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Sisterhood #26.5
Wishes for Christmas
A #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Christmas is a time for family and friends to gather and celebrate old bonds . . . and form new ones. Now Fern Michaels brings together the beloved heroines from two celebrated series the Sisterhood and the Godmothers for a holiday to remember forever. . . .
421 pages, Hardcover
First published July 28, 2015
716 people are currently reading
2128 people want to read
About the author
Fern Michaels
424 books6,516 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 168 reviews
January 5, 2016
Truly dreadful. Perhaps if I'd read the series that these characters are obviously a part of, I'd not be so lost, but I don't think that I could force myself to do so. Hackneyed writing, no character development at all and the most abrupt and unexplained endings I've ever seen. Thank goodness that this was a gift and I didn't pay good $$$ for it.
January 3, 2024
There were 3 stories in this book. The first one was fine, the second one used crude language that was not necessary and the third one just did not make a lot of sense. Overall it was just ok. They are all Christmas themed stories with similar or same characters, but I just could not find a connection.
October 27, 2015
Review originally posted on Book-o-Craze, on a Tour organized by Tasty Book Tours!
This year I hadn't really managed to feel all the Christmas hype, with the season's glow not as apparent to me as previously. And, it might sound like it is a bit soon for the Christmas joy to start, but for me that was never the case up until last year!
All this, before I read Wishes for Christmas, though.
Fern Michaels made the holidays seem a little more festive this year, through her three short stories included in this book. They all featured heroes from the author's two main series
The first short featured the heroes from Michaels' The Sisterhood series. The next one was about Toots and Sophie and their family, from The Godmothers' series. The last story was a combination of the two!
Maggie, in the first story, convinces her crew that the important thing is to give and not to take, especially during the Christmas Holidays. So, they decide to look up her old teacher who has inexplicably vanished, and make up for what Maggie thought she made wrong all these years back. Will these Vigilantes achieve their goal once more? Will they find the lost teacher? This is for the reader to find out, but a truth has to be told. A wonderful message is being passed through this story, which made me can't wait for Christmas to come!
In the second story included in this book, Sophie, a woman with psychic powers, gets a weird vibe from a decorator. How is she going to find out what is really going on, and who exactly is connected to her? A beautiful short story that brought two families close together, a very nice Christmas gift to all the heroes!
Lastly, the third story, featured the collaboration of Annie and Myra from The Sisterhood, with Toots and Sophie from The Godmothers, in order to solve a new mystery. It is always nice and exciting to watch heroes from supposedly different universes to be brought together into one story. This short also included as main heroes another set of characters, probably new to Fern Michaels' fans!
All the stories were about well-thought and clever ideas and plotlines, that I would like to read about with more details and in more pages! But all the right messages were still able to pass through to the readers!
Finally, reading this book, I realized that I would like to probably have read some of The Sisterhood and The Godmothers' series' books, in order to be able to understand better the characters and their personalities. I was thankful for all the information that the author was giving about them, but of course it couldn't be like I had read them beforehand.
But, that is not going to stop me from getting my hands on the first installments of these series, in order to find out more about all the heroes I came to like through reading these shorts.
All in all, I award 4,5 stars to this book, because it gave me quite a lot of the Christmas joy I had been missing this year!
This year I hadn't really managed to feel all the Christmas hype, with the season's glow not as apparent to me as previously. And, it might sound like it is a bit soon for the Christmas joy to start, but for me that was never the case up until last year!
All this, before I read Wishes for Christmas, though.
Fern Michaels made the holidays seem a little more festive this year, through her three short stories included in this book. They all featured heroes from the author's two main series
The first short featured the heroes from Michaels' The Sisterhood series. The next one was about Toots and Sophie and their family, from The Godmothers' series. The last story was a combination of the two!
Maggie, in the first story, convinces her crew that the important thing is to give and not to take, especially during the Christmas Holidays. So, they decide to look up her old teacher who has inexplicably vanished, and make up for what Maggie thought she made wrong all these years back. Will these Vigilantes achieve their goal once more? Will they find the lost teacher? This is for the reader to find out, but a truth has to be told. A wonderful message is being passed through this story, which made me can't wait for Christmas to come!
In the second story included in this book, Sophie, a woman with psychic powers, gets a weird vibe from a decorator. How is she going to find out what is really going on, and who exactly is connected to her? A beautiful short story that brought two families close together, a very nice Christmas gift to all the heroes!
Lastly, the third story, featured the collaboration of Annie and Myra from The Sisterhood, with Toots and Sophie from The Godmothers, in order to solve a new mystery. It is always nice and exciting to watch heroes from supposedly different universes to be brought together into one story. This short also included as main heroes another set of characters, probably new to Fern Michaels' fans!
