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Coming Home for Christmas
No one captures the delights of the hoilday Season like #1 New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels. . .
Silver Bells
For years, movie star Amy Lee wondered what it would be like to leave her shallow Hollywood life and go back home to Apple Valley, Pennsylvania. This Christmas, she plans to find out. And Hank Anders, her high school boyfriend, is now ready to give her a welcome she'll never forget . . .
Snow Angels
The only way irresistibly handsome Olympic skier Max Jorgenson wants to spend Christmas is . . . alone. But when social worker Grace Landry stumbles into his log cabin during a snowstorm, an unexpected magic rekindles his heart, his hopes, and the sweetest of Christmas dreams . . .
Holiday Magic
Ski shop manager Stephanie Marshall is counting on a holiday bonus so she can put a down payment on a home for herself and her daughters. But her handsome boss, Eddie O'Brien, has his own Christmas wish-one that could lead to a lifetime of loving . . .
Silver Bells
For years, movie star Amy Lee wondered what it would be like to leave her shallow Hollywood life and go back home to Apple Valley, Pennsylvania. This Christmas, she plans to find out. And Hank Anders, her high school boyfriend, is now ready to give her a welcome she'll never forget . . .
Snow Angels
The only way irresistibly handsome Olympic skier Max Jorgenson wants to spend Christmas is . . . alone. But when social worker Grace Landry stumbles into his log cabin during a snowstorm, an unexpected magic rekindles his heart, his hopes, and the sweetest of Christmas dreams . . .
Holiday Magic
Ski shop manager Stephanie Marshall is counting on a holiday bonus so she can put a down payment on a home for herself and her daughters. But her handsome boss, Eddie O'Brien, has his own Christmas wish-one that could lead to a lifetime of loving . . .
288 pages, Paperback
First published September 27, 2011
611 people are currently reading
2422 people want to read
About the author
Fern Michaels
424 books6,518 followersFern Michaels isn’t a person. I’m not sure she’s an entity either since an entity is something with separate existence. Fern Michaels® is what I DO. Me, Mary Ruth Kuczkir. Growing up in Hastings, Pennsylvania, I was called Ruth. I became Mary when I entered the business world where first names were the order of the day. To this day, family and friends call me Dink, a name my father gave me when I was born because according to him I was ‘a dinky little thing’ weighing in at four and a half pounds. However, I answer to Fern since people are more comfortable with a name they can pronounce.
As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.
Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.
Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.
READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/
As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.
Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.
Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.
READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
November 26, 2012
Dang...a second Christmas book in a row that I consider a dud. First it was "Snowbound in the Earl's Castle" by Fiona Harper, and now this one, "Coming Home For Christmas" a collection of 3 Fern Michaels novellas. I had such high hopes for it. The cover is soooo cozy and Christmasy and the descriptions made me hope it would be like Hallmark holiday movies in book form. Alas, although these stories were corny, it wasn't in the good way.
The first story, "Silver Bells" started fine. Amy Lee is a movie star who's parents died during the Christmas season years ago. Now she returns to her home town where she runs into her old childhood sweetheart, who is caring for his twin brother's twins (since his sister in-law ran out randomly in a stress fit). It started alright, then the more I read the more unbelievable the story seemed. Soon it went downhill quickly from there. The whole time I'm like...this stuff just would NEVER happen! I know it's fiction, but it's not fantasy or science fiction...so I don't understand why it is so far fetched. The romance also seemed so forced and the way the characters re-fell in love so fast just was so fake. The dialogue was so childlike, like middle school kids with crushes chatting on facebook. Of course I love the Christmasness of it, but thats it.
The 2nd story, "Snow Angels" also unbelievable. A woman who owns a house for battered women and their kids is stranded in a snowstorm with 2 of the kids and winds up at an Olympic skier's cabin where they must spend the days leading up to Christmas. Of course, like the first story, a death of a loved one on Christmas eve (the skier's wife)left him bitter during the Holiday season. Fern, why all the tragic deaths that happened on Christmas Eve in the characters pasts? It is just really cliche, and when it happened in back to back stories it just turned me off. These circumstances just wouldn't happen and the love scenes again forced and random. I did like the ending, but I just was so annoyed by the immaturity of the romance.
