Christmas At The Vicarage

About The Book:  It’s been fifteen years since Rosamunde last lived at the vicarage in Potter’s Cove, the pretty coastal village where she grew up, experienced her first true love—and a heartbreak that changed her life forever. But now Potter’s Cove is calling her back: it’s time to make peace with the past and go home.  Rosamunde’s return to the vicarage in the days before Christmas is a whirlwind of festive cheer and heartwarming reunions with friends, family and her loving father, the vicar. And while seeing the old place after all this time stirs painful memories of long-ago grief, it also reminds her of all the love she left behind. Fifteen years ago she vowed never to let herself be vulnerable again—but now that she’s back she’s not so sure. Is it possible that real happiness could strike more than once?  Spanning three decades of family life, Christmas at the Vicarage is a warm, feel-good tale that examines what it means to love and to lose—and to be brave enough to try again.
About The Author:  Rebecca Boxall was born in 1977 in East Sussex, where she grew up in a bustling vicarage always filled with family, friends and parishioners. She now lives by the sea in Jersey with her husband and two children. She read English at the University of Warwick before training as a lawyer, and also studied Creative Writing with The Writer’s Bureau. Christmas at the Vicarage is her first novel.
My Thoughts On The Book:  Having been to England, Ireland, and Wales I discovered many great authors while plundering around in local book stores.  I find that I absolutely adore any book set in the U.K. and I am also a sucker for Christmas novellas, stories, and novels.  Between the cover of the book, the setting, and the fact that the word Christmas was in the title I was hooked.  I knew I had to read and review this one.  At first I thought the book was a slow starter.  I could not get into the storyline at all.  But, I kept pushing on and eventually I was caught up in the action.  The images were very clear and the characters were fun and humanistic. I will definitely read this author again.   
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this e-book free from Netgalley as part of their Blogging Review program.   I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!  

An Endless Christmas

About The Book: Too many people, too much snow, and too little room should be a recipe for disaster.  Christmas takes a very different turn when the guests of honor break up instead of announcing their engagement. Trapped with his family, they learn that love looks different than either imagined. Both in their eighties, Dodie and Wilson Binder celebrate every Christmas as if it were their last. This year, their grandson Micah is planning to ask his girlfriend, Katie, to marry him so they can celebrate with the whole family. But things go very wrong when she says, "no." Now they are stuck. Too many people, too much snow, and too little room should be a recipe for disaster. But sometimes too much is just enough. Especially when it's Christmas.

About The Author: Drawing from 33 years of on-air radio ministry, Cynthia Ruchti tells stories of hope-that-glows-in-the-dark through her novels and novellas, nonfiction books and devotionals, and speaking for women's and writers' events. Her books have been recognized by Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Awards, Selah Awards, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, Christian Retailing's BEST Awards, and Carol Award nominations, among other honors, including a Family Fiction Readers' Choice Award. She and her plot-tweaking husband live in Pittsville, Wisconsin, not far from their three children and five grandchildren.  Connect with Cynthia: website, Twitter, Facebook 

My Thoughts On The Book:  This book would have been about my family.  We had huge Christmas's like this every year until my mother's generation all passed away.  This was a tender story and made me wish for that kind of Christmas memory once again.  Ruchti did a wonderful job of building her characters and making them real, flaws and all.  I loved being part of this family, even if was just for a little while.  Once I began reading I did not want anyone disturbing me.  My only problem with this book was that I was not ready for it to end.  It was my first Christmas read of the season and I am so ready to celebrate like the Binder's now.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this e-book free from Worthy Inspired, and Litfuse  as part of their Book Review Blogger Programs. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!  

Holiday Craziness

The holidays are fast upon us. Everywhere you look there are signs of Christmas springing up. I hate the fact that Christmas decorations are up in town even before Thanksgiving. It seems like we rush through this very important time of being thankful for all we have. Christmas lights and trees adorn the windows of the stores downtown already and it just drives me nuts. Why can't we just take one season at a time? Why can't we thoroughly enjoy one before moving on to the next one. I personally love Thanksgiving. I love the whole concept of cooking for my family, being with my family, thanking God for all I have. I may not be the richest person in the world, but I do know that on this very special day....I say an extra special thank you for all I do have. I have a wonderful husband whom I love dearly and I am blessed and very thankful that he is in my life. I have a wonderful set of parents for whom I am very thankful. They helped shape me into who I am today. I have four wonderful children who have given me some of the greatest memories of my life and for them I am most humbly thankful. Right now as we speak they are safe, well, happy, and loved. I am thankful for my wonderful friends. I have friends that are a part of my soul and they know me better than I know myself. They also know where my journals are kept and have strict instructions upon my death to pour a glass of wine and burn them all, drinking the wine as the embers die out. Those kinds of friends do not come along often. I am thankful for my ability to sing. It is a God given talent and it is one that I appreciate on a daily basis. I can see, I can hear, I can taste, I can walk, I can breathe and for all of those things I am most thankful for. I am thankful for my grandchildren. I am thankful that I can worship in a church on Sunday morning and be safe and not have to hide my bible. I am thankful....everyday...but on Thanksgiving day...I am especially thankful. Now, the day after Thanksgiving....Christmas is fair game....and I will swing into Christmas mode. I won't be frantic...because I shop for Christmas all year. I don't understand these people that panic when they realize there are only 47 days left til Christmas. Duh!!!! It comes on the same day every year....so why the big surprise? Griefus people....you act like there is some fairy out there...that moves Christmas Day on a whim. I am 53 years old and it has been on the 24th/25th all of my life. It has never fallen on any other day but those calendar days. On that note I will bid you all goodnight and go tuck myself into my bed. I already have my kerchief on...Merry Wednesday to all and to all a goodnight!