All the stories were about well-thought and clever ideas and plotlines, that I would like to read about with more details and in more pages! But all the right messages were still able to pass through to the readers!
Finally, reading this book, I realized that I would like to probably have read some of The Sisterhood and The Godmothers' series' books, in order to be able to understand better the characters and their personalities. I was thankful for all the information that the author was giving about them, but of course it couldn't be like I had read them beforehand.
But, that is not going to stop me from getting my hands on the first installments of these series, in order to find out more about all the heroes I came to like through reading these shorts.
All in all, I award 4,5 stars to this book, because it gave me quite a lot of the Christmas joy I had been missing this year!
December 18, 2015
This book is broken into 3 parts. They each tell their own story, but there is some connection of characters along the way. I found the first part to be hard to follow, but the 2nd two parts were good and had a nice story to each of them.
And the Angels Sing
This part of the book isn't exactly easy to follow. I think there's a lot of backstory in previous books about a Sisterhood, that probably have you knowing about each character, but in this particular one, they are a group of middle aged to older women and men who refer to each other as "Sisters" and "the boys". They team up to help Maggie do a good deed for something she feels guilty about doing or not doing in the past. They track down a former teacher of Maggie's and set about making her dreams come true through helping the less fortunate.
Naughty or Nice
This part centers around Teresa Amelia Loudenberry, Toots to her family and friends. and around those near and dear to her. They are preparing for Charleston's annual holiday showcase of historical homes. When something arises surrounding one of the decorators working on her daughter's home, they all rally around to help out and find some answers for this woman and her 3 kids.
A Golden Tree
This part centers around Holly Simmons and her families Inn. She hires on a temporary assistant to help with the holiday rush. Both of their grandfathers have recently gone to live at the Haven, where strange things are happening. We see Toots and her friend Sophie pop up in this book to help investigate the Haven.
And the Angels Sing
This part of the book isn't exactly easy to follow. I think there's a lot of backstory in previous books about a Sisterhood, that probably have you knowing about each character, but in this particular one, they are a group of middle aged to older women and men who refer to each other as "Sisters" and "the boys". They team up to help Maggie do a good deed for something she feels guilty about doing or not doing in the past. They track down a former teacher of Maggie's and set about making her dreams come true through helping the less fortunate.
Naughty or Nice
This part centers around Teresa Amelia Loudenberry, Toots to her family and friends. and around those near and dear to her. They are preparing for Charleston's annual holiday showcase of historical homes. When something arises surrounding one of the decorators working on her daughter's home, they all rally around to help out and find some answers for this woman and her 3 kids.
A Golden Tree
This part centers around Holly Simmons and her families Inn. She hires on a temporary assistant to help with the holiday rush. Both of their grandfathers have recently gone to live at the Haven, where strange things are happening. We see Toots and her friend Sophie pop up in this book to help investigate the Haven.
December 16, 2015
Wishes for Christmas by Fern Michaels is a 2015 Zebra publication
I enjoy Fern Michaels Sisterhood series but because I was very slow in getting started on it, I have only managed to read a handful of them, but do try to squeeze one into my reading schedule whenever I can. But the Godmothers series is one I am completely unfamiliar with. Sometimes that doesn’t really matter, but in this case it presented a bit of a dilemma.
The story is broken down into three parts, with a connection between stories, but after the first story, I got lost and didn’t not understand the dynamic between the characters. I struggled to get through to the end, and then wondered why I had forced myself to finish it, since the logical thing to do would be to go back and read a few books in the Godmother series, then pick this one up again later.
So, that is the new plan. Since I checked this one out of the overdrive library, I should be able to re-read it anytime. So for now my rating is 2 stars, but maybe I can update my review at a later date with a fresher perspective.
Overall 2 stars
I enjoy Fern Michaels Sisterhood series but because I was very slow in getting started on it, I have only managed to read a handful of them, but do try to squeeze one into my reading schedule whenever I can. But the Godmothers series is one I am completely unfamiliar with. Sometimes that doesn’t really matter, but in this case it presented a bit of a dilemma.
The story is broken down into three parts, with a connection between stories, but after the first story, I got lost and didn’t not understand the dynamic between the characters. I struggled to get through to the end, and then wondered why I had forced myself to finish it, since the logical thing to do would be to go back and read a few books in the Godmother series, then pick this one up again later.
So, that is the new plan. Since I checked this one out of the overdrive library, I should be able to re-read it anytime. So for now my rating is 2 stars, but maybe I can update my review at a later date with a fresher perspective.
