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Mulberry Park #1.5
Silver Bells by Fern Michaels
New York Times-bestselling author Fern Michaels headlines this quartet of seasonal tales.In the air, there's a feeling of Christmas... so settle into your coziest armchair and enjoy four captivating tales that will make your holidays merry and bright..."Silver Bells" by Fern MichaelsFor 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..."Dear Santa..." by JoAnn RossMystery author Holly Berry's SUV has broken down in the little hamlet of Santa's Village, Washington. Holly hates the holidays--that is until lodge owner Gabriel O'Halloran and his five-year-old daughter rekindle her belief in passion, magic, and Christmas wishes..."Christmas Past" by Mary BurtonPhotographer Nicole Piper just received a very unwelcome Christmas gift--a letter that holds clues to an elusive killer's identity. Uncovering the truth means enlisting homicide detective David Ayden's help, and embarking on a road trip that will take them both into the heart of danger and desire..."A Mulberry Park Christmas" by Judy DuarteEvery Christmas, the folks living on Sugar Plum Lane pull out all the stops when decorating. After a bitter breakup, Alyssa Ridgeway's heart just isn't in it this year. But running into her first love, James "Mac" MacGregor, fills her with memories of the tender Christmas kiss they once shared...
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
136 people are currently reading
1780 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 114 reviews
January 11, 2011
The first book is by Fern Michaels. The hero arrives in town to spend it with his sister in law due to his brother being in Iraq. His sister in law immediately has a meltdown and leaves him with 2 infant babies over the Christmas holidays. Too much like a bad Geico commercial to me, so this story is a DNF.
The second story is by JoAnn Ross. I really liked this one and wish I had read it before Christmas. Its about a woman who has stopped believing in Christmas who finds herself stranded in a town devoted to bringing Christmas cheer year round (sort of a themed town), where she meets a former Marine and his young daughter who operate the town Inn. The ending was emotional as well, so definitely in the WIN category with this story. A/4.5 stars
The third story is by Mary Burton, a new to me author. I also enjoyed this one and it had a very comfortable feel to the writing, as if I'd been reading her work for years. The story dealt with a woman who had been abused by her deceased husband and his continuing attempts to destroy her life even after he was dead. I very much liked the hero David - major yum factor there! I did want to shake sense into the heroine however, she needed to stop being TSTL-like in her reasoning. B+
The final story was by Judy Duarte and after a couple of pages I realized it just wasn't my cup of tea. DNF.
The second story is by JoAnn Ross. I really liked this one and wish I had read it before Christmas. Its about a woman who has stopped believing in Christmas who finds herself stranded in a town devoted to bringing Christmas cheer year round (sort of a themed town), where she meets a former Marine and his young daughter who operate the town Inn. The ending was emotional as well, so definitely in the WIN category with this story. A/4.5 stars
The third story is by Mary Burton, a new to me author. I also enjoyed this one and it had a very comfortable feel to the writing, as if I'd been reading her work for years. The story dealt with a woman who had been abused by her deceased husband and his continuing attempts to destroy her life even after he was dead. I very much liked the hero David - major yum factor there! I did want to shake sense into the heroine however, she needed to stop being TSTL-like in her reasoning. B+
The final story was by Judy Duarte and after a couple of pages I realized it just wasn't my cup of tea. DNF.
December 31, 2017
Should probably be called Fifty Shades of Grey-Silver Bells....
or
Sex Under the Christmas Tree.
Not really my style and I found myself fast-forwarding through the graphic sex scenes. Silly me -- I thought these were going to be Christmas stories. : |
or
Sex Under the Christmas Tree.
Not really my style and I found myself fast-forwarding through the graphic sex scenes. Silly me -- I thought these were going to be Christmas stories. : |
February 13, 2020
A cute book with short sweet stories. I loved the stories! I wish they were each full books. A nice easy read to get me through this cold weather.
December 21, 2017
3.5 ***
December 7, 2009
Silver Bells By Fern Michaels. 9/10
- I really loved the story. It truely was a christmas miracle. I'm so happy that Mandy & Hank fell in love.
Dear Santa...by JoAnn Ross. 9/10
- Adorable and full of love. Wonderful Christmas read.
Christmas Past by Mary Burton. 7/10
- It was a good novel. Had some suspense and mystery. The part I liked best from the story was the ending. It didn't have the christmas feel to it.
A Mulberry Park Christmas by Judy Duarte. 8/10
- A great novel. The beginning was a little slow, but it picked up by the end of the novel. Sweet and full of love.
- I really loved the story. It truely was a christmas miracle. I'm so happy that Mandy & Hank fell in love.
Dear Santa...by JoAnn Ross. 9/10
- Adorable and full of love. Wonderful Christmas read.
Christmas Past by Mary Burton. 7/10
- It was a good novel. Had some suspense and mystery. The part I liked best from the story was the ending. It didn't have the christmas feel to it.
A Mulberry Park Christmas by Judy Duarte. 8/10
- A great novel. The beginning was a little slow, but it picked up by the end of the novel. Sweet and full of love.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2016
So this was my first time reading Fern Michaels (and I didn't read the other stories in this book), and I'm not a fan. Maybe she's better in full-length novels, but this novella had too much going on, it was too fast-paced, and the romance was so forced and fake I didn't even finish the story. By the time the characters kissed my reaction was "ew, no, stop that." So, yeah. Just gonna not recommend reading this.
January 12, 2018
Don't waste your time. Only finished so I could say I hated it.
June 26, 2022
Silly and absurd christmas love stories. One´s only goal in life can´t just be to get married...
But I´m clearly not a target group for such romance stories.
But I´m clearly not a target group for such romance stories.
January 12, 2018
Silver Bells by Fern Michaels, JoAnn Ross, Mary Burton, and Judy Duarte is a sweet and heartfelt collection of four novellas.
