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A Christmas Duet–musical inspiration
A Christmas Duet
by Debbie Macomber
If you are looking for an easy and fast read with a Christmas setting, I can recommend Macomber’s Christmas romance A Christmas Duet.
Hailey is a high school music teacher. She has been composing music since she was a child, but she lost her motivation when her expected fiancé popped her bubble saying she needed to abandon her dream because she was not good enough to make it in the music industry. Three years and one destroyed relationship later she decides not to go home for Christmas. A friend offers a family cabin where she can seclude herself and compose to her heart’s content in little Podunk, Oregon.
When Jethro (aka Jay) is sent to rescue her from a “rabid raccoon” in the cabin, there is immediate attraction which only intensifies when they discover their shared interest in music. He used to be in a band and now is establishing his own production company.
What starts out as a quiet, inspirational time deteriorates rapidly when Hilary’s sister Daisy, who is obviously having an issue, surprises her as do a succession of others who don’t seem to understand the concept of being alone.
I don’t want to disclose any more of the plot, but it is fun and Hilary and Jay are both great people. My one small problem with the book is that Hilary’s mother is overkill in the “you need to get married and have grandchildren for me” department. Her actions certainly add tension to the plot, but I hope no one really is as pushy with their daughters as this mother is. Jay’s mother is much more reasonable and for me believable as a character. This is a feel good Christmas romance that I very much enjoyed.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Fiction, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Publication: October 15, 2024—Random House (Ballentine)
Memorable Lines:
Not until his vehicle was out of sight did Hailey panic. She didn’t cook. What was she thinking? The poor man didn’t have any idea of what he was getting himself in for.
Since she’d taken a job at the high school, she’d become staid, caught up in routine and rarely venturing beyond what was comfortable. Being with Jay felt like she’d walked from winter into spring, where everything felt fresh and new.
This secluded cabin had more traffic than a Macy’s department store during the holidays.
Rebecca–fascinating classic with dark vibes
Rebecca
by Daphne du Maurier
First published in 1938, Rebecca has been republished multiple times and continues to gain new audiences. I read it as a young adult and remember being fascinated by it, but could no longer remember the details. When our book club decided to read it, I was excited to revisit this dark classic, and I was not disappointed.
The author’s technique is to begin the book with the situation of the characters at the end of the story. Then she deftly switches to current actions as she describes how the protagonist, who is never named, comes to meet Maxim de Winter, the owner of the magnificent Manderley estate. She is a shy young lady with less nobility in her background than Maxim. This suspenseful story is told from her point of view.
Manderley is almost a character in this book, not just a backdrop. The other important character is Rebecca, the dead wife of Maxim. Her presence is palpable to the new Mrs. de Winter as her touches are evident throughout the house in decor and in the general management of the household. Mrs. Danvers, Rebecca’s former maid and the current household manager, revered her first mistress who could do no wrong in her eyes. She is a leader among the servants in making the new Mrs. de Winter feel like an unworthy interloper.
Much mystery surrounds Manderley as the newlywed couple try to settle in. They have to endure proper welcoming visits from the locals who encourage them to host a costume party as Rebecca used to do. As the story progresses, the reader can feel the evil and sadness that has taken root in Manderley, but it is not obvious why.
Rebecca is certainly worth a reread. It has a complex plot with characters with hidden motivations. Secrets are gradually revealed as tension mounts. The climax is a gripping surprise. As an unusual twist for me, I found myself returning to the first two chapters to study how the author set the reader up for the rest of the book. Impressive craftsmanship!
Rating: 5/5
Category: Classic novel, Gothic, Suspense, Mystery
Notes: Goodreads refers to 864 editions!
Publication: 1938—Doubleday
Memorable Lines:
Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.
Describing Maxim’s sister Beatrice: She belonged to another breed of men and women, another race than I…If it had been Beatrice who had done this thing instead of me, she would have put on her other dress and gone down again to welcome her guests. She would have stood by Giles’s side, and shaken hands with people, a smile on her face. I could not do that. I had not the pride, I had not the guts. I was badly bred.
I wondered how many people there were in the world who suffered, and continued to suffer, because they could not break out from their own web of shyness and reserve, and to their blindness and folly built up a great distorted wall in front of them that hid the truth.This was what I had done. I had built up false pictures in my mind and sat before them. I had never had the courage to demand the truth.
Mums and Mayhem–Bellewick’s famous fiddler returns
Mums and Mayhem
by Amanda Flower
Fiona Knox transplanted herself from Tennessee to the east coast of Scotland when she inherited Duncreigan, a very small cottage with its magical garden, from her godfather Ian. She became Keeper of the garden and is learning how to care for it through trial and error. She also owns a floral shop in the little town of Bellewick where she has made a number of friends despite some animosity against her as an American.
In this mystery, world famous fiddler Barley McFee has returned home for a concert, but there are complications to his visit. Fiona’s parents have also come to Scotland for a visit. She plans on pinning them down on the identity of her biological father. Fiona and her sister Isla also want to introduce them to the men in their lives. Complications added into the plot are disputes in Barley’s backup band, a historian who wants access to the magic garden, a businessman who wants to restore a tumbling manor house, a fire at sea, vandalism in the magic garden, and a murder.
With so much going on in the little village, Fiona is stretched to her limits, but her boyfriend, Chief Inspector Neil Craig, her friend Presha, and her Scottish Fold cat, Ivanhoe, are a constant source of support.
Amanda Flower’s Mums and Mayhem is a cozy mystery with a Scottish flair and a sprinkle of magic of the whimsical variety. Fiona is desperate to restore the magical garden and the conclusion not only reveals the murderer and resolves the personal conflicts with her parents, but also shows Fiona regarding the garden in a new light.