Overall 2 stars
September 16, 2016
Wishes for Christmas by Fern Michaels
Have enjoyed other works by this author. Combination of the sisterhood and godmother series.
Three Christmases
Starts out with the women gathering at Halloween time and they break the rules-talking business with eating.
The money from Maggie's husbands insurance upon his death she wants to give away to others so they can hear the angels sing. She wants to right a wrong from years gone by.
Loved hearing of past holidays and ornaments made. Love how they get clues to help find the schoolteacher that had been attacked when Maggie was 10.
Loved hearing of what wishes were and how others can make it all happen...
.
Naughty or Nice
Concentrates on the Christmas holiday and the Hopes for Heroes parlor will open to the public.
.
A Golden Tree
Nancy is hiring a new male assistant and it's the busy time of the year... She has no time for dating...
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
Have enjoyed other works by this author. Combination of the sisterhood and godmother series.
Three Christmases
Starts out with the women gathering at Halloween time and they break the rules-talking business with eating.
The money from Maggie's husbands insurance upon his death she wants to give away to others so they can hear the angels sing. She wants to right a wrong from years gone by.
Loved hearing of past holidays and ornaments made. Love how they get clues to help find the schoolteacher that had been attacked when Maggie was 10.
Loved hearing of what wishes were and how others can make it all happen...
.
Naughty or Nice
Concentrates on the Christmas holiday and the Hopes for Heroes parlor will open to the public.
.
A Golden Tree
Nancy is hiring a new male assistant and it's the busy time of the year... She has no time for dating...
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
October 26, 2015
A delightful start to your festive reading- a collection of three short stories from Fern Michaels. They include characters from her book series so you feel you are catching up with friends.
In the first book the Sisterhood help Maggie fulfil a Christmas wish to make someone’s life better over Christmas. This was my favourite of the three stories. The second story features The Godmothers where they open their houses for Winter viewings and uncover a mystery and the final story features both.
As it is a collection of stories each one is a quick read- ideal for a coffee break away from the daily whirl around Christmas
With many thanks to Kensington Books and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
In the first book the Sisterhood help Maggie fulfil a Christmas wish to make someone’s life better over Christmas. This was my favourite of the three stories. The second story features The Godmothers where they open their houses for Winter viewings and uncover a mystery and the final story features both.
As it is a collection of stories each one is a quick read- ideal for a coffee break away from the daily whirl around Christmas
With many thanks to Kensington Books and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 18, 2015
This was a good story for Christmas and a quick read. It was by no means a dynamic read nor was it something the reader starts and just can't put down, but it was interesting and entertaining for the season.
December 26, 2023
3.8 stars
Entertaining
Though, I feel like some stories are just solved in the epilogue, which I didn’t like.
Entertaining
Though, I feel like some stories are just solved in the epilogue, which I didn’t like.
Read
May 21, 2018And The Angels Sing: Maggie had called her Sisters, known as The Vigilantes to others. They met the day before Halloween and discussed what to do with the insurance money from Maggie Spritzer's husband. Maggie wanted to do something for Christmas that would change someone's life. The Sisters all agreed and decided to keep their plans quiet and include their men. The next dinner was held a few days later at Nikki Quinn's home. They all agreed to donate money to create a fund that Dennis would oversee.
Maggie decided to decorate for Christmas early and Nikki stopped by to find her crying. Maggie told Nikki about a teacher she had when she was 10 that helped her make a Santa out of a toilet paper roll that she still had. Alma Ann Roland had club foot and had been teased. Maggie was leaving school one day when she found Miss Roland beaten up on the floor. She called for help but had to leave to catch the school bus for home and never saw the teacher again because her family moved. It was her last day at that school. As Maggie thought about it later, she realized that the person she asked to help was most likely the person who had injured Miss Roland.
Nikki told the group and their next meeting that finding Miss Roland would be their priority to see what they could do to help her. Abner Tookus, husband to Myra, agreed to use his computer skills to find her but had no luck. She hadn't filed a tax return since the year she taught Maggie. The hospital's records had been destroyed where Miss Roland went to be treated. Abner was frustrated.
Katheryn Lucas had a injured leg but had driven an 18 wheeler. She ran into Alexis Thorne at the mall. Alexis was there to find a present for her future mother-in-law. She was worried because she didn't feel that she was accepted due to her being black and Joseph being of Spanish descent. Katherine told Alexis that she had driven to the area where Alma Roland had lived and mentioned a shelter called The Guardian Angels Mission. She asked if Alexis and Isabelle might be willing to go there with her to see if Alma might have ended up there.