The first one depicted a woman who has grown tired of her high celebrity life and coming back home. Once there, she feels more like her old self and maybe finding a love, too.
Second tale, was about a woman writer who lost her belief in Christmas. She gets lost and ends up in the most Christmassy town that has ever existed. There she meets a sexy as hell man, divorced, and is raising his daughter. Maybe, she'll find both a renewed hope in Christmas and in love.
Third story was about a woman whose husband was abusive slash obsessive over her. She finally left him, started a new life with her child, and gets involved into a dangerous situation. That's where her friend who is a cop comes in to save the woman he cares deeply about...only she has to find the courage to be brave enough to love him back.
The last tale involves another woman but one who suffered heartbreak and betrayal from her husband. She has two kids and moved into her father's house. There is a nasty mean old man next-door who seems to be grumpy and ridiculous to both her and her kids. And to add into the complications, her old romance flame lives nearby. Making it impossible to ignore their attraction.
Overall, these stories were believable, funny, and interesting. I was hooked. Each story had a great Christmas tale filled with hope, laughter, and love. Friendships and romantic entanglements were formed as well. I enjoyed following each of the characters as their journeys unfolded. I recommend Silver Bells to readers everywhere.
The first one depicted a woman who has grown tired of her high celebrity life and coming back home. Once there, she feels more like her old self and maybe finding a love, too.
Second tale, was about a woman writer who lost her belief in Christmas. She gets lost and ends up in the most Christmassy town that has ever existed. There she meets a sexy as hell man, divorced, and is raising his daughter. Maybe, she'll find both a renewed hope in Christmas and in love.
Third story was about a woman whose husband was abusive slash obsessive over her. She finally left him, started a new life with her child, and gets involved into a dangerous situation. That's where her friend who is a cop comes in to save the woman he cares deeply about...only she has to find the courage to be brave enough to love him back.
The last tale involves another woman but one who suffered heartbreak and betrayal from her husband. She has two kids and moved into her father's house. There is a nasty mean old man next-door who seems to be grumpy and ridiculous to both her and her kids. And to add into the complications, her old romance flame lives nearby. Making it impossible to ignore their attraction.
Overall, these stories were believable, funny, and interesting. I was hooked. Each story had a great Christmas tale filled with hope, laughter, and love. Friendships and romantic entanglements were formed as well. I enjoyed following each of the characters as their journeys unfolded. I recommend Silver Bells to readers everywhere.
July 6, 2020
I chose this book thinking that it was going to read like a Hallmark-type movie, and the first story by Fern Michaels and the last, by Judy Duarte, met that expectation. But, they did not seem to belong in a collection with the other two stories.
The one by Joann Ross started out like a somewhat trite Christmas story, but then there was a jarring switch to explicit language and content which did not seem to belong in there at all and did nothing to improve the story. The third story, by Mary Burton, was not a holiday story at all, other than it took place during Christmas week; instead, it was a violent story with swearing and very detailed, very unnecessary sex scenes. Instead of the story focusing on what could have been an interesting mystery, it seemed to just to be an excuse to write distasteful bedroom scenes. I would not choose to read either of these authors again.
The one by Joann Ross started out like a somewhat trite Christmas story, but then there was a jarring switch to explicit language and content which did not seem to belong in there at all and did nothing to improve the story. The third story, by Mary Burton, was not a holiday story at all, other than it took place during Christmas week; instead, it was a violent story with swearing and very detailed, very unnecessary sex scenes. Instead of the story focusing on what could have been an interesting mystery, it seemed to just to be an excuse to write distasteful bedroom scenes. I would not choose to read either of these authors again.
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June 16, 2019SILVER BELLS: Amanda Leigh's parents died and her aunt came and took her to California to live. She grew up and became an actress and went by the name of Abby Lee. She was getting tired of her life and decided to return to her childhood home. She found out that the first boy who had ever kissed her was home for Christmas and still unmarried.
Hank had come home to visit and his brother's wife left him with her dog and twin boys after he arrived at the house. He didn't know what to do. The next morning he hired a male nanny. He found out just how burned out Alice was. He also found out that his brother in the Army couldn't come home from Iraq for Christmas. Ben's dog escaped and went to Mandy's place. He went to get the dog back, found out Mandy had come home and discovered he was still in love with her. He had almost married once but his fiancee had left him at the altar.
Mandy knew she was where she belonged and agreed to marry Hank. She would live in New York with Hank, who was an engineer who owned company there. They got ready for Christmas together and decorated the house of a neighbor and teacher that had died the night she came home.
Alice came back home on Christmas Eve. She had been staying at the home of a friend that had asked her to watch her place while she traveled for the holidays. She saw the retired teacher's decorated house and wanted to contribute. Alice went up into the attic and got some silver bells that the deceased neighbor had given to Ben when he was a boy. Hank wondered where the set was that he had been given and Alice told him where they were, also in the attic. He went to see Mandy to see if she might still have her set. Mandy answered the door with her set in her hands. They all went to the house and rang the Silver Bells at midnight.
DEAR SANTA: Holly Berry was a mystery writer traveling out of Seattle. She had gotten lost using her GPS and ended up in stranded in a snow storm after swerving to miss a deer. She found herself being rescued by an ex-Marine, Gabriel O'Halloran. He had been in Iraq just the previous year. He had planned to leave home for good but after being in the war decided that home wasn't so bad after all.
Holly thought she had entered a nightmare when she found out that she was headed for a place called Santa's Village. She had hated Christmas ever since she was 7 when a mugger had killed her father while he was out shopping on Christmas Eve in Manhattan. Her mother had gone into a clinical depression and things were never the same after that. Her mother had packed everything up and moved them to LA. She had lived in Seattle for the past 6 months.
