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Christmas Heartwarmers & Holiday Smiles

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10 Tales of Heart, Hope & Humor - Portion of Proceeds to Benefit St. Jude Research Hospital

Snuggle by the fire this season to warm your heart with stories of love and hope by ten award-winning, bestselling authors. This wonderful variety includes small town mysteries, heart-tugging romance and enough Christmas to get everyone in the mood. All of our books have happy endings with lots of friendship, family and fluffy white snow!
The authors want to thank you for supporting their Christmas cause, St. Jude’s Hospital, where no child is turned away for treatment.

ROAD TO CHRISTMAS PAST - Kathi Daley
Holly Thompson’s life changes forever when she receives an early Christmas present from her dead Aunt Meg—a gorgeous Private Investigator. When Ben Holiday claims to have a clue about Holly’s unknown parentage, Holly sets out on a Christmas road trip in the hope of finding the family she never knew she had.

CHRISTMAS DEADLINE - Pam Binder
Bestselling thriller writer, Noel Atteberry never met an obstacle he couldn’t overcome until his editor paired him with stubborn romance author, Holly Lane. Living on his estate in England, Noel has managed to avoid love. But with their Christmas deadline looming, all he can think about is Holly.

COWABUNGA CHRISTMAS (Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery) - Anna Celeste Burke
It's a Cowabunga Christmas in Corsario Cove for newlyweds, Kim and Brien, until an unexpected visit from Santa changes everything. Murder, mayhem, and shady secrets in the cove make this a honeymoon to remember.

CHRISTMAS IN CRYSTAL CREEK - Kim Hornsby
A road closure and snowstorm traps country music star, Luanne Billings in a small town at Christmas and she finds herself at Crystal Creek Inn’s Holiday Extravaganza. When a brief opportunity to escape presents itself, she must decide between a career-changing performance and helping a child in need.

A SEASON FOR HOPE - Tammy L. Grace
From the award-winning author of the Hometown Harbor Series, comes a new heartwarming and inspirational story for the holidays, filled with the magic of the season-- a charming story about the kindness of strangers and finding hope where you never expected it. Cozy up with a holiday read sure to warm your heart.

A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW - Heidi Hostetter
On the eve of the tree lighting in the Inlet Beach town square, police find a runaway in trouble. Residents gather to help, but complications arise and unraveling the boy's past is harder than they imagine. As a blustery Pacific Northwest Christmas draws near, can they find a way to give a boy with a shattered life another chance at happiness?

TWO HEARTS’ CHRISTMAS PROMISE – Tamara Ferguson
Engaged, news correspondent Alexandra Evans and Sean Reynolds, an Air Force pilot, are planning a holiday wedding. But when Alexandra’s overseas assignment turns deadly, she returns scarred, and breaks their engagement. Can Sean convince her that beauty is only skin deep so two hearts can keep their Christmas promise?

BELLS ARE STILL RINGING – Lori Leger
No stranger to loss, Bill Broussard keeps his heart in protective mode, avoiding complicated relationships. Having raised his brother's only son, his nephew now faces bitter challenges of his own. Are the two fated to spend their lives without love, or will they finally get the chance for happiness they deserve?

A MARINE’S CHRISTMAS WEDDING – Jacki Delecki


Maddy and Hunter’s plans for a courthouse wedding unravel when a friend decides the Marines deserve a real wedding.

1060 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 6, 2018

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Pamela.
56 reviews40 followers
November 26, 2018
These were pleasant stories---moderately entertaining but not really resonant or memorable for me. It's always interesting to see a range of different writing styles, though overall the quality ranged ranged from just above average to a bit below. Recommended to pass the time, but only if you can get it from the library or at a very low price!
Profile Image for RO G'ma.
1,061 reviews43 followers
November 10, 2018
I’ve only read two of these stories so far, but I look forward to reading the others.

Cowabunga Christmas is the first book in Anna Celeste Burke’s Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery series and is a fun read. This is a well thought out and interesting mystery, with a good story line and excellent character development. The writing style flows smoothly, the book is a quick, easy read, and it is a clean cozy mystery with humor and no gratuitous sex, violence, or foul language. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well-crafted cozy mystery.

