actually by Sarah Morgan

New York, Actually

by Sarah Morgan

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 384

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Meet Molly

New York’s most famous agony aunt, she considers herself an expert at relationships…as long as they’re other people’s. The only love of her life is her Dalmatian, Valentine.

Meet Daniel

A cynical divorce lawyer, he’s hardwired to think relationships are a bad idea. If you don’t get involved, no-one can get hurt. But then he finds himself borrowing a dog to meet the gorgeous woman he sees running in Central Park every morning…

Molly and Daniel think they know everything there is to know about relationships…until they meet each other that is…

Kritters Thoughts:  This is book #4 in a series and this is one of those romance series that you can pick up at any point in the series, but this series is so good, that I would completely suggest to start at book 1 and read from there.  

This book out of all four is probably my least favorite and I think after reading it is because this is the first book that didn't center around the original group of friends that started the series.  Instead this book is a semi offshoot of that group being that the main girl character was a connection between those girls and a company they now work with.  If that was confusing, it was and I didn't love how far from the original group of girls it was.  

On top of that dislike, as always romance books are predictable and I have said here numerous times that it isn't the obvious ending that keeps people reading romance it is the journey for the characters.  This journey in this book was just ok.  I didn't fall in love with either of the main characters and didn't love their story.  It was all just ehh.  I still love Sarah Morgan's writing, but for me these characters were my least favorite to follow.

I have said all of this and for the next two days I am going to be reading the next two in the series and I am still excited to pick them up, I would almost say you could skip this one and go straight to 5, but I will answer that question tomorrow when I review book #5.


Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

Ebook 2017 Challenge: 61 out of 50

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

What a great week and weekend worth of reading, I love reading great romance reads during the holiday season, they are the perfect read!

A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Christmas, Present by Jacquelyn Mitchard
New York, Actually by Sarah Morgan
Holiday in the Hamptons by Sarah Morgan
Moonlight over Manhattan by Sarah Morgan

Currently Reading:

Enchantress of Numbers by Jennifer Chiaverini

Next on the TBR pile:

Merry Mary by Ashley Farley 
Breaking the Story by Ashley Farley

November

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November was a solidly good month. I read a great number of books and my reading was all over the place genre wise which I love! I am hoping that December is just as good a month and will end 2017 with some great reads and close to my goal!

1. Beginning Again by Sarah Pekkanen
2. The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay
3. A New York Christmas Fairy Tale by Sarah Morgan
4. The Dark Lake by Sarah Bailey
5. The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor
6. A Uterus is a Feature Not a Bug by Sarah Lacy
7. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
8. The Silent Fountain by Victoria Fox
9. Is This It Then? by Victoria Oliver
10. Little Broken Things by Nicole Baart
11. The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
12. Fates and Traitors by Jennifer Chiaverini
13. Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz
14. A Cold Creek Christmas Story by RaeAnne Thayne
15. Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber
16. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
17. Christmas, Present by Jacquelyn Mitchard
18. New York, Actually by Sarah Morgan

Total pages read, clicked and flipped:  5,251

Where having I been Reading?:
Los Angeles, CA
Bath, England
New York City, NY (4)
Ireland (2)
Australia
Italy
Minnesota
Washington, DC
Ohio (2)
Idaho
Seattle, WA
Boston, MA

Review: Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber

Merry and Bright

by Debbie Macomber

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Pages: 247

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Merry Knight is pretty busy these days. She's taking care of her family, baking cookies, decorating for the holidays, and hoping to stay out of the crosshairs of her stressed and by-the-book boss at the consulting firm where she temps. Her own social life is the last thing she has in mind, much less a man. Without her knowledge, Merry's well-meaning mom and brother create an online dating profile for her--minus her photo--and the matches start rolling in. Initially, Merry is incredulous, but she reluctantly decides to give it a whirl.

Soon Merry finds herself chatting with a charming stranger, a man with similar interests and an unmistakably kind soul. Their online exchanges become the brightest part of her day. But meeting face-to-face is altogether different, and her special friend is the last person Merry expects--or desires. Still, sometimes hearts can see what our eyes cannot. In this satisfying seasonal tale, unanticipated love is only a click away.

