Overview
In the air, there's a feeling of Christmas. . .so settle into your coziest armchair and enjoy four captivating tales that will make your holidays merry and bright. . ."Silver Bells" by Fern Michaels
For years, movie star Amy Lee wondered what it would be like to leave her shallow Hollywood life and go back home to Apple Valley, Pennsylvania. This Christmas, she plans to find out. And Hank Anders, her high-school boyfriend, is now ready to give her a welcome she'll never forget. . .
"Dear Santa. . ." by JoAnn Ross
Mystery author Holly Berry's SUV has broken down in the little hamlet of Santa's Village, Washington. Holly hates the holidays--that is until lodge owner Gabriel O'Halloran and his five-year-old daughter rekindle her belief in passion, magic, and Christmas wishes. . .
"Christmas Past" by Mary Burton
Photographer Nicole Piper just received a very unwelcome Christmas gift--a letter that holds clues to an elusive killer's identity. Uncovering the truth means enlisting homicide detective David Ayden's help, and embarking on a road trip that will take them both into the heart of danger and desire. . .
"A Mulberry Park Christmas" by Judy Duarte
Every Christmas, the folks living on Sugar Plum Lane pull out all the stops when decorating. After a bitter breakup, Alyssa Ridgeway's heart just isn't in it this year. But running into her first love, James "Mac" MacGregor, fills her with memories of the tender Christmas kiss they once shared. . .
Synopsis
In the air, there's a feeling of Christmas . so settle into your coziest armchair and enjoy four captivating tales that will make your holidays merry and bright.
"Silver Bells" by Fern Michaels
For years, movie star Amy Lee wondered what it would be like to leave her shallow Hollywood life and go back home to Apple Valley, Pennsylvania. This Christmas, she plans to find out. And Hank Anders, her high-school boyfriend, is now ready to give her a welcome she'll never forget.
"Dear Santa." by JoAnn Ross
Mystery author Holly Berry's SUV has broken down in the little hamlet of Santa's Village, Washington. Holly hates the holidays-that is until lodge owner Gabriel O'Halloran and his five-year-old daughter rekindle her belief in passion, magic, and Christmas wishes.
"Christmas Past" by Mary Burton
Photographer Nicole Piper just received a very unwelcome Christmas gift-a letter that holds clues to an elusive killer's identity. Uncovering the truth means enlisting homicide detective David Ayden's help, and embarking on a road trip that will take them both into the heart of danger and desire.
"A Mulberry Park Christmas" by Judy Duarte
Every Christmas, the folks living on Sugar Plum Lane pull out all the stops when decorating. After a bitter breakup, Alyssa Ridgeway's heart just isn't in it this year. But running into her first love, James "Mac" MacGregor, fills her with memories of the tender Christmas kiss they once shared.
Publishers Weekly
Bestseller Michaels (Hokus Pokus) headlines a quartet of heartwarming Christmas romances. In both Duarte's "A Mulberry Park Christmas" (which shares a setting with Mulberry Park) and Michaels's title tale, childhood sweethearts are reunited despite the pressures of adult life. In "Dear Santa...," Ross (Impulse) strands mystery novelist Holly Berry in a blizzard-swept town, where she meets hunky hotelier Gabe O'Halloran and finds his five-year-old daughter is a determined matchmaker. Burton (I'm Watching You) contributes "Christmas Past," in which widowed homicide sergeant David Ayden helps talented photographer Nicole Piper cope with the legacy of her late, violently abusive husband. It's a close fit, but each short story contains a full-fledged romance from first kiss to happy ending, both satisfying readers and encouraging them to seek out the authors' longer works. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Bestseller Michaels (Hokus Pokus) headlines a quartet of heartwarming Christmas romances. In both Duarte's "A Mulberry Park Christmas" (which shares a setting with Mulberry Park) and Michaels's title tale, childhood sweethearts are reunited despite the pressures of adult life. In "Dear Santa...," Ross (Impulse) strands mystery novelist Holly Berry in a blizzard-swept town, where she meets hunky hotelier Gabe O'Halloran and finds his five-year-old daughter is a determined matchmaker. Burton (I'm Watching You) contributes "Christmas Past," in which widowed homicide sergeant David Ayden helps talented photographer Nicole Piper cope with the legacy of her late, violently abusive husband. It's a close fit, but each short story contains a full-fledged romance from first kiss to happy ending, both satisfying readers and encouraging them to seek out the authors' longer works. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Library Journal
This quartet of novellas features cozy, small-town ambience, a sadistic threat from the grave, and a touch of holiday magic. A jaded Hollywood star finds love with her high school flame in Michaels's "Silver Bells," while a mystery writer spends Christmas in Santa's Village when her car breaks down in "Dear Santa" by JoAnn Ross. A young widow is terrified when a letter from her abusive husband's attorney sets her on a deadly path in Mary Burton's "Christmas Past," and a young mother of two and her high-school sweetheart rekindle their relationship with the help of a mysterious "angel" in Judy Duarte's "A Mulberry Park Christmas," a story that fans of her series will enjoy. Although several of these stories could have easily been developed into full-length works, this is a satisfying anthology.
—Kristin Ramsdell