The 3rd story I couldn't even get through. The writing was just awful and again unbelievable and I couldn't get my attention grabbed.
The plus side is Fern Michael's interview at the end of the book. She seems like a lovely and sweet person. Maybe this was just a dud collection, I don't know. Ill have to try out another of her books in the future, because people seem to like her books and she she seem super sweet. But this book, please, stay away from. If you are looking for a heartwarming Christmas tale, check out Donna Alward's "Sleigh Ride with the Rancher". That was a really fun AND believable holiday story that is perfect for reading by a fireplace with a cup of tea.
The first story, "Silver Bells" started fine. Amy Lee is a movie star who's parents died during the Christmas season years ago. Now she returns to her home town where she runs into her old childhood sweetheart, who is caring for his twin brother's twins (since his sister in-law ran out randomly in a stress fit). It started alright, then the more I read the more unbelievable the story seemed. Soon it went downhill quickly from there. The whole time I'm like...this stuff just would NEVER happen! I know it's fiction, but it's not fantasy or science fiction...so I don't understand why it is so far fetched. The romance also seemed so forced and the way the characters re-fell in love so fast just was so fake. The dialogue was so childlike, like middle school kids with crushes chatting on facebook. Of course I love the Christmasness of it, but thats it.
The 2nd story, "Snow Angels" also unbelievable. A woman who owns a house for battered women and their kids is stranded in a snowstorm with 2 of the kids and winds up at an Olympic skier's cabin where they must spend the days leading up to Christmas. Of course, like the first story, a death of a loved one on Christmas eve (the skier's wife)left him bitter during the Holiday season. Fern, why all the tragic deaths that happened on Christmas Eve in the characters pasts? It is just really cliche, and when it happened in back to back stories it just turned me off. These circumstances just wouldn't happen and the love scenes again forced and random. I did like the ending, but I just was so annoyed by the immaturity of the romance.
The 3rd story I couldn't even get through. The writing was just awful and again unbelievable and I couldn't get my attention grabbed.
The plus side is Fern Michael's interview at the end of the book. She seems like a lovely and sweet person. Maybe this was just a dud collection, I don't know. Ill have to try out another of her books in the future, because people seem to like her books and she she seem super sweet. But this book, please, stay away from. If you are looking for a heartwarming Christmas tale, check out Donna Alward's "Sleigh Ride with the Rancher". That was a really fun AND believable holiday story that is perfect for reading by a fireplace with a cup of tea.
December 9, 2015
Don't even know where to start. The writing was good and each of the three novellas was very promising in the beginning. But the characters' actions were completely unbelievable. There was just no logic in their behavior and the choices they've made. Not to mention that they all had a strange tendency to fall in love with each other within 12 h or so of the first meeting. It was just all very odd and difficult to believe in.
Read
November 6, 2021[xmas trashathon book 2]
What started as a fun adventure quickly turned into just pure rage. I only made it through 2/3 stories because the risk of this just ruining the entire season for me was HIGH.
First Fern was a woman of advanced age when writing this. Good. Fine. Writing has no age limit. BUT when you are trying to write believable characters in their 20s/30s put in some damn effort into not writing as a 70-something woman. No one calls a trunk a freaking “cargo-hold” which they did over and over.
ALSO what is really getting under my skin with these books is how freaking lazy the writing is. Character development? Why bother. Believable dialogue? Who has the time! Two seconds of thought or research into anything? NAAHHH.
It just makes me so mad. Writers like Debbie and Fern are worth TENS OF MILLIONS and they don’t even pretend to put effort into their writing. AND THEY STILL FLY OFF THE SHELVES. Meanwhile there are writers everywhere putting real actual effort into their work and they will never get a fraction of the respect, attention, PAY that these asshats do.
This is my calm review. I made myself wait several days before spewing words.
Also, I conferred with my grandmother. A peer of Debbie and Fern if you will. She confirmed. These books are garbage and this kind of writing should never see the light of day. So all of the above has been peer reviewed and confirmed.
I think we should all take a stab at writing a Christmas love story because the bar is set lower than I could ever imagine my friends.