Holly soon found herself at the Ho Ho Ho Inn owned by Gabe who lived there with his daughter. it was her daughter's wish to have a mother for Christmas. 5 yr old Emma thought Holly was sent to her by Santa.
Holly was given a guest cabin to stay in while her car was repaired. She didn't know that the mechanic had been told to take his time fixing the car because Gabe wanted her to stay so he could get to know her better. Holly found herself losing the writer's block that had influenced her to leave Seattle and she stayed up late writing a mystery story based on her experience of being lost and rescued.
Holly soon found out that Emma's mother had left Gabe for her boss who didn't want any children, especially one that wasn't biologically his. Gabe's wife had left Emma with Gabe's parents until he got out of the Marines. He came back home to raise his daughter with the help of his family who lived in this town.
Holly found herself falling in love with Gabe and learning to believe in Christmas and Santa all over again. She was given a note by a man in town who Emma believed was Santa Claus. The note mentioned answering her Christmas letter a bit late because she had wished for a happy family when she was younger. She was being given one now in Gabe and Emma. Gabe asked Holly to stay with him, marry him and be Emma's mom. This would answer Emma's wish to Santa too.
CHRISTMAS PAST: Nicole Piper had met and married Richard Braxton in San Francisco. He turned out to be a violent man. After three years of abuse, Nicole had fled across the country to get away. She had found out she was pregnant and Beth was now 11 months old. Richard had tracked her down and his attempt to get her to come back had gotten him killed.
Nicole had dated the homicide detective, David Ayden, for a short time. David's wife had died and he had 2 teenage boys. He was older than Nicole but they got along well. He had kissed her one night and Nicole knew he wanted to be more than friends but Nicole wasn't ready to get into a relationship just yet. The timing was off. Nicole was a photographer and was getting ready to have her work put on display in a gallery showing.
Nicole had recently received a DVD from her dead husband telling her that he knew who had killed the woman who had helped her escape from him. She could go see an attorney in California and the evidence to convict her murderer would be given to her. David found out and went with her to see the California attorney. They were given photos of the crime scene taken by the killer. The attorney also made a phone call telling the killer that the pictures had been delivered to Christina Braxton, Nicole's former name. She was now his target. Richard had paid him to kill her before his death.
David and Nicole had stayed in town too late to return home so they ended up getting a motel room and spending the night together. Nicole had told him that she was ready to have sex with him and David didn't object. He wanted to marry her but would take as much as she offered.
The killer, Denny Smith, decided to pay a call on the attorney before he went to kill Nicole. Charlotte Wellington had pulled herself out of a life of being poor when she became an attorney. She didn't want to die at the hands of Mr. Smith. She got away but found herself trapped in her office bathroom. Denny left to go after Nicole but Charlotte didn't give up even after being shot by Denny. She got out in time to warn David who watched the man take Nicole hold a gun to her side. Nicole hit him in an attempt to get away and David shot Denny in the shoulder. Denny then shot David in the chest but he had on a bullet-proof vest. David took another shot at Denny and killed him.
Nicole and David returned home after all the paperwork had been completed. Nicole just wanted to see Beth and get comfort from her. It was a few days later that she went to see David and told him that she was ready to have a relationship with him if he was still interested. He told her that he wanted to marry her and she said, 'yes'.
A MULBERRY PARK CHRISTMAS: "Mac" McGuire was fixing up a house that a friend had left him when he died. Mac was a cop in another city and on vacation. An elderly neighbor had come by to complain about an angel being stolen from the nativity scene in his yard. He was blaming the new neighbors boy. He wanted Mac to go talk to him and get his angel back. Mac reluctantly agreed.
The neighbor just happened to be an old girlfriend, Jullian Grant. Jillian had two children with her now ex-husband, Jared. Jillian had left Jared after finding out about one of his affairs. She decided to pack up and move back home into the house her father had left her. Both she and Mac had not yet decorated their houses for Christmas. Jillian because of lack of money and Mac because he was getting the house ready to sell. Mac saw the attitude of the children and knew that something needed to be done to help them out. Mac decided to take the time to get to know her children and Jillian once again.
Mac had fallen for Jillian when he was younger and they had dated for 3 months. He knew a relationship with her was too good to be true because she had come from a loving family while he grew up in a rundown apartment building. That had been the first and only time Mac had fallen in love.
Mac took the kids out for ice cream one day in December and they ended up at a park. They found a stray dog and took him home. He cleaned up nicely but kept going back to Mr. Iverson's house. They found out later that the dog had belonged to Mr. Iverson but had run away when his wife had passed away. No one knew what happened to the dog and they couldn't find him. Mac convinced the children to return the dog to Mr. Iverson. Mr. Iverson had not liked the kids moving into the neighborhood but things were smoothed over when they returned the dog.
Jared had called and his daughter told him about Mac coming to visit them. She told him about him being a policeman. Both she and her brother were excited about Mac for the attention he was giving them. They also like the stories he told them about his work.
Jillian's daughter eventually admitted to having accidentally broken the angel too. She had hidden it, hoping that no one would really care all that much. She told Mac and thought he was the best person in the whole world when she found out he wouldn't arrest her. They all worked on the angel and glued it back together as best they could. They returned the angel to Mr Iverson and invited him to have Christmas dinner with him. This went a long way to changing his attitude towards them moving back home and becoming his neighbors.
Mac had learned from a resentful Tommy that his father was on a cruise with his new family. Jared surprised them all by showing up to talk with Jillian. Mac left Jillian and the kids to go back and work on the house some more when Jared showed up. Mac was surprised at how he felt. He felt like he was loosing Jillian all over again and it hurt.
