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sarahcvo's review against another edition
2.0
Read the first two stories. Neither was that good. Then the book was due back to the library, so I didn't bother to finish.
pikasqueaks's review
5.0
This one one of the sweetest and cutest, most fun collection of short stories that I've ever read. I loved every single story -- but my favorite was K. K. Hendin's!
barefootsong's review
3.0
This is an anthology of four novellas, so as with most anthologies, I liked some stories more than others, but they were all enjoyable. My favorite was the first story, "Miracle" by Megan Hart, about a young man leaving the Orthodox Jewish tradition and trying to find a place for himself outside of that. The last story, "All I Got" by KK Hendin, was the hardest to get into for me as an outsider as this one deals much more closely with Jewish and Israeli culture, without a lot of "translation" (literally at times, as this story used more Hebrew words, some of which were hard to figure out). I still enjoyed the cuteness of the romance in that last story, I just missed a lot of the nuances.
Overall, though, I'm really happy that this collection exists and I hope we now have a trend of Chanukah romances because I am totally an equal-opportunity winter holiday romance enthusiast.
Overall, though, I'm really happy that this collection exists and I hope we now have a trend of Chanukah romances because I am totally an equal-opportunity winter holiday romance enthusiast.
sarnacle's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
Four stories in this anthology and only one was a total bust, so not terrible overall. I don’t want to influence anyone’s opinion, so I won’t write specifics, but the one flop of a story didn’t work for me because the writing was terrible, the characters were duds, and the story was unrealistic. The other three I enjoyed for different reasons. The only major critique I have of one of the stories is I don’t think that one of the main characters would act the way they did because of their schooling/upbringing, but maybe another reader might not be bothered by that. Also, there’s a letter that’s written to the other main character and I would really have liked to know what it said. Otherwise they were fun to read because I related to the characters on different levels, the stories were sweet, and while a HEA was achieved, it wasn’t what you’d necessarily expect.
beckymmoe's review
5.0
OMG, even the introduction was entertaining! (It was written by Sarah from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, so you knew it was going to be, but still. The introduction.)
Despite my total ignorance, all four romances were absolutely adorable--it would be hard to pick a favorite! (But if I had to it would probably be KK Hendin's All I Got because I just loved the voice of Tamar, her heroine. That, and the snippets of dialogue the author added in from different people in between sections was very When Harry Met Sally-like.)
Megan Hart's Miracle was an opposites attract story--or is it? Ben and Amanda start things off on the wrong foot--and poor Ben is struggling to find his place in a new world, which makes him all kinds of awkward and adorable--but they just might find out that they have more in common than they think.
Jennifer Gracen's A Dose of Gelt is about a perfectly-in-love couple...until they aren't anymore. Or are they? Divorce lawyer Evan's sure that marriage isn't in the cards for him, until he admits as much--under duress--to Shari, his girlfriend of seven months. She very much wants to get married...someday...and begins to reconsider their relationship. Can the holiday season help them to repair the damage?
In Home for Chanukah by Stacey Agdern, two neighbors come together to plan the perfect holiday party and decide they might like to come together in another way as well. But when Molly thinks she's found the perfect gift to give Jon, will it end up tearing them apart forever? (Bonus: Jon's sister is just as much fun as the two main characters--maybe more, because she bakes and knows the restorative powers of chocolate and sugar.)
And finally, Tamar of KK Hendin's All I Got has the vacation of a lifetime in Israel, where she meets (or is it meets again?) soldier Avi. All good things must come to an end, though...or do they? ;)
All four stories are quick reads, and will leave you with a smile and a warm fuzzy feeling. Oh, and chances are you'll might be a teensy bit hungry too.
Don't say I didn't warn you!
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A-
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Chanukka! Making copyeditors gnash their teeth for over 5000 years!I really enjoyed this Chanukah-themed anthology, even if I felt like I needed a glossary at times to decode what they were talking about ;) (Don't tell me there is one, because I'm serious. I had no idea what a good 75% of those words meant.)
Despite my total ignorance, all four romances were absolutely adorable--it would be hard to pick a favorite! (But if I had to it would probably be KK Hendin's All I Got because I just loved the voice of Tamar, her heroine. That, and the snippets of dialogue the author added in from different people in between sections was very When Harry Met Sally-like.)
Megan Hart's Miracle was an opposites attract story--or is it? Ben and Amanda start things off on the wrong foot--and poor Ben is struggling to find his place in a new world, which makes him all kinds of awkward and adorable--but they just might find out that they have more in common than they think.
Jennifer Gracen's A Dose of Gelt is about a perfectly-in-love couple...until they aren't anymore. Or are they? Divorce lawyer Evan's sure that marriage isn't in the cards for him, until he admits as much--under duress--to Shari, his girlfriend of seven months. She very much wants to get married...someday...and begins to reconsider their relationship. Can the holiday season help them to repair the damage?
In Home for Chanukah by Stacey Agdern, two neighbors come together to plan the perfect holiday party and decide they might like to come together in another way as well. But when Molly thinks she's found the perfect gift to give Jon, will it end up tearing them apart forever? (Bonus: Jon's sister is just as much fun as the two main characters--maybe more, because she bakes and knows the restorative powers of chocolate and sugar.)