I might be mad forever over these first two books. BAH HUMBUG.
What started as a fun adventure quickly turned into just pure rage. I only made it through 2/3 stories because the risk of this just ruining the entire season for me was HIGH.
First Fern was a woman of advanced age when writing this. Good. Fine. Writing has no age limit. BUT when you are trying to write believable characters in their 20s/30s put in some damn effort into not writing as a 70-something woman. No one calls a trunk a freaking “cargo-hold” which they did over and over.
ALSO what is really getting under my skin with these books is how freaking lazy the writing is. Character development? Why bother. Believable dialogue? Who has the time! Two seconds of thought or research into anything? NAAHHH.
It just makes me so mad. Writers like Debbie and Fern are worth TENS OF MILLIONS and they don’t even pretend to put effort into their writing. AND THEY STILL FLY OFF THE SHELVES. Meanwhile there are writers everywhere putting real actual effort into their work and they will never get a fraction of the respect, attention, PAY that these asshats do.
This is my calm review. I made myself wait several days before spewing words.
Also, I conferred with my grandmother. A peer of Debbie and Fern if you will. She confirmed. These books are garbage and this kind of writing should never see the light of day. So all of the above has been peer reviewed and confirmed.
I think we should all take a stab at writing a Christmas love story because the bar is set lower than I could ever imagine my friends.
I might be mad forever over these first two books. BAH HUMBUG.
November 23, 2017
First 2 stories were cute, although a little too sweet and even slightly cheesy. But that 3rd story really tanked. I can't believe how awful the "hero" was, and how easily we were supposed to accept his change of heart. Yeah, did not work for me at all! It left a really bad taste in my mouth and I'm honestly surprised at that whole story.
December 9, 2024
Three great stories
Three great, uplifting stories. Tis’ the season to enjoy Christmas magic and love. Fern Michaels has a way of telling stories that makes you looking for the next one by her.
Three great, uplifting stories. Tis’ the season to enjoy Christmas magic and love. Fern Michaels has a way of telling stories that makes you looking for the next one by her.
January 5, 2025
First story was boring as heck. A real snooze fest. The second story was more exciting, finally a love interest that didn’t bore me. The third story was mid. Overall, the writing was weak and felt rushed.
May 23, 2023
I am a sucker for happy endings, and these three stories had happy endings. I enjoyed all three and the stories these women had, especially Stephanie in Fern Michaels' story. I can read Christmas books any time of the year.
December 7, 2023
Hallmark movie writers where you at?
November 4, 2018
I was so excited when i won this book on goodreads, Because i love Fern Michaels books. But this one just was not what I expected at all. I did not realize at first it was actually 3 short stories in one book. The first 2 short stories was the best and i would give them both 5 ⭐'s. The 3 rd i would only give 1⭐.
January 9, 2016
Silver Bells: Amy and Hank reunite after Amy is whisked away to California to live with her aunt when her parents die in a car accident. Amy is tired of the movie star life and comes back home for a while. She is reunited with Hank when he's left to care for his nephews when his sister in law decides she's had enough, needs a break and leaves. Will Amy and Hank find love at Christmas? Read: December 2015
Snow Angels: When Grace takes Amanda and Ashley out to see a Christmas play, they get stuck in the snow and can't name it back to Hope House. They walk until they come to the house of Olympic skier, Max Jorgenson. Max has decided since his wife was killed, he's going to be angry and bitter. He's very mean to Grace and the girls at first, but as time moves on, he begins to thaw. It is when Grace and the girls are put in danger, that Max realizes how much he cares for Grace. Once Grace and the girls leave, Max knows if he wants to be with Grace, he must find her and let her know. Will it be too late, or will Max and Grace find their happily ever after?