The three of them met at the airport and flew to Fayetteville, NC and met Pastor Donald Tennyson. He mentioned that his wife, Alma, was sick at home. They knew they had found who they were looking for and retuned home to tell Maggie the next morning. They met with the group that afternoon and put their plan to help into motion.
Between the time they found her and Christmas Eve, they bought a couple of buildings next to the mission and had it expanded. They converted one of the buildings into a chapel with an apartment upstairs for the Pastor and Alma to live. They arranged for new washers, dryers, and dishwashers to be installed as well as new toilets. They purchased dishes and clothing. They set up funding for the future with the money they had collected. They used their own money to have a Christmas Party for the mission and the people who came there. It was a dream come true for the Pastor and Alma.
It was all ready for the mission party on Christmas Eve. The last thing they had to do was to arrange for Alma to meet Maggie. Alma was surprised to see Maggie and told her that she often wondered what had happened to her. Maggie presented Alma with the deed to another property to be used as a medical clinic for the mission's visitors. She thanked her for everything and the Pastor told her that he could hear angels singing.
Naughty or Nice: Teresa Amelia Loudenberry was known as 'Toots' to her friends. She had hired Blanche Harding's company to decorate her home for this years Christmas parade of homes. She hated the way Blanche treated her employees but made the decision to wait until after Christmas to say anything to her.
One of her employee's was Charlotte Simonson. Charlotte had three children and her husband, Lamar, was stationed in Afghanistan. She was having a hard time because the military had stopped paying her for some reason a couple of months back. She had filed paperwork but nothing was resolved. She was taking her children to get a Christmas tree late one night when they were stopped by gang members outside the store. She called 911 and the police officer took the tree along with her and her family back home.
One of "Toot's" friends, Sophie, was a psychic and had felt something weird when she bumped into Charlotte at Toot's house. She had a vision that something was wrong and tried to find Charlotte. She left a message the night they had the run in with the gang but didn't find Charlotte until the next morning. She didn't know why she was having visions of her or what they meant. She was just determined that night to find her and he family. She felt they needed help somehow. She called Toot's who called Blanche. Toots ended up telling Blanche off and promising her that she would lose her business due to her treatment of those working for her and others whom she treated as if they were beneath her.
Sophie went to see her and had another vision when they met. The vision had something to do with an old book that Toot's had found and given to her daughter, Abby. They went to Abby's house and went through the book. They figured out that Charlotte's great-great-grandfather was the same as Charlotte's. They were distantly related. Charlotte's relatives had been slaves. Toots family had just increased to include Charlotte family.
Toots was using the donations that came in for the showing of her home to fund a foundation called Hope for Heroes. Her husband told Toots that he had been in touch with some women they had heard of called the Vigilantes who wanted to help with the foundation and would help her find sponsors.
Toots friends, known as the Godmothers, had all gotten together and worked to find Lamar and bring him home to be with Charlotte and his family for Christmas. They all had Christmas together.
A Golden Tree: Holly Simmons was granddaughter to the owner of The Grove Place Inn. Her assistant was pregnant with twins and had been put on bed rest. Christmas season was just beginning. Ava had given Holly several resume's that she had looked through and told Holly to hire a replacement. She didn't plan on coming back to work but Holly had grown up with Ava and they were best friends. Holly didn't want a replacement.
Holly caved and hired the last person she interviewed, Gannon Montgomery. She didn't know that Gannon owned Draper's, their competition. He had applied for the job to find out what it was that made their Inn so successful while Draper's was failing.
The Vigilantes and The Godmother's had gotten together and met at The Grove. The Godmother's were there for an assignment. They were all a bunch of feisty older women and the Godmother's wanted some excitement in their lives. The Vigilantes had been asked for help but were on a pardon from the President and didn't want to get involved in something that would jeopardize this so the Godmother's were there to help.
Gannon's grandfather and Holly's were neighbors at The Haven. A local retirement community. Holly found this out after hiring Gannon. Gannon went to check on his grandfather who was complaining about someone tampering with his diabetes medication. He had called the Vigilantes for help. Holly found out about the women being there from Ava. She went to check on her grandfather the evening a wreath making craft was scheduled at The Grove. He wasn't home and she was worried because she had heard that he was involved in a scheme developed by the women.
The grandfathers went to a Christmas party held for the pharmacy workers where Gannon's grandfather received his medication. They went with the Godmother's to the party. One was supposed to be Gannon's grandmother's sister. The other was Holly's grandfather's date. They were supposed to get the pharmacist drunk and get him to admit to tampering with the drugs and disclose what he was doing with them.
