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The Bodine Family #2.5
Mistletoe Prayers
THE BODINE FAMILY CHRISTMAS
By Marta Perry
Left at the altar on Christmas Eve, Annabel Bodine has lost her holiday spirit. When her big brother brings home handsome Coast Guard buddy Travis McCall, can she summon the courage to open her heart to love for the holidays—and maybe for a lifetime?
THE GINGERBREAD SEASON
By Betsy St. Amant
Allie James returns to her hometown in need of a holiday job. Never did she expect old boyfriend Jordan Walker to hire her as his secretary! Years ago Jordan shredded her heart like wrapping paper. Now he must convince Allie that all he wants for Christmas is her love.
By Marta Perry
Left at the altar on Christmas Eve, Annabel Bodine has lost her holiday spirit. When her big brother brings home handsome Coast Guard buddy Travis McCall, can she summon the courage to open her heart to love for the holidays—and maybe for a lifetime?
THE GINGERBREAD SEASON
By Betsy St. Amant
Allie James returns to her hometown in need of a holiday job. Never did she expect old boyfriend Jordan Walker to hire her as his secretary! Years ago Jordan shredded her heart like wrapping paper. Now he must convince Allie that all he wants for Christmas is her love.
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
18 people are currently reading
244 people want to read
About the author
Marta Perry
201 books774 followersMarta Perry is a Pennsylvania-based author of over 35 novels, many of them inspirational romances. She uses her rural Pennsylvania life and her Pennsylvania Dutch heritage in writing her books, especially in her Pleasant Valley Amish series for Berkley Books and her new Amish-set suspense series for HQN Books.
Marta and her husband live in a centuries-old farmhouse in a quiet central Pennsylvania valley. They have three grown children and six beautiful grandchildren, and when she's not busy writing her next book, she's usually trying to keep up with her gardening, baking for church events, or visiting those beautiful grandkids.
Marta and her husband live in a centuries-old farmhouse in a quiet central Pennsylvania valley. They have three grown children and six beautiful grandchildren, and when she's not busy writing her next book, she's usually trying to keep up with her gardening, baking for church events, or visiting those beautiful grandkids.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
June 26, 2024
I liked this series, but this was a very heavy read for a holiday story, and can trigger some people.
September 20, 2022
Love love and love this collection!! What a beautiful reminder of the hope and healing that Jesus and the spirit of Christmas can bring to each and every one of us. It truly is the season of miracles!
December 10, 2015
Out of the two stories featured in this novel, I enjoyed Betsy St. Amant's story The Gingerbread Season the better of the two. I've always been a fan of second chance romance. That and it had more of a Christmas feel to it more so then the first.
December 28, 2020
For Christmas novellas, these two stories tackled some difficult subjects, although the festive Christmas background made the stories easier. Every town should have a Gingerbread Festival and outline a giant gingerbread man in a field. Also, I now want to experience Christmas at a beach house.
Read
October 8, 2017Interesting stories. I enjoyed them.
December 18, 2012
Two heartwarming romance stories.
January 25, 2024
Marta Perry, what in Hades is THIS garbage?!?!!
This doesn't come off like the third book in the Bodine saga - it comes off like something Perry threw together without using a s.i.n.g.l.e brain cell. And it shows, to anyone who's reading the series, hello.
In the last book, Annabelle took in a donkey that had been abused and was working with it, as her sister was telling her about this boss she was falling in love with. Now we're in THIS book, where Annabelle is PICKING UP the abused donkey that apparently was unclaimed and loose on her parents property.
Okay, I thought, so we backed up a little. Right? WRONG. She loads the thing up, goes inside, and there's her sister with her fiancé/boss from the LAST BOOK.
GARBAGE.
Worse, in book #1, Amanda/Annabelle had long sleek dark hair. In book #2, Amanda/Annabelle has long sleek dark hair. In THIS stupidity, Amanda/Annabelle have long HONEY BLONDE hair. Do you even READ WHAT YOU WRITE FOR CONTINUITY'S SAKE?!?!?!
GARBAGE!!!
