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The Bells of Christmas II: Eight Stories of Christmas Hope
100% of profits
from sales will go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“Roll up, roll up, folks! Hear ye, read ye … these eight—yes eight—stupefying stories we have for you upon this year’s yuletide. Come one, come all for tidings of Christmas hope! Savor these dainty dramas and delight in delicious darkness fantastical, with all sure to enchant readers aplenty this holiday season!
“Come, good gentlefolk, as we alight gently on December 24th, the last sleep before Christmas! In Bradley Harper’s The Bells of Christmas the midnight carols have echoed off into the night as Julius slumbers beneath his bleak blanket, nestled in the bowels of the homeless shelter. A visitor will arrive to make his Christmas wish come true in a most unexpected way …
“Beware, have a care! For Derek McFadden is back among the ghosts in The Last Christmas Gift, in which Travis is on the edge of despair while on a most unexpected boat ride. Look yonder, good gentlefolk, for there, just boarding … surely not Pops, his beloved grandfather departed these twenty years hence …?
“Now, light ye all A Winter Candle as we partake of Bradley Harper’s telling of Ben, newly retired from the military. What is an old soldier to do when he feels his family is lost to him? Why, folks, become a Santa Claus, of course! But who is it that detects the faintest flicker of hope in his heart? I tell you, someone up North is watching …
“But lo! Not all these gifts within are fiction. Oh, no, good folks! For within, there sit true-life encounters too. Hear Bradley Harper recount fact stranger than fiction! Hear ye what he’s learned in What Santa Has Taught Me, an essay of experiences as a real-life Santa Claus.
“Good people, come close … let me whisper this to ye … ‘Who among us didn’t love Christmases when we were all but wee wildlings?’ Ah, then relive the magic of your childhood in Maria O’Rourke’s Calling Us Home as she lovingly recalls the magic of Irish Christmases of yore, where enchantment and excitement were magic unto themselves!
“Will Knight’s The Bear’s Last Word on the Matter fairly hales at the heartstrings in this final pull of Christmas crackers for one lad’s special childhood friend at the “Bears Cares Home.” With one last Christmas together, are their adventures truly concluded?
“And now, I ask you all, fair dare you encounter the bitter-sweetness of The Sugar Plum Redux? Lilla Glass gifts us a fantastical fae, a tenebrous telling of The Nutcracker from a very different point of view …
“Ah, but all good things … Yet still one last journey, fair folk, where we must ask ourselves if Gus is not the hero in his own story, then who can it be? Andy, the ‘real’ and righteous writer? Or perhaps Daphne, the nonconformist neighbor? Before we reach journey’s end, Erol Engin will show us how even the most selfish and insecure can provide a Christmas miracle in A Tintoretto of the Soul.
“Bless you, one and all, for your forbearance! Click ye yonder buy now button and may your generous soul bequeath donations desired by that most worthy and hearty of hospitals, St Jude! For, above all, ’tis surely the season for children.
“Roll up, roll up, folks! Hear ye, read ye … these eight—yes eight—stupefying stories we have for you upon this year’s yuletide. Come one, come all for tidings of Christmas hope! Savor these dainty dramas and delight in delicious darkness fantastical, with all sure to enchant readers aplenty this holiday season!
“Come, good gentlefolk, as we alight gently on December 24th, the last sleep before Christmas! In Bradley Harper’s The Bells of Christmas the midnight carols have echoed off into the night as Julius slumbers beneath his bleak blanket, nestled in the bowels of the homeless shelter. A visitor will arrive to make his Christmas wish come true in a most unexpected way …
“Beware, have a care! For Derek McFadden is back among the ghosts in The Last Christmas Gift, in which Travis is on the edge of despair while on a most unexpected boat ride. Look yonder, good gentlefolk, for there, just boarding … surely not Pops, his beloved grandfather departed these twenty years hence …?
“Now, light ye all A Winter Candle as we partake of Bradley Harper’s telling of Ben, newly retired from the military. What is an old soldier to do when he feels his family is lost to him? Why, folks, become a Santa Claus, of course! But who is it that detects the faintest flicker of hope in his heart? I tell you, someone up North is watching …
“But lo! Not all these gifts within are fiction. Oh, no, good folks! For within, there sit true-life encounters too. Hear Bradley Harper recount fact stranger than fiction! Hear ye what he’s learned in What Santa Has Taught Me, an essay of experiences as a real-life Santa Claus.
“Good people, come close … let me whisper this to ye … ‘Who among us didn’t love Christmases when we were all but wee wildlings?’ Ah, then relive the magic of your childhood in Maria O’Rourke’s Calling Us Home as she lovingly recalls the magic of Irish Christmases of yore, where enchantment and excitement were magic unto themselves!
“Will Knight’s The Bear’s Last Word on the Matter fairly hales at the heartstrings in this final pull of Christmas crackers for one lad’s special childhood friend at the “Bears Cares Home.” With one last Christmas together, are their adventures truly concluded?
“And now, I ask you all, fair dare you encounter the bitter-sweetness of The Sugar Plum Redux? Lilla Glass gifts us a fantastical fae, a tenebrous telling of The Nutcracker from a very different point of view …
“Ah, but all good things … Yet still one last journey, fair folk, where we must ask ourselves if Gus is not the hero in his own story, then who can it be? Andy, the ‘real’ and righteous writer? Or perhaps Daphne, the nonconformist neighbor? Before we reach journey’s end, Erol Engin will show us how even the most selfish and insecure can provide a Christmas miracle in A Tintoretto of the Soul.