It’s Christmas time and Kim Reed (an intelligent street-smart girl and legal assistant) and Brien Williams (a pool boy turned security guard) are young newlyweds who, thanks to their friend, Jessica Huntington, are honeymooning in a luxury suite at the Sanctuary Resort and Spa in Corsario Cove in Southern California. Kim’s had a rough life, but thanks to Jessica and Brien, is getting a second chance. Kim and Brien are so different that the old adage “opposites attract” proves to be true. Early Christmas Eve morning, Kim is woke up by pounding on their door (Brien sleeps right through all the noise) and then their phone starts ringing. When Brien finally wakes up and they open the door, in walks Detective Mitchum and hotel security. With no explanation given, a couple of guys wearing disposable gloves enter their bedroom and start taking pictures and collecting evidence. Detective Mitchum finally tells them that a dead body was found floating in the resort’s pool and a Champaign bottle (same as the one in their room) and a single flute (like the only one in their room) were found at the scene. Kim and Brien admit they snuck into the pool area after hours, thought they were going to be caught when they heard footsteps coming their way, and rushed to their room. The victim, Owen Taylor, who was wearing a Santa suit had been beaten and shot twice and was probably dead before his body ended up in the pool. Brien loves to surf and Kim is a beginner, so they went to check out the waves in the cove early Christmas morning, where they meet Mick, Willow, and several other surfers. Kim and Brien belong to a group of snoops, known as the Cat Pack, so they are not strangers to murder and mayhem and can’t resist doing a little snooping and investigating of their own.

Road to Christmas Past is an emotionally charged and uplifting book written by Kathi Daley. The book is beautifully written, flows smoothly, the storyline is well plotted, and the characters are well developed and relatable. While this isn’t a cozy mystery, it’s a wonderful combination of compassion, friendship, sweet romance, mystery, and discovery and contains no violence, adult situations, or inappropriate language. I highly recommend this book.

Holly Thompson is twenty-seven years old and is a successful advice columnist for a weekly women’s magazine who lives in New York City. When Holly was a few days old, she was the only survivor of an automobile accident and investigators couldn’t identify her so she was sent to live in a foster home run by a wonderful woman named Aunt Meg in Moosehead, Minnesota where she stayed until she went to college. Aunt Meg recently passed away and left her home to Holly but prior to her passing, arranged for an early Christmas present to be delivered to Holly by Ben Holiday, a private investigator, who Meg played poker with each week. The present was Ben’s services until Christmas to try to unravel the mystery of Holly’s birth, a DVD made by Meg, and two matching sapphire and diamond necklaces that were found in diaper bags at the accident scene. This book takes us on the heartwarming journey of Holly trying to discover the mystery of her past and figure out her future.
Profile Image for Donna.
Author 7 books33 followers
November 10, 2018
Overall, I give the anthology 4.5 Stars.

**ROAD TO CHRISTMAS PAST by Kathi Daley--5 Stars
This is a complex, heartwarming story full of twists and turns and surprises galore. Holly and Ben have quite an adventure unraveling all the secrets in Holly's past. I loved that the main focus was how important family is--whether blood relatives or the family you choose.


**CHRISTMAS DEADLINE by Pam Binder--5 Stars
A cute story of two people too afraid of messing up their relationship to give love a chance. I liked that they had become friends before they actually met. It provided a solid foundation for their love. It was nice finding someone who agrees with me and doesn't think Romeo and Juliet is a romance.


**COWABUNGA CHRISTMAS by Anna Celeste Burke--5 Stars
Cowabunga Christmas is a highly enjoyable cozy mystery. It reminded me of an old-fashioned screwball comedy/mystery movie. That is a good thing because I love those movies. There were references to Brien and Kim being Moondoggie and Gidget. That certainly fits! Brien isn't the brightest bulb in the package but he has a good heart and means well. I love how he tried to use big, impressive words and always chose the wrong one. Kim is definitely brighter than Brien. The way she patiently explained to him, or someone else, what he meant was cute. She did it in a loving way and never put him down. Kim and Brien are enjoyable, likable characters. While it was obvious they were "hot" for each other, there is no sex in this story. A big plus in my book.

Kim and Brien wanted to have a Cowabunga(super memorable) Christmas and they definitely got their wish. If you enjoy cozy mysteries with a huge dose of humor, you definitely need to read this book.

**CHRISTMAS IN CRYSTAL CREEK by Kim Hornsby--4 Stars
An enjoyable Christmas story about derailed plans sometimes being the best thing that could have happened. Luanne didn't expect to end up stuck in Crystal Creek. Nick never expected to fall in love again after losing his wife. And nobody expected the Christmas miracle that occurred because of altered plans. My only problem with the story was Luanne being stuck in Crystal Creek. I didn't understand why she didn't just stay on the bus since it made it to NYC way before she needed to be there. Or why she didn't leave with Robbie's dad.


**A SEASON FOR HOPE by Tammy L. Grace--4 Stars
An enjoyable holiday story of unexpected difficulties leading to something good. Hope never expected to get stuck in a small town or to fall in love with the town and the people who helped her. While I enjoyed the story, the "romance" between Hope and Drew came out of nowhere. Drew fell in love with Jake and he helped Hope with her secret but there was never any interactions between them suggesting romance until *wham* all of a sudden he professed his love for her.