And nowhere in *EITHER* of the previous two books was a broken engagement mentioned. This has been whipped up out of thin air, for the sake of a novella compilation with Betsy St. Armand. No wonder people are saying Betsy's offering is better! This is shoddy, SHODDY writing, description, and story development. And she should be ashamed of this.
Then she puts Travis (H) up a ladder and has Annabelle freakin' out about it and wanting Hugh to go up the ladder, instead, cuz Travis has been sick. One paragraph later, Annabelle's fussing over Hugh, saying HE 'shouldn't be scampering up ladders'. WHAT. THE. FARTS!?!?!?!??! And a paragraph later, it's ANNABELLE 'scampering' up... because why bother with other words when creative writing, amIright?
BADLY DONE!!!!
But the most UNFORGIVEABLE thing is that Uncle Ned is in this story. HE'S BEEN MISSING FOR TWO BOOKS, they don't find him until the *NEXT* book (#4)... but he's in this story? Are you SERIOUSLY KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?!?!
No. Just.... NO.
Pg 23: "Lion shall lie down with the lamb" is *NOT* in the Bible. It's the wolf and the lamb. Misquoting scripture on top of everything else is just stellar. GAHHH, don't you even look up verses?!?! And this on the heels of an investigative reporter story. It's horrible.
In the last book, we're told Amanda was the twin who helped people, and Annabelle was the twin who helped animals. But now suddenly in THIS HOT MESS, Annabelle is not only running an animal shelter, but a program AT the shelter for at-risk kids?! First, she's not got the credentials for it, second, it flies in the face of the last book, and third, IN. WHAT. TIME?!?! If it's just her and a displaced teenager running the shelter full of abused and troubled LARGE animals, there's NO WAY she could run a program for at-risk kids, hello.
Immediately on the heels of that, we're told there's a "board of qualified professionals" who decide what happens with the kids. What board is this, praytell? And how does that even work? But we aren't told, because there's an AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM for NOT AT RISK kids about to begin, that she's in charge of, too...??!???!?!?!?!?!
HIDEOUS-er and HIDEOUS-er.
What are you DOING Perry?!?!?!
Then we have Annabelle introducing Travis to her family, including Adam WHO IS SINGLE IN BOOK TWO and his wife and son (who he doesn't MEET until the book AFTER THIS ONE...
... I can't even. I'm so absolutely LIVID with this DISASTER of a mess...!!!!
I'll come back and review Betsy's book another time, but...
SKIP THIS when you read the Bodine saga.
This doesn't come off like the third book in the Bodine saga - it comes off like something Perry threw together without using a s.i.n.g.l.e brain cell. And it shows, to anyone who's reading the series, hello.
In the last book, Annabelle took in a donkey that had been abused and was working with it, as her sister was telling her about this boss she was falling in love with. Now we're in THIS book, where Annabelle is PICKING UP the abused donkey that apparently was unclaimed and loose on her parents property.
Okay, I thought, so we backed up a little. Right? WRONG. She loads the thing up, goes inside, and there's her sister with her fiancé/boss from the LAST BOOK.
GARBAGE.
Worse, in book #1, Amanda/Annabelle had long sleek dark hair. In book #2, Amanda/Annabelle has long sleek dark hair. In THIS stupidity, Amanda/Annabelle have long HONEY BLONDE hair. Do you even READ WHAT YOU WRITE FOR CONTINUITY'S SAKE?!?!?!
GARBAGE!!!
And nowhere in *EITHER* of the previous two books was a broken engagement mentioned. This has been whipped up out of thin air, for the sake of a novella compilation with Betsy St. Armand. No wonder people are saying Betsy's offering is better! This is shoddy, SHODDY writing, description, and story development. And she should be ashamed of this.
Then she puts Travis (H) up a ladder and has Annabelle freakin' out about it and wanting Hugh to go up the ladder, instead, cuz Travis has been sick. One paragraph later, Annabelle's fussing over Hugh, saying HE 'shouldn't be scampering up ladders'. WHAT. THE. FARTS!?!?!?!??! And a paragraph later, it's ANNABELLE 'scampering' up... because why bother with other words when creative writing, amIright?
BADLY DONE!!!!
