Kerst aan Willow Lake / Een schaatsje van zilver

Lakeshore Chronicles #Includes #10 (Candlelight Christ

by Susan Wiggs

Wie zegt dat de Kerstman niet bestaat?
Logan O'Donnell geniet ervan om vader te zijn. Alleen jammer dat hij het alleen moet doen. Bovendien woont zijn zoontje, Charlie, ver weg, waardoor hij hem niet zo vaak kan zien. Toch is Logan niet verbitterd na zijn scheiding. Sterker nog, hij is des te vastbeslotener om nu wél voor happily-ever-after te gaan. Wanneer de hele familie O'Donnell besluit om de feestdagen door te brengen in Avalon, neemt zijn zus haar beste vriendin mee. En deze Darcy Fitzgerald is precies wat Logan wil hebben voor kerst!
Darcy hoeft niet zo nodig meer een relatie. Nadat ze is bedrogen, vindt ze het prima om single te zijn. Zij hoeft dit jaar geen date onder de kerstboom! Maar, toegegeven, de broer van haar vriendin is bijzonder appetijtelijk... Weet Logan het hart van Darcy alsnog te veroveren, of kan hij daarbij wel een beetje kerstmagie gebruiken?

Met een heerlijk bonusverhaal van Susan Wiggs, Een schaatsje van zilver, waarin Elaine St. James niet veel meer verwacht van de liefde nadat Tony Fiore haar jaren geleden op kerstavond liet zitten - en ze hem plotseling weer tegen het lijf loopt... 

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Fiction, Roman, Ebooks, Audiobook, Holiday

337 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2019

About the author

Susan Wiggs's life is all about family, friends...and fiction. She lives at the water's edge on an island in Puget Sound, and she commutes to her writers' group in a 17-foot motorboat. She serves as author liaison for Field's End, a literary community on Bainbridge Island, Washington, bringing inspiration and instruction from the world's top authors to her seaside community. (See www.fieldsend.org) She's been featured in the national media, including NPR's "Talk of the Nation," and is a popular speaker locally and nationally.

According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with "refreshingly honest emotion," and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is "one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book." Booklist characterizes her books as "real and true and unforgettable." She is the recipient of three RITA (sm) awards and four starred reviews from Publishers Weekly for her books. The Winter Lodge and Passing Through Paradise have appeared on PW’s annual "Best Of" lists. Several of her books have been listed as top Booksense picks and optioned as feature films. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have made national bestseller lists, including the USA Today, Washington Post and New York Times lists.

The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book. Readers can learn more on the web at www.susanwiggs.com and on her lively blog at www.susanwiggs.wordpress.com.

Reviews

[Marit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slap romannetje maar wel cute

[Ingrid Holzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of Susan Wiggs. I didn’t realize that this book had 2 stories in it, so when the first abruptly finished I was confused. The St. James Affairs was a very short story. I would have liked it to have been more developed as I think the characters and story had more to offer. Candlelight Christmas brings us back to Avalon and Willow Lake where we get Logan O’Donnell’s story. I enjoyed the second story more as it felt like “going home” to visit friends. I gave a 4 as I was disappointed with the first story. I truly felt the resolution was too quick.

[Jayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cute Christmas Story

I would like a more in depth story. This reminds me of a cookie cutter Christmas story. A lot of fluff and some romance. It was not enough for me. I don't think it is up to the normal Susan Riggs books. I expected more.

[Jennifer Sawatzky · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you want an extra fluff read then here you go. This was 2 shorter Christmas romance stories they were entertaining but not too deep and definitely a bit cheesy.

[Cathy Nealon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is two short stories

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

So a couple of the Christmas romances got to me a bit after the day so am planning on reading quickly before my taste for sugar goes away. The two stories in this book are ones I haven’t read before and are pretty good. I like how Wiggs does a good romantic story but also grounds it in real life situations. Free e-book from the library.

[Barbara Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Predictable...like reading the Hallmark channel...

[Marjolein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kerst aan Willow Lake: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Een schaatsje van zilver: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ik had weer zin in een feelgoodluisterboek. Dan ben je met Susan Wiggs aan het juiste adres 😊 Dus luisterde ik afgelopen week de twee verhalen in deze bundel.

In Kerst aan Willow Lake hoor je het verhaal van Darcy Fitzgerald en Logan O'Donnell. Beiden gescheiden als hun paden zich niet zo per ongeluk kruisen omdat de zus van Logan, India, Darcy meeneemt voor een weekendje weg in het dorp waar haar broer woont.

Ze willen er allebei niet aan, maar uiteraard vallen ze allebei al vlug voor elkaar. En waar Darcy vol twijfel en slagen op de arm is, gaat Logan er volledig voor. Heerlijk om te luisteren naar hoe hij benoemt wat hij voelt en wil van het leven. Regelmatig duurt dat nogal lang in dit soort boeken, maar Logan is doortastend en recht door zee. Fijn voor de afwisseling!

Tot slot is de sfeer van gezelligheid, feestdagen en familie gewoon heel fijn. Ik heb me er heerlijk in ondergedompeld!

Het was dus ook geen straf dat het luisterboek daarna automatisch doorging naar het volgende kerstverhaal: een schaatsje van zilver. Dat was een weinig origineel verhaal, maar gewoon prima. Het raakte me lang niet zoals de banden tussen de personages in het hoofdverhaal deden, maar het luisterde wel lekker op de achtergrond.

[Gina Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Snowfall in the City is a collection of two books by Susan Wiggs, The St. James Affair and Candlelight Christmas. Both really great wintry stories!

