Christmas Extravaganza 2016 Highlights

I will be highlighting wonderful Christmas novellas from now through the end of the year, right here on Chirp 'N Chatter...starting today! (Two novellas are featured below, each in its own post.)

We all love to sneak in a few minutes of relaxation during the busy holiday season. What better way to "escape" than into the pages of a sweet Christmas story? And where better to find that kind of reading than Pelican Book Group's annual Christmas Extravaganza, in which an entire two dozen novellas celebrate life, love and the Christmas Spirit?

Most of the books featured during the upcoming weeks are Extravaganza titles. A few are not. All are delightful, and sure to generate just the right mood to make the holidays cheery and bright.

Please check back in and take a look, every Tuesday and Friday throughout the rest of the year for Pelican titles. Drop in on Wednesdays and Thursdays for highlights from great Christmas titles not published through Pelican.

Enjoy!

Paisley's Pattern (LoRee Peery)

She's Paisley Robbins. He's Robin Paisley. She's a bit of a free spirit. He's completely uptight. Only LoRee Peery could bring these opposites together so beautifully. I've been impressed before with Peery's smooth flow and keen insight into human emotions, quirks, and foibles...but she outdid herself in Paisley's Pattern. I loved the flawed hero, and the outspoken heroine with few boundaries and little-to-no filter between mind and mouth. Paisley's candid approach is a refreshing change from the cookie-cutter heroine too often found in book after book after romance book. Note: This is not your everyday Christian romance. Be prepared for new and different; fresh and fun; exciting and irresistible. Paisley's Pattern is just plain good reading, with an added blessing in the skillfully woven life lessons. Don't miss this one!

Jett (Dana Pratola)

DESCENDED Series, Book 1

I rarely read a book that literally holds me captive, incapable of laying it aside until the very last page. Dana Pratola’s JETT made it happen in a really big way. The story line is unique, to say the least, with supernatural elements so skillfully implemented that the reader forgets how far from reality they’ve traveled. Intense, gripping, powerful, and very well-written. JETT is a perfect opener for the Descended series. I loved it so much I ordered the rest of the series immediately, and read them all, one right after another. In my opinion, that’s the highest praise I could possibly give. Kudos to the author on a job incredibly well done!

Hush, Little Baby (Debora M. Piccurelli)

I LOVED this one! Very well written romance with a hefty dose of suspense. The main characters are "little people," which is something different, and yet opens the reader to the reality that they're people, with the same feelings, hopes, dreams, goals, careers, and emotions as anyone else. This one homes in on the inner workings of an abortion clinic, so while the subject matter is controversial, it is handled with grace and is not written with a judgmental mindset. Very well done. Highly recommended.

Angels Walking (Karen Kingsbury)

ANGELS WALKING SERIES, Book 1

What a wonderful, touching, REAL story! I love tales of angel encounters, and find it fascinating, the different ways in which they manifest themselves. Karen Kingsbury delivers her version of angel activity so beautifully. Her characters are wonderfully real, and the situations so true to life. I genuinely felt a part of the story, and can't wait to see what happens next with Angels Walking.

Ever After (Karen Kingsbury)

LOST LOVE SERIES, Book 2

Lovely, lovely story! Karen Kingsbury knows how to touch hearts. Ever After ties up the loose ends of Even Now very nicely, and carries their daughter’s storyline on. I came away with an even greater appreciation for our military – and short a box of Kleenex. It’s a tear-jerker, but threaded with enough joyful moments to make it bearable. I’m in awe of this author’s talent.

Even Now (Karen Kingsbury)

LOST LOVE SERIES, Book 1

Beautiful, touching tale, beautifully told. I couldn't stop reading...and it takes a really special story to draw me in so completely and relentlessly. Loved this one, and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a tale that touches heart and soul.

Silver White Winters (Candice Sue Patterson)

Candice Sue Patterson knows how to write. Period. This author’s descriptive abilities is phenomenal, as is her insight into matters of the heart and emotions. Silver White Winters is a romantic Christmas story unlike any I’ve ever read…and I have read many.

I won’t rehash the storyline. It’s available everywhere the book is for sale. But that description cannot possibly come close to relaying the heart and soul of this book. It will wrap itself around your heart and hold on tight to the very last page. You won’t find a beautifully wrapped happily-ever-after in this storyline, but a heartfelt romance hampered by very real problems that can’t be easily solved and stuffed into a pretty package marked “Neatly Resolved and All Fixed Up.” This is life at its most real, with all the tears and pain, and joy and laughter that entails.

Read it. You’ll never forget Silver White Winters.

