Authors: Anneka R. Walker, Sian Ann Bessey, Carla Kelly, Krista Lynne Jensen
Genre: Historical Romance
Release Date: October 1, 2020

Kindle the spirit of the season as four of your favorite storytellers weave tales of love and hope in this charming yuletide collection.



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• LORD BLAKELY’S GIFT When Miss Ivy Hunt and Lord Curtis Blakely establish a secret acquaintance, neither can deny that their feelings extend beyond friendship. But as the children of bitter rivals, it will take a Christmas miracle for this star-crossed pair to reach their happily ever after.
  
  
• A SEASON OF HOPE Following the death of her father, Amelia knows Christmas will be lean. But when circumstances become dire, it is the unexpected arrival of a childhood friend that renews Amelia’s hope—both for the future and for love.
  
  
• CHRISTMAS BY THE SEA After two years at sea with the Royal Navy, surgeon Will Crenshaw longs for a quiet Christmas with his family. But when unrest at home threatens to ruin the holidays, it takes the kindly intervention of a mysterious house sitter to remind them of the true meaning of the season.
  
  
• EXPECTATIONS AT CANTERWOOD Marina Rowley is a spinster, Richard Stanhope a war-weary military man. A case of mistaken identity throws them together, but the unexpected stirrings of their hearts lead to an unforgettable holiday romance.

Author: Melody Carlson
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 1, 2020

​All Emma Daley wants this holiday season is a white Christmas. But the young teacher and struggling musician sure can't find that in sunny Arizona. Luckily, there's someone living in a perfect mountain home in the Colorado Rockies looking to make a vacation trade.

West Prescott is an in-demand songwriter and talented musician who put his own singing career on hold to write songs for celebrity acts to perform. When his mother convinces him to do a vacation trade for Christmas, he never imagined one of the houseguests would be so sweet--or so strikingly pretty. Naturally, he decides to stick around, and to get better acquainted, he poses as the caretaker of his own house. But when Emma's friend Gillian discovers his true identity and sets her sights on him, things get . . . messy.

Reviewer: Jessica Sichel

“Christmas” is a collection of four short stories written by Marcia Lee Laycock.  “Missing Christmas,” “No Matter How Far,” “An Earthly Treasure,” and “An Unexpected Glory” are rather different from each other and each has a different take on the miracle and wonder of Christmas.  Yet, all of the stories share the common theme of God as provider, whether the needs of the characters are physical, emotional, or financial.

In the first story, “Missing Christmas,” self-centeredness overwhelms the main character.  Due to an unfortunate event, she and her husband are unable to attend Christmas with distant family as previous planned, leaving the unnamed narrator feeling very sorry for herself.  However, towards the end of the story she is shown an unexpected kindness and says, “The sight…filled my soul with a light that made me forget about myself.”  The wonder of Christmas wins over the narrator. 

Next, Laycock tells the story of a man in desperate straits who almost gives in to the physical stress his body undertakes in, “No Matter How Far.”  Help comes in various forms and in the end, the sequence of events, along with his background, propels him towards finding answers to certain questions.

The third story, “An Earthly Treasure,” is a little out there – literally!  It is a science fiction tale which takes place in space and shows how, even when we are physically and mentally very far from where Jesus wrought miracles, God works anyway, crossing immeasurable boundaries.

The fourth story – and my favorite – is “An Unexpected Glory,” a classic tale of overcoming the desire for Christmas to be perfect.  The mishaps which befall the characters are all too well known by many.  When things seem to be falling apart all around, God can and does work all things for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Laycock has a talent for storytelling and shows her versatility in the variety of genres, settings, and characters within this little collection.   One story seems to have a more existential feel, while another is heart-warming, and a third is science fiction.  When picking up a compilation of Christmas stories, one might expect a more traditional, consistent set of tales.  Instead, Laycock modernizes Christmas by setting her stories in what seem to be present – and in one case, is actually future – scenarios.  Furthermore, the characters themselves are rather approachable, feeling and thinking things that a reader may very well think for him or herself.  Laycock does a good job making connections between the reader and her characters.

There are a few flaws in the tales, such as in the fourth story when a baby is given medication for an unknown ailment instead of being taken to a doctor for evaluation.  The medication causes the child to sleep, which is not necessarily a sign of healing.  This incident leaves a disturbing feeling in the mind.  Also, some of Laycock’s characters could be made a little less flat, with more information or background being given about them.  These are, however, short stories, so some brevity in such areas is to be expected.

Overall, for a different take on the traditional fireside short story, “Christmas” would be a good choice.  Happy reading!  

Reviewer: Cierra Loften

​Everyone who knows me knows I love everything about the holiday season. The festivities, the decorations, the food, and of course, the real reason for the season: celebrating the birth of Christ. So, when I saw the title of Laycock's collection of 4 short stories, I decided to pick it up. The cover gets right down to the point of what the stories are about (the birth of Jesus) and the author bio on the back is also simple and lovely to look at. The cover earns an 8 from me. There were four separate stories, with their own respective characters, though, overall, I didn't really connect with the characters in any of the stories. I found them a tad boring, though they weren't awful by any means. I'll offer a 6 for the characters. Each story's plot was fairly simple and fairly interesting, though none of them really struck my interest for very long. Plot earns an 8 from me. Style wise, I can tell Laycock has been writing for quite a while. Her ideas flow very well and she does a wonderful job of closing each story. Style earns an 8. Unfortunately, when it comes to addictiveness, I really had a difficult time finishing these stories. As mentioned above, I didn't find them that intriguing and that made it hard for me to want to keep reading at times. Addictivenes earns a 4. Ending on a positive note, the stories were inspirational and did a beautiful job of capturing the peaceful, loving essence of Christmastime. Content earns a 10. Overall, Christmas earns a 4 star rating from me.

Reviewer: Laura J. Davis

I love a book that leaves me feeling inspired, especially in time for Christmas. The Christmas Angel Project by Melody Carlson is a sweet novella of friendship, faith and love that is perfect for the Christmas season.

The author takes the reader on a journey into the lives of four friends who were brought together into a book group by their one common friend - Abby. It was to Abby the group gave credit for bringing them together and it was Abby who knew each of them well enough that they all confided in her, but when she dies they are lost without her, ready to give up on the book group Abby started. Ready to give up on maybe creating friendships with each other that could be just as deep. We soon discover however, that when grief is shared, friendships become stronger and Abby's four friends learn more about each other and themselves then they ever thought possible.

While I was disappointed that Abby's character was not developed enough to make me care that she had died, the reader does learn about her from the way her friends react to her death and with the gifts she leaves each of them. If more effort had been put into Abby I might have been shocked and I might have cried right along with her friends. So for me, it wasn't a very moving experience.

That said, what happens to the four friends after Abby's death is something I think most women wish they had - great friends who support each other through their struggles and their joys. I loved the way the women begin to open up to each other as they try to honour their friend with the Christmas Angel Project. This is an inspiring story to read at Christmas and is one I'm sure you'll love.  It may even inspire you to become a Christmas Angel!

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.