The St. James Affair is a romantic story about a man, Tony, and a woman, Elaine, who bonded ice skating together every Christmas Eve as teenagers and who reconnect years later by a chance meeting. Their families are from different classes and their lives are spent very differently but the warmth they felt years ago continues to flow as they spend time together once again.

Reading Candlelight Christmas was like returning to a favorite place. I love the cozy wintry atmosphere in Avalon, the cabins and Camp Kioga. In this story, Darcy is escaping the pain of her past by spending the holidays with her good friend who happens to have a handsome single brother, Logan, and he has an adorable son, Charlie. A relationship is the furthest thing from Darcy’s mind but the more time she spends with Logan and the O’Donnell family the more she begins to realize that dreams are still possible, despite the heartbreak from the past.

While reading both of these stories your senses will come alive between the falling snow, evergreen trees, comfort food, warm drinks, and of course romance! Curl up on a chilly night with this book duo.

[Charlotte Griggs · Rating 2 out of 5]

This consists of two short stories. I will update after finishing the second.

The St. James Affair: I'm sorry, but I did not like this story at all. Nothing about it was really good. The author tried to put too much into this story and I think that's what ruined it for me. Elaine is a high-end workaholic. She spends every Christmas working. Her boyfriend breaks up with her on Christmas Eve. She runs into a "magical" elf that pops up everywhere she goes, creepy by the way. She runs into "the love of her life" that she hadn't seen for 7 years and they immediately jump in bed together.

Candlelight Christmas: This was definitely worse than the first one. It read very childish to me. Rather than two adults exploring love, it felt like I was reading from a child's perspective. There was far too much filler which just made this book long and boring.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whew. I am not the target audience for this book.
This was given to me by my mother-in-law who is a fan of Wiggs (as are many). It is full of family traditions, church on Christmas, and the main characters full of love, caring and consideration for others. Oh. And all the protagonists are wealthy.
The plot line is gentle and rolling like a soft wave, nothing very tragic happens, but plenty of happy endings.
I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Wiggs and looking for a Christmas read.

[Stephenee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was two older stories by the author added into one book, but it was a good read! The reader didn't really feel like they were "outdated" as some stories do become and it was a feel good holiday story that the reader wanted more of! The author set the scene for the reader to feel like they were a part of the book and the reader really felt like they were in the Christmas spirit while reading the book.

A good read that will leave the reader feeling excited about the upcoming holidays!

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first part is a novella and actually not too bad. Very Christmasy, and the author didn’t have enough pages to make her hero as stupid as hers usually are. The second part was the usual I’ve come to expect from Wiggs: characters too consumed with something bad that happened to them in the past to embrace anything that might be possible in the present.

[ViviancMoore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snowfall in the City

A couple of very believable love stories. Logan and Darcy met at Camp Kioga, A sort of blind date set up by his sister India. Thanksgiving in Florida and then Christmas at the Saddle Mountain Ski Resort. Things progress slowly and Darcy realizes she is ready to take a risk and open her heart to love.

[Amanda Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story wasn’t my favorite. It was very short and I feel like it was very unrealistic. Everything happened so fast. The second story was really cute. I really liked that Darcy fit in with Logan’s family so well. I think the style of writing was just not my favorite throughout the book. Some things seemed to cut off quickly or not much detail was given.

[Sue Negrillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

New your city
Elianie from the upper class, Tony a cop from Brooklyn. They meet on New Year’s Eve skating ar Rockefeller plazas. For 3 yrs they’d meet every but this yrs he wasn’t there. They went about there business. Then they find each other shine after 7 yrs. He goes to her family’s ball, she realized how badly her friends treat her and she wants to stop.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a re-publishing and re-packaging of two of Susan Wiggs earlier romance novels, both on the short side. I gave this three stars because they were short and not up to her later style. However, if you’re a sucker for romance, you might give it four stars.

[Laurie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Susan Wiggs, but this story (The St James Affair) was really hard to read. I kept thinking it would get better but no such luck. A really boring painful start followed by a whole lot of nothing. I finished it because I follow the author thinking I was missing something. Oh well....

[MaryAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odd start

This book had three stories and I wasn't prepared for that. The first one was just getting good when it abruptly ended. The second was like a hot minute long but the third one was great.

[Karen Ruymann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet.
The first book: the St. James Affair was predictable and the main character portrayed as petulant and spoiled. However, I loved the sweet romance and family building of the second book. It will put you in the Christmas spirit. Enjoy!

[Monica Andersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uplifting and lovely read

I enjoyed this positive ride. The difficulties were overcome and you felt hopeful throughout the novel. In today’s world that is a nice reprise from so many hard and scary possibilities facing us.

[Elisa Rita Tischer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pick another book...

This book reminded me of "The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and was just a little sweet for my taste. The characters were too perfect as well, a disappointment considering that I am a big fan of Susan Wiggs.

[Rebecca Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 Christmas Stories. Enjoyed them both.

[Linda Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked both of these stories! I read the complete book in just a couple of days. The characters drew me in and the plots were believable. They flowed smoothly and were quick reads.

[Hilda Sheets · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review

Good book Liked both books I will read more of her books because I like the way she tells the story

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice light read romance

[Charland Garvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wiggs ties so many things together and I enjoy seeing new faces mixed among old favorites. There are always interesting plots amongst twists and turns.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains two stories. The St. James is a magical fairy tale sort of story and Candlelight Christmas I had already read .

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry, I didn't like these 2 stories. I felt they were a little drawn out.