Book Review: Christmas at the Island Hotel, by Jenny Colgan

I was just delighted by Christmas at the Island Hotel. I'm going to do something that I rarely do -- partly because I'm lazy today, and partly because it says most of what I wanted to say--I'm going to copy the Amazon description.

On the tiny, beautiful, and remote island of Mure, halfway between Scotland and Norway, a new hotel opening is a big event. New mother Flora MacKenzie and her brother Fintan are working themselves half to death to get it ready in time for Christmas. 

The new hotel’s impressive kitchens throw together two unlikely new friends: Isla Gregor is the hardworking young girl who has been a waitress in the island's cafe, dreaming of a bigger, better life now that she’s at a proper fancy hotel. Konstantin Pederson is working his way up in the hotel's kitchens too…but he is also, secretly, the only son of the Duke of Utsire. Konstantin has been sent to learn what it is to work hard for a living, before receiving his inheritance. Although he’s initially resentful, the place grows on him; he has never met anyone quite like Isla and her fellow Murians before. 

As the island’s residents and special VIP guests gather for the hotel’s grand opening gala, Christmas is in the air. But so are more than a few small-town secrets…

I really loved the characters and setting. It wasn't all about the romance, in fact, most of that happens towards the end. The drama of new motherhood, family secrets, forbidden love, jealousy, grief, and small-town life was just a perfect mix. My only complaint is that there were a lot of characters introduced pretty quickly at first. It took a while to keep them straight, especially Isla ann Iona!

I received this ARC before this book was released, and I just never got around to it. I'm so glad I finally did.  I also didn't realize this is book 4 of 5 in the Mure Island Series. I would definitely like to read some more about Mure Island, especially because there is at least one other that is a Christmas story. If you are looking for a heartwarming Christmas story, you should consider Christmas at the Island Hotel.

Published by Sphere, 2020
eARC obtained from NetGalley
352 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Audio Book Review: The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews

The Santa Suit is a cute, feel-good Christmas story that is more than sap.

Recently divorced Ivy Perkins has purchased an old farmhouse in a small town sight-unseen. When she arrives, she is met by her hunky realtor who hands her the keys. Ezra is too good to be true and begins to help Ivy in many ways as she realizes the house needs a lot more work than she had thought. So...we all see where that part of the story is going. But there's so much more.

Ivy finds a Santa suit among all the junk left in the house. Turns out the previous owner played Santa in the area for years. In the pocket, she finds a letter written by a little girl who asks for one thing for Christmas. She wants her dad to come home from Vietnam. Ivy decides to try to find this little girl and see what happened to her.

That leads her to an elderly gentleman who was the little girl's grandfather. Turns out her father was killed in the war, and her mother moved away and they have lost touch. He gives Ivy some locally made candy which leads her to begin a business relationship by developing a marketing campaign for the candy shop.

Ivy also makes a new friend, who also happens to be very handy and helpful. But, she's got her own secrets and issues. And Ivy gets involved.

So while the predicted romance develops, a lot of other things happen. Good thing, because the romance was my least favorite part. It didn't seem to develop very naturally. Ivy continually insists she isn't interested in a romance, but very quickly and without much soul searching falls into bed with him. It was a bit weird.

But I liked the rest of the story and was even surprised by the end. The book is very Christmasey because of the Santa Suit and the festivities. I feel like some "Christmas" books are more like "oh, by the way, it's Christmas. Look at the decorations." The Santa Suit was all about the magic of Christmas.

Yes, the plot was a bit simple, the characters a bit shallow, and the book is short. But I liked the story, and everyone lived happily ever after. Which is all that I expected.

Published by St. Martin's Press, September 28, 2021
Audiobook purchased from libro.fm
224 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review: Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber

Macomber's books always put me in a good mood, and Mrs. Miracle added some Christmas spirit.

Seth is still suffering from the loss of his wife. And recently his twin boys have come to live with him after spending a long time with their grandparents. The boys are a handful, and Seth can't find a housekeeper that can handle them.

Reba is hurting and estranged from her sister after a huge betrayal that Reba cannot forgive.

Magically, a housekeeper appears on Seth's doorstep -- Mrs. Merkle -- and she is truly an angel. The boys begin to call her Mrs. Miracle. 

Mrs. Miracle gives Seth the courage to approach Reba -- they have both been eyeing each other from afar. Now that Reba is in charge of the Christmas program that the twins are participating in, Seth has an "in."

So, I'm sure you see where this is going. But that's okay. We are in this for the "happily ever after." A couple side stories add to the interest. Seth's inlaws are floundering since the twins left and contemplating divorce. Harriett Foster is the church's busybody. She keeps track of perceived transgressions and dutifully reports them to the pastor. Mrs. Miracle will tackle all these issues.

If you are in the mood to start your Christmas reading, this is a good one. There's even a Hallmark movie, so you can follow up with that. And this is part of the Miracle Series, so there are three other books.

Published by HarperCollins, 1996
Copy owned -- not sure where I got it
337 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review: Murder in Her Stocking by G. A. McKevett

I always want to read a Christmas story for the holidays, and this was my second attempt -- the first was a DNF.  I like a mystery as part of the story. Murder in Her Stocking was exactly what I needed.

