Spirit of Christmas Anthology

by Rachel Carrington, Barbara Brutt, Debra Curwen

Making Christmas Magic

Ainsley Beck is dedicated to the orphanage she runs and the twelve kids that are her responsibility. Sure, the house could use a lot of repairs, but it’s hers. That is, she believes it is until a handsome doctor arrives at her doorstep three days before Christmas to tell her that he’s inherited the property…and it’s in foreclosure. But Noah seems more determined to help her keep the house…and him.


Take a Right at the Mistletoe

Matilda bakes confections for the holiday tourists in Vienna while dreaming of going to culinary school. Dylan comes to Vienna to from a career-upending mistake and to unearth new inspiration. But when he nitpicks Matilda's marzipan, she hears fighting words. They strike a deal: he'll taste test and she'll show him around Vienna. With each new pastry experiment and Viennese adventure, their relationship sweetens, but distance and separate dreams may keep this couple from finding anything more.

Remember Me at Christmas

Christmas inspired Andi open her own Christmas workshop. Andi's Antiques is now a thriving business, and she sees a long future ahead. But she hadn't counted on Mike who wields his charm like a weapon or his determination to buy out her business. She isn’t selling, but falling in love, well, that may be a different story.

248 pages, Paperback

Published November 23, 2020

About the author

Follow me on Bookbub to keep up with the my latest book releases! https://tinyurl.com/56zcy3cz

I write romantic suspense, era romance, historical fiction, and more! I'm also a writing instructor, a freelance writer, and an entertainment journalist.

I hope you enjoy reading my books, and feel free to email me if you have any questions!

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Reviews

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good selection of Christmas Romance

Spirit of Christmas
Ainsley runs an orphanage with 12 children till a handsome Dr arrives before Christmas to tell her he`s inherited her house and wants to sell it.

Take A Right At The Mistletoe
Matilda apply`s at culinary school whilst helping on her family stall in Vienna at Christmas selling a range of confectionery.
Dylan comes along and buys a range of the sweets, every day then Matilda agrees to show him round Vienna then one day he doesn`t arrive, Has he forgotten Matilda or will he return?
A good Christmas romance very atmospheric.

Remember Me At Christmas
8 year old Andi makes friends with the elderly neighbour who gives her a beautiful locked box before she goes to live with her relatives.
Years later Andi is running her own antique shop until Mike comes along wanting to buy her out so he can open another pub to add to his collection.as he had family connections to the small town.
A great christmas romance with a twist to the end, definitely recommend

Thanks Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

[Chantel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is comprised of three (3) novellas written by Rachel Carrington (Spirit of Christmas), Barbara Brutt (Take A Right At The Mistletoe) & Debra Curwen (Remember Me At Christmas). Each story presents the reader with a quaint Christmas tale.

This is usually not the type of literature I am drawn to (romance) but I wanted to take a chance on this one because tis' the season. I was very pleasantly surprised! These stories are well-put-together & leave one with very warm feelings. I would encourage you, should you choose to pursue reading them, to not read them while being overly critical. There are a lot of aspects in the stories that don't check out in real life but for the purpose of a warm Christmas love story, it works.

I would recommend this book & these stories to anyone looking for an easy Christmas read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing, Rachel Carrington, Debra Curwen & Barbara Brutt for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

First we have Ainsley Beck fighting to keep her orphanage while also falling for the man who might take it away from her. This was a very Hallmark-esque novella. Ainsley and Noah had a quick romance, but also very sweet in how he was trying to help her instead of being nasty and taking it all away.

Next we travel to Vienna at Christmas to see if Matilda will make it into culinary school and if Dylan will find his inspiration. Luckily they find each other and we get a cute romance! This is a beautiful chicklit romance that shares all the beauty of Vienna at Christmas and makes you want to eat all the sweets. Matilda and Dylan both have their things to overcome, but they help each other out and fall in love in the process.

Last is another small town Christmas romance where Mike is trying to buy out the business Andi has so lovingly built. Luckily he’s willing to compromise when he starts falling for the store owner. This was such a cute, believable romance. They have some “love at first sight” feelings but then go on some cute dates and get to know each other.

These novellas are great, fluffy romances to enjoy by a roaring fire with a hot drink this Christmas season!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Rachel Chambers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of 3 short stories based around the Christmas period.

The first sees Ainsley's world turned upside down when the building her orphanage is in is put in foreclosure. With the help of the very lovely Dr Riordan can she save the orphanage in time for Christmas?

The second and probably my favourite of the three stories is set in Vienna. Matilda is a budding baker and works with her mum's at a Christmas market. She however longs to go to culinary school but her application is rejected. She meets a mysterious American who has other ideas for her.

