Angel Lane is a feel-good book that shouldn't be missed and is a perfect read for the upcoming Christmas holiday season.
The town of Heart Lake is losing that treasured small-town feeling that many of its residents cherish. So friends, and shop owners, Sarah, Emma and Jamie take it into their own hands to make a difference. They start the movement "keep the heart in Heart Lake" with the hopes that good deeds would be paid forward by those who had received the gesture.
But what book is without conflict. As the ladies try to get their movement off the ground they have to deal with professional and personal problems. Sarah has an overzealous neighbor, an marriage losing its passion and is missing her grandchildren. Emma is alone and facing the closing of her quilt shop. And Jamie is recovering from an abusive marriage and tempted by the local widowed cop and his children.
I was very happy to have been asked to read and review this book. Once I got started I didn't want to put it back. Sheila's writing just drew me in and made me care about the characters and hope for a perfect ending. I highly recommend this book to those who love a good heartwarming tale.
And I'm giving away my advanced reading copy to a lucky blog reader. Either leave a comment here or on our guest blog with Sheila before Thursday, October 29. Be sure to leave your email address in your comment or send a message to contests.bookblog@gmail.com.
I know this review is a little late, since Christmas is over. But you might want to get a hold of it when this year's holiday season approaches.
“Ladies, Start Your Engines” by Kimberly Raye
Savannah comes from a racing family, but is stuck in the back office and doesn’t feel appreciated by the family. When her father fires her in hopes that she’ll settle down and start a family, she runs to the competition to prove that she has a talent with cars. The problem is the competition is Mackenzie, an upcoming driver and Savannah’s ex-lover, whom she is still attracted to.
This was a solid story, but other than being set just before Christmas, I didn't get the holiday theme. But it was definitely a NASCAR story.
“’Tis the Silly Season” by Roxanne St. Claire
Racer Clay needs a ready-made family if he has any hopes of impressing a potential sponsor. And Lisa sees this as the perfect opportunity to give her kids the Christmas they have never had. But what neither of them had expected was that love is in the air and a Christmas miracle was in the works.
This story was easily my favorite of the three stories. I enjoyed the characters and it had the Christmas theme that I wanted when I bought the book. And it helped that the sparks between Clay and Lisa were hot enough to melt snow.
“Unbreakable” by Debra Webb
Maxine has been hired to prove that race car drivers are serious athletes and Rush is her guinea pig. But it doesn't help that Maxine is attracted to her subject and Rush wants to show her that "rush" that racers can bring is not only on the track.
I have mixed feelings about this novella. I liked the characters, but I don't think their story was developed enough. The story got lost when pair with others that were better developed. I think the story was a good start, but just fell short in the end.
“Christmas Kisses for a Dollar” by Laurie Paige
The book was quite entertaining and found it hard to put down once I started reading. I felt that Jon and Anne were likable characters, and delight in books where a character who has a “disability” overcomes their limitations.
Karen Templeton
I found this to be a refreshing and satisfying Christmas story. I often worry when children have big parts in a romance story, but Ms. Templeton created a realistic child dealing with an all too common, and unfortunate, circumstance. The child is the reason the couple first has a friendship, but she’s not the basis of their relationship.
“Mistletoe and Murder” by Jenna Ryan
This story leans more towards suspense than romance, and there is nothing wrong with that… although I was expecting more romance considering it is a Harlequin title. I enjoyed the mystery, but felt that there were too many characters introduced and that muddled the story for me. All in all, I liked the story and will try other books by Ms. Ryan, a new-to-me author.
I have mixed feelings about these stories. But first, here is a quick summary of them.
In "Upon a Midnight Clear", Callie takes a job caring for a troubled little girl and eventually falls in love with the child and her widowed father. But will a dark secret in her past keep them apart?
And in "Secrets of the Heart", Kate longs for a man who shares her faith and values. She meets Scott who wants to share her life, but will a long-ago mistake keep them apart?
Let's start with the good. I found the first story to be more complete and enjoyable. The characters were more interesting and relatable... or at least easier to sympathize with.
Now the bad. The two stories were too similar to be bundled together. By the time I got halfway through the second story, I felt like I was reading a re-worked version of story one with some minor changes (names, occupations, ages). "Secrets" was also a little too preachy for my tastes and I found it hard to really like or care about the characters. My suggestion, read "Upon a Midnight Clear" and call it a day.