They had gotten the pharmacist drunk and were getting ready to enter the drug store after the party when the police, who where friends of the Vigilantes arrived to arrest the pharmacist. Gannon's grandfather had sent his medication in for testing and they had found it was watered down so they had proof of the pharmacist's tampering. He was cutting the drugs and selling what he could for extra cash. He was caught now.
Ava had come to the wreath making class and Holly arrived early. Ava told her that she had found out that Gannon was manager of Draper's and the grandson of the owner. Holly walked over to Gannon who admitted to Holly who he was before she said anything to him. She surprised them all by kissing Gannon on the lips. She said it was because they were under the mistletoe and he kissed her back. They continued kissing each other for a while. Holly hadn't been interested in another guy for years. Her last boyfriend had been killed in a motorcycle accident while her and Ava had been in college.
The case of the drug tampering was over and Holly had a new boyfriend.
Maggie decided to decorate for Christmas early and Nikki stopped by to find her crying. Maggie told Nikki about a teacher she had when she was 10 that helped her make a Santa out of a toilet paper roll that she still had. Alma Ann Roland had club foot and had been teased. Maggie was leaving school one day when she found Miss Roland beaten up on the floor. She called for help but had to leave to catch the school bus for home and never saw the teacher again because her family moved. It was her last day at that school. As Maggie thought about it later, she realized that the person she asked to help was most likely the person who had injured Miss Roland.
Nikki told the group and their next meeting that finding Miss Roland would be their priority to see what they could do to help her. Abner Tookus, husband to Myra, agreed to use his computer skills to find her but had no luck. She hadn't filed a tax return since the year she taught Maggie. The hospital's records had been destroyed where Miss Roland went to be treated. Abner was frustrated.
Katheryn Lucas had a injured leg but had driven an 18 wheeler. She ran into Alexis Thorne at the mall. Alexis was there to find a present for her future mother-in-law. She was worried because she didn't feel that she was accepted due to her being black and Joseph being of Spanish descent. Katherine told Alexis that she had driven to the area where Alma Roland had lived and mentioned a shelter called The Guardian Angels Mission. She asked if Alexis and Isabelle might be willing to go there with her to see if Alma might have ended up there.
The three of them met at the airport and flew to Fayetteville, NC and met Pastor Donald Tennyson. He mentioned that his wife, Alma, was sick at home. They knew they had found who they were looking for and retuned home to tell Maggie the next morning. They met with the group that afternoon and put their plan to help into motion.
Between the time they found her and Christmas Eve, they bought a couple of buildings next to the mission and had it expanded. They converted one of the buildings into a chapel with an apartment upstairs for the Pastor and Alma to live. They arranged for new washers, dryers, and dishwashers to be installed as well as new toilets. They purchased dishes and clothing. They set up funding for the future with the money they had collected. They used their own money to have a Christmas Party for the mission and the people who came there. It was a dream come true for the Pastor and Alma.
It was all ready for the mission party on Christmas Eve. The last thing they had to do was to arrange for Alma to meet Maggie. Alma was surprised to see Maggie and told her that she often wondered what had happened to her. Maggie presented Alma with the deed to another property to be used as a medical clinic for the mission's visitors. She thanked her for everything and the Pastor told her that he could hear angels singing.
Naughty or Nice: Teresa Amelia Loudenberry was known as 'Toots' to her friends. She had hired Blanche Harding's company to decorate her home for this years Christmas parade of homes. She hated the way Blanche treated her employees but made the decision to wait until after Christmas to say anything to her.
One of her employee's was Charlotte Simonson. Charlotte had three children and her husband, Lamar, was stationed in Afghanistan. She was having a hard time because the military had stopped paying her for some reason a couple of months back. She had filed paperwork but nothing was resolved. She was taking her children to get a Christmas tree late one night when they were stopped by gang members outside the store. She called 911 and the police officer took the tree along with her and her family back home.
One of "Toot's" friends, Sophie, was a psychic and had felt something weird when she bumped into Charlotte at Toot's house. She had a vision that something was wrong and tried to find Charlotte. She left a message the night they had the run in with the gang but didn't find Charlotte until the next morning. She didn't know why she was having visions of her or what they meant. She was just determined that night to find her and he family. She felt they needed help somehow. She called Toot's who called Blanche. Toots ended up telling Blanche off and promising her that she would lose her business due to her treatment of those working for her and others whom she treated as if they were beneath her.
Sophie went to see her and had another vision when they met. The vision had something to do with an old book that Toot's had found and given to her daughter, Abby. They went to Abby's house and went through the book. They figured out that Charlotte's great-great-grandfather was the same as Charlotte's. They were distantly related. Charlotte's relatives had been slaves. Toots family had just increased to include Charlotte family.