“Bless you, one and all, for your forbearance! Click ye yonder buy now button and may your generous soul bequeath donations desired by that most worthy and hearty of hospitals, St Jude! For, above all, ’tis surely the season for children.
206 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 19, 2021
1 person is currently reading
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 27, 2021
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
The Bells of Christmas II is a beautiful compilation of Christmas stories perfect for Christmas eve especially.
The best part about this book is that all proceeds made on the book go to St Judes Childrens Research Hospital!
Each story is wonderfully written,heartfelt and heartwarming. We discover tales of meaning in life, miracles, selflessness, kindness, joy, and love.
Each tale is different to the last and I've discovered a handful of new authors I'm hoping to check out soon!
If you want a Christmas book to cozy up with and get you into the true spirit of Christmas, I definitely suggest this book to read!
The Bells of Christmas II is a beautiful compilation of Christmas stories perfect for Christmas eve especially.
The best part about this book is that all proceeds made on the book go to St Judes Childrens Research Hospital!
Each story is wonderfully written,heartfelt and heartwarming. We discover tales of meaning in life, miracles, selflessness, kindness, joy, and love.
Each tale is different to the last and I've discovered a handful of new authors I'm hoping to check out soon!
If you want a Christmas book to cozy up with and get you into the true spirit of Christmas, I definitely suggest this book to read!
December 29, 2021
Overall, a fun book with fun stories about not only Christmas, but people finding hope for the future at Christmas. Some of the stories are stronger than others. Bradley Harper is the main author featured in the book, and his stories were among the most enjoyable. Really enjoyed the story about Sugar Plum by Lilla Glass! I thought it to be quite creative. Maria O'Rourke's recounting of childhood Christmases was delightful. The other stories were weaker in my estimation, but depending on what you like to read, have their merit. I will say that I would have enjoyed Will Knight's story more without the framing of the story. The "then" sections were fun, the "now" detracted from the overall story.
December 27, 2021
The Bells of Christmas 2 is a beautiful selection of short Christmas stories from Papillon du Père Publishing with all profits going to charity. Each story in this book I found to be great in their own way and as I sat considering how I would review this book I wrote down the 8 short stories and marking down how I scored each one, only to find that I scored each of them 5 stars.
I personally connected the most with The Last Christmas Gift by Derek McFadden and A Winter Candle by Bradley Harper as I found these both to be very much emotion evoking stories and written in a beautiful way. The Bear's Last Word on the Matter by Will Knight is a very fun Christmas read which I found to be different from anything I'd read before but really did love. The Sugar Plum Redux from Lilla Glass was an intriguing take on the world of dreams and something which I found to have a lovely flow and it felt both light in the telling yet darker in the theme of nightmares. Calling us Home: An Irish Christmas by Maria O'Rourke felt very much like someone telling a personal account of what their Christmas times have been like growing up. A Tintoretto of the Soul from Erol Engin sees how much words can mean to those writing them and looks at the idea of whether luck is a major part of the success and ultimately we determine what success actually looks like by the end of the story. The book itself comes on the back of the original work that started this idea for the publisher, The Bells of Christmas by Bradley Harper and it is clear to see why the publisher decided that they needed to ensure this story was told and not missed out by readers. Bradley Harper also has What Santa Taught Me, which is a personal tale from when he himself worked as a Santa.
This book is one which sees 100% of profits go to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and this is what drew me to this book but what I would say to anyone reading this is that the book is one which is truly worth reading and the fact you know you are also doing some good by reading it is an added bonus.
I personally connected the most with The Last Christmas Gift by Derek McFadden and A Winter Candle by Bradley Harper as I found these both to be very much emotion evoking stories and written in a beautiful way. The Bear's Last Word on the Matter by Will Knight is a very fun Christmas read which I found to be different from anything I'd read before but really did love. The Sugar Plum Redux from Lilla Glass was an intriguing take on the world of dreams and something which I found to have a lovely flow and it felt both light in the telling yet darker in the theme of nightmares. Calling us Home: An Irish Christmas by Maria O'Rourke felt very much like someone telling a personal account of what their Christmas times have been like growing up. A Tintoretto of the Soul from Erol Engin sees how much words can mean to those writing them and looks at the idea of whether luck is a major part of the success and ultimately we determine what success actually looks like by the end of the story. The book itself comes on the back of the original work that started this idea for the publisher, The Bells of Christmas by Bradley Harper and it is clear to see why the publisher decided that they needed to ensure this story was told and not missed out by readers. Bradley Harper also has What Santa Taught Me, which is a personal tale from when he himself worked as a Santa.
This book is one which sees 100% of profits go to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and this is what drew me to this book but what I would say to anyone reading this is that the book is one which is truly worth reading and the fact you know you are also doing some good by reading it is an added bonus.
April 20, 2022
Fun for the Holidays
Really, this book can be enjoyed whenever but I’m sure it’ll pack in the extra zing during the holidays. Eights stories, and all of them were easy to get into and stay engaged. I like that the stories weren’t the traditional feel good, Christmas spirit type of stories. They had a solid combo of lightheartedness and grit to make for a unique and entertaining read.
Really, this book can be enjoyed whenever but I’m sure it’ll pack in the extra zing during the holidays. Eights stories, and all of them were easy to get into and stay engaged. I like that the stories weren’t the traditional feel good, Christmas spirit type of stories. They had a solid combo of lightheartedness and grit to make for a unique and entertaining read.
January 27, 2022
This is a wonderful collection of 8 Christmas stories in one book. They are feel good stories that warm the heart. I got the book shortly after Christmas, and I was very glad I did. I was feeling a little blue, and this book cheered me right up. It reminds you that the human spirit is very kind even during these turbulent times.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews