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.

A Refuge at Highland Hall (Edwardian Brides #3) - Carrie Turansky

This is the third book in the series.  The first two are The Governess of Highland Hall and The Daughter of Highland Hall.

Penny is guarding a broken heart, but Alex gives her hope.  He's a pilot and will be heading back to war once he's recovered from a crash, but Penny decides she's going to write to him.  Letters go back and forth, and their feelings grow.  Later, a tragedy occurs and their relationship is threatened, but Penny refuses to give up.  But will Alex open his heart to her again?

In this book, we're reading about a few different things.  War has pushed some of the family away from London, and the main characters from the first two books come together and everyone's at Highland Hall.  Add in the budding romance between one of the staff and a German internment camp prisoner, and there's a lot to keep track of.  I was worried there was going to be too much going on, but I had no issues.

I give the author credit, this book was even better than I was expecting.  Separating the main characters in a romance is a pet peeve of mine, but this was well done.  It wasn't for the whole book, and when they were separated, they were still connected in other ways (thoughts, letters, etc.).  The end was also well done.  It wasn't rushed and everything was wrapped up in a neat little bow.  You can read these out of order, but there are little gems in there if you've read the other two.  You'll read the continuation of William and Julia's story, and also Jon and Kate's.

It had been a while since I'd read the first two, so I was a little lost at the beginning, but I was back up to speed pretty quickly.  The cast of characters at the beginning was helpful, and I referenced it a few times.  I have to say, out of the three, this one was my favorite.  Great Book!

An Honest Heart (The Great Exhibition #2) - Kaye Dacus DTB

Being the church librarian, I see a lot of strange stuff get donated.  Old books that are falling apart, moldy books, journals that people should've looked at before donating (since they've filled them out), I've seen it all.

Every once in a while, I see a book that I myself wouldn't mind reading.  This is one of those.  The cover is gorgeous, and I'm interested in the Great Exhibition.  I've actually been struggling my way through a biography on Prince Albert (I struggle because nonfiction is hard for me to get through), and found the Great Exhibition to be one of the more interesting parts of his life.

I'd thought this was the first book I'd read by this author, but looking back, I was wrong.  I started this blog a little over 6 years ago, and shortly after that, I posted a review on Ransome's Crossing.  I didn't like that book, but apparently I'd also read Ransome's Honor and enjoyed it.

The first book in the series is Follow the Heart.  I recognized the names of the characters, but this definitely wasn't their story.  It's okay to read these separately, although you will learn more about Kate and what happens to her by reading this one.

Caddy has the attention of two men: the tall, secretive doctor and the confident gentleman.  Neal is hiding something from her, but Caddy is drawn to his heart and has the patience to wait for him to trust her.  She's wary of the attentions of Oliver, and she has every reason to be.  He's a cad and trying to gain her attention to win a bet.

It's clear who the reader is supposed to be rooting for from the beginning, so there isn't really any suspense about what's going to happen.  My main complaint is that the end was so abrupt.  Things just kind of ended, and when I looked, I was sad to see there weren't more books in the series.

On to the good.  I liked most of the characters and liked the way things turned out.  Even though it was predictable, I didn't mind it as much as I thought I would.  This was a sweet, clean romance that I enjoyed.  I picked up the first one, since I'd like to read more from this author.  Good Book!

Taming the Wind (Land of the Lone Star #3) - Tracie Peterson

This is the third book in the series.  The first book is Chasing the Sun, and the second is Touching the Sky.

Both Tyler and Carissa showed up in Touching the Sun, which was something I didn't realize when I started this book.  Carissa is Laura's sister.  Carissa is trying to lead a quiet life living on her sister's ranch.  Her past has made her wary of men, and she's determined not to be taken for a fool ever again.  But Tyler Atherton might be different.

Tyler is fighting to get his family's ranch back, but since he fought for the Confederacy, his chances are slim to none.  He's been intrigued by Carissa for a long time, but he knows she's been hurt and decides to be patient.  A cattle drive will take them apart for a while, but he's hoping to create a life with her when he gets back.

The main issue I had with this one was the utter lack of interaction between Tyler and Carissa.  They have some moments together at the beginning and then they are separated for most of the rest of the book.  They literally don't see each other again until right at the end.  I was okay with it for a while, they thought about each other a lot and I was waiting for them to meet back up, but it just wasn't happening.

Can you have a romance novel where the main characters are rarely together?  Maybe the author was counting on me remembering a relationship that began in Touching the Sky.  The problem is, I read that book almost 5 years ago and didn't remember any of it.  If you're going to read this one, make sure you read it soon after Touching the Sky or the relationship between Carissa and Tyler won't make much sense.  Even Hannah's past comes back to haunt her (Chasing the Sun), but remembering that one didn't seem as important.

I was able to put this one down at a crucial time and didn't really look forward to picking it back up.  That, for me, tells me how much I was invested in the characters.  I've enjoyed many of Peterson's books, but this one was a major pass for me.

Fighter: 5 Keys to Conquering Fear & Reaching Your Dreams - Chris Greenwood (Manafest)

Anyone who knows me knows that I love rock.  I listen to Manafest from time to time, some of it's got a bit too much rap for my taste, but I love some of his songs.  I saw this book advertised and picked it up.

This book gives you an overview of the author's journey and how he became who he is today.  It's been a bumpy journey, but Chris has been dedicated to his dream through the ups and downs.  He reveals what kept him going when things got tough and shares advice on how the reader can follow their own dreams.

I normally don't read these types of books, I have issues reading nonfiction in general.  This book was short and to the point, it wasn't repetitive, and it was interesting to read.  I appreciated the author's honesty and came away feeling inspired to stick with my dreams and develop the discipline to succeed.

If I had one complaint, it's the pictures.  They don't translate well to the Kindle and when there were multiples, they were just too small to see.  Other than that, it was very motivational, and I liked it.  Recommended!