It surprised Mac when Jillian came to see him and told him that she had discovered that she had never really stopped loving him. She wanted him back in her life. He knew that they would work things out between them. They went to a town Christmas event and Mac found another stray dog to take home to the family. This would replace the dog they gave back to Mr. Iverson. Mac decided that they would make the world a better place by doing good things, one at a time.
Hank had come home to visit and his brother's wife left him with her dog and twin boys after he arrived at the house. He didn't know what to do. The next morning he hired a male nanny. He found out just how burned out Alice was. He also found out that his brother in the Army couldn't come home from Iraq for Christmas. Ben's dog escaped and went to Mandy's place. He went to get the dog back, found out Mandy had come home and discovered he was still in love with her. He had almost married once but his fiancee had left him at the altar.
Mandy knew she was where she belonged and agreed to marry Hank. She would live in New York with Hank, who was an engineer who owned company there. They got ready for Christmas together and decorated the house of a neighbor and teacher that had died the night she came home.
Alice came back home on Christmas Eve. She had been staying at the home of a friend that had asked her to watch her place while she traveled for the holidays. She saw the retired teacher's decorated house and wanted to contribute. Alice went up into the attic and got some silver bells that the deceased neighbor had given to Ben when he was a boy. Hank wondered where the set was that he had been given and Alice told him where they were, also in the attic. He went to see Mandy to see if she might still have her set. Mandy answered the door with her set in her hands. They all went to the house and rang the Silver Bells at midnight.
DEAR SANTA: Holly Berry was a mystery writer traveling out of Seattle. She had gotten lost using her GPS and ended up in stranded in a snow storm after swerving to miss a deer. She found herself being rescued by an ex-Marine, Gabriel O'Halloran. He had been in Iraq just the previous year. He had planned to leave home for good but after being in the war decided that home wasn't so bad after all.
Holly thought she had entered a nightmare when she found out that she was headed for a place called Santa's Village. She had hated Christmas ever since she was 7 when a mugger had killed her father while he was out shopping on Christmas Eve in Manhattan. Her mother had gone into a clinical depression and things were never the same after that. Her mother had packed everything up and moved them to LA. She had lived in Seattle for the past 6 months.
Holly soon found herself at the Ho Ho Ho Inn owned by Gabe who lived there with his daughter. it was her daughter's wish to have a mother for Christmas. 5 yr old Emma thought Holly was sent to her by Santa.
Holly was given a guest cabin to stay in while her car was repaired. She didn't know that the mechanic had been told to take his time fixing the car because Gabe wanted her to stay so he could get to know her better. Holly found herself losing the writer's block that had influenced her to leave Seattle and she stayed up late writing a mystery story based on her experience of being lost and rescued.
Holly soon found out that Emma's mother had left Gabe for her boss who didn't want any children, especially one that wasn't biologically his. Gabe's wife had left Emma with Gabe's parents until he got out of the Marines. He came back home to raise his daughter with the help of his family who lived in this town.
Holly found herself falling in love with Gabe and learning to believe in Christmas and Santa all over again. She was given a note by a man in town who Emma believed was Santa Claus. The note mentioned answering her Christmas letter a bit late because she had wished for a happy family when she was younger. She was being given one now in Gabe and Emma. Gabe asked Holly to stay with him, marry him and be Emma's mom. This would answer Emma's wish to Santa too.
CHRISTMAS PAST: Nicole Piper had met and married Richard Braxton in San Francisco. He turned out to be a violent man. After three years of abuse, Nicole had fled across the country to get away. She had found out she was pregnant and Beth was now 11 months old. Richard had tracked her down and his attempt to get her to come back had gotten him killed.
Nicole had dated the homicide detective, David Ayden, for a short time. David's wife had died and he had 2 teenage boys. He was older than Nicole but they got along well. He had kissed her one night and Nicole knew he wanted to be more than friends but Nicole wasn't ready to get into a relationship just yet. The timing was off. Nicole was a photographer and was getting ready to have her work put on display in a gallery showing.
Nicole had recently received a DVD from her dead husband telling her that he knew who had killed the woman who had helped her escape from him. She could go see an attorney in California and the evidence to convict her murderer would be given to her. David found out and went with her to see the California attorney. They were given photos of the crime scene taken by the killer. The attorney also made a phone call telling the killer that the pictures had been delivered to Christina Braxton, Nicole's former name. She was now his target. Richard had paid him to kill her before his death.
David and Nicole had stayed in town too late to return home so they ended up getting a motel room and spending the night together. Nicole had told him that she was ready to have sex with him and David didn't object. He wanted to marry her but would take as much as she offered.
The killer, Denny Smith, decided to pay a call on the attorney before he went to kill Nicole. Charlotte Wellington had pulled herself out of a life of being poor when she became an attorney. She didn't want to die at the hands of Mr. Smith. She got away but found herself trapped in her office bathroom. Denny left to go after Nicole but Charlotte didn't give up even after being shot by Denny. She got out in time to warn David who watched the man take Nicole hold a gun to her side. Nicole hit him in an attempt to get away and David shot Denny in the shoulder. Denny then shot David in the chest but he had on a bullet-proof vest. David took another shot at Denny and killed him.
Nicole and David returned home after all the paperwork had been completed. Nicole just wanted to see Beth and get comfort from her. It was a few days later that she went to see David and told him that she was ready to have a relationship with him if he was still interested. He told her that he wanted to marry her and she said, 'yes'.
A MULBERRY PARK CHRISTMAS: "Mac" McGuire was fixing up a house that a friend had left him when he died. Mac was a cop in another city and on vacation. An elderly neighbor had come by to complain about an angel being stolen from the nativity scene in his yard. He was blaming the new neighbors boy. He wanted Mac to go talk to him and get his angel back. Mac reluctantly agreed.