Kritters Thoughts:  Merry Knight has put others first her entire life.  With a brother with Down Syndrome and a mother battling MS and a father who traveled for his job, Merry Knight has held her family together.  Her brother and mother decide to give her a gift and sign her up for online dating and the story takes off from there!

I love that this book literally makes a nod at You've Got Mail, because it is just that with a bit of a modern twist with online dating.  It also has a sweet holiday twist which was perfect for this time of year.  It is such a sweet romance with no sexy times, just the beginnings of a romance.  Of course with most romance stories it can be predictable, but I didn't care about it AT ALL.  This book is just a sweet ride to enjoy during the holidays.  

I also loved that this book was short, it was a perfect afternoon read getting away from the bustle of the holidays.  I like when holiday books are abbreviated so you can get in and out and enjoy in one day!


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2017 Challenge:  59 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Penguin Random House.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Fates and Traitors by Jennifer Chiaverini

Fates and Traitors

by Jennifer Chiaverini

Publisher: Dutton

Pages: 382

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  John Wilkes Booth, the mercurial son of an acclaimed British stage actor and a Covent Garden flower girl, committed one of the most notorious acts in American history—the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

The subject of more than a century of scholarship, speculation, and even obsession, Booth is often portrayed as a shadowy figure, a violent loner whose single murderous act made him the most hated man in America. Lost to history until now is the story of the four women whom he loved and who loved him in return: Mary Ann, the steadfast matriarch of the Booth family; Asia, his loyal sister and confidante; Lucy Lambert Hale, the senator’s daughter who adored Booth yet tragically misunderstood the intensity of his wrath; and Mary Surratt, the Confederate widow entrusted with the secrets of his vengeful plot. 

Kritters Thoughts:  Before reading this book I was already a Jennifer Chiaverini fan, so even though I was worried about reading a book about John Wilkes Booth.  With my niece being a huge Abraham Lincoln fan, I am fully aware of what happened to him and she sees him with rose colored glasses.  But I was intrigued to read about how John Wilkes Booth became the man he did and what drove him to do what he did.  

What makes this book completely unique is the viewpoint on this one's man life, this book is written from the viewpoints of the four women in his life.  HIs mom, his sister, his fiance and a woman who helped in the plot.  Each woman gets a chance to tell John Wilkes Booth's life through the years they had with him.  I thought this was a genius idea to show a man who many people probably hate through somewhat of a sympathetic viewpoint because all of these women loved him and supported him.  

I also liked how the book began and ended.  It started with Booth's capture and death and then straight into his mother's story as to how she fell in love with his dad and their family was started.  The book ends with the entire crew telling the happenings of the plot and how it all went down.  I liked that the entire crew was able to tell what happened during and after he did the deed.  

I will say that although it was hard to read about John Wilkes Booth, it was interesting to find out more about him.  I would love to see Chiaverini do this with another person from the past that may have a bad reputation.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Review: A Cold Creek Christmas Story by RaeAnne Thayne

A Cold Creek Christmas Story

by RaeAnne Thayne

Publisher: Harlequin

Pages: 233

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Celeste Nichols has always preferred to keep to herself in her hometown of Pine Gulch, Idaho…until she becomes an instant celebrity! When one of her children's stories becomes a major success, she's suddenly the talk of the town. Celeste should be gloriously happy…but something, someone, special is still missing from her life. Could the return of her childhood crush be the answer?  

Flynn Delaney has moved back home for his daughter's sake. Yet all the millionaire's resources can't help the little girl heal from the tragic loss of her mother. Shy librarian Celeste and her stories do hold some indefinable magic, though. Flynn came home looking for support—can he find that, and true love, in the one who got away?

Kritters Thoughts:  A book in the middle of a series, but this is one of those series where you can dip in and out and each book centers around a different character in the same town.  The main characters in this book are Celeste who is from a family that has lived in Pine Gulch for a long time and there is some drama in her past, but she is trying to live a life after the past.  Flynn Delaney has come back to this small town where he summered as a kid to clean up his grandmother's home and he always has positive memories from this town and with a child who has just survived a tragedy this small town may have some healing properties for them.

I loved the main characters in this book.  An author/librarian and a father who is trying to put his daughter first where just great to read about.  Of course as a reader, a book about an author is always a good read.  I loved reading about how her books came about and then the struggle to decide the future for her books, loved it!  

