Do Miracles Really Happen?

Lucca Romano lived for two things basketball and coaching. Coaching at a top division school and having a supportive family Lucca couldn't ask for more. However, things all change when his basketball team get in a car accident on the way to a game. Not able to bounce back from the tragic accident he lands himself in Eternity Springs where his mom and siblings live.

Hope Montgomery a kindergarten teacher in Eternity Springs from the outside looking in seems to have everything, great friends, a good job and a roof over her head. However, things aren't always as they seem and for Hope that means living with out her daughter who went missing 5 years ago.

Lucca and Hope two unlikely friends become close after Hope's dog has puppies in Lucca's closet. Will Lucca and Hope become more then friends or just stay star gazing neighbors.

Review: I received this advance reader copy courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher. This is the first book of Emily March's that  I have read and did not realize that it was part of a series. I liked that the book was able to bring you up to speed on the main characters in the book as well as other characters who you new had a part in the previous series. I felt that even though I have not read a book in this series before Miracle Road I really felt like I lived in this town and was friends with these characters after a couple of chapters in the book.

I thought the author did a great job of building the back story on the two characters so that you knew what got them where they were. I also liked that the book included romance, mystery and even sadness. It really kept you as the reader wanting to find out what happened to Hope's daughter and how Lucca really feels about the accident.

In addition to the main characters story Emily did a good job of introducing the next books character. I am very interested in the reading the next story in the series with Gabrielle as one of the main characters! It will also be interesting to see how she incorporates the past characters into the book. I recommend this book to readers who love book series and romance. If you like Susan Mallery or Robyn Carr's books about a little town you will love Emily March's. Can't wait to go back and read the first 6 books!

Hearts in Motion by Edie Ramer

Hearts in Motion by Edie Ramer:

Hearts in Motion takes place in a small town in a small town in Wisconsin. This story centers around two main characters Abby Pimm and Holden Ramsey. Abby's character was more out going and good with people and especially the pets that she rescued. Holden on the other hand was more reserved and withdrawn from his family. The story starts out by Holden having his non biological daughter dropped off on his door stop by his ex in-laws and having to find a babysitter fast. With the help of his dear aunt he was able to find Abby who was good with kids. Through out the story you learn more about Abby's past as well as Holden's. The story grabs you from the beginning and hold it til the very end. The story brings together humans and pets in a great way! 

Positives of the book:

-animals of course! Liked the way that the author had some parts of the story being from the pets point of view. It was cute but totally realistic on how you think animals would feel. 

-cute romance as well as a good tear jerker at moments. 

-proceeds from the book go to the Humane Society!

Negatives: 

- From the front of the book I really thought this book was going to be about dogs with some cat interaction and to me it turned out to be more about cats. 

- Development of her friend's storyline who makes cat furniture. I thought that she did a good job of introducing the character but not really developing her more. Especially when she turned out to have a more involved role in the book. 

All in all I thought this was a great book. It was an easy read that didn't take me more than a couple day! Can't wait to see what she has in store for the next book! 

A Simple Amish Story

A Simple Faith by Rosalind Lauer

Haley Donovan is hoping work in Halfway's Hospital will allow her to forget about her past and move on to the future. When she meets Dylan who is the new counselor for the hospital she notices he is cute and out of place but she just keeps to her self and does her job. Elsie Lapp who manages her families store wants help her family with finances so she suggests that she visits the city to talk to a vendor. Little does Elsie and Haley know they will be crossing each others paths and both be involved in a tragedy that will connect them for life.

I received this book courtesy of Netgalley. It was the first book that I have read of Rosalind Lauer's so I was unsure of what the writing and story were going to be like. I was very impressed with her story and writing. I thought the book had great characters that were developed very well. I felt she did a good job of describing them so well that you felt like you knew exactly who they were. In addition the book did a very good job of showing how the Amish connect with society.

Another aspect of the book that really grabbed my attention was how she had to point of views guiding the book. It really helped when they had the tragedy in the book occured. You were able to see the two point of views of how the Amish deal with tragedy and how the rest of society deals with it. I am very glad that this book is a part of a series because I would like to learn more about the other characters in the book.

I would defiantly recommend this book to Christian readers as well as those who list Amish stories. This author very much reminds me of Beverly Lewis so if you are a fan of hers you will really like this author too!

Starry Night by Debbie Maccomber

Carrie Slayton a big city writer who writes for the society page of the newspaper has always wanted to write more than what society's richest are wearing. Fed up with her boss she walks into his office with every inclination of resigning and moving on to a different job. However, instead she ends up with the job of tracking down the most secretive author Finn Dalton and get an interview.

Finn Dalton has always been a loner and lived in the middle of no where so he could be alone. Things change when Carrie Slayton lands on his door stop cold and needing a place to stay. Unsure of why she is here he stays quiet and observes her. Will Carrie be able to crack Finn's shell and find out who this wilderness man really is or will she go back home empty handed.

Review:

Having read many of Debbie's books before I was interested to see how different her writing was for a stand alone novel compared to a series. I was not disappointed one bit. This book had mystery, humor and romance all wrapped into one. What made it even better was that it was centered around the christmas season. I really liked how Debbie allowed you to get to know the characters really well and find out more about their pasts. It was a very easy read and a great Christmas book! I would defiantly recommend to readers that love romance and christmas books.

The Sugar Cookie Sweetheart Swap

The Sugar Cookie Sweetheart Swap

The Sugar Cookie Sweetheart Swap tells the story of three best friends who live in a small town. The book is split into three separate stories telling about how each of the friends find and fall in love with three very different men.