And finally, Tamar of KK Hendin's All I Got has the vacation of a lifetime in Israel, where she meets (or is it meets again?) soldier Avi. All good things must come to an end, though...or do they? ;)
All four stories are quick reads, and will leave you with a smile and a warm fuzzy feeling. Oh, and chances are you'll might be a teensy bit hungry too.
Don't say I didn't warn you!
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A-
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
rach_simone's review
3.0
Cute collection of stories. I wanted to read these during Chanukah this year and I'm glad I did. Pretty low on the steam and angst meters.
darlenemarshall's review
5.0
Burning Bright: Four Chanukah Love Stories, is out in ebook, just in time for the holiday:
“Miracle” by Megan Hart—This sweet tale touches on a little known issue, very religious Jews who go “off the derech”, leaving their strictly observant communities for the wider world. It’s a difficult adjustment for Ben Schneider, but he finds his neighbor Amanda willing to help him navigate through new customs and traditions as she shows him her Chanukah celebration of helping her neighbors experience the holidays with joy.
“A Dose of Gelt” by Jennifer Gracen—“Gelt” is money, the traditional Chanukah gift, symbolized by foil wrapped chocolate coins. Evan Sontag and Shari Cohen have so much in common and such a great relationship that when Evan brings Shari to his family’s annual Chanukah party, there’s discussion of when they’re setting a date. Honestly, Evan, if you didn’t think that was going to happen at the family gathering—with your grandmother—you haven’t been paying attention. He flips out, because as a family law attorney he’s seen too many marriages end up on the rocks and he doesn’t think marriage is for him. Now he has to win back Shari, the woman he realizes he can’t live without. It helps that there are eight days of Chanukah with which to offer heart-felt gifts...and his heart, too.
“Home for Chanukah” by Stacey Agdern—Jon Adelman travels the country producing modern Jewish music, discovering and promoting artists who fuse tradition with current sounds. It’s a busy life which doesn’t leave him any time to make his apartment into a home. When his neighbor, designer Molly Baker-Stein, sees his folding chair, futon and card table living arrangements, she’s horrified. For Chanukah she’s going to help Jon have the living space he deserves…and things go terribly wrong. It’s going to take a Chanukah miracle (and help from both sides of the family—do you see a trend in these stories?) to get them back together and appreciating one another.
“All I Got” by KK Hendin moves the action across the Atlantic. Modern Orthodox Tamar is taking a winter break from college to eat sufganiyot in Israel, apartment sit for a friend from their girls’ seminary year, and flirt with cute soldiers at bus stops. She’s particularly charmed by Avi, with his sweet smile and Southern accent, but she knows it can’t go anywhere because she’ll return to the States after the holiday. This story is peppered with a lot of “Henglish”, Hebrew/English mixed conversation, but the tale is universal as lovers try to connect, each knowing their lives are separated by an ocean.
There's a push in romance writing for more diverse stories, and a new collection from a major publisher celebrating a holiday other than Christmas is a lovely treat!
“Miracle” by Megan Hart—This sweet tale touches on a little known issue, very religious Jews who go “off the derech”, leaving their strictly observant communities for the wider world. It’s a difficult adjustment for Ben Schneider, but he finds his neighbor Amanda willing to help him navigate through new customs and traditions as she shows him her Chanukah celebration of helping her neighbors experience the holidays with joy.
“A Dose of Gelt” by Jennifer Gracen—“Gelt” is money, the traditional Chanukah gift, symbolized by foil wrapped chocolate coins. Evan Sontag and Shari Cohen have so much in common and such a great relationship that when Evan brings Shari to his family’s annual Chanukah party, there’s discussion of when they’re setting a date. Honestly, Evan, if you didn’t think that was going to happen at the family gathering—with your grandmother—you haven’t been paying attention. He flips out, because as a family law attorney he’s seen too many marriages end up on the rocks and he doesn’t think marriage is for him. Now he has to win back Shari, the woman he realizes he can’t live without. It helps that there are eight days of Chanukah with which to offer heart-felt gifts...and his heart, too.
“Home for Chanukah” by Stacey Agdern—Jon Adelman travels the country producing modern Jewish music, discovering and promoting artists who fuse tradition with current sounds. It’s a busy life which doesn’t leave him any time to make his apartment into a home. When his neighbor, designer Molly Baker-Stein, sees his folding chair, futon and card table living arrangements, she’s horrified. For Chanukah she’s going to help Jon have the living space he deserves…and things go terribly wrong. It’s going to take a Chanukah miracle (and help from both sides of the family—do you see a trend in these stories?) to get them back together and appreciating one another.
“All I Got” by KK Hendin moves the action across the Atlantic. Modern Orthodox Tamar is taking a winter break from college to eat sufganiyot in Israel, apartment sit for a friend from their girls’ seminary year, and flirt with cute soldiers at bus stops. She’s particularly charmed by Avi, with his sweet smile and Southern accent, but she knows it can’t go anywhere because she’ll return to the States after the holiday. This story is peppered with a lot of “Henglish”, Hebrew/English mixed conversation, but the tale is universal as lovers try to connect, each knowing their lives are separated by an ocean.
There's a push in romance writing for more diverse stories, and a new collection from a major publisher celebrating a holiday other than Christmas is a lovely treat!
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