The neighbor just happened to be an old girlfriend, Jullian Grant. Jillian had two children with her now ex-husband, Jared. Jillian had left Jared after finding out about one of his affairs. She decided to pack up and move back home into the house her father had left her. Both she and Mac had not yet decorated their houses for Christmas. Jillian because of lack of money and Mac because he was getting the house ready to sell. Mac saw the attitude of the children and knew that something needed to be done to help them out. Mac decided to take the time to get to know her children and Jillian once again.
Mac had fallen for Jillian when he was younger and they had dated for 3 months. He knew a relationship with her was too good to be true because she had come from a loving family while he grew up in a rundown apartment building. That had been the first and only time Mac had fallen in love.
Mac took the kids out for ice cream one day in December and they ended up at a park. They found a stray dog and took him home. He cleaned up nicely but kept going back to Mr. Iverson's house. They found out later that the dog had belonged to Mr. Iverson but had run away when his wife had passed away. No one knew what happened to the dog and they couldn't find him. Mac convinced the children to return the dog to Mr. Iverson. Mr. Iverson had not liked the kids moving into the neighborhood but things were smoothed over when they returned the dog.
Jared had called and his daughter told him about Mac coming to visit them. She told him about him being a policeman. Both she and her brother were excited about Mac for the attention he was giving them. They also like the stories he told them about his work.
Jillian's daughter eventually admitted to having accidentally broken the angel too. She had hidden it, hoping that no one would really care all that much. She told Mac and thought he was the best person in the whole world when she found out he wouldn't arrest her. They all worked on the angel and glued it back together as best they could. They returned the angel to Mr Iverson and invited him to have Christmas dinner with him. This went a long way to changing his attitude towards them moving back home and becoming his neighbors.
Mac had learned from a resentful Tommy that his father was on a cruise with his new family. Jared surprised them all by showing up to talk with Jillian. Mac left Jillian and the kids to go back and work on the house some more when Jared showed up. Mac was surprised at how he felt. He felt like he was loosing Jillian all over again and it hurt.
It surprised Mac when Jillian came to see him and told him that she had discovered that she had never really stopped loving him. She wanted him back in her life. He knew that they would work things out between them. They went to a town Christmas event and Mac found another stray dog to take home to the family. This would replace the dog they gave back to Mr. Iverson. Mac decided that they would make the world a better place by doing good things, one at a time.
December 10, 2010
Not great. I don't like Fern Michaels, so I just skimmed her story, so I'll admit I can't really give it a fair assessment.
Joann Ross's story was well written, but I totally lost interest when the hero, 10 minutes after meeting the heroine, is wishing he had a condom in his pocket so they could pull the car over to the side of the road and go at it. Are you kidding me?
Mary Burton's was good for the suspense aspect of the story, but the romance was rather rushed. I don't like the "friends with benefits" theme, so this one didn't click with me on the romance angle.
Judy Duarte's story was the best one of this collection. One thing that was really annoying is that the back cover lists the heroine's name as Alyssa Ridgeway, when her name is actually Jillian Grant! That's not even close! I think this story suffered from the page restriction. I never really felt the chemistry between the two characters. It was an okay story, just not one I'd bother rereading.
Joann Ross's story was well written, but I totally lost interest when the hero, 10 minutes after meeting the heroine, is wishing he had a condom in his pocket so they could pull the car over to the side of the road and go at it. Are you kidding me?
Mary Burton's was good for the suspense aspect of the story, but the romance was rather rushed. I don't like the "friends with benefits" theme, so this one didn't click with me on the romance angle.
Judy Duarte's story was the best one of this collection. One thing that was really annoying is that the back cover lists the heroine's name as Alyssa Ridgeway, when her name is actually Jillian Grant! That's not even close! I think this story suffered from the page restriction. I never really felt the chemistry between the two characters. It was an okay story, just not one I'd bother rereading.
December 29, 2018
It was hard to rate this book because it's actually 4 short stories. Two of them I really liked and the other two were so so. The plots were a little too predictable. Man and woman meet..... fall in love super fast; have sex right away - with lots of details (in the so so stories); and live happily ever after.
December 22, 2008
A cute compilation of holiday tales. I enjoyed them all except for one that had a story line about a psycho husband who sends a hit man after his wife. Cause nothing says Merry Christmas like a psychotic husband and a hit man?! Sorry- didn't really get that one.
January 19, 2009
I was looking for some awe-inspiring Christmas stories to get me in the spirit when I picked this book up at the local drug store, but I was disappointed. Of the four short stories just two I thought were OK. And all four stories were pretty much romance stories with a Christmas undertone.
July 8, 2015
I was given this book by a friend. It has four stories each around 100 pages. I read the first one 'Silver Bells' and couldn't bring myself to keep going. It started out off a little interesting, but then turned ultra cheesy. It read like a B movie...a bad B movie.
December 5, 2009
I have mixed feelings about this collection of short stories about Christmas. Three of the stories are lovely romantic stories with a Christmas theme. But the story by Mary Burton is very dark and not what I was expecting in this collection.
December 17, 2015
Four short stories by four different authors. I liked them okay, but the first one by big name author, Fern Michaels was the worst--horrible dialogue and little character development. I wanted something light...that's what I got.
December 15, 2008
The first short story was fun but the other three did nothing for me.
March 10, 2009
This book sucks the storys are too short, they lack any substance and are only good if you want a begining and an end no middle part of the story.
September 11, 2016
I read the Fern Michaels story and couldn't really get into it, didn't feel like continuing with the rest of the book.
November 22, 2013
First two stories were ok, the others were dull.
December 19, 2017
If you enjoy short story Christmas romances.... two are about women who move back home and rekindle high school romances.... they all fall in love very quickly!