Stella Reid loves her six grandchildren and wants to give them the best Christmas. But it isn't easy when their father is gone on the road for his job and has no intention of helping out. And their mother spends most of her time (and money) at the local bar.

It doesn't help that the local Nativity Scene has been vandalized (and the culprit is known to Stella.) Then the local tramp gets murdered, and Stella can't help but get involved. As she helps out the local police chief, it becomes clear that he has feelings for her.

So there is a mystery, a family story, and a romance to warm your heart. Yes, it's a bit cheesy, but just what I need in a Christmas story.

Published by Kensington, 2018
eBook obtained from the library
304 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Book Review: Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

Royal Holiday is a delightful, romantic story. Just what I needed.

Vivian is busy. As most hard-working people are. When her daughter, Maddie's work takes her to England over the holidays, she is determined to take her mother with her. Vivian is resistant but eventually goes along. Maddie will be working as a stylist for a Duchess of the royal family at their castle at Sandringham.

Vivian is delighted when she meets the Queen's private secretary, Malcolm, and he offers to give her a tour of the grounds and castle.

Malcolm has never given private tours before and doesn't really understand what has come over him. But he is definitely attracted to Vivian, so he continues to find excuses to see her. The romance develops pretty quickly--well it needs to, since Vivian is only in England until January 2.

I enjoyed the easy banter between these two. I appreciated that these were not "20 somethings" but older adults. I enjoyed the Christmasy aspect of the story, although it wasn't too sappy. I enjoyed the Sandringham (I had to look it up on Wikipedia) and London settings.

I read this in a little more than one day. I was in the mood for a cute, fluffy holiday story and Royal Holiday definitely fit the bill. You should check it out.

Published by Berkley, October 1, 2019
eARC obtained from NetGalley
304 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: A Christmas Revelation by Anne Perry

I’ve never read any Anne Perry before, and A Christmas Revelation was a sweet story that warms the heart at Christmastime.

We are in Victorian London, and Worm is a 9-year-old little boy who doesn’t even know what Christmas is.  The former street urchin has recently been taken in by Miss Claudine and given a job at her clinic.  When Worm sees a beautiful lady on the streets abducted by two men, he can’t forget.  He enlists the help of Squeaky, the bookkeeper with his own checkered past.  Together the two of them try to find and help the woman and get involved in a dangerous sting operation to save her.

This is during the Christmas season, and Squeaky is teaching Worm all about the holiday and its traditions as they prepare for the special day. Will they get to enjoy the feast? Or will the bad guys ruin it? You will have to read A Christmas Revelation to find out.

If you are into charming Victorian mysteries, with a bit of excitement and heartwarming characters that are easy to root for, you will enjoy A Christmas Revelation.

Published by Ballentine, November 6, 2018
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
192 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum

Merry Christmas! I thought this would be an appropriate review for today.  Hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

I didn't realize L. Frank Baum had written a story about Santa until I saw it on my Serial Reader.  So I couldn't resist reading The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus.

In this depiction, Santa, a mortal, was raised by a fairy.  He was good and kind and loved to make toys for children.  This expanded into the annual Christmas Eve trek around the world with his reindeer pulling his sleigh.

Baum explains how these traditions started and grew, including hanging the stockings and the Christmas Tree.  He even explains how Santa got around the problem when houses stopped having big chimneys that he could go down!

Most of us are familiar with Clement Clarke Moore's 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, which is really titled, A Visit from St. Nicholas. Baum's book was originally published in 1902 and Moore's poem was published in 1823.  So why didn't Baum use Moore's names for the reindeer?  And in The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, there are ten reindeer. It doesn't really matter, but Moore's names have won out!

The story is enchanting and delightful to read.  I think more young children should be exposed to The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus.

Published by Bowen Merrill, 1902
eBook obtained from Serial Reader
56 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber

Okay, I'm done with Christmas romances for the season.  Merry and Bright gave me that warm, holiday feeling I always look for.

Merry has a temporary job and is working on a hard, fast approaching deadline.  She's working overtime, and it is difficult during the holiday season.  Especially when her mother is ill, her father travels, and her brother has Down syndrome. It doesn't help that her boss, Jayson Bright, is such a crab.  He never smiles and doesn't appreciate Merry or the other employees.

There's the setup.  Merry and Jayson both try using an online dating service and end up communicating via chatting, but they don't know that they know each other.  This goes on for a while, and they really like each other, so they decide to meet.  I think that's all I'll say because if I tell you too much more, I'm telling you the whole story.

I enjoyed Merry and Bright, but it's a short novel, and it still dragged on too long.  We hear way too often about how Merry loves Christmas, and how she would do anything for her family.  We hear way too often about how Jayson had a horrible upbringing and his family didn't care about him, and he doesn't care about Christmas.  I just wanted to say, "Tell each other who you are, for God's sake!" The tension didn't really mount the way I like it too.  It was just more of the same for the middle of the book until the final resolution.  Which is happy, of course.

I enjoyed Merry and Bright, don't get me wrong.  I read it in one day, so even with the middle feeling kind of repetitive, it was still quick.  This is Macomber's newest Christmas story, so at least I hadn't read this one before! If you need a quick, Christmas romance, here's your book.

Published by Ballentine, October 3, 2017
Copy obtained from the library
224 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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