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rjd's review
5.0
Fabulous
I loved this book! They kept getting better and better! The first was great. Solid plot with some action and suspense, just what I've come to expect from the author. The second I loved for all the quotes and the solid characters. Then book three. I adore Cathe Swanson's works. This one felt like home. The characters sound like people I know, and the plot was engaging and fresh. I start reading her books and feel like I've just met new friends. (Can you tell this was my favorite?) And the final story was so funny and fabulous, just what I expect from Chautona Havig. A Christmas ghost story as a plot device? I was skeptical, but what a great book. I loved getting to see a different side of places we've seen in other books by this author.
Worth every penny. Will definitely reread this set.
I loved this book! They kept getting better and better! The first was great. Solid plot with some action and suspense, just what I've come to expect from the author. The second I loved for all the quotes and the solid characters. Then book three. I adore Cathe Swanson's works. This one felt like home. The characters sound like people I know, and the plot was engaging and fresh. I start reading her books and feel like I've just met new friends. (Can you tell this was my favorite?) And the final story was so funny and fabulous, just what I expect from Chautona Havig. A Christmas ghost story as a plot device? I was skeptical, but what a great book. I loved getting to see a different side of places we've seen in other books by this author.
Worth every penny. Will definitely reread this set.
rebekahmorris's review
3.0
When I got this collection of stories, I was excepting Christmas stories. Hardly. The first book had a little bit of Christmas at the end. Book 2 had more Christmas to it. Book 3 seemed to have more about St. Lucia Day than Christmas though it ended at Christmas. And book 4 really didn't feel like Christmas at all.
Frost Heaves by Alana Terry
3.5 stars
While not what I would consider a "Christmas" story, I did enjoy this. It was full of danger, excitement, and a bit of romance. Not the kind of story I normally read, but this wasn't bad. The chapters were so short that it didn't seem that there were 49 of them. I did like the characters, except for the bad guys. The thing that made me a bit puzzled is how people could survive out in the Alaskan winter without their coats on. I suppose they dress warmer up there? It still seemed a bit odd that the mother was completely fine after spending most of the night in the cold with no coat, but the girl wasn't. But what do I know? I've never lived or even visited Alaska.
Deck the Shelves by Toni Shiloh
2.5 stars.
I just didn't care for this one much. The fact that the main character lived in an old Victorian mansion that had been converted to a bookstore was fun. And I did like Deuce. He was such a typical little boy. I just couldn't relate to most of the books mentioned as they are ones I haven't and wouldn't read. The biggest problem I had was that both main characters were divorced. Of course it was the "other" person's fault that they got divorced, so it was okay to marry again, right? No. It just made me not enjoy the story.
The Christmas Glory Quilt by Cathe Swanson
4 stars
Even though this story didn't seem to have much Christmas in it, I did enjoy it. I mean a homeschool girl who started her own sewing business, who has dyslexia, and who comes from a larger family–that's not your typical story. The characters were all fun. I really appreciated how Brian spoke honestly but with respect about his mom even though he didn't agree with her. The romance was sweet and felt real. I did wish there had been some more description of what this Christmas quilt looked like as I didn't have a picture of it, and couldn't imagine it except that it had green, white, and red, and some triangles. (Doesn't tell you much, does it?)
The Ghosts of New Cheltenham by Chautona Havig
2.5 stars
In the first place, I don't like ghost stories. I was pretty sure, however, that Chautona wouldn't have them in the story. She didn't. But I still didn't care for it very much because of the focus on ghosts and telling ghost stories. This story really didn't have much about Christmas in it though they decorated their shops, and such.
There was also an unmarried girl going to to the house of an unmarried guy and waking him up. Not sometime I approve of.
Another thing that bugged me was that a few times it felt like the story hadn't been carefully edited because I couldn't tell who was talking, who was thinking, and it kept switching almost every few sentences leaving me utterly confused and reading quickly just to get through it.
Frost Heaves by Alana Terry
3.5 stars
While not what I would consider a "Christmas" story, I did enjoy this. It was full of danger, excitement, and a bit of romance. Not the kind of story I normally read, but this wasn't bad. The chapters were so short that it didn't seem that there were 49 of them. I did like the characters, except for the bad guys. The thing that made me a bit puzzled is how people could survive out in the Alaskan winter without their coats on. I suppose they dress warmer up there? It still seemed a bit odd that the mother was completely fine after spending most of the night in the cold with no coat, but the girl wasn't. But what do I know? I've never lived or even visited Alaska.
Deck the Shelves by Toni Shiloh
2.5 stars.
I just didn't care for this one much. The fact that the main character lived in an old Victorian mansion that had been converted to a bookstore was fun. And I did like Deuce. He was such a typical little boy. I just couldn't relate to most of the books mentioned as they are ones I haven't and wouldn't read. The biggest problem I had was that both main characters were divorced. Of course it was the "other" person's fault that they got divorced, so it was okay to marry again, right? No. It just made me not enjoy the story.
The Christmas Glory Quilt by Cathe Swanson
4 stars
Even though this story didn't seem to have much Christmas in it, I did enjoy it. I mean a homeschool girl who started her own sewing business, who has dyslexia, and who comes from a larger family–that's not your typical story. The characters were all fun. I really appreciated how Brian spoke honestly but with respect about his mom even though he didn't agree with her. The romance was sweet and felt real. I did wish there had been some more description of what this Christmas quilt looked like as I didn't have a picture of it, and couldn't imagine it except that it had green, white, and red, and some triangles. (Doesn't tell you much, does it?)
The Ghosts of New Cheltenham by Chautona Havig
2.5 stars
In the first place, I don't like ghost stories. I was pretty sure, however, that Chautona wouldn't have them in the story. She didn't. But I still didn't care for it very much because of the focus on ghosts and telling ghost stories. This story really didn't have much about Christmas in it though they decorated their shops, and such.
There was also an unmarried girl going to to the house of an unmarried guy and waking him up. Not sometime I approve of.
Another thing that bugged me was that a few times it felt like the story hadn't been carefully edited because I couldn't tell who was talking, who was thinking, and it kept switching almost every few sentences leaving me utterly confused and reading quickly just to get through it.
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