**A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW by Heidi Hostetter--5 Stars
This is an emotional story. It deals with neglect and child abuse but the main point is forgiveness, helping those in need, and love. How sometimes bending the rules and drastic measures are required to save a vulnerable child.


**TWO HEARTS’ CHRISTMAS PROMISE by Tamara Ferguson--5 Stars
Another heartwarming story about the magic of Dragonfly Pointe. When you love someone, physical imperfections make no difference. True love sees only the beauty in a person.


**A MARINE’S CHRISTMAS WEDDING by Jacki Delecki--4 Stars
This is an enjoyable story of two Marines getting married. It is obviously part of a series. I never felt any passion between Hunter and Maddy even though they professed their love. I didn't care for the 'Marine's don't feel emotions' mantra that was mentioned several times.

**BELLS ARE STILL RINGING by Lori Leger--3 Stars
I didn't finish this story. It was depressing. There is only so much death a person can take. I'd had more than my fill by the time Mike(the 7th person) died. That doesn't include the attempted suicide. I mean really...there are other ways to add drama or conflict to a story with killing off another character. This could have been a good story if the author had used some of those other means to add drama. There was definitely no Christmas cheer.


**THE SANTA TRIAL by Tess Thompson--5 Stars
A delightful story about the magic of Christmas and Santa bringing three people together to form a loving family. Reminiscent of Miracle on 34th Street with Santa on trial and a precocious little girl believing in his magic.
Profile Image for Helen.
327 reviews5 followers
December 7, 2018
E-Reader. Christian Romance / Fiction

I really enjoyed reading all theses books. Especially the 9th can you find love more than once?

Too many characters to list & so much happened in each book. Definitely Christmas Heartwarmers & Holiday
Smiles!

I hope you will enjoy all these, written by different authors, as much as I did!
Profile Image for Mary.
635 reviews4 followers
November 17, 2018
A great Christmas read !

Loved the 10 stories of Christmas, love and life. I would highly recommend these . Especially Road to Christmas Past , Season for Hope, The Santa Trial, Christmas in Crystal Creek, and Two Hearts Christmas Promise.
376 reviews4 followers
January 9, 2020
Christmas heart warmers and holiday smiles

A wonderful collection of heart warming and so sweet stories of Christmas and live and faith. Highly recommend not only for Christmas but any time.
163 reviews
November 27, 2018
Christmas is the best.

What a wonderful Christmas set. Each story was my favorite until I read the next one. They are a must read for the season. Help support St. Jude and get into the holiday spirit all at once.
57 reviews
December 10, 2018
Wonderful stories

I liked every story and found some new authors to follow. They were happy stories that lift your spirits if you are feeling overwhelmed this season. I like the donation to St Judes, too.
Profile Image for Linda Rainey.
2,348 reviews21 followers
December 11, 2018
Heartwarming Christmas Collection

I agree that this was a heartwarming Christmas Collection filled with love.
The storyline and characters were enjoyable.
This is a collection to savor snuggled up with a warm drink.
Merry Christmas.
Profile Image for Sue.
4,356 reviews5 followers
December 13, 2018
Great stories throughout about love and courage with some tragedy mixed in. This box set is for a great cause.
Profile Image for Margaret Phillips.
40 reviews
September 6, 2019
Love at Christmas

Each of the short stories of love and Christmas is a delightful surprise for the sentimental people who delight in heart warming tales.
Profile Image for EJ.
69 reviews3 followers
January 23, 2019
I loved this boxset. Every story was wonderfully written & I didn’t want any of them to end. I’m so glad I ordered it & am happy that my order helped St Jude’s.
Profile Image for Glenda Crooks.
15 reviews
September 10, 2019
Bad language

The first 2 books were OK. The last ones I could not read because of the language in them. The stories seemed to start out OK but then the language turned horrible. I can handle one or two swear words but not the ones used in these stories.
1 review
March 13, 2022
Christmas all year long.

Great read. I will save this book in my favorites and read whenever I need a little hope and joy in my life!
5 reviews
December 30, 2022
Love everywhere

I would hope everyone enjoys the books as much as did.

They made me smile and warmed my heart Thank you.
Profile Image for Renate Deutsche Oma.
1,401 reviews
January 2, 2019
Pam Binder is a new author to this avid reader. Christmas Deadline was the second selection in the boxed set Christmas Heartwarmers and Holiday Smiles: 10 Tales of Heart, Hope, and Humor - Portion of the Proceeds to Benefit St. Jude Research Hospital. This is a tale of Hope with some Humor tossed in. The premise is out of the boxed because of the collaboration of a bestselling thriller writer and a stubborn romance author. Reason for four stars - some unresolved loose ends. Did Noel Atteberry save his family's ancestral home?
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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