Toots was using the donations that came in for the showing of her home to fund a foundation called Hope for Heroes. Her husband told Toots that he had been in touch with some women they had heard of called the Vigilantes who wanted to help with the foundation and would help her find sponsors.
Toots friends, known as the Godmothers, had all gotten together and worked to find Lamar and bring him home to be with Charlotte and his family for Christmas. They all had Christmas together.
A Golden Tree: Holly Simmons was granddaughter to the owner of The Grove Place Inn. Her assistant was pregnant with twins and had been put on bed rest. Christmas season was just beginning. Ava had given Holly several resume's that she had looked through and told Holly to hire a replacement. She didn't plan on coming back to work but Holly had grown up with Ava and they were best friends. Holly didn't want a replacement.
Holly caved and hired the last person she interviewed, Gannon Montgomery. She didn't know that Gannon owned Draper's, their competition. He had applied for the job to find out what it was that made their Inn so successful while Draper's was failing.
The Vigilantes and The Godmother's had gotten together and met at The Grove. The Godmother's were there for an assignment. They were all a bunch of feisty older women and the Godmother's wanted some excitement in their lives. The Vigilantes had been asked for help but were on a pardon from the President and didn't want to get involved in something that would jeopardize this so the Godmother's were there to help.
Gannon's grandfather and Holly's were neighbors at The Haven. A local retirement community. Holly found this out after hiring Gannon. Gannon went to check on his grandfather who was complaining about someone tampering with his diabetes medication. He had called the Vigilantes for help. Holly found out about the women being there from Ava. She went to check on her grandfather the evening a wreath making craft was scheduled at The Grove. He wasn't home and she was worried because she had heard that he was involved in a scheme developed by the women.
The grandfathers went to a Christmas party held for the pharmacy workers where Gannon's grandfather received his medication. They went with the Godmother's to the party. One was supposed to be Gannon's grandmother's sister. The other was Holly's grandfather's date. They were supposed to get the pharmacist drunk and get him to admit to tampering with the drugs and disclose what he was doing with them.
They had gotten the pharmacist drunk and were getting ready to enter the drug store after the party when the police, who where friends of the Vigilantes arrived to arrest the pharmacist. Gannon's grandfather had sent his medication in for testing and they had found it was watered down so they had proof of the pharmacist's tampering. He was cutting the drugs and selling what he could for extra cash. He was caught now.
Ava had come to the wreath making class and Holly arrived early. Ava told her that she had found out that Gannon was manager of Draper's and the grandson of the owner. Holly walked over to Gannon who admitted to Holly who he was before she said anything to him. She surprised them all by kissing Gannon on the lips. She said it was because they were under the mistletoe and he kissed her back. They continued kissing each other for a while. Holly hadn't been interested in another guy for years. Her last boyfriend had been killed in a motorcycle accident while her and Ava had been in college.
The case of the drug tampering was over and Holly had a new boyfriend.
December 12, 2015
This is my first introduction to the Sisterhood and the Godmothers. Not sure I like either group of ladies. Though they are out to do good for others they seem shallow most of the time and hateful sometimes. The stories often jump to endings without giving you all the information to get there.
Story 1: And the Angels Sing..........the Godmothers help find a beloved teacher so that a former student can bring Christmas joy into her life
Story 2: Naughty or Nice..........the Godmothers help to bring Christmas Joy to a single mom who struggles to keep Christmas alive in her own home while decorating the homes of rich people
Story 3: A Golden Tree........the Godmothers and Sisterhood seem a very small part of this story as they try to find out who is tampering with medications in a retirement home. The main story takes place at The Grove Place Inn where a spy from Draper's Lodge arrives to see why the Inn is so successful. Neither storyline had much heart or soul to push the stories along. My least favorite of the three stories. The name didn't seem to fit either.
Story 1: And the Angels Sing..........the Godmothers help find a beloved teacher so that a former student can bring Christmas joy into her life
Story 2: Naughty or Nice..........the Godmothers help to bring Christmas Joy to a single mom who struggles to keep Christmas alive in her own home while decorating the homes of rich people
Story 3: A Golden Tree........the Godmothers and Sisterhood seem a very small part of this story as they try to find out who is tampering with medications in a retirement home. The main story takes place at The Grove Place Inn where a spy from Draper's Lodge arrives to see why the Inn is so successful. Neither storyline had much heart or soul to push the stories along. My least favorite of the three stories. The name didn't seem to fit either.
July 13, 2020
Mindless reading, which I needed during pandemic.
December 11, 2024
Once again, I dropped into the middle of an established series to read a Christmas book. First of all, this book involved two of Fern Michaels' series; the Sisterhood and the Godmothers. While it was hard to keep the characters straight, having only just met them, they piqued my interest and I may seek them out in the future. Now to the book I read.
