Where Treetops Glisten - Tricia Goyer, Cara Putnam, Sarah Sundin

Honestly, I had the best intentions this year.  I picked this book up last year, and I was going to read it for Christmas this year.  Well, factor in time hanging out with the family, and I haven't gotten a lot done (including watching things like laundry pile up).  So, today is December 30th, and I just finished my Christmas book.  NOT because it was hard to read.  Because...life!

This collection can be broken down into a prologue, 3 novellas, and an epilogue.  When I read these collections, I will write my review for each story after I finish it, then I evaluate the book as a whole.  So...here we go!

Prologue – Winter Wonderland - Sarah Sundin

Great intro.  Just reading these few pages, I was already in love with this family.  It sets up the stories for Pete, Abigail and Meredith in such a fun, interesting way.  I want to read more about Louise and her grandchildren.

White Christmas – Cara Putnam

Abigail’s heart is sore.  After losing her boyfriend at Pearl Harbor, she’s given up.  Loving people is too risky and hurts too much when they leave.  She decides her schoolwork and her job are enough, she doesn’t need love.  Her determination fades a bit after she meets Jackson, a man who’s dealing with the possible loss of his family home.  Abigail offers him help and so much more.

I loved the characters in this one.  I sympathized with Abigail’s desire to guard her heart, sometimes the “safe” way seems tempting even though there’s no such thing.  Grandma Louise imparts her wisdom, and she’s a neat character.  A well-developed story that I recommend.  4.5 stars

I’ll Be Home for Christmas – Sarah Sundin

The last person Grace wants to see is Pete Turner.  He tormented her when she was a child, and she blames him for an event that was trying for her family.  But when Grace’s daughter, Linnie, disappears (again), Pete comes into their lives.  Linnie thinks she’s found her new father, but Grace only sees the bully from her past.  Can she get past that and see the changed man in front of her?

This is a great story about forgiveness and trusting those who have hurt you.  There was such a sweetness to all the interactions between the characters that I found myself getting a bit choked up at times.  That doesn’t happen to me often, but this story was touching for me.  There’s a bit of continuation with Abigail, so that’s neat and connects the stories in a nice way.  Merry (Meredith) also comes home, so she’s introduced.  5 stars.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Tricia Goyer

Meredith left her joy behind when the man she loved disappeared.  She believes he left to fight for the Germans, but little does she realize he’s been fighting against them.  Now that she’s stationed in the same small village, she has a chance to find forgiveness and peace for herself, and possibly a future.

David regrets the way he left, but he doesn’t doubt his decision until he hears that Merry is a nurse at the American hospital a short distance away.  David isn’t sure it’s safe for him to reveal himself, but he doesn’t have much time to decide.  Is this the second chance he’s been dreaming of?

Another great story.  The main characters don’t have much interaction overall, but it feels like they do since they’re always thinking about each other.  4.5 stars.

I’ve been disappointed in the past when I’ve read this kind of collection and there’s no closure for after the war.  This story ended before the war did, BUT then there’s the…

Epilogue - Let It Snow, Let it Snow – Cara Putnam

A great ending to the collection.  The war is over, there’s updates on all the family, and everything gets wrapped up in a neat little bow.  This is the way novella collections should be.  Stories that blend together comfortably in writing style and character relationships.  Loveable characters that I cared about.  Enough drama and conflict to keep me coming back for more.  This is probably the best overall collection I’ve read.  There’s even four recipes for cookies in the back!  Highly recommended, especially if you enjoy this time period.  Great Book!

A Daring Escape (London Chronicles #2) - Tricia Goyer

This is the second book in the London Chronicles series.  The first book was called ASecret Courage.

This book is set around WWII, and children in Czechoslovakia need help getting out of the country before the Germans take over.  Amity is a tutor to the daughter of an English writer.  Even though she’s American, she’s in England to be close to her brother, who works for the British government.  When Amity’s brother sends her a telegram around Christmas, her life is going to take a turn she’d never have imagined.

There’s also another plot to follow, revolving around a Jewish family and the German soldier who is (sometimes) tracking them for a treasure he obviously never finds.  I say sometimes because there are stretches of time where that plot ends up pushed to the side as we read about Amity and her plight.

Anything dealing with the horrors of WWII is going to have a somber tone to it, and that’s understandable.  But as a result, I was more interested in the plight of the children than the romance between Clark and Amity.

When I picked this book to read, I didn’t realize I’d read the first book in the series.  I wasn’t a huge fan of that one, and most of the issues I had with the first book would apply to this one.  There’s one exception, and that’s the fact that this one feels like a complete story, so I ended up liking it more.  This book isn’t connected to A Secret Courage, so you could read these out of order or alone.  The book wasn’t as depressing as it could have been, and I did enjoy it overall.  I give it 3.5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book from Harvest House through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Holding the Fort (Fort Reno #1) - Regina Jennings

I’ve enjoyed this author in the past and looked forward to reading this book.  It’s the first in a new series, and the summary had me interested.

Louisa has lost her job at the saloon where she was a singer.  She decides to go check on her troublemaker brother at Fort Reno.  She thinks she can promote herself as entertainment for the troops, but she ends up with the job of governess to the major’s children instead, a position she’s unqualified for.  She decides to go along with it, maybe she can change her life after all.

Daniel knows Louisa is hiding something, but he gets the wrong idea when he sees her paying attention to Bradley, who is actually her brother.  His thoughts take a dark turn, and he’s determined to prevent Louisa from making a mistake by spending time with the man.

I really wanted to like this book, but I had some issues with it.  I think my favorite character was Bradley, and I didn’t read near enough about him.  I felt like Louisa was a coward (especially at the end), and her behavior made her somewhat unlikable for me.  So much was made of Daniels’ need to know everything and how important the truth is to him, but he never pursues the truth about Louisa, the woman in charge of his children.

Sadly, this one's a pass for me, and I'm sorry for it.

*I received a copy of this book from Bethany House through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.