December 27, 2018
I listened to the first two stories on audio. Then I got bored out of my mind and stopped reading them. I think I am done with my Christmas book phase... Or at least Christmas romances.
January 16, 2022
Would you enjoy reading it again:
No. I did not finish (DNF) this book because it was so bad. I usually do not post the books I DNF but I felt I should post this one because I don't want to accidentally read any other books by this author. This book is a collection of four short stories by different authors and I only read the first story then stopped. I looked up the summary of the other three stories and they are all just as lame as the one I read. The story I read is essentially about (*SPOILERS*) a bitchy woman falling in love with her old childhood crush. The plot was all over the place (it went on a tangent about the woman being a big Hollywood star that wanted to go back to a simple life, and the man was babysitting kids because the wife went to Iraq) and all of these random plot points had nothing to do with the story at all which made it feel like reading a book that was created using MadLibs. I listened to the audiobook of this and usually I find audiobooks to be better than normal reading because they are told faster but this book was awful as an audiobook, so just imagine how awful it would have been if I actually read it normally - 1
Did you enjoy the plot:
It stunk, should have put it down/ I can do better. Like I mentioned, the plot was all over the place talking about random things that had no impact (not even some subtle foreshadowing or anything like that) on the main story. And those random things were no interesting at all, it just seemed like pointless fluff to fill the pages - but the story itself was rushed: the two characters hate each other then instantly love each other and get married in a matter of a few paragraphs. The book was illogical, rushed and overall a bore - 1
Did you enjoy the writing style:
It stunk. The writing was very rushed. The characters did actions that did not match their personality (to quickly snap and change your personality to match the needs of the plot), the dialogue seemed like something a teenager would produce (unrealistic) and there was nothing special about the setting (there was no descriptive dialogue and it felt like everything was being told to the reader) - 1
Good ending?
Terrible. It was rushed, seemingly forced and predictable - 1
Format: audiobook (2x)
Average rating: 1 star.
No. I did not finish (DNF) this book because it was so bad. I usually do not post the books I DNF but I felt I should post this one because I don't want to accidentally read any other books by this author. This book is a collection of four short stories by different authors and I only read the first story then stopped. I looked up the summary of the other three stories and they are all just as lame as the one I read. The story I read is essentially about (*SPOILERS*) a bitchy woman falling in love with her old childhood crush. The plot was all over the place (it went on a tangent about the woman being a big Hollywood star that wanted to go back to a simple life, and the man was babysitting kids because the wife went to Iraq) and all of these random plot points had nothing to do with the story at all which made it feel like reading a book that was created using MadLibs. I listened to the audiobook of this and usually I find audiobooks to be better than normal reading because they are told faster but this book was awful as an audiobook, so just imagine how awful it would have been if I actually read it normally - 1
Did you enjoy the plot:
It stunk, should have put it down/ I can do better. Like I mentioned, the plot was all over the place talking about random things that had no impact (not even some subtle foreshadowing or anything like that) on the main story. And those random things were no interesting at all, it just seemed like pointless fluff to fill the pages - but the story itself was rushed: the two characters hate each other then instantly love each other and get married in a matter of a few paragraphs. The book was illogical, rushed and overall a bore - 1
Did you enjoy the writing style:
It stunk. The writing was very rushed. The characters did actions that did not match their personality (to quickly snap and change your personality to match the needs of the plot), the dialogue seemed like something a teenager would produce (unrealistic) and there was nothing special about the setting (there was no descriptive dialogue and it felt like everything was being told to the reader) - 1
Good ending?
Terrible. It was rushed, seemingly forced and predictable - 1
Format: audiobook (2x)
Average rating: 1 star.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2021
This Christmas book has four different stories from four different authors. Two of the stories are sweet and ones that have that feel good Hallmark type feel to them and two are very much into passion and getting busy so this book isn’t all innocent, just so you are aware ahead of time (I was not but it’s okay).
The first story is “Silver Bells” and it's by Fern Michaels. This story is about a movie star who heads back to her hometown in Pennsylvania when she tires of the shallow Hollywood life she’s been living. When she runs into her high-school boyfriend Hank she is anxious to see how he will feel about her now. This seriously has all the making of one of those Christmas movies you see around that time of year on a certain channel. It’s just a short story though so it’s rushed but it’s a good story.
The second story is “Dear Santa” by JoAnn Ross. This one uses the mystery writer's car breaks down in a small town, so this hater of holidays finds herself stuck in a hotel with a hottie single dad trope. This one gets steamy.
The third story is “Christmas Past” by Mary Burton. This story is more of a thriller/suspense that pairs a single mom who ran, with her very young daughter, from her abusive husband. Not only was he abusive but also powerful. When she gets a letter that holds a clue to a killer's identity she enlists the help of a homicide detective (just so happens she was dating him sort of) to help her. This trip puts them in deadly trouble. This gets steamy as well.
The fourth and final story is called “A Mulberry Park Christmas” by Judy Duarte. One Sugar Plum Lane it’s tradition to go all out when decorating. After a hard and bitter breakup, a young mother or many isn’t into any of it this year. When she runs into her first love, they are both filled with such amazing memories of one Christma kiss they shared many years ago. This one is a sweet story.
These are all pretty good. I was just in the mood for Christmas stories so these worked. I wasn’t as fond of the second and third stories but they were still okay. If you feel like reading a little Christmas these may do.
The first story is “Silver Bells” and it's by Fern Michaels. This story is about a movie star who heads back to her hometown in Pennsylvania when she tires of the shallow Hollywood life she’s been living. When she runs into her high-school boyfriend Hank she is anxious to see how he will feel about her now. This seriously has all the making of one of those Christmas movies you see around that time of year on a certain channel. It’s just a short story though so it’s rushed but it’s a good story.