But the most UNFORGIVEABLE thing is that Uncle Ned is in this story. HE'S BEEN MISSING FOR TWO BOOKS, they don't find him until the *NEXT* book (#4)... but he's in this story? Are you SERIOUSLY KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?!?!
No. Just.... NO.
Pg 23: "Lion shall lie down with the lamb" is *NOT* in the Bible. It's the wolf and the lamb. Misquoting scripture on top of everything else is just stellar. GAHHH, don't you even look up verses?!?! And this on the heels of an investigative reporter story. It's horrible.
In the last book, we're told Amanda was the twin who helped people, and Annabelle was the twin who helped animals. But now suddenly in THIS HOT MESS, Annabelle is not only running an animal shelter, but a program AT the shelter for at-risk kids?! First, she's not got the credentials for it, second, it flies in the face of the last book, and third, IN. WHAT. TIME?!?! If it's just her and a displaced teenager running the shelter full of abused and troubled LARGE animals, there's NO WAY she could run a program for at-risk kids, hello.
Immediately on the heels of that, we're told there's a "board of qualified professionals" who decide what happens with the kids. What board is this, praytell? And how does that even work? But we aren't told, because there's an AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM for NOT AT RISK kids about to begin, that she's in charge of, too...??!???!?!?!?!?!
HIDEOUS-er and HIDEOUS-er.
What are you DOING Perry?!?!?!
Then we have Annabelle introducing Travis to her family, including Adam WHO IS SINGLE IN BOOK TWO and his wife and son (who he doesn't MEET until the book AFTER THIS ONE...
... I can't even. I'm so absolutely LIVID with this DISASTER of a mess...!!!!
I'll come back and review Betsy's book another time, but...
SKIP THIS when you read the Bodine saga.
Read
March 12, 2021This was a good book. However, the first story (The Bodine Family Christmas) should not be listed as 2.5. The events in this book occur after the events in The Guardian's Honor, which is listed as #3 in the series. To my way of thinking, The Bodine Family Christmas should be 3.5 and after The Guardian's Honor.
February 14, 2022
This was the first piece I've read by Marta Perry, and it made we want to find more books about the Bodine family.
I'm a big fan of Betsy St. Amant. This tale made me wish my town celebrated Christmas this festively!
I appreciate Christmas stories that don't just take place in December but really weave the traditions into the tale. Both books deliver on that front.
I'm a big fan of Betsy St. Amant. This tale made me wish my town celebrated Christmas this festively!
I appreciate Christmas stories that don't just take place in December but really weave the traditions into the tale. Both books deliver on that front.
January 1, 2019
A nice, although very predictable, Christmas romance read.
October 21, 2019
Two very nice Christmas stories.
December 3, 2020
Bodine Family Christmas - 3.5 stars
The Gingerbread Season - 3 stars
The Gingerbread Season - 3 stars
May 12, 2022
A quick quite predictable read.
November 29, 2024
Two sweet short stories for the holidays. Nice to have when time is short.
October 11, 2025
Loved the 2 stories
January 1, 2019
We have a Little Free Library on the other side of our block, and the older grandkids love to be allowed to walk or bike there and look for a book. The other day the 8 year old came back with this one for me. He knows I've been reading Christmas stories, and when he saw the title he though I might like it. In fact I do enjoy some books from this imprint, and I am in the mood for Christmas books right now, so I was happy to see it. And I'm enjoying it so far.
The Bodine Family Christmas:
The first story revolves around a live Christmas pageant and a rescue ranch for abused or abandoned animals. There aren't any horrific details about animal abuse, just the general idea. I especially liked the fact that the emphasis remains on the plot here, not the romance. The story moved well and kept me interested.
On the negative side, the MCs complicated backgrounds were completely unnecessary and rather unbelievable, but I think that's a function of this being part of a longer series so I let it go. I couldn't let go that the Travis never professed or showed any faith. That's not a small thing in a book that's supposed to be a Christian romance. 3 stars
The Gingerbread Season:
I try to avoid the "they were in love but he dumped her and now they're being forced together again" trope, but here it is...
Unfortunately I couldn't finish this story. I picked it up several times but it just didn't interest me at all.