Henrietta loved Sebastian from the moment she met him as a young girl. But he didn't welcome her attention and felt to the continent. Months later he returns and is suddenly attracted to Henrietta and can't keep his mind and hands off of her. Now that Henrietta has his attention, is she really in love with him or is it just lust?
"Too Scandalous to Wed" by Alexandra Benedict is an entertaining novel set in Regency England. The characters were engaging and the plot took an interesting spin off of the childhood crush storyline. I liked her first novel ("A Forbidden Love", but thoroughly enjoyed this offering.
"Christmas Gold" is a historical anthology with stories by Cheryl St. John, Elizabeth Lane and Mary Burton. Each is set post-Civil War in the western US (territories at the time, for the most part).
Cheryl St. John's contribution is "Colorado Wife". Rosalyne owns an restaurant in a small mining town. One day she finds some orphans sitting on her doorstep and she takes them in. But, she wants to make Sam take responsibility for them. They get trapped in a pretend engagement, but can it become a reality?
"Jubal's Gift" is Elizabeth Lane's story. Years after the way, Jubal is set on killing Thomas for deserting him in the war. But instead of finding him, Jubal finds Thomas' two kids and their aunt, Tess. Tess has always loved Jubal, who loved another, but thought he died in the war. She wants to love this man who has returned to her, but is she too late?
"Until Christmas" by Mary Burton finished this anthology. Laura wants to sell the mine and move away after her grandfather's death, but Roman doesn't want her to leave until he has a chance to win her heart.
All three authors in this anthology were new-to-me, and I enjoyed each story. I felt that "Until Christmas" was probably the weakest story, only because it didn't seem as well developed as the other two. But that said, it was still a good story.
In this two story novel from Debbie Macomber
"Christmas Letters" is about Katherine and Wynn. Wynn is a psychologist who wrote a best-selling book on child rearing that Katherine's sister just loves. Katherine wants to prove Wynn's theories wrong, but as they spend time together they have trouble ignoring the attraction and their different views regarding children.
"Rainy Day Kisses" follows the romance of Susannah and Nate. Susannah is a dedicated business woman and Nate is a seemingly jobless man. Yet, when Nate helps Susannah while she's babysitting her infant niece, sparks fly. But can they overcome their differences when it comes to careers and family?
I enjoyed both stories, but found "Rainy Day Kisses" to be more satisfying. "Christmas Letters" seemed too convenient. The love just happened, and the romance part just didn't feel explained enough for me. It's a short story (about 200 pages), so if it was lengthened a little and the emotions explored more, I think it would probably work better. "Rainy Day Kisses" was written years ago and updated and fixed up a little for this publication and therefore feels more complete. The stories are pretty typical for Ms. Macomber's work and are overall a good holiday read.
“Tidings of Joy” by Margaret Daley
This is the right kind of inspirational romance. The reader gets a message about the Christian faith without it sounding preachy, which can be a definite turn off. I found I was able to relate to the characters and the plot was believable. I thank Ms. Daley for setting the story over the course of several months to allow the characters time to develop their relationship.
“Miracle on Christmas Eve” by Shirley Jump
I suppose my one complaint about this story is the development of the romance between Jessica and CJ. The characters fall in love over the matter of days, but it’s not really explained. Ms. Jump explains the attraction to each other, but seems to think that’s enough to satisfy the reader and it wasn’t enough for this reader. Past this issue, I enjoyed the book. I loved watching the adults with their interaction with Sarah and did watch both of them fall in love with the girl and become a family.
The “Comfort and Joy” anthology started out with a bang and then fizzled in the end. Fern Michaels
I’d highly reading the first two stories and forgetting about the second two. I just didn’t get the Christmas or romantic feeling from either story, and really finished them feeling more depressed than happy to have read them. I often use anthologies as an introduction to new authors and honestly can’t seem myself reading stories by Ms. Lamb or Ms. Wolf in the future.
“The Christmas Clue” by Delores Fossen
While the story had a decent plot, I was left wanting more. I felt unsatisfied in the ending. If you’re looking for a light romantic suspense and a fast read, then try this book. Otherwise, look for something with a little more substance.
“The Cowboy’s Christmas Proposal” by Judy Christenberry
Ms. Christenberry is a new author to me and I found that I enjoyed her book. She brought a smile to me lips and tears to my eyes. In a book with less than 200 pages, she managed to develop her characters, have an interesting plot with enough tension to make the romance worth the read.