The second story is “Dear Santa” by JoAnn Ross. This one uses the mystery writer's car breaks down in a small town, so this hater of holidays finds herself stuck in a hotel with a hottie single dad trope. This one gets steamy.
The third story is “Christmas Past” by Mary Burton. This story is more of a thriller/suspense that pairs a single mom who ran, with her very young daughter, from her abusive husband. Not only was he abusive but also powerful. When she gets a letter that holds a clue to a killer's identity she enlists the help of a homicide detective (just so happens she was dating him sort of) to help her. This trip puts them in deadly trouble. This gets steamy as well.
The fourth and final story is called “A Mulberry Park Christmas” by Judy Duarte. One Sugar Plum Lane it’s tradition to go all out when decorating. After a hard and bitter breakup, a young mother or many isn’t into any of it this year. When she runs into her first love, they are both filled with such amazing memories of one Christma kiss they shared many years ago. This one is a sweet story.
These are all pretty good. I was just in the mood for Christmas stories so these worked. I wasn’t as fond of the second and third stories but they were still okay. If you feel like reading a little Christmas these may do.
December 18, 2015
This four star rating might be due to the fact that it's getting close to Christmas and because of that, this is the perfect time of year to read this book. I found myself smiling during the story by Fern Michaels. I loved how Hank's sister-in-law left him high and dry with twin toddlers and 2 dogs without warning because she was just at her wits end and needed a mani-pedi treatment and some R&R immediately. Since Hank's brother, Ben, is in the military and not at home right now, I'm sure being alone with the twin boys and the dog all the time is hectic and demanding, so when she saw the chance to let someone else sit with them for awhile(Hank, brother-in-law and uncle to the twins extraordinaire) she informed him that she was going to check into a 5 star hotel for a bit and get a much needed spa treatment and massage...Hank was mortified! Considering he had never changed a diaper in his life, well, that was to be expected. Then, it seemed as if someone had finally bought the house next door to his family home...the one where Amanda Leigh used to live. His brother, himself, and her were best of friends when they were growing up until her house exploded, killing her parents and causing her to move away with her aunt. What he doesn't know is that it's actually Amanda (now famous Hollywood starlet Amy Lee) returning to her childhood home because she wants a break from the bright lights and shallow people that run in the entertainment circles in California. They do not get off to the best start when they meet, and I just love Amy's snarkiness and humor...she had me cracking up. Poor Hank is so helpless at first when it comes to the babies and the dogs that it's endearing to me and made me feel quite sorry for him at times. Did everything work out? Well, it IS a romance, but I'll leave you to find that out if you decide to read it in the future.
The 2nd story titled Dear Santa is by JoAnn Ross. It is a charming story about a woman(an author of mysteries) from California named Holly Berry who gets in a wreck on a snowy road when a deer named "Blitzen" happens to dart into the road in front of her. A man named Gabe comes upon her wrecked SUV and offers his help and hospitality...he takes her to his family home where she meets his mom and an adorable little girl named Emma who is Gabe's daughter. This prompts a week long stay in a town that is everything to do with Christmas...they even claim that one of the resident's(the owner of Kris Kringle's workshop no less) is the real Santa Claus. Amazingly enough, someone(supposedly an elf) has told Emma that her "real" Christmas gift this year is going to be a new mommy...and have given her a drawing of the person that matches Holly to a tee, strange right? As for Holly, she believes the Christmas theme of the town is all a ploy to bring in tourists to the town so that they can earn revenue to help keep the town's economy going strong...but by the end of the story some things may happen that just might change her mind. =) This story was adorable! Perfect Christmas reading.
The 3rd novella in this book is Christmas Past by Mary Burton and this one is probably my least favorite of the 4, not because I hated the story but more because it just didn't seem like warm-your-heart Christmas writing. I suppose that it being unexpected isn't a bad thing, I just wasn't expecting the terror and fear involved in it. Nicole (originally Christina Braxton) has left her entire old life behind and has began anew in a new part of the country. Her ex-husband, Richard Braxton is doing everything he can to find her and then terrify her or even possibly kill her. The story starts out with her Richard having a package delivered to her new persona...she doesn't know it's from him, but it's a DVD...she puts it into the player and it's a video of him talking to her, and staring her down with a creepy look on his face. She of course, feels threatened by this. It turns out he is suspected of killing a woman named Claire back home and he is trying to convince her in this tape that he isn't the one responsible for the crime...he just wants her back in his life. Nicole, however, has a new life and wants nothing more to do with Richard, she is pretty convinced he is the person who killed Claire and is horrified by what he could do to her. She starts up an investigation of her own with police officer David Ayden. Things get hot and steamy between them along the way and they hunt down clues to try and prove Richard's guilt in order to get him locked away where he belongs so that he is no longer a threat to Nicole...will they be able to before time runs out for her? Or will Richard make Christina his next victim?
The 4th and last story in the book is titled A Mulberry Park Christmas by Judy Duarte. It's a short and sweet story of a thirty-something year old mom named Jillian who has a young son(about 10 years old) named Tommy and a young daughter(about 5 years old) named Megan, whose husband has left them and gotten a divorce from her. She has moved back to her hometown where James "Mac" MacGregor- with whom she had shared a tender moment and kiss with way back in high school-is a police officer. A misunderstanding happens where the old gentleman who lives next door to Jillian and the kids believes that little Tommy may have been the one to steal the angel from his Christmas decorations out in his yard. When Mac goes to ask the parents of the boy he is surprised to see that Jillian is the one who answers the door. They begin to rekindle a bit of the old romance they had shared when they were younger over the next few weeks and so Mac is taken aback when her ex-husband shows up one night a couple of days before Christmas claiming he "made a mistake" and "wants to have his family back"...Will Jillian go back to the father of her children who abandoned them for no reason, or start a new life with the generous, kind, and handsome man she has known since her adolescence? If you would like to know you have to read it!! =)
They were all fun reads, and quick to read as well. A great collection of Christmas stories that I would recommend reading during the holiday season if you do read it. Now I'm ready for some hot cocoa by the Christmas tree and a new book to read. =) Merry Christmas!
