Rafe and Miranda Castillo already had everything they wanted for Christmas...each other. But with the clan pushing for a “proper” wedding ceremony, what was supposed to be a quiet, romantic Christmas has quickly morphed into a whirlwind of frantic activity.
In between squeezing in a pre-holiday booking at the Cathedral in Santa Fe, searching for a wedding dress, and dealing with inter-clan etiquette, Rafe and Miranda manage to sneak in a few intimate moments.
But when Rafe’s cousin Sophia calls, he finds himself with an unexpected loose end to tie up. If it’s not properly sealed and locked away, it could come back to throw a shadow on the clan’s future….
A native of Southern California, Christine Pope has been writing stories ever since she commandeered her family’s Smith-Corona typewriter back in the sixth grade. Many reams of dead trees later, she’s happy to announce that her debut novel, Fringe Benefits,was published by Pink Petal Books on April 8, 2010. Her short fiction has appeared in Astonishing Adventures, Luna Station Quarterly, and the new journal of dark fiction, Dark Valentine. Her paranormal novella, Playing With Fire, was released on August 5, 2010.
While Fringe Benefits is a straight contemporary romance, she writes in a variety of genres, including paranormal romance, fantasy, horror, science fiction, and historical romance. She blames this on being easily distracted by bright, shiny objects, which could also account for the size of her shoe collection.
After spending many years in the magazine publishing industry, she now works as a freelance editor in addition to writing fiction. She lives with her husband and an explosively fluffy Pomeranian mix. Her house is pink, but don’t hold that against her.
This was a nice little novella to tidy up the loose ends for Miranda and Rafe, prima and consort of the Canyon Road Witches. I've really enjoyed this series. Keep 'em coming, please.
Not nearly as good as some of her others . . . she writes so well that I always enjoy her style, but these just weren't as good except for the last one, A Demon Born.
The first three listed must be read together. They are basically one longer book. The reason I do not like these three books as well as others of hers was that I just didn't buy some of the facts/situations. Some examples: The author might have been able to convince me, or she might have thought up other reasons that would have supported her situations, but she didn't. Thin.
The Christmas Story was just meh. I mean, it was ok, and a nice, happy piece, maybe in the 3&1/2 to 4 range, but parts seemed so repetitive, and then towards the end, there was like a whole page of internal exposition by the protagonist that was absolutely repeated a few pages later almost verbatim. Snore! Either poor proofreading or trying to stretch? Not sure
Finally, the last one was fun. Well-paced, fun, I just liked it. I think you can skip the others and just read this one if you are like me . . . So many books, so little time.
I thought this little book was a wonderful tying together of loose ends and tying the knot. But do not think that this novella was a trip straight to the alter! NO WAY!!! Pope in her usual complicated weaving the fabric reflecting the clan's lives throws in an unexpected "left over " from the Simon ordeal. The wedding was everything the original attempt should have been; you knew it was coming, but you have to read all the details, right up to the Christmas goose. Angela and Conner even teleported for the event so Miranda got her wish to have her dad walk her down the isle. Thank you Christine for a lovely Christmas present by giving us this lovely encore! Ready to experience Cat's journey to happiness.
A Canyon Road Christmas by Christine Pope was a nice surprise! Note: this review contains spoilers! Rafe and Miranda are married, at least by a justice of the law, and are ready to get on with their lives. But now that the danger is over, the rest of the family wants a church wedding with all of the trimmings. Nothing goes as it should for these witches so I was waiting for something terrible to happen. Nothing did! Instead, the one problem was handled nicely by Miranda and the wedding went off without a hitch. It was so nice to see something go right for these two! I feel like they are friends from reading the other books in the series, and it’s always nice to see your friends happy! Another great story!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Christine Pope’s “A Canyon Road Christmas, Book 4” is a short but sweet novella with the now familiar characters from The Witches of Canyon Road Series. It’s a haunting holiday romance story, with the Castillo Clan urging for the long overdue proper church wedding ceremony. This special event was previously interrupted due to the horrifying occurrences that had threaten Miranda and Rafe happiness as seen in “Mysterious Ways, Book 3”. The novella is full of magic, love and family. I adore this series and looking forward to the next book.
Miranda and Rafe's story has not been an easy or straight forward!
They may now have made it and got married but with the Castillo Clan, you're not marries unless its at church. So they are doing a stripped down but still grand affair, right before Christmas. Cos they just need that added stress, LOL!
Great little bridge between what was Miranda and Rafe's trilogy and what is to be the next story, Cat's! festive fun, frolics and merriment and a few teary eyes - I love a wedding, even fictional ones!
Christine Pope has spread the warm feeling of Christmas and weddings in one holiday story. This is the fourth book in the Witches of Canyon Road series. It follows Miranda and Rafe as they prepare to have a formal wedding for Rafe’s family. I’m wondering where the Hallmark movie is, because it feels very much like it should be a movie. I enjoyed this short story a lot. It is short in comparison to the rest of the series, but that does not detract from the beauty of Miranda and Rafe as they navigate through their new marriage and roles in the Castillo clan. I received an ARC.
After reading the conclusion to the drama that Miranda and Rafe went through in the last book, this was a nice light read. It continues to reference the events of the other books, which works great if you're like me and it's been a while since you've visited the Witches of Canyon Road series. I enjoyed it because it helps tie up loose ends for Miranda and Rafe, but you're still getting glimpses of potential threads that can be followed in future books. I'm really curious to see where Cat's story goes now! I received an advanced copy and volunteered to review.
This is a NON-SPOILER REVIEW. A Canyon Road Christmas by Christine Pope is a great addition to the Witches of Canyon Road series. While this storyline was a little more sedate than the experiences we have had in the series so far, I thought it was thought provoking. I like that there is closure to events in the previous books as well as character growth. I found this story heartwarming. Miranda and Rafe have been through so much to be together and I love that you get that from their perspective. This is a series read and should be read in order to get the most enjoyment out of the story.
This was a nice addition to the Canyon Road series following Rafe and Miranda as they work towards their actual wedding. It was nice to see Miranda's parents make an appearance but I felt Miranda was shortchanged slightly without her siblings being present as well. Rafe's family and clan have really embraced Miranda which I liked. I am invested in this series and look forward to the next installment. This was my favorite so far in the series even though it is only a novella.
It's good that her parents got 2 dhow up this x 4 the wedding but they could of stayed a little bit longer. It's good that Raf and his family welcomed her more now than b4 especially after what happened last x. I hope that the twins get their books 2. It's like they were kids then out of the blue their supposedly married with kids. That's a big gap in between. I can't wait 4 more asap!!
Rafe and Miranda finally get the wedding their families and clans have been waiting to celebrate. Although they were married at city hall, more is expected of the prima and her consort. Their families come together to embrace the victory against evil and to rejoice in their union.
A light, delightful ending to the challenges of books 1 to 3
Miranda and Rafe settle down into beginning their new lives as a married couple, and as Castillo prima and consort. This is both a perfect ending to books 1 to 3, and a perfect beginning for their married lives.