Holiday Magic: Stephanie had to take her daughter's Ashley and Amanda and get away from her abusive husband. She ends up at Hope House where she and the girls are treated very well by the owner Grace. Stephanie gets a job at the ski lodge. When the director who runs the ski lodge is rude one too many times Stephanie walks out. He has no idea what she and her daughter's have been through. But Stephanie doesn't know that Patrick has suffered a loss as well, and that he's really fighting back feelings that he has for her. When her daughter's get lost, Patrick is the one who drops everything to find them. They really adore Patrick, and once he gets over his fear of losing someone close to him again, perhaps he and Stephanie can have the start of a romance. Read: January 2016
Snow Angels: When Grace takes Amanda and Ashley out to see a Christmas play, they get stuck in the snow and can't name it back to Hope House. They walk until they come to the house of Olympic skier, Max Jorgenson. Max has decided since his wife was killed, he's going to be angry and bitter. He's very mean to Grace and the girls at first, but as time moves on, he begins to thaw. It is when Grace and the girls are put in danger, that Max realizes how much he cares for Grace. Once Grace and the girls leave, Max knows if he wants to be with Grace, he must find her and let her know. Will it be too late, or will Max and Grace find their happily ever after?
Holiday Magic: Stephanie had to take her daughter's Ashley and Amanda and get away from her abusive husband. She ends up at Hope House where she and the girls are treated very well by the owner Grace. Stephanie gets a job at the ski lodge. When the director who runs the ski lodge is rude one too many times Stephanie walks out. He has no idea what she and her daughter's have been through. But Stephanie doesn't know that Patrick has suffered a loss as well, and that he's really fighting back feelings that he has for her. When her daughter's get lost, Patrick is the one who drops everything to find them. They really adore Patrick, and once he gets over his fear of losing someone close to him again, perhaps he and Stephanie can have the start of a romance. Read: January 2016
December 21, 2020
This is a collection of three novellas all set during the Christmas season. If you’ve seen even one Hallmark Christmas movie you know the basic plot line here. There will be at least one (if not several) fabulously wealthy character, at least one who is a curmudgeon about the holidays, and at least one who is a fanatic about decorating EVERYTHING and making the season EXTRA SPECIAL. The main couple will probably not like each other at first, but will gradually come to realize they love one another. There will likely be some sort of disaster or serious event (a child is lost, a loved one is deployed overseas in the military, and/or financial disaster looms) to test the relationship, but the fabulously wealthy person will fix everything.
I found the scenarios pretty unbelievable and the chosen novella length left some significant holes in the plots. Still, they’re fast reads, and moderately enjoyable.
I found the scenarios pretty unbelievable and the chosen novella length left some significant holes in the plots. Still, they’re fast reads, and moderately enjoyable.
November 29, 2021
Fern Michaels has been one of my favorite authors for many years, and I usually enjoy her books. Coming Home for Christmas, however, was different from her normal writing. In the first place, it is a trilogy of three stories; and, in the second place, the stories are way too short and lack both plot and character development. There is also a problem with the plausibility of the events in the plots. Some of the things that happen just seemed to be too good to be true. They all ended "happily ever after" which is what I like in a book I read. I did enjoy the interview with Ms. Michaels at the end of the book which added insight into her life.
November 28, 2021
Disappointed
Silver Bells is the only story I really cared about. The back and forth between Amy and Hank were irritating at times, but the story was cute. As for Snow Angel and Holiday Magic, Max and Eddie were hateful and rude, and their hangups should not have caused them to treat Gracev and Stephanie like they did. They were definitely forgiven way too fast in my opinion.
Silver Bells is the only story I really cared about. The back and forth between Amy and Hank were irritating at times, but the story was cute. As for Snow Angel and Holiday Magic, Max and Eddie were hateful and rude, and their hangups should not have caused them to treat Gracev and Stephanie like they did. They were definitely forgiven way too fast in my opinion.
November 3, 2012
eh..nah...didn't like the storys very much..got a bit bored to be honest...
December 23, 2012
Typical Christmas romance. Will never remember a thing about it, but it got me in the Christmas spirit!
November 28, 2012
Yeah, this was pretty awful. Filing this under Never Again.
March 3, 2025
If you've ever thought, "Wow, I wish my holiday romance came with three separate plotlines, wildly unrealistic character choices, and a side of emotional whiplash", congratulations! Coming Home for Christmas is here to grant your Christmas wish. Fern Michaels packs this collection with celebrity meltdowns, Olympic-level meet-cutes, and workplace romance ethics violations, all wrapped up in a twinkly bow. It’s chaotic, predictable, and somehow still enjoyable—kind of like watching a gingerbread house competition where half the contestants forget to use frosting as glue.