This would seem to be 3 short stories loosely connected by characters from both the above mentioned series. The stories themselves were all interesting in their own right. I did feel, however that there were gaps that even a faithful reader of the series' would find hard to follow.
The most compelling was Maggie's search to find her elementary school teacher. This felt like a complete story with the happy ending of them being reunited and the Sisterhood doing a very charitable thing. The other two stories felt like they were written quickly to meet a deadline. They were hard to follow and ended before they were completely laid out.
I don't know if this is typical of her writing, but the recurring characters were interesting enough to make me try one of the series from the beginning.
This would seem to be 3 short stories loosely connected by characters from both the above mentioned series. The stories themselves were all interesting in their own right. I did feel, however that there were gaps that even a faithful reader of the series' would find hard to follow.
The most compelling was Maggie's search to find her elementary school teacher. This felt like a complete story with the happy ending of them being reunited and the Sisterhood doing a very charitable thing. The other two stories felt like they were written quickly to meet a deadline. They were hard to follow and ended before they were completely laid out.
I don't know if this is typical of her writing, but the recurring characters were interesting enough to make me try one of the series from the beginning.
April 28, 2019
And the Angels Sing
I have no idea what I just read. I mean I think these are millionaires that want to share their wealth. It appears they may have also stolen money from a bad person Angus Spyder and Robin Hoodish using it for good. I think they're from all walks of life. attorney, hacker, long haul driver, one young guy Dennis? Anyways the main story is one of group member they call themselves the Vigilantes want to correct an injustice from 25+ years ago. They find the former elementary school teacher but the assault was never addressed. 2 stars
Naughty or Nice
Once again I have no idea what I read. I think it was about finding family. An interior designer who's ancestor was a rape baby of the homeowner's ancestor. Does that sentence make sense? anyways four couples were married on the same say and one couple is a 70+ y/o lady who's still in her honeymoon phase with her 50+ y/o stud lmao.. dreams can come true!! Another couple were married before their parents married each other. Imagine saying this is my spouse AND step sibling lol. at the very end Maggie from the first short extended an invite to one of the married couples so hopefully the last short ties all these characters together. 2 stars
A Golden Tree
Sooooo. I really wanted to like this last short story. anyways this had similar characters from story one and two working together in solving a drug crime. I didn't care for the conversations just really odd speech pattern. 2 stars
I have no idea what I just read. I mean I think these are millionaires that want to share their wealth. It appears they may have also stolen money from a bad person Angus Spyder and Robin Hoodish using it for good. I think they're from all walks of life. attorney, hacker, long haul driver, one young guy Dennis? Anyways the main story is one of group member they call themselves the Vigilantes want to correct an injustice from 25+ years ago. They find the former elementary school teacher but the assault was never addressed. 2 stars
Naughty or Nice
Once again I have no idea what I read. I think it was about finding family. An interior designer who's ancestor was a rape baby of the homeowner's ancestor. Does that sentence make sense? anyways four couples were married on the same say and one couple is a 70+ y/o lady who's still in her honeymoon phase with her 50+ y/o stud lmao.. dreams can come true!! Another couple were married before their parents married each other. Imagine saying this is my spouse AND step sibling lol. at the very end Maggie from the first short extended an invite to one of the married couples so hopefully the last short ties all these characters together. 2 stars
A Golden Tree
Sooooo. I really wanted to like this last short story. anyways this had similar characters from story one and two working together in solving a drug crime. I didn't care for the conversations just really odd speech pattern. 2 stars
December 13, 2018
It's Christmas season so of course I read a Christmas book. Isn't that the thing to do at this time of year?
I'm not sure I was super fond of this book and I think it was because it was hard to get into. I recommend reading the other books connected to all the novellas in this series so you can know who the characters are and connect with them.
It was hard to do that with this since I hadn't.
Also the endings always seemed to happen so fast and sometimes out of nowhere that it was hard to believe how nicely it all went at the end. So maybe some of these shouldn't have been novellas and should have been longer fics because they needed more time to add on to them to make the endings believable.
I'm not sure I was super fond of this book and I think it was because it was hard to get into. I recommend reading the other books connected to all the novellas in this series so you can know who the characters are and connect with them.
It was hard to do that with this since I hadn't.
Also the endings always seemed to happen so fast and sometimes out of nowhere that it was hard to believe how nicely it all went at the end. So maybe some of these shouldn't have been novellas and should have been longer fics because they needed more time to add on to them to make the endings believable.