Vegas Vacation (Clare Revell)

(PASSPORT TO ROMANCE)

I enjoyed this rollicking tale, in which royalty meets the real world in a place no less blood-pumping and eye-popping than Las Vegas.  Lady Tamlyn Bradshaw, at 26 years old, is on her first “big-girl-on-her-own” adventure. Well, kind of on her own. After Tamlyn’s bodyguard is hospitalized with what seems to be food poisoning, Sergeant Martin Ames—wounded law enforcement hero, just shy of early retirement—steps in (not quite willingly) to fill the gap.

Spoiled heroine quite used to having her way. Stubborn, strong-willed hero determined to have his. And two hearts who don’t even know they need each other…  But Clare Revell is quite adept at leading wayward hearts down the path they need to follow, and she does it with flair and pizzazz in Vegas Vacation.

A surprising amount of suspense and danger keep the pages of this romance novella turning, from the first page to the last (I read it in one sitting).  It’s a worthy addition to Pelican Book Group’s Passport to Romance line, and to Revell’s growing repertoire of gripping stories. 

Blowing on Dandelions (Miralee Ferrell)

LOVE BLOSSOMS IN OREGON SERIES, Book 1

Once again, I am impressed with Miralee Ferrell's ability to paint characters so real I feel as if I've known them forever. This author clearly has an excellent understanding of the nuances in various types of relationship, which makes for a deeply felt connection between the reader and the characters. I rooted for Catherine and Micah to the end, felt his lonely bitterness and her inner pain, her longing for something more from an unaffectionate, sharp-tongued mother. Blowing on Dandelions is a beautiful tale, beautifully told. I recommend it for lovers of clean romance with a deeper undercurrent that grips the heart and keeps the pages turning.

A Bride for Noah (Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith)

SEATTLE BRIDES SERIES, Book 1

What a wonderful trip into early Oregon this book was!

I laughed, and gritted my teeth, and wanted to shake both hero and heroine a couple of times. These authors know how to create living, breathing characters that quickly feel like old friends to whom one doesn't want to say goodbye.

Indians and lumberjacks, snobs and gutter rats, ne'er-do-wells and hard-working, solid citizens...and a hard-headed heroine that'll make you want to send her to bed without dinner a time or two. All together in one delightful book that truly had me wondering for a time whether a happy ever after was actually going to even be possible. But with an author team like Lori and Virginia, ANYTHING is possible...and the reader is guaranteed an emotional rollercoaster ride on the way to making it happen.

Tuesday's Child (Clare Revell)

MONDAY'S CHILD SERIES, Book 2

Adeline and Nate had me rooting for them from the very beginning. Author Clare Revell has created characters so lifelike I wanted to know them personally, to make them friends. This may well be my favorite Revell novel to date. Kudos to the author for a job VERY well done!

Wounded Grace (Tanya Stowe)

HEART'S HAVEN SERIES, Book 10

Wounded Grace is part of the Heart’s Haven Easter collection, in which a startling and unexpected occurrence saddens many faithful visitors to the Haven. But Tanya Stowe manages to reach around and beyond that central shock, and build yet another truly heart-rending set of circumstances between the hero and heroine. When their past threatens their future, only God and His wonderful messengers can create the kind of miracle that will bring renewal and refreshing into the hearts of two people who’ve suffered far too long. Stowe is a master storyteller with a keen awareness of and empathy for humanity with all its faults and foibles. A beautiful tale, beautifully written.

Jodie's Song, Marianne Evans

HEART'S HAVEN SERIES, Book 9

Marianne Evans never has a problem touching hearts in the pages of her books…and Jodie’s Song is certainly no exception. I enjoyed this special Easter story, loved the themes of rebirth and renewal, loved the pull of heartstrings, the angst…and the refreshing healing power of Christ that was displayed so beautifully in the lives of these characters. Sadness…oh, yes—very true to life sorrow and loss. But Evans is a master at portraying the ever-present hope Christ offers to those who will accept it. Jodie’s Song is definitely a Heart’s Haven keeper.

Finding Hannah (John R. Kess)

John R Kess has come up with something amazing! I can't imagine any young adult who values clean entertainment edged with mystery, suspense, wonder - and even a bit of terror - not absolutely loving Finding Hannah. It's a haunting, never-to-be-forgotten story of growing up, and of encountering and overcoming loss, shock, guilt and emotional trauma. I love finding new authors to watch for, and I definitely did in John R. Kess.

The Widowsfield Trilogy (A.R. Wise)

WIDOWSFIELD TRILOGY, Books 1-3

I'm torn as to whether I actually "liked" this series. I read all three books, because I absolutely had to know what happened to the characters. The storyline itself was definitely interesting, even though beyond far-fetched. The books could've used some professional editing. But I kept reading, despite all of that, through the entire series. That says something...I think.