First up, Silver Bells asks the age-old question: What if an A-list actress ditched Hollywood to stalk—uh, I mean, rekindle things with—her small-town ex? Amy Lee, totally not modeled after a Hallmark Christmas movie heroine, returns to Apple Valley and is shocked to find her high school sweetheart, Hank, still running the local tree farm. The romance unfolds so quickly you’d think she had a rom-com deadline to meet.
Then, Snow Angels throws us into a snowstorm with Max Jorgenson, a very cranky former Olympian who just wants to sulk in his remote cabin, free of human interaction. Enter Grace Landry, a social worker who gets stranded in said cabin because... fate? Destiny? A screenwriter’s desperate need for forced proximity? Either way, Max's heart thaws at record speed, and suddenly we're in a very accelerated love story that asks zero real-world relationship questions.
Finally, Holiday Magic serves up a workplace romance that HR would love to discuss. Stephanie, a hardworking single mom, is banking on her Christmas bonus when her boss-slash-secret admirer Eddie decides the best present he can offer isn’t a raise—it’s himself. Because apparently job security and a mortgage pale in comparison to impulse-proposal Santa vibes.
At the end of the day, Coming Home for Christmas is exactly what you expect and absolutely ridiculous in all the ways that make holiday romances work. The emotional depth? Minimal. The believability? Nonexistent. But the entertainment factor? Oh, it’s there. It’s like drinking spiked eggnog: you know it’s mostly fluff, but you’re enjoying the ride anyway. Three and a half stars for the festive chaos, the rapid-fire romance, and the sheer commitment to making every plot twist as much as possible.
First up, Silver Bells asks the age-old question: What if an A-list actress ditched Hollywood to stalk—uh, I mean, rekindle things with—her small-town ex? Amy Lee, totally not modeled after a Hallmark Christmas movie heroine, returns to Apple Valley and is shocked to find her high school sweetheart, Hank, still running the local tree farm. The romance unfolds so quickly you’d think she had a rom-com deadline to meet.
Then, Snow Angels throws us into a snowstorm with Max Jorgenson, a very cranky former Olympian who just wants to sulk in his remote cabin, free of human interaction. Enter Grace Landry, a social worker who gets stranded in said cabin because... fate? Destiny? A screenwriter’s desperate need for forced proximity? Either way, Max's heart thaws at record speed, and suddenly we're in a very accelerated love story that asks zero real-world relationship questions.
Finally, Holiday Magic serves up a workplace romance that HR would love to discuss. Stephanie, a hardworking single mom, is banking on her Christmas bonus when her boss-slash-secret admirer Eddie decides the best present he can offer isn’t a raise—it’s himself. Because apparently job security and a mortgage pale in comparison to impulse-proposal Santa vibes.
At the end of the day, Coming Home for Christmas is exactly what you expect and absolutely ridiculous in all the ways that make holiday romances work. The emotional depth? Minimal. The believability? Nonexistent. But the entertainment factor? Oh, it’s there. It’s like drinking spiked eggnog: you know it’s mostly fluff, but you’re enjoying the ride anyway. Three and a half stars for the festive chaos, the rapid-fire romance, and the sheer commitment to making every plot twist as much as possible.
August 16, 2018
I think this is the second or third book I read from this author and I remain unimpressed. I'm a huge fan of crummy romance novels if they're set during Christmas, so I was hoping this would be at least average.
Although the author's writing style isn't bad (aside from using dopey sentences such as "and the rest, as they say, is history"), I greatly dislike her vision on romance. She always starts off with clever ideas for background stories but then ruins it with the "romance". Every single one of the three stories, has both the man and the woman react with a wall of silence after using a horseman of the apocalypse (of marriage). Two giant red flags that each of them use, every time. I understand the need for some type of setback to have a story arc, but why it needs to employ strategies from extremely avoidant or dismissive people on one side, and extremely anxiously attached people on the other side, I don't know. Those attachment styles will almost certainly clash. Why can there not be at least one securely attached person (no games, no misunderstandings without talking about it, no horrid comments or putdowns, ...) in the story? Why can the problem not be something else to overcome? Do we truly need losing your kids in the snow AND losing a dear one too death AND extreme avoidant-dismissive attachment AND bad former experience AND losing a job AND a misunderstanding in one story with a Deus ex machina (or dea in this case)? The other two stories were equally like this.