December 26, 2020
Don’t make the same mistake I did. I picked up this book because I was looking for a Christmas novel. I should have noticed it was number 26.5 in a series. Don’t start with this one. There were a lot of characters and I never figured out who was who. There were a lot of details included to try to catch me up, but they made my head spin. There was a lot of info updating me on what each of them had been up to, which would have interested me if I knew the characters. I think people who read this series would probably enjoy this novel, but if they’re on number 26, they probably don’t care about reviews.
February 2, 2022
Apparently, having read the first books in this series would have helped a great deal. There were three short stories that I listened to. The first two made reference to previous books I hadn't read, but when I looked up Fern Michaels, I had no idea where to begin. They were amusing short stories but would have been better had I any idea what they were actually discussing. The third story was all right as a stand-alone. It didn't need much introduction. If you've read about the couples "generosity" previously, I'm sure you'll enjoy this book more than I.
January 4, 2023
I hate to start off the note on a negative note, but I really didn't like these characters. They did good things--wonderful--but their personalities all seemed harsh and rude.
Really, if I had friends like these, I'd find a new group. Ah, well, makes me appreciate the people I do have in my life--that don't constantly talk about strangling each other. There were three books in 1 and I wouldn't recommend any.
Bless their hearts.
Really, if I had friends like these, I'd find a new group. Ah, well, makes me appreciate the people I do have in my life--that don't constantly talk about strangling each other. There were three books in 1 and I wouldn't recommend any.
Bless their hearts.
December 23, 2016
I don't like to give bad reviews but this one was tough. You really need to have read other books in the series to really know the people and what's going on. Each of the three stories was drug out forever then abruptly ended with the last chapter and epilogue. And I just couldn't relate to any of it. Rich, southern grandmothers might like the characters....
December 21, 2018
I was a little overwhelmed by the number of characters that already seemed established, but that’s my fault for not having read the other books in this series. This had three short Christmas stories. The first two were about charity and giving, and the third was like a Hallmark Christmas movie, only shorter. Overall it was a cute, Christmassy read.
January 2, 2019
Three stories to satisfy you at this season, each different, yet each with a note of the spirit of the holiday. Both the Sisterhood and the Godmother stories are very enjoyable. The third story involves both in a mystery while the main story occurs without them. It was funny and warm with a delightful bit of bickering.
January 16, 2021
This was probably the worst book that I read this year. Truly awful writing and the characters were unbelievable. Just as the stories started getting slightly interesting, they were wrapped up with implausible endings. I read the whole book because I couldn’t believe it could possibly get worse, but it did. 2 stars is generous.
January 13, 2024
Three short stories involving the Ladies of the Sisterhood. Not what I had expected. One story, based in Charleston around a historic holiday tour of homes; hearing about the decor was fun, but a lot of drama too. I just couldn’t relate to the Sisters and Godmother’s, and all their shenanigans. All problems were resolved, but don’t think I’ll read another book like this.
December 27, 2018
Brings the godmothers and sisterhood together to make a great Christmas for others. Maggie wants to find a teacher she things she’s wronged. Friends work together to solve a couple mysteries and create a great Christmas.
October 21, 2019
This book had 2 stories in it with the same characters. The first one was about a woman wanting to find a school teacher she had years before to make amends to her. To give her a great Christmas.
The other one was about being a guest at Grove Place Inn.
Not my favorite book.
The other one was about being a guest at Grove Place Inn.
Not my favorite book.
June 28, 2020
I’m all for stories being whimsical, serving as escapism etc, but UGH.
So. Many. Names in these few short stories.
You definitely need to be familiar with the series, which I am not.
Everyone is rich, great kids, talented, chock full of good deeds etc.
Give me a break 🤣
So. Many. Names in these few short stories.
You definitely need to be familiar with the series, which I am not.
Everyone is rich, great kids, talented, chock full of good deeds etc.
Give me a break 🤣
December 11, 2020
Did not realize this book is a sequel. Has characters that I am supposed to know but don't. Three shorter stories so that part was nice but I have not interest in the characters. Maybe Fern Michaels is not a good author for me!
Read
January 10, 2021I read the first of three short stories, none of the characters grabbed me as being real or having any depth, conversations were similarly unreal and shallow. The characters had unlimited financial resources which added to the lack of reality.
December 9, 2021
I picked this book up bc it was a holiday book. But the series was, I guess, such an established series that I felt lost with the characters and storylines. There were so many characters! I liked where this book ended up but I needed more info up front.
December 20, 2021
2.5, I was pretty disappointed. The first story was wonderful! The next two didn't seem to fit or flow nicely. I usually get all the feels with Fern Michaels stories but this trio didn't do it for me.
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