Finally we meet Andie who runs an antique shop. Mike, a successful businessman wants to buy her building to open a bar. With a connection from their past will love blossom between them?

I really enjoyed these stories. Short and sweet and perfect in the build up to Christmas.

[Amanda Lavelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
This book is made up of 3 seasonal novellas that are jam packed with Christmas content. If you’re looking for a cozy quick read in between all the Christmas preparation, or a bit of escapism from the reality of 2020, then these are well worth checking out. These are sweet romances with no profanity so I feel that you could happily share these stories with your mum or your gran!
I’m going to be honest and say I don’t know how well I’m going to remember these stories in the coming months, but these were lovely for the here and now. 3.5 stars

[Nicola “Shortbookthyme” · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spirit of Christmas is 3 heartfelt Christmas stories that make for a nice, light Christmas read. Each story includes an abundance of love, friendships, family and romance. The stories are sweet and short....sure to draw you into the spirit of the Christmas holiday.
I would definitely recommend the Spirit of Christmas for anyone looking to read beautiful Christmas stories.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Nancy]

Thank you NetGalley, Rachel Carrington, Barbara Brutt, Debra Curwen and Victory Editing for the ARC of the book Spirit of Christmas. This is my personal review.
This is three novellas that are such a beautiful collection they will all put a smile on your face as your read them. They are all full of friendships, family, love, and the love of your life being found when you aren’t looking.
This is a wonderful way to spend part of a day. The holiday spirit can be felt in each story.

[Linda Tilling · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely fluffy selection of Christmas romance books with the obligatory love story running through it. Very nice light reading for a winter's evening before bed and great writing because each story drew me in and was perfect for the run up to Christmas to give you the warm romantic winter glow.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. This book has three short stories that take place during Christmas time. So if you like light hearted Christmas stories this will be perfect for you. Great for Christmas season which is right around the corner.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who can resist a Christmas Book? Not me. This was a delightful read and a perfect book for a gift for my mum or aunt.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I received a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Am I writing a review about a Christmas book in May, almost June? Well yes, yes I am (actually started reading this during Christmas time, but ended up finishing it some time later though!).

This book is a collection of short Christmas stories, which I love! They reminded of the typical Christmas movies you see on TV around that time, and I don't know about you, but I'm a big fan of those! Even with all their cheesiness (that's just a big plus for me, actually).

I enjoyed reading these, they gave me those warm feelings you expect to get when you read a cute Christmas romance. Although I did like one story a little bit more than the others.

Now for the kinda spoilery part... I thought I'd share my feelings about each of the stories:



1) The first one was very cute, and the couple was really adorable, they were both very kind and nice people. The people around town though... well, they were certainly quick to judge xD but I guess they were just looking out for their people? There's also a misunderstanding in this story that went a liiittle bit out of control, if you ask me. Still very cute though! This was my favorite of them all.

2) It's a bit hard for me to say this, but I couldn't bring myself to like this one, I actually couldn't finish reading it. I didn't like the main character right from the start and, even though I speak german myself, I didn't understand why all that german vocabulary was just thrown in there.

3) The last story was very interesting, but one of the main characters was a little confusing and oh so frustrating to me. He seemed kind of nice and all, but some things he did when it came to his job... I don't know, I just don't think those things he wanted to do were necessary at all, he was a bit rude and condescending. Like, Mike, my boy, why is your pub necessarily more important than someone's shop?
But hey, he does start to make things right (in his own way), and the back story is actually pretty nice and cute.



And there you have it!

I hope it can help some people decide about getting this, I think it was a very nice read, and I love these kinds of Christmas stories collections :)

[Rona Nimmo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spirit of Christmas
A Holiday Anthology
by Rachel Carrington, Barbara Brutt, Debra Curwen

A select of 3 hallmark esk Christmas novella
The first is about Ainsley who runs an orphanage that she loves. A few days before Christmas a handsome doctor appears and tells her there is a foreclosure on the building he has inherited and he is claiming it and is selling. Noah is there to help Ainsley fight the foreclosure and save the orphanage.

Matilda has a Christmas bakery stall at a Christmas market and has dreamed of attending culinary school. Dylan buys her a range of sweets and she has hopes of a romance. Then he fails to turn up.

The last is Andi’s antiques and Mike comes in as he wants to buy the store to make it into a pub to add to his others. This story has a bit of a twist to it as there is a secret connection.

A bit of a fluffy feel good collection I feel very predictable and average collection does what it says on the tin type book.

[Leanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this Anthology in exchange for an honest review. The first story is a sweet story a bit like a feel good Christmas movie but the second I didn't enjoy at all too many German terms and felt like a language lesson so I lost interest and sadly that put me off even reading the 3rd short story. Overall a mixed bag and not really for me.