If the author could focus on one or two things, she would have the space to go in-depth into the problems, and come up with a good solution without having to rely on rich people doing good all the time. It's clear she has the talent for it. Maybe she doesn't have the audience for it, and I'm being nitpicky.
My conclusion is that I won't read her books or stories anymore, unless I am pointed to one with an actually healthy relationship.
I credit the author for good descriptions of good clean holiday fun, and making the endings of the romance not be the typical wedding all the time, and sometimes just a longer dating part. I wonder if she (?) too, knows some of these romances are doomed to fail after all.
Although the author's writing style isn't bad (aside from using dopey sentences such as "and the rest, as they say, is history"), I greatly dislike her vision on romance. She always starts off with clever ideas for background stories but then ruins it with the "romance". Every single one of the three stories, has both the man and the woman react with a wall of silence after using a horseman of the apocalypse (of marriage). Two giant red flags that each of them use, every time. I understand the need for some type of setback to have a story arc, but why it needs to employ strategies from extremely avoidant or dismissive people on one side, and extremely anxiously attached people on the other side, I don't know. Those attachment styles will almost certainly clash. Why can there not be at least one securely attached person (no games, no misunderstandings without talking about it, no horrid comments or putdowns, ...) in the story? Why can the problem not be something else to overcome? Do we truly need losing your kids in the snow AND losing a dear one too death AND extreme avoidant-dismissive attachment AND bad former experience AND losing a job AND a misunderstanding in one story with a Deus ex machina (or dea in this case)? The other two stories were equally like this.
If the author could focus on one or two things, she would have the space to go in-depth into the problems, and come up with a good solution without having to rely on rich people doing good all the time. It's clear she has the talent for it. Maybe she doesn't have the audience for it, and I'm being nitpicky.
My conclusion is that I won't read her books or stories anymore, unless I am pointed to one with an actually healthy relationship.
I credit the author for good descriptions of good clean holiday fun, and making the endings of the romance not be the typical wedding all the time, and sometimes just a longer dating part. I wonder if she (?) too, knows some of these romances are doomed to fail after all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2023
Oof.
Okay. Short stories. They are never all a hit for sure. So let me break it down for you.
First: Silver Bells. To me this was the only real feel Christmas one in the bunch. So points for that. In fact this one would have been pretty enjoyable and cute. Except for the freaking mother of the year (I typed that sarcastically. I wish there was a universally recognizable sarcastic font). The mom in this story ruined it. It could have been handled differently. (Sorry I cannot give it away by going into specifics). Everything else was fine. So it would have been a 4 but I took away the point for her selfishness. 4 Stars minus one for mom of the year: 3 Stars
Second: Snow Angels. I despised the selfishness of the mom in story one, well this story was the general meanness to others. Sure, actions speak louder than words and recluse Max did come to the aid of those stranded by the weather. But, why did he have to be so mean. I suppose this story had Christmas in it. So there’s that. 3 Stars
Third: Oof Oof Oof. Okay this is my first Fern book. Do her stories or books always contain a mean person? Because in this the final story in the book we have even more mean people. I am not an overly sensitive person. I’m not one of those people who think everybody deserves a trophy for participating. I am a realist. I know people can suck. Reality. But come on. This book tried to be so dramatic. And to get the points across certain characters were made really mean just because they suffered losses. We all have lost somebody. That does not make us mean. This book tried too hard. This was the worse of the three. Just plain ridiculous. 2 Stars and only because the little girls from story 2 were in 3. And also, animals were in this story.
I think Taylor Swift wrote the song Mean because she read this book. The most redeeming factor was that animals were in all three stories. But of course the Golden Retriever in book one didn’t like everybody. And it was not house trained. Did Fern Michaels ever meet a Golden? They love everybody. And I’ve never met a non-trained one. Never. Carin Terriers sure .They are arses. But not Goldens.