I would like to extend my thanks to Netgalley and to Crooked Lane Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #3 in the Magic Garden Mysteries, but can be read as a standalone allowing the author to fill in any needed background information.
Publication: July 7, 2020—Crooked Lane Books
Memorable Lines:
The American tendency is more and bigger and better and new. We don’t always buy into that in Scotland. We appreciate old and tradition.
My heart sank. I wanted to grab the words out of the air and shove them back into my mouth. But it was too late for that.
“I think it’s the right thing to do. It feels right, in any case, and when dealing with the garden, I have learned that going with my gut has always been the best choice.”
Montana Dreams–secrets within the family
Montana Dreams
by Anna J. Stewart
The five Harrison sisters were abandoned by their father, Thomas Blackwell, when the oldest, Peyton, was eight years old leaving a hole in her heart that could not be filled. For reasons to be discovered in Montana Dreams by Anna J. Stewart, Peyton, ostensibly close to her sisters, has kept the girls’ biological roots a secret. She is the only one aware that Rudy Harrison, their devoted father and a retired Navy admiral, is actually their step-father.
Their world is turned upside down by Big E, the girls’ grandfather they never knew existed; the discovery impacted none of the girls as much as it did Peyton who has tried to fill the hole in her heart with work. Because Peyton, a Vice President in the company she works for, has a stalker, her boss has hired Matteo as her bodyguard. Big E convinces the boss that his ranch in Montana is the safest place for Peyton to be.
In many romances that include childhood family issues as part of the conflict, the background of the main character figures predominantly into the plot. In Montana Dreams, however, both Peyton and Matteo have issues, past and current, that need to be brought to the forefront and dealt with. Their secrets are unwrapped with care, and their romance is depicted with ups and downs and highs and lows that keep the reader in anticipation of possible resolutions.
The devotion Matteo has for his understandably confused six year old son is heartwarming. Well integrated into the plot are characters you might have met in the Return of the Blackwell Brothers series. Although I would love to have had the characters from that first series have more interaction in this book, I realize that would not be possible within the scope of this novel. As it is, the plot is full of twists and turns. Each one of the books in The Blackwell Sisters focuses on a different sister as each meets her welcoming Blackwell cousins and their spouses and learns about the positive sides of Montana ranch living. They also acclimate to the idea that their mother and step-father had presented a false narrative of their family to them as children. Meanwhile, the subplot of their manipulating grandfather Big E plotting to reunite his Blackwell family while searching for Thomas Blackwell, his son and the girls’ father, with Rudy Harrison, the girl’s step-father, continues on with a little progress and more clues in each book.
I would like to extend my thanks to Anna J. Stewart and to Harlequin Heartwarming for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Romance
Notes: #3 in The Blackwell Sisters series, but the author provides the necessary support if you want to read this clean, heartwarming romance as a standalone.
Publication: October 1, 2020—Harlequin Heartwarming
Memorable Lines:
She scrunched her toes in her shoes, trying to keep a hold of whatever traction she had on her life.
The very idea of stepping foot on a ranch—any ranch, let alone an isolated one in the middle of Nowhere, Montana—shot Matteo straight back to a childhood that held zero appeal.
Somehow holding his son made the pain and loneliness from his own childhood fade to where it couldn’t hurt him anymore.
Rudy’s face split into a grin so wide Big E swore he saw his back molars.
Let It Snow–love, snow, and family
Let It Snow
by Sue Moorcroft
Come along for a peek at a British view of Christmas and snow with side trips to Switzerland where Lily and the Middletones, a motley crew of adults and teens, really experience snow with accumulated depth. They embark on a trip that displays the musical talents of the informal singing group as well as Lily’s work as an exhibition artist at a Swiss Christmas Market in Sue Moorcroft’s Let It Snow.
There are lots of complex relationships to watch develop. The back story is critical as Lily and Zinnia are sisters with two “mums,” Patsie and Roma, a situation that caused them grief from classmates as children and later from other adults. Zinnia’s biological father was an anonymous sperm donor, but Lily discovers as an adult that her conception was the result of a heterosexual affair between her mother and a much older man. Her desire to meet her other family upsets both her mothers and her sister, and she is fearful of how her brothers will respond to meeting her. Lily’s family situation gets tied into the pub she works at part time and her business endeavors in Switzerland. Lily has a romantic entanglement with Isaac, the temporary manager of the pub. Their relationship gets complicated when Isaac’s ex re-enters the picture.
I enjoyed watching the intermingling of lives and surprising conflicts that prove to make the story even more interesting. Moorcroft is a master of enticement with setting and mood. I really wanted to be at that Swiss Christmas Market with expensive cuckoo clocks and chocolates. I had visions of hot chocolate, bratwurst, and fondue (but not all at the same time) transferring to my tastebuds. When Lily stood up for herself, I was proud. When she was in physical or emotional pain, I felt for her. Lots of good outcomes make for a happy conclusion, but this tale is close enough to life that not everyone experiences a fairytale ending.
An added bonus to this story is the inclusion of some excitable kids—it is Christmas, after all. An equally enthusiastic Dalmatian named Doggo accompanies his humans to Switzerland and is quite accommodating to whatever adventures come his way.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Avon Books (U.K.) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4/5
Category: General Fiction (Adult), Women’s Fiction
Publication: September 26, 2019—Avon Books (U.K.)
Memorable Lines:
Feelings don’t always take account of right or logic or justice. They come from inside and sometimes they’re all that matter.
As they reached the car park, fresh flakes of snow began, stinging skin like love bites from the Snow Queen.
‘Pretty,’ Lily breathed, eyes reflecting the thousand lights suspended like stars in the night sky above rows of stalls like little red chalets with snow on the roofs. Each stall glittered with stars and lanterns so the entire market seemed luminous.
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