REVIEW WEDNESDAY - Christmas Cafe Complications

 Good morning, friends!

One last Christmas story for July. Where has this month gone? I've already chosen our end-of-summer reads for August. 

AMAZON

BLURB:

This small-town Christmas romance is full of festive surprises and unexpected moments of joy! When Amanda, the determined owner of a cafe in the struggling town of Snow Falls, discovers her long-time rival Eric is closing down his bookstore, she is determined to revive the town’s charm with a big Christmas festival fundraiser.

Despite their initial reluctance, Amanda and Eric are forced to co-organize the event. As Amanda and Eric clash over festival plans, their walls come down, and they realize they share a common goal. 

In a world that can be tough and unpredictable, this sweet romance will remind you of the power of love and leave you with a heart full of hope.

There was a lead-in to the blurb throwing in extra keywords and if you read similar authors then you will love this book.

The cover really set the scene and I loved the small town feel.

First off, when I read a blurb I don't want to know anything except what about this particular story makes me want to keep reading.  What I've shared above is what I want to know. Who the characters are, their conflicts and a hint at how they might make their story work.

While the author does create a beautiful, wintery Christmas setting, there are a couple of problems. The point of view mixes and mingles in very little fashion, often times even throwing in an omniscent point of view. For a story to flow smoothly, a reader doesn't want to be jarred around. You can have multiple points of view (though I don't recommend omniscent being one of them) but the transition from one character to the next should not leave me wondering what character I'm supposed to be in. The author started out fine but the further I got into the story, the more I had the feeling of being told a story, not pulled in to be a part of it. 

The mayor's character really irritated me. While I'm sure she is under great pressure to save the flailing town of Snowfall, that did not give her the right to be nasty to Amanda. I got the impression she was modeled after the mayor in The Good Witch, though that character was hauty, not mean.  Couple that with Eric throwing Amanda to the wolf to take the heat for weather none of them had any control over just rubbed me the wrong way.

Christmas Cafe Complications is Book 2 of a 17-book collaboration. 

I'm giving Christmas Cafe Complilcations...

.8

All my best!

~ Angela

THOUGHTFUL MONDAY

 Good morning, readers!

Our final week of #ChristmasInJuly. I've had fun creating these posts. I hope you've enjoyed them!

All my best!

~ Angela

FRIDAY PHOTO

 Good morning, friends. 

This is the lasts of our Christmas photos for a few months. LOL How appropriate our final photo comes on the 25th! 

I hope they've helped cool you off in the hot July temps!

All my best!

~ Angela

REVIEW WEDNESDAY - Meet Me At Christmas

Good morning, readers.

Some have asked how I can read a book a week. Well, before I became an adult, I would read two or more a week. I like quick reads so you won't see me curled up with 'door stop' books. I also read them for this weekly post and to provide reviews for the authors. We love reviews; even the not so great ones.

AMAZON

BLURB:

Traveling writer and researcher Stella Fisher is working in London when she's called home to her family’s farmhouse in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee to help her mother through the first Christmas without her father. Compounding the situation, her younger sister Lily has run off to get married without telling anyone.

When Stella arrives home, she doesn’t expect to find Henry Dutton, the man she’d left behind. As she could guess, after her heartbreaking exit so many years ago, he isn’t speaking to her. What she doesn’t realize, however, is there’s a much bigger reason to blame for his unfriendly reception. She quickly becomes the one person he believes can fix everything, but she isn’t sure about that. She thought she’d buried her past, yet the look in his alluring blue eyes brings it all right back to the surface.

Under the glitter of the holiday trees at the local lot called Christmas, Stella uncovers more than she’d ever imagined. Will she be able to return to her old life? Or will the unexpected be the biggest Christmas gift of all?

For the most part, I enjoyed the story. The medical stuff about the brain blurred my vision a bit but I understand why the information was necessary. Jenny Hale did a great job of providing the differences between Stella and Henry and how they would work through them to come together. I also enjoyed the secondary story about the necklace, though that took some doing. I was on Stella's mom's team to find out the story. The necklace provided the perfect distraction for her mom. I also understood why Lily took off. The first Christmas without Pop was going to be tough and each handled things their own way. Having Pop 'talk' to Stella was a beautiful, almost paranormal, twist I thoroughly enjoyed. 

I'm giving MEET ME AT CHRISTMAS:

Check out the links below to find out more about Jenny Hale. Especially look at her Media/ TV link to see which Hallmark Christmas movies you want to add to your holiday viewing list:

WEBSITE   BLOG   FACEBOOK   INSTAGRAM   TWITTER   LINKED IN   YOUTUBE

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

All my best!

~ Angela

GOODREADS   BOOK BUB   PINTEREST   AUDIO   MEDIA/TV

 

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT - Jenny Hale

 Good morning, readers.

We're still celebrating #ChristmasInJuly with some great holiday reads.  This week, I'm shining the spotlight on author, Jenny Hale.

Let's learn a bit about Jenny Hale:

Jenny Hale is a USA Today and international bestselling author of romantic contemporary fiction. Her books have sold over a million copies worldwide, have been translated into multiple languages, and adapted for television. Her novels Coming Home for Christmas and Movie Guide Epiphany Award winner Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses are Hallmark Channel original movies. She was included in Oprah Magazine’s “19 Dreamy Summer Romances to Whisk You Away” and both Southern Living’s “30 Christmas Novels to Start Reading Now” as well as “Beach Reads Perfect for Summer” in 2020 as well as 2023. Her stories are chock-full of feel-good romance and overflowing with warm settings, great friends, and family. Jenny is at work on her next novel, delighted to be bringing even more heartwarming stories to her readers. When she isn’t writing or heading up her romantic fiction imprint Harpeth Road, she can be found running around her hometown of Nashville with her husband, two boys, and their labradoodle, taking pictures—her favorite pastime.

Chances are if you watch Hallmark Christmas movies, then you've probably seen at least one of hers. My favorite was Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses with Danica Keller and Neil Bledsoe.

I'll be reviewing MEET ME AT CHRISTMAS (2023) on the Review Wednesday post tomorrow. I hope you'll come back.

There are several links, giving you the opportunity to learn more about Jenny Hale, her works, and to follow her. I'm listing them all below. Also, once on her website, I suggest signing up for her newsletter.

WEBSITE   BLOG   FACEBOOK   INSTAGRAM   TWITTER   LINKED IN   YOUTUBE

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

GOODREADS   BOOK BUB   PINTEREST   AUDIO   MEDIA/TV

All my best!

~ Angela

THOUGHTFUL MONDAY

 Good morning, friends!

We are over half way through the month. Please let me know if you've enjoyed these holiday posts in the middle of a heat wave.

All my best!

~ Angela

THOUGHTFUL MONDAY

 Good morning, friends.

I hope these #ChristmasInJuly posts both inspire and cool you off. 

All my best!

~ Angela

THOUGHTFUL MONDAY

 Good morning, readers.

The theme for this month is #ChristmasInJuly. I've chosen Christmas quotes for you to ponder or inspire your writing.

All my best!

~ Angela