This book really makes one suspend reality and not in a Christmasy magical way either.
Okay. Short stories. They are never all a hit for sure. So let me break it down for you.
First: Silver Bells. To me this was the only real feel Christmas one in the bunch. So points for that. In fact this one would have been pretty enjoyable and cute. Except for the freaking mother of the year (I typed that sarcastically. I wish there was a universally recognizable sarcastic font). The mom in this story ruined it. It could have been handled differently. (Sorry I cannot give it away by going into specifics). Everything else was fine. So it would have been a 4 but I took away the point for her selfishness. 4 Stars minus one for mom of the year: 3 Stars
Second: Snow Angels. I despised the selfishness of the mom in story one, well this story was the general meanness to others. Sure, actions speak louder than words and recluse Max did come to the aid of those stranded by the weather. But, why did he have to be so mean. I suppose this story had Christmas in it. So there’s that. 3 Stars
Third: Oof Oof Oof. Okay this is my first Fern book. Do her stories or books always contain a mean person? Because in this the final story in the book we have even more mean people. I am not an overly sensitive person. I’m not one of those people who think everybody deserves a trophy for participating. I am a realist. I know people can suck. Reality. But come on. This book tried to be so dramatic. And to get the points across certain characters were made really mean just because they suffered losses. We all have lost somebody. That does not make us mean. This book tried too hard. This was the worse of the three. Just plain ridiculous. 2 Stars and only because the little girls from story 2 were in 3. And also, animals were in this story.
I think Taylor Swift wrote the song Mean because she read this book. The most redeeming factor was that animals were in all three stories. But of course the Golden Retriever in book one didn’t like everybody. And it was not house trained. Did Fern Michaels ever meet a Golden? They love everybody. And I’ve never met a non-trained one. Never. Carin Terriers sure .They are arses. But not Goldens.
This book really makes one suspend reality and not in a Christmasy magical way either.
December 27, 2017
DNF on page 31.
For me, it’s incredibly hard to dnf a book. I almost never do it on purpose, even if I’m not really feeling it. My rule is usually if I still don’t like it by half way through, I can dnf it, but I never do because I still want to know how it ends and I figure if I get to half then I can finish it. With this one, I hated it from the first page. I didn’t even want to read it, but I was trying to firce myself to so I could see if it was a book worth keeping, or if I should donate it. I feel bad getting rid of a book I haven’t read, but this is one exception. My goal for next year is to get better at dnfing books that I don’t like instead of forcing myself to read them, so why not start now?
I was forcing myself to try to get through the first story to see if it gets any better, but I just could not force myself through 80 pages just to get to the next one and see if it is any better. I skipped the the beginning of the second story to see how it was, and it seemed to have the same problem as the first so I decided to dnf it. The problem is that what happens in the stories is so unbelievable that I absolutely loathe them, or at least what I read if them. Like really, a mother is just going to abandon her kids to her brother in law for no reason? Yes, she was stressed out, but it came out of nowhere after he told her to relax, and it made absolutely no sense. The same thing goes for pretty much everything else that happened, it just came out of nowhere and was not believeable at all, because nobe of the things in the story would happen like that. I didn’t like the characters and I had no sympathy for them, because their actions were just ridiculous.
For me, it’s incredibly hard to dnf a book. I almost never do it on purpose, even if I’m not really feeling it. My rule is usually if I still don’t like it by half way through, I can dnf it, but I never do because I still want to know how it ends and I figure if I get to half then I can finish it. With this one, I hated it from the first page. I didn’t even want to read it, but I was trying to firce myself to so I could see if it was a book worth keeping, or if I should donate it. I feel bad getting rid of a book I haven’t read, but this is one exception. My goal for next year is to get better at dnfing books that I don’t like instead of forcing myself to read them, so why not start now?