Even though I was inserting myself far into the series, I didn't feel clueless.  RaeAnne Thayne gives you enough of the back story for each character in an easy way so you can just get into their story and know enough about them to enjoy it.  

As I say often romance books are typically predictable and before you even open the book you will know how it ends, but as always the ending isn't the reason for the read, its the journey of how they get there!  

After reading this one, I am not sure I would read this whole series, like I do with RaeAnne Thayne, but this could be a series where if I am drawn to the main characters I would read it then.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2017 Challenge:  60 out of 50

Review: Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz

Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe

by Melissa de la Cruz

Publisher: St Martin's Press

Pages: 240

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Darcy Fitzwilliam is 29, beautiful, successful, and brilliant. She dates hedge funders and basketball stars and is never without her three cellphones—one for work, one for play, and one to throw at her assistant (just kidding). Darcy’s never fallen in love, never has time for anyone else’s drama, and never goes home for Christmas if she can help it. But when her mother falls ill, she comes home to Pemberley, Ohio, to spend the season with her dad and little brother.

Her parents throw their annual Christmas bash, where she meets one Luke Bennet, the smart, sardonic slacker son of their neighbor. Luke is 32 and has never left home. He’s a carpenter and makes beautiful furniture, and is content with his simple life. He comes from a family of five brothers, each one less ambitious than the other. When Darcy and Luke fall into bed after too many eggnogs, Darcy thinks it’s just another one night stand. But why can’t she stop thinking of Luke? What is it about him? And can she fall in love, or will her pride and his prejudice against big-city girls stand in their way?

Kritters Thoughts:  When I was pitched this book, I was excited to read a modernized take of Pride and Prejudice.  I liked that the heart of the story was similar but with some of the things turned upside down.  

When I got into this book, I thought it was a women's fiction book with the characters being of an age where I read a lot of women's fiction I was excited, but this book just didn't hit the mark for me.  Melissa de la Cruz is a YA author and I would say that the writing for this book felt like a YA book.  If you like that sort of thing, then this book would be right on the mark for you, but for me I was ready for a fluffy adult women's fiction story.  

I wished I had read Pride and Prejudice just before this one so I could have picked out all the little details that were repeated from the original to the remake.  


Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

Ebook 2017 Challenge: 58 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from St Martin's Press.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

With the Thanksgiving holiday, I got some extra days off and I filled them with reading!   

A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

Fates and Traitors by Jennifer Chiaverini
Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz
A Cold Creek Christmas Story by RaeAnne Thayne
Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber

Currently Reading:

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Next on the TBR pile:

Christmas, Present by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Review: Christmas Angels by Viola Shipman

Christmas Angels

by Viola Shipman

Publisher: Thomas Dunne

Pages: 78

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Kate, a single woman in her 30s, works as a designer/decorator for a large interior landscaping company bedecking and bedazzling St. Louis for the holidays. Her work keeps her from spending the holidays with her family and masks the loneliness and pain after a nasty breakup just before Christmas.

Known as "The Christmas Angel" for providing holiday beauty to the city's offices, homes, and malls, Kate's world changes when she decorates the home of a widowed single dad. Both soon realize that life (and love) must go on somehow and that perhaps Christmas (and guardian) angels are all around, if we only choose to see them.

Kritters Thoughts:  Recently I have read a few holiday novellas and they just weren't satisfying, they felt rushed and not complete.  NOT so with this one!  This was just the right holiday novella, it had enough holiday hoopla and a full story that felt complete when the final page was flipped.  

Kate is a interior designer/decorator and she specializes in the holidays and all holidays, but Christmas is her jam.  She decks out all the spots in St Louis and while working for a law firm she is asked to decorate one of the founders/partners and something more may happen when she shows up to decorate his home.  

As it is a novella, there isn't much to say except I absolutely adored it.  It was simple and sweet and just perfect for the holiday season.  I may have read it before my Christmas tree went up, but I may have to read it again with the backdrop of my lite Christmas tree!  

At the time of writing this review, it is simply 99 cents on Amazon and a quick and easy download for a night in and a break from all the Christmas crazy!


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2017 Challenge: 40 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Netgalley.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope your day is full of parades, food, family and 

maybe a few quiet moments with a great book!