The Bodine Family Christmas:
The first story revolves around a live Christmas pageant and a rescue ranch for abused or abandoned animals. There aren't any horrific details about animal abuse, just the general idea. I especially liked the fact that the emphasis remains on the plot here, not the romance. The story moved well and kept me interested.
On the negative side, the MCs complicated backgrounds were completely unnecessary and rather unbelievable, but I think that's a function of this being part of a longer series so I let it go. I couldn't let go that the Travis never professed or showed any faith. That's not a small thing in a book that's supposed to be a Christian romance. 3 stars
The Gingerbread Season:
I try to avoid the "they were in love but he dumped her and now they're being forced together again" trope, but here it is...
Unfortunately I couldn't finish this story. I picked it up several times but it just didn't interest me at all.
September 26, 2010
Summary from the back of the book: Allie James returns to her hometown in need of a holiday job. Never did she expect old boyfriend Jordan Walker to hire her as his secretary! Years ago, Jordan shredded her heart like wrapping paper. Now he must convince Allie that all he wants for Christmas is her love.
My thoughts: I tried to put my ideas together in paragraph form but couldn’t get them to gel completely. So, I’m making bullet points.
• I enjoyed the characters. (I’m a sucker for first loves reuniting.) Allie and Jordan were well-developed, and their actions were realistic…nothing over the top as is sometimes expected in romances.
• Betsy captured the heart of a small-town well. Allie and Jordan grew up smothered in the smallness of Ginger Falls, fled the town and each other to big cities, and eventually made their way back to the town, realizing that the small town they thought was holding them back was the comfort and security they needed.
• I loved the festivities in the book—cute Christmas ideas.
• I hate reading books with a helpless woman being “rescued” by the man. (It’s one reason I don’t read a lot of romance novels.) I was excited that Allie was the one who was helping Jordan revive the town. Her ideas were the ones that helped put the town back on the map.
• The downside: The story was short—only a little over a 100 pages. It would have been n ice to have had a longer story to see the relationship between Allie and her mother and sister develop. (This book was two stories in one, so that explains the brevity of the story.) Typical of Love Inspired books, the couple reunites in a happily ever after fashion, but with the harsh reality of today's world, sometimes you need a happy ending.
Overall, this book is a heart-warming Christmas tale to enjoy over a cup of hot chocolate (even though it’s still hot as all get out here in Texas)!
My thoughts: I tried to put my ideas together in paragraph form but couldn’t get them to gel completely. So, I’m making bullet points.
• I enjoyed the characters. (I’m a sucker for first loves reuniting.) Allie and Jordan were well-developed, and their actions were realistic…nothing over the top as is sometimes expected in romances.
• Betsy captured the heart of a small-town well. Allie and Jordan grew up smothered in the smallness of Ginger Falls, fled the town and each other to big cities, and eventually made their way back to the town, realizing that the small town they thought was holding them back was the comfort and security they needed.
• I loved the festivities in the book—cute Christmas ideas.
• I hate reading books with a helpless woman being “rescued” by the man. (It’s one reason I don’t read a lot of romance novels.) I was excited that Allie was the one who was helping Jordan revive the town. Her ideas were the ones that helped put the town back on the map.
• The downside: The story was short—only a little over a 100 pages. It would have been n ice to have had a longer story to see the relationship between Allie and her mother and sister develop. (This book was two stories in one, so that explains the brevity of the story.) Typical of Love Inspired books, the couple reunites in a happily ever after fashion, but with the harsh reality of today's world, sometimes you need a happy ending.
Overall, this book is a heart-warming Christmas tale to enjoy over a cup of hot chocolate (even though it’s still hot as all get out here in Texas)!
December 6, 2016
Luke Bodine has sent his best friend Travis home to his family to celebrate Christmas. Travis is in the Coast Guard, he fly's a helicopter he has just been released from the hospital. He doesn;t know how to celebrate with a family he has no memories of a happy family. He was beaten and abused by his father every day til he was taken away and put in foster care. Luke's sister Annabelle is asked by Luke to help him have a good time. Annabelle has her own problems because her fiance left her at the alter 2 Christmases past. Annabelle also has a farm for abused animals and a program for at risk kids.
