SECRET SANTA by Fern Michaels, Marie Bostwick, Laura Levine and Cindy Myers

* I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Four holiday stories!
"Mister Christmas" - An attorney gets summoned overseas by a client only to find out he is just trying to fix her up with a relative. She ends up with the relative anyway, but on her own terms. I found this story to be implausible. The main character accepts the buy too easily without any time or tension to build chemistry. He's over-generous with a stranger, which also made him suspicious to me. Finally, there's a hostage situation that seemed to come out of no where. I felt like this plot could have been great in a longer format where there was more time to fill in some of the gaps.

"Yellow Rose of Christmas" - An older woman has a secret admirer, although it might not be who she thinks it is. This was a lovely story. I enjoyed the fact that the main characters were older adults - something I don't read much in romance stories. The cast of characters was great in this story.

"Nightmare on Elf Street" - A freelance writer takes a job as Santa's Elf to get her foot in the door with a potential employer, then finds herself a suspect when one of the Santa's is killed. This mystery is from an author I haven't read much before, if at all; I really enjoyed the main character's voice. She's sassy and funny. I will definitely be looking at more by this author in the future.

"Room at the Inn" - Three groups are stranded in a snow storm and end up staying in some fishing cabins near the interstate and getting to know one another - and in some cases, themselves - in new ways. This story was mostly about the main character's evolution in how she viewed herself and her life, and that was very enjoyable. Some of the other characters grow and change, too, which just added to the main story. This one drew me to the internet to find out what else the author has written. This story has fringe ties to a series by the author that I will be checking out in the future.

4 out of 5 stars

I love reading Christmas stories this time of year, and I am glad I tried this one. Collections of short stories, like this one, can introduce readers to new authors, which is great for both the author and the reader. There is mild language in a couple of the stories, and the romantic elements are also mild making this a pretty safe bet for a lot of readers.

Do you have some favorite holiday stories? I'd love to hear your recommendations!

FRIDAY: The Scoop by Fern Michaels

This is the first book in Fern Michaels' Godmothers series. I received a review copy from the publisher. This was a series I had read about but have never tried.

Summary
Toots has buried her last husband. She is done getting married. She wants to do something with her life, her experience and her money to make a difference. She starts with her three best friends - one whose abusive husband is dying, one who has munched and snacked through her grief, and one who is so painfully OCD, she can barely leave the house. Once Toots starts making some inroads with her friends' lives, the four of them turn their attention to Toots' daughter who lives in LA and works at a failing tabloid. Toots thinks she can secretly buy the paper and salvage her daughter's career. But things don't go as smoothly as Toots would like.

Review
There were elements of the story that reminded me of a Carol Higgins Clark mystery - where the reader gets glimpses of the "bad guys" away from the main action of the story and bit by bit the pieces start coming together. This was a long story for the first in the series where the actual story, about the tabloid, is just coming together by the end. A lot of time is invested in the godmothers character development as set up for the rest of the series.

3 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: Fans of Fern Michaels' other work, fans of contemporary romance stories (although the romance is hinted at and not fully developed yet in this first book)

Cautions: some language

FRIDAY: Making Spirits Bright (anthology)

  

Summary
Four stories in one book.
Making Spirts Bright by Fern Michaels - Melanie, wealthy yet lonely, contemplates adopting a child to share her life. Then she meets Bryce. She'd really like to get to know him better, but will he want to date a woman with adopted kids? And what if the horrible woman at the adoption agency won't let her adopt at all?
Runaway Christmas by Elizabeth Bass - While Heidi is pouring everything she has into making her New York City restaurant stay afloat, her sort-of-step-niece, Erica, borrows her step-mother's credit card to fund a trip from Texas to New York for Christmas. Heidi thought she'd be spending Christmas alone, but she finds love and family instead.
Home for Christmas by Rosalind Noonan - Jo lost her husband Shane in a tragic skiing accident. She and her daughter have stayed in Jo's home town, building a business there and staying close to Jo's family. When someone threatens everything Jo counts on, she takes action. Unfortunately, some of her decisions could ruin the fragile new relationship in her life.
Christmas on Cape Cod by Nan Rossiter - Maddie spends Christmas with Asa and his son, Noah, and Asa's parents. While she misses her own family, this Christmas is a special one, full of tree-trimming, Christmas surprises and love.


Review
This was a nice holiday read. Sometimes when I read a book like this, I will enjoy the first and maybe the second story, but will lose interest before reading the last ones. Not this time. I read and enjoyed all four stories (although, I had a hard time following the family relationships in the final story). My favorite was probably Runaway Christmas, followed by Home for Christmas. 


3 out of 5 stars


Recommended for: readers looking for romantic holiday stories, or novellas instead of full length novels.


Cautions: none that I recall