The 2nd story titled Dear Santa is by JoAnn Ross. It is a charming story about a woman(an author of mysteries) from California named Holly Berry who gets in a wreck on a snowy road when a deer named "Blitzen" happens to dart into the road in front of her. A man named Gabe comes upon her wrecked SUV and offers his help and hospitality...he takes her to his family home where she meets his mom and an adorable little girl named Emma who is Gabe's daughter. This prompts a week long stay in a town that is everything to do with Christmas...they even claim that one of the resident's(the owner of Kris Kringle's workshop no less) is the real Santa Claus. Amazingly enough, someone(supposedly an elf) has told Emma that her "real" Christmas gift this year is going to be a new mommy...and have given her a drawing of the person that matches Holly to a tee, strange right? As for Holly, she believes the Christmas theme of the town is all a ploy to bring in tourists to the town so that they can earn revenue to help keep the town's economy going strong...but by the end of the story some things may happen that just might change her mind. =) This story was adorable! Perfect Christmas reading.
The 3rd novella in this book is Christmas Past by Mary Burton and this one is probably my least favorite of the 4, not because I hated the story but more because it just didn't seem like warm-your-heart Christmas writing. I suppose that it being unexpected isn't a bad thing, I just wasn't expecting the terror and fear involved in it. Nicole (originally Christina Braxton) has left her entire old life behind and has began anew in a new part of the country. Her ex-husband, Richard Braxton is doing everything he can to find her and then terrify her or even possibly kill her. The story starts out with her Richard having a package delivered to her new persona...she doesn't know it's from him, but it's a DVD...she puts it into the player and it's a video of him talking to her, and staring her down with a creepy look on his face. She of course, feels threatened by this. It turns out he is suspected of killing a woman named Claire back home and he is trying to convince her in this tape that he isn't the one responsible for the crime...he just wants her back in his life. Nicole, however, has a new life and wants nothing more to do with Richard, she is pretty convinced he is the person who killed Claire and is horrified by what he could do to her. She starts up an investigation of her own with police officer David Ayden. Things get hot and steamy between them along the way and they hunt down clues to try and prove Richard's guilt in order to get him locked away where he belongs so that he is no longer a threat to Nicole...will they be able to before time runs out for her? Or will Richard make Christina his next victim?
The 4th and last story in the book is titled A Mulberry Park Christmas by Judy Duarte. It's a short and sweet story of a thirty-something year old mom named Jillian who has a young son(about 10 years old) named Tommy and a young daughter(about 5 years old) named Megan, whose husband has left them and gotten a divorce from her. She has moved back to her hometown where James "Mac" MacGregor- with whom she had shared a tender moment and kiss with way back in high school-is a police officer. A misunderstanding happens where the old gentleman who lives next door to Jillian and the kids believes that little Tommy may have been the one to steal the angel from his Christmas decorations out in his yard. When Mac goes to ask the parents of the boy he is surprised to see that Jillian is the one who answers the door. They begin to rekindle a bit of the old romance they had shared when they were younger over the next few weeks and so Mac is taken aback when her ex-husband shows up one night a couple of days before Christmas claiming he "made a mistake" and "wants to have his family back"...Will Jillian go back to the father of her children who abandoned them for no reason, or start a new life with the generous, kind, and handsome man she has known since her adolescence? If you would like to know you have to read it!! =)
They were all fun reads, and quick to read as well. A great collection of Christmas stories that I would recommend reading during the holiday season if you do read it. Now I'm ready for some hot cocoa by the Christmas tree and a new book to read. =) Merry Christmas!
November 17, 2021
My favorite story out of the 4 that were in this book was: "Dear Santa..." by JoAnn Ross. I just loved Holly & Gabe’s love story. I won’t lie, it made me swoon a few times.
My 2nd favorite was "Christmas Past" by Mary Burton- This was a fast passed thriller that takes place during Christmastime. I hope that this author has more thriller books like this. I looked her up and I believe the ones I saw were more romance based than thriller but I will check out more of her work1
3rd favorite was "A Mulberry Park Christmas" by Judy Duarte- There were a few parts of the story that I could relate to, therefore my heart strings were pulled a few times with this one.
My 2nd favorite was "Christmas Past" by Mary Burton- This was a fast passed thriller that takes place during Christmastime. I hope that this author has more thriller books like this. I looked her up and I believe the ones I saw were more romance based than thriller but I will check out more of her work1
3rd favorite was "A Mulberry Park Christmas" by Judy Duarte- There were a few parts of the story that I could relate to, therefore my heart strings were pulled a few times with this one.
August 30, 2019
Everyone who has ever had to be a single parent or take the place of a both Mom and Dad because their spouse was in the military or away from home too much can sympathize with Alice. Sometimes we just feel overwhelmed and need a break. This is a tale of someone who needs a break and finally decides she has to take it. Then she feels bad because she has.
Also its a tale of a community who takes care of their own. It is a really good book that I read in one evening. A book that is hard to put down.
Also its a tale of a community who takes care of their own. It is a really good book that I read in one evening. A book that is hard to put down.
December 24, 2017
A book of four stories. Fern Michaels wrote the first called "Silver Bells". I really liked the story. It was touching. "Dear Santa. . ." by JoAnn Ross. A good story with Christmas in the forefront. Some sexual content. "Christmas Past" by Mary Burton. This story has mystery & danger with a love story. Sexual content. The final story "A Mulberry Park Christmas" by Judy Duarte was fun and I really liked it.
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