The second story is about a broken heart 10 years old. Jordan has his future planned out by his family and is pressured to go away to school and leave Allie behind which he does. Now 10 years later Allie is back home and feeling like a failure when she takes a job to save money to start over then she finds out her boss is Jordan the "boy" her broke her heart 10 years ago. Can they work together?
The second story is about a broken heart 10 years old. Jordan has his future planned out by his family and is pressured to go away to school and leave Allie behind which he does. Now 10 years later Allie is back home and feeling like a failure when she takes a job to save money to start over then she finds out her boss is Jordan the "boy" her broke her heart 10 years ago. Can they work together?
April 15, 2011
Two short Christmas stories to celebrate the holiday.
The Bodine Family Christmas: Travis promised to spends the holidays with his Coast Guard buddy's (Luke) family. The family takes him in and helps Travis heal inside and out. Luke has this cute sister, Annabel, so what does he do now?
The Gingerbread Season: Allie returns home in a small town in Kansas for a short time to regroup. All she needs is a short-term job so that she can return to Kansas City to open a book store. Allie ends up with a job, as an assistant to her old boyfriend and the gazebo in town seems to haunt her. Her faith helps Allie to heal old wounds and look to the future. All this during my favoite holiday: Christmas!
215 pages
The Bodine Family Christmas: Travis promised to spends the holidays with his Coast Guard buddy's (Luke) family. The family takes him in and helps Travis heal inside and out. Luke has this cute sister, Annabel, so what does he do now?
The Gingerbread Season: Allie returns home in a small town in Kansas for a short time to regroup. All she needs is a short-term job so that she can return to Kansas City to open a book store. Allie ends up with a job, as an assistant to her old boyfriend and the gazebo in town seems to haunt her. Her faith helps Allie to heal old wounds and look to the future. All this during my favoite holiday: Christmas!
215 pages
March 7, 2015
This was my first "Love Inspired" book. I wanted to see what the format was and why they were so popular. I did enjoy the ease of reading. This particular book is two short books in one. The first was "The Bodine Family Christmas." I think it would have been better if I'd read previous books about the Bodine family, as this is part of a series, but it was ok as a stand-alone. The second book is "The Gingerbread Season." This story is about lost loves reunited, and who doesn't like that?
December 24, 2012
Very cute! My favorite Love Inspired book so far. This book is composed of two stories and they are both so adorable. I especially loved the second book about high school sweethearts that come back together after 10 years in certain circumstances after he broke her heart on Christmas Eve 10 years back. Both stories are predictable, but that's what I love about them. Definitely a great read.
November 15, 2013
2 stories
Perry's "Bodine Family Christmas" had Annabel, who had been left at the alter, paired with her brother's Coast Guard buddy Travis McCall, who had been abused as a child.
St. Amant's "Gingerbread Season" brings Allie James and Jordan Walker back together after ten years apart.
Perry's "Bodine Family Christmas" had Annabel, who had been left at the alter, paired with her brother's Coast Guard buddy Travis McCall, who had been abused as a child.
St. Amant's "Gingerbread Season" brings Allie James and Jordan Walker back together after ten years apart.
Read
December 24, 2014Miniseries: The Bodine Family
Read
December 24, 2014Miniseries: The Bodine Family
October 12, 2010
I have finished Marta Perry part of this book. love it. the theme "that the past is for learning from, not for living in" spoke to me.
November 10, 2010
2 very SWEET, heartwarming Christmas stories.
December 16, 2010
Well, maybe a 3 minus. Simple love stories (2).
January 11, 2011
Heartwarming Christian fiction. Predictable stories, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading these two novellas in one volume.
January 5, 2013
The stories were cute and would want to read the series of Marta Perry so I can get to know the other characters that were part of the first story.
December 7, 2014
Great
Great characters and the setting is wonderful. Keeps your interest. Thank you for writing this wonderful book. I love the questions at the end..thought provoking.
Great characters and the setting is wonderful. Keeps your interest. Thank you for writing this wonderful book. I love the questions at the end..thought provoking.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews