Just Finished: A Season to Remember

I did it! I managed to make it to the Serial Mistletoe-er level for the Book Lovers Inc. Holiday Challenge! Phew. I gotta say, I was a little worried that I wasn't going to make it. It's been a busy holiday season for me, as I'm sure it's been for all of you, and I've had a lot of reading to do so I haven't had as much time for Christmas books as I would have liked. Ah well. I've read four and am working on a fifth (even though I likely won't get it and the review done in time to count for this challenge). I'm happy with that :) My fourth Christmas book was A Season to Remember by Sheila O'Flanagan and I loved reading it!

Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:

It's Christmas at Sugar Loaf Lodge and everyone checking in to the luxury hotel has their reasons for spending the holiday away from home. A heartbroken guest tries to put the past behind her; a stressed couple long for peace and quiet; a young woman eagerly anticipates a romantic night with the man she loves -- although he should be spending it with somebody else. And it's not just the guests who are hoping for a happier New Year. Worried about their business surviving the recession, the hotel's owners are determined to make it a holiday to remember. As many more tales unfold, and a visitor from times past prepares to take her own journey, we watch and wonder: will everyone's Christmas wishes come true? This special book of touching and poignant stories is guaranteed to warm your heart on a cold winter's night.

The main thing that I loved about this book was the fact that it was actually Christmassy. All too often so-called Christmas books barely have anything to do with the holiday. Not only did the book focus on all the guests who were at the Sugar Loaf Lodge on Christmas but each story really captured the essence of Christmas - at least, what I think the holiday really means. There were wonderful family stories, old friends, and sweet romances. It was all about the relationships between the characters and they were made that much better because the stories and guests all came together at Christmas.

I loved that there were so many different characters who were guests at the Sugar Loaf Lodge because that meant lots of stories and insights into different lives. Each chapter held little snapshots of the characters' lives and they were written wonderfully. Just enough detail was given to really get a feel of their history and I felt like I knew the characters and understood their motivations. Definitely well done.

I also liked how O'Flanagan structured the book. Each chapter was a different story and was noted by the hotel room name (each was named after an Irish mountain). That being said, there were nine rooms (if I counted correctly) and many many many more characters. Needless to say, I found myself getting a little confused sometimes. Each story had a background element to it but there was also part of it that was in the present at the Lodge. This meant that characters were meeting each other and I found that I couldn't always recall the stories of some of the characters. I don't think this is really a bad thing - probably says more about me and my inability to remember details than the way the book was written!

I think another thing that I really liked was the setting of the book. The Lodge was almost another character, one who stood quietly by and gave everyone the little nudge they needed. Sometimes that was uninterrupted time together and sometimes it was time away from family. Neil and Claire, the owners of this lovely hotel, adore their work and are determined to make sure their guests have a wonderful time. Their love for what they do and their guests really comes through. Made me wish that I could stay at the Sugar Loaf Lodge myself!

Overall, I really enjoyed reading A Season to Remember. It's just Christmassy enough but I think you could still enjoy it at other times of the year. This collection has just confirmed for me that I really like Sheila O'Flanagan's work and I will definitely be looking for more of her novels in the future.

Happy reading! :)

December Chick Lit Challenge Read: Wrapped Up In You

Here's is my final review for the 2011 Chick Lit Challenge hosted by the lovely Samantha at Chick Lit Plus. I have to say that I am so glad that I participated in this challenge as I got some great recommendations and met some awesome people. Because I had such a great experience with this challenge I will be participating again in 2012! (You can still sign up by going to this page. Go, go now!)

Since it's almost Christmas, I decided to read a holiday themed novel for this month's challenge and Wrapped Up In You by Carole Matthews was my choice. Here's the synopsis, from Goodreads:

A Christmas fling, or has Janie found the real thing? Thirty-something hairdresser Janie Johnson's single status is a constant source of gossip for her friends and clients. So after too many nights in with her cat, a blind date disaster and news that her ex is getting married, Janie realises it's time to do something dramatic with her life. It's time for an adventure! Leaving winter behind, Janie takes the plunge and books an exotic trip to Africa. Her friends think she's mad and Janie thinks they may very well be right ...but then she falls head over heels for her tour guide and fully fledged Maasai Warrior Dominic. But can Janie now face spending a snowy Christmas back home without him? Packed with unforgettable characters, romance and laughter, Wrapped Up In You is your very own perfect Christmas Carole!

When I love a particular author, as I love Carole Matthews (if you haven't read any of hers do it!), I tend to pick up their newest novels without paying much attention to what it's actually about. That was the case with Wrapped Up In You. It was by Matthews and it looked Christmassy. I was in. I wanted to love it. I tried to love it. I failed. Now, I definitely didn't hate it and I'm sure others would enjoy it but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I can't quite pinpoint what failed to excite me. Part of it is that it wasn't actually very Christmassy. Take a look at the cover up there. Now, reread the synopsis. I'm not crazy for expecting the novel to focus on Christmas, right? The novel started about mid December and went to almost spring (I think) with only a brief touch on Christmas. So, that was definitely unfortunate. I was also expecting something massively disappointing to happen to Janie. Everyone is incredibly wary of her new love, Dominic, and thinks that he's just using her for money and will leave her once he's wiped her out. All but one of her friends felt that way so I started wondering if it was true. I think that says something about the lack of connection I felt with Janie. I was believing her friends instead of believing in her and her love for Dominic. I didn't find myself rooting for her as I do for other characters in other novels. I also really wanted her to fall for her sweet and dependable neighbour Mike. The ending of this novel just didn't thrill me and I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe it's because I just wish things had turned out differently.