When There’s Smoke by Donna Kaufmann is the first book in this trilogy. Clara is writer for the local newspaper who almost finds her self out of a job when her boss gives her one last chance by having her write a cookie baking column. Having never baked a cookie in her life she heads to the local bookstore to find a how to book baking. However, well she is there she runs into an old friend she never expected to have seen ever again, Will Mason. Will Mason a now sexy fireman raising money for a charity. Clara and Will reconnect and he also helps Clara find out who she really is. Will she find true love in Will Mason? You will just have to read and find out.

The Gingerbread Man by Kate Angell is the second book in the Sugar Cookie Sweatheart Swap story. Growing Abby Denton was always the good girl. However, things changed when her Grandma died. She decided that she wanted to do something different so she started baking anatomically correct gingerbread man cookies. Little did she know that these cookies would be a hit and her online business would have orders coming in fast. The thing she never expected was to find the man who bought her cookies in a car unconscious at the bottom of the mountain. After bringing him back to her cabin she tries to nurse him back to health without him finding out who she really is. Is this Christmas going to be the one where Abby finds love? Will Lander find out who Abby really is?

Sugar and Spice by Kimberly Kincaid is the last book in this three part trilogy. The book finds Lily Callahan the town caterer entering the local resorts bake-off contest trying to win money to open her shop. However, she gets a big surprise when Pete Mancuso the man who broke up with her friend over the phone is the competition. Hoping to not interact with him is not an option when she is forced to work with him in the first round. Will Lily be able win the contest or will dreamy Pete distract her?

My Review: I thought this book was great. I was very happy on how this book was written. I think that all the authors did a great job of making their individual characters stand out in their individual stories. I also think the did a spectacular job of connecting all three stories. I was a little unsure of how the book was going to read after reading the prologue but after getting into the first couple chapters it made more sense. I found that I was very interested in reading the next two stories after the first one to find out what happened to the other friends. I don’t think I would have changed anything in this book!

Secret Santa Anthology

Secret Santa is an anthology of four very different Christmas stories.

"Mister Christmas" by Fern Michaels

This was my first book by Fern so i wasn't sure what the book would be like. The book to me started out a little confusing but once the main character Claire O'Brien arrived in Ireland the story started to make more sense. Claire O'Brien the main character is forced to spend the holidays abroad with one of her clients instead of her family. When she arrives in London she finds that her client is not sick at all and is wanting to set her up with his nephew. What will happen? I guess you will just have to read the book to find out. I very much liked the way the story was written. I do think that Fern could have even made it a book by itself.

"The Yellow Rose of Christmas" by Marie Bostwick

Marie's book starts out with Miss Velvet who has always been a great friend, neighbor and towns folk. One thing she has never been is lucky in the romance department. However things seem to change when someone starts leaving her clues all over town. Who will her secret admirer be?

I think the author did a great job of having you go through the process with Velvet. You really felt happy for her when she got the notes from her admirer and sad for her when you knew something bad was going to happen. In the end I was surprised with the way that she took the book but was very happy with how she ended it. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

Though Miss Velvet Tudmore wrote off romance years ago, rumor has it she has a secret admirer. And when her surprise suitor promises to reveal himself at the annual Christmas ball in Too Much, Texas, Velvet starts to wonder: is it ever too late to find love?


"Nightmare on Elf Street" by Laura Levine

This book was okay. Wasn't one of my favorites. I felt this was more mystery than a christmas romance. Not sure if I would have included it in this book.


"Room at the Inn" by Cindy Myers

This by far was my favorite book. Barb and her husband are stuck in the middle of no where when they get caught in a blizzard on the way to visit her friend. Luckily the town sheriff talks one of the locals into letting Barb and a few other families to stay in her cottages until the roads clear. Will Barb embrace this new surrounding that has been presented to her or will she stay stuck in her cottage until the snow gets plowed away.

I really liked the way this book was written. The author makes you feel as a reader that you are there experiencing what Barb is going through. It was also interesting to see the change in Barb and her husbands relationship as the story went on. It was very nice to see how she made Barb likable at the end and how she connected with the other people who were stuck in the cabins. I would be interested in reading more from this author based on this book in the anthology.

Christmas in Snowflake Canyon by RaeAnne Thayne

Christmas in Snowflake Canyon

Summary:

Genevieve Beaumont the Mayor of Snowflake Canyon's daughter has always gotten the best of everything whether it be clothes, guys, homes you name it. However, things change when her dad takes away her cash flow and trust fund forcing her to come back to the one place she never thought she would have to step foot in to sell her Grandma's Pearls house.

Dylan Caine a wounded veteran has come back to Snowflake Canyon to escape to his house on top of the mountain and to have little interaction as necessary. Things change for him one night when he steps in to help Genevieve kick butt against the ADA district attorney who won't stop playing annoying Christmas songs on the music players. This lands these two unlikely people having complete a 100 hours of community service with the local Wound Warrior Organization.

This Christmas season breaking law won't just bring happiness and joy to the wounded veterans and their families but also the start of something more for Genevieve and Dylan.

My Review:

This was my first book by RaeAnne Thayne so other than romance story set in the christmas season I wasn't sure how much I was going to like the book. I ended up really loving this book. I liked how RaeAnne added humor, love, pain and new beginnings all into one book. I started this book and never wanted to put it down at night. If it wasn't for having to go to work during this week I would have finished this book alot faster. I am very interested to see what she has in store for the next book in the series and I defiantly want to go back and read the rest of this series to read about the other characters in the book. This book had me laughing, smiling and at times feeling sad for the characters when something bad was happening.

I would defiantly recommend this book to my friends and family. To unknown visitors to my blog if you like to laugh, smile and at times cry this book is defiantly a book you should try.

Now on to the next Christmas book!