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Wyoming Christmas Reunion–a horse for Christmas
Wyoming Christmas Reunion
by Melinda Curtis
I had read and enjoyed all of the Blackwell saga until the Blackwells of Eagle Springs came along at a bad time for me to accept more books to review. So, coming to the party late, as a fan of author Melinda Curtis, I thought it would be fun to read another Christmasy romance by her. She is very good at making even her series books work well as standalones, so that was not an issue for me. Big E from the other Blackwell series is even a crossover to this one.
I liked the first part of Wyoming Christmas Reunion, and I loved the last part and the wrap-up. I didn’t enjoy the middle where divorced Helen and Nash bounce back and forth ad nauseam on overcoming their backgrounds and their current problems, on their love for each other, and on their commitment to each other.
Nash, an outstanding trainer for cutting horses, in his efforts to save the Flying Spur, the family’s ranch, from developers makes a very risky bet. Helen is a farrier by trade; she has given up riding due to the trauma of injuries from horses, Nash’s bet puts her in the position of needing to overcome her fears to even get on a horse again and then learn how to compete on a cutting horse…all in two weeks. I did learn a lot about cutting horse competition and would love to view it live.
The character in the book that charmed me and kept me going during repetitive parts of the book was Helen and Nash’s son Luke, a sweet kindergartener who wants to train his own horse like Nash did as a child. The book has a lot of themes that appeal to me—family, friendship, and forgiveness. Some of the positive attributes on display in the book are commitment, persistence, kindness, and the ability to open up to communicate on even the hard issues. I enjoyed the ending of the book, and I think those who have read the whole series will be pleased with the conclusion as all the major characters in the series make an appearance in the tale that culminates with the traditional Blackwell Holiday Feast. I also enjoyed the way Christmas carols were incorporated into the story to lighten moods and help Helen focus during the competition.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 3/5
Category: Romance
Notes: 1. #5 in the Blackwells of Eagle Springs Series
2. This is my last Christmas book review for 2022 and probably for quite a while. Next up—a cozy mystery and then historical fiction (WWII).
Publication: November 29, 2022—Harlequin Heartwarming
Memorable Lines:
On those rare occasions when Helen was visibly frustrated, the very air around her was charged the way it was during a summer thunderstorm. Noise, huffing, words flung about looking for a dramatic crash landing. And then the clouds moved on as quickly as they’d blown in. And she’d be evenkeeled and easygoing, like a clear cloudless day where you’d feel recharged beneath her rays of sunshine.
She held Luke still. “Just to recap—no kisses, no kicking, no pushing or putting people in prison.” “You’re funny, Mama.” Luke kissed her cheek and ran out of the bathroom, as if leaving all his cares behind him. An enviable skill.
When the gelding realized they were going in, it was as if he was a completely different horse. He cocked his ears and snorted, head high, gathering himself like a sprinter before he took his mark at the starting line. And then he strutted forward, like he was used to being large and in charge, unafraid of zombie apocalypse bovines.
My Mother’s Silence–devastating secrets
My Mother’s Silence
by Lauren Westwood
I find genres and categories useful up to a point. When it comes to Lauren Westwood’s My Mother’s Silence, the designator “Women’s Fiction” seems to fail. It is definitely fiction, but I think a lot of men would like it too. The subtitle is A Gripping Page-Turner Full of Twists and Family Secrets. I usually associate “gripping” in this context with a thriller, a genre which doesn’t usually attract me. I am happy to report that “gripping” in this case could be defined as a plot that draws you in more and more tightly as you progress. It is full of secrets, life altering secrets—bombshells that explode after lying dormant for fifteen years.
Skye Turner leaves the little Scottish town of Eilean Shiel to fulfill her dream of making it big as a songwriter and musician in America. She carries a heavy weight, however, as her twin sister Ginny has passed away, and it is presumed that she slipped off a cliff and drowned. Skye returns home at the urging of her brother Bill. She hopes to be able to work things out with her mum and her brother, but she arrives to find her mother in mental disarray. Things don’t add up about her sister’s disappearance or the car accident Skye was in on that same evening.
Skye is not a perfect woman, but it seems she has made a lot of decisions based on the lies was fed. She tries to uncover and untangle the fabrications and piece them together with the help of a former DCI who is renting a cottage from her mother.
This book has a Christmas setting that is incidental to the plot but provides a reason for the family to gather. Westwood weaves a web with her amazing storytelling skills. The reader needs to discover what happened to Ginny as much as Skye does. Some romance is woven into the story as old boyfriends and new are included as important threads. There are several mysteries to be solved and parts of the book can claim to be called police procedural. Without a doubt, this book is a page-turner that made me glad I escaped from my comfort zone to find a new happy place.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Women’s Fiction, General Fiction (Adult)
Notes: Sprinkling of vulgar language
Publication: November 11, 2019—Bookouture
Memorable Lines:
…the land doesn’t care that I once went away, or that I’ve come back again. My life is small, my little dramas and struggles unimportant against the vastness of sea and sky.
But there’s something about this land that gets in your blood. Even when I thought I might never come back, I still felt the pull of this place. No matter where I was in the world, if I listened hard enough, I could hear the whisper of home.
I can still remember what it’s like to be in a teenage strop. That feeling of isolation—that everyone else in the entire world is against you and complete morons to boot. But it’s only worth keeping up as long as there’s an audience.
education pathways 