I don't want to turn people off of Wrapped Up In You (it still had Matthews' signature humour to it which I loved) but I can't quite bring myself to recommend it to other Carole Matthews fans. I think you'll all be expecting something different and will feel like me, a little disappointed. I hate when I have such great expectations for a book and am left with a "well...that was...meh" kind of feeling. I wish I had better things to say about this one as I feel like this review is a bit of a downer. I will say that I will still read more of Carole Matthews in the future. I just might pay more attention to the synopsis. Ah well. Can't win 'em all, right?

Happy reading!

PS This book also adds to my total of Christmas books for the Book Lovers Inc. Holiday Challenge. One more book and I move from Santa's Helper to Serial Mistletoe-er. Stay tuned!

Just Finished: Holiday Kisses

My friends and family know that I'm a sucker for Christmas. I absolutely love the holiday and try so hard not to get overwhelmed with the craziness that always accompanies this time of year. One of my favourite parts about Christmas is reading all the silly romantic holiday books. I got Holiday Kisses from NetGalley from Carina Press and I am so incredibly glad that I did. I loved it. It was exactly the kind of Christmas book I wanted!

There were four stories in this collection:
This Time Next Year by Alison Kent
A Rare Gift by Jaci Burton

It's Not Christmas Without You by HelenKay Dimon

Mistletoe and Margaritas by Shannon Stacey


Usually there's one story in a collection that stands out for me and is my favourite. That was not the case with this one as I loved each one equally.


I really liked that there was a cohesive feel to the stories. It didn't seem like they were written by four different authors and I appreciate that they worked so well together. That being said, each story had a totally different romantic story. In This Time Next Year, Dillon and Breena are strangers but end up snowed in at his cabin in the days leading up to Christmas (don't be worried about the fact that they don't know each other and are stuck together - he knows her grandmother and that eased any worries I had). A Rare Gift features Wyatt and Calliope - he had actually been married to her older sister but the marriage was doomed from the start.  Carrie and Austin had been dating on and off for years in It's Not Christmas Without You. And in Mistletoe and Margaritas, Claire is a young widow who has found friendship in her deceased husband's best friend, Justin - turns out there's more than just friendship there. All four stories have the characters starting in a different romantic place and I loved that.


I'm not going to do a huge review for this one because I don't want to give anything away (it's more of a challenge with short stories!) but I hope you have all realized that I really enjoyed this collection of stories. If you're looking for epic literature, you will not find it here. But if you want some steamy and sweet Christmas stories this is exactly the book for you. It has just the right amount of Christmas spirit without being overwhelming. I was left with a warm fuzzy feeling after reading this collection and think other romance and Christmas lovers will feel the same way.


PS This is the second book I've read for the Book Lovers Inc Holiday Challenge. I'm slowly working my way to the Serial Mistletoe-er level!


Happy Reading! :)

Just Finished: The Night Before Christmas

I have started my Christmas reading! It's December now, it's allowed :) My first of the season was The Night Before Christmas, a collection of six romance short stories from authors Lori Foster, Erin McCarthy, Jill Shalvis, Kathy Love, Katherine Garbera, and Kylie Adams. And bonus - this is my first book towards the Book Lovers Inc. Holiday Reading Challenge! I hope to read at least four this Christmas in between all the other books I have to read.

I admit, I'm a sucker for Christmas romance stories and I always try to read at least one fluffy, entertaining kind of book every year. I throw in a few other Christmas stories too but they almost always have some sort of romantic aspect to it. I am a chick lit fan after all :)

I find that a lot of Christmas books have multiple stories by either the same author or different authors. I think those are my favourites because you get little hits of different types of Christmases - different cities, different families, different traditions. The stories in The Night Before Christmas were just like that. They also had one interesting commonality - each story took place on Christmas Eve. I have to admit, I didn't figure that out until after I had read the entire book and started writing this post. It is called The Night Before Christmas which, you know, is Christmas Eve. Duh. :)

These stories were by no means works of literary greatness but I had fun reading them. Each story featured a soon to be couple with a different kind of background. There are neighbours, friend's sibling/sibling's best friend, two stories featured coworkers, another had past lovers meet up, and the last story told the story of a barrista and a well known actor. I liked that they didn't have the same start to a relationship and that kept things fresh for me.

I think my favourite was "Snowed Under" by Erin McCarthy. Claire is out Christmas shopping when she gets soaked by a passing snow plow. Realizing she's a block away from her brother's house and he's out of town she decides to get cleaned up at his place. Imagine her surprise when her six year crush and brother's best friend, Justin, is in the apartment. What follows is a sweet story about what can happen when the timing is finally right.

All in all, I enjoyed reading The Night Before Christmas. It's full of Christmas spirit and new relationships. What romance or Christmas lover isn't going to like that? It's definitely got me in the Christmas mood and I'm looking forward to diving into my next Christmas book!

Happy holidays...and reading :)