I was forcing myself to try to get through the first story to see if it gets any better, but I just could not force myself through 80 pages just to get to the next one and see if it is any better. I skipped the the beginning of the second story to see how it was, and it seemed to have the same problem as the first so I decided to dnf it. The problem is that what happens in the stories is so unbelievable that I absolutely loathe them, or at least what I read if them. Like really, a mother is just going to abandon her kids to her brother in law for no reason? Yes, she was stressed out, but it came out of nowhere after he told her to relax, and it made absolutely no sense. The same thing goes for pretty much everything else that happened, it just came out of nowhere and was not believeable at all, because nobe of the things in the story would happen like that. I didn’t like the characters and I had no sympathy for them, because their actions were just ridiculous.
October 30, 2022
I really enjoyed the first story, “Silver Bells” even though in retrospect it didn’t make much sense. Stories 2 & 3 were related and indicated that the author does not know a lot about Colorado ski country. A sky as blue as a robin’s egg? No! It a Colorado bluebird sky. A western bluebird is far bluer than any robin’s egg even in the egg’s wildest dreams. (That absurd statement may make someone realize that the author failed to do her homework.) I won’t even start on the weather, when the ski season truly begins, or how long it is in reality. Granted tourists begin at Thanksgiving but avid skiers wait for January and February. The season lasts into April. The weather and geography did not match.
December 4, 2017
This book consists of three short stories. I have not read anything previously by this author so I don't know if this is typically their writing. I enjoy some quick semi cheesy holiday reads, but these were definitely on the super cheesy side. The stories were quite over the top and the characters seemed to change feelings/tempers too quickly and I found myself rolling my eyes throughout them. Had these have been lengthier stories I would not have finished the book, but it was a quick read that I was able to finish in just a short time so I stuck it out.
December 30, 2018
Let me get straight to the point: 3 novellas that are juvenile and poorly written.
The plot would be good except for the writing.
Characters are... How can I say it? Dumb.
There's a good thing though: the 3 stories are set in Telluride or close by. This has made me think about Gus Kenworthy 😁✌️
Other than that, just a worthless book.
The plot would be good except for the writing.
Characters are... How can I say it? Dumb.
There's a good thing though: the 3 stories are set in Telluride or close by. This has made me think about Gus Kenworthy 😁✌️
Other than that, just a worthless book.
January 8, 2019
If your looking for a quick christmas read, this is it. Of the three short stories, the first was cute, christmassy, funny...a nice read. The second story was a bit more predictable, but good storyline, quick read. I was a bit disappointed with the third story. It had potential but i felt the story felt choppy and unbelievable.
January 24, 2019
Loves the three stories in this book.
The first story called Silver Bells was about Amy Lee and Hank.
The second story called Snow Angels was about Max and Grace.
And the third story was about Stephanie and Eddie.
All three stories were connected through a small place called Apple Valley and surrounding
area.
The first story called Silver Bells was about Amy Lee and Hank.
The second story called Snow Angels was about Max and Grace.
And the third story was about Stephanie and Eddie.
All three stories were connected through a small place called Apple Valley and surrounding
area.
January 24, 2021
I usually like Fern Michaels, but this wasn’t up to par for her. The first story was ok, but the other 2 were not good. They seemed rushed and the characters weren’t believable. The last story was just lame from beginning to end. There was no reason for the main “hero” to act like that. Why the big turn around at the end? It was very unbelievable.
December 21, 2017
Silver Bells - 4 stars, Snow Angels - 3.5 stars, Holiday Magic - 2.5 stars. Also I totally missed the fact that this book was actually 3 novellas until I finished the first one and turned the first page to discover the story was over!
November 17, 2018
1.5
No. Just no. The stories are too short to be believable love stories. Does everyone meet and fall in love at first sight? The first was fine which brought on the 2 star rating. The last one was terrible, I hated the ending and didn’t even like the love interest.
No. Just no. The stories are too short to be believable love stories. Does everyone meet and fall in love at first sight? The first was fine which brought on the 2 star rating. The last one was terrible, I hated the ending and didn’t even like the love interest.
December 5, 2018
This was my first fern Michaels book. The stories were good, but I didn't like having three different stories. The characters fell in love too quickly. I wish the whole book would have been about stephanie instead.
January 3, 2022
First two stories in this small collection were the lovely and simple Christmas stories to warm your heart during the holiday season; but VERY short and lacked depth to most of the characters. The third story was just okay.
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