Mistletoe Season, Three Christmas Stories by Kathleen Fuller, Pepper Basham and Sheila Roberts

This is a collection of three novellas all involving mistletoe.  They are heartwarming and uplifting stories that are easy to read and bring holiday joy.

The first is Return to Mistletoe by Kathleen Fuller. This story is about a single mom, Emmy and her adopted daughter, Carina.  They own an antique shop called Mistletoe Antiques in a town named Mistletoe.  Emmy and her former boyfriend, opened the store together but shortly after receiving a business loan, he left taking all the money with him.  She is left trying to keep the store going.   She is surprised when her high school crush, Kieran, returns after living in Ireland for over 20 years. He is also her best friend’s brother.  As they renew their friendship they both realize that the developing relationship is more than a friendship.  They have some obstacles to overcome, the biggest one being that Kieran returns to Ireland.  What will become of their renewed relationship?

A Mistletoe Prince by Pepper Basham is the second story.  Arran is royalty, a prince, with a bad-boy reputation. His family sends him to live with his sister in America and to work for her husband, Luke, who owns a construction company. Another stipulation is that Arran must help with the annual Christmas charity event, the Mistletoe Wish.  Luke’s cousin, Charlotte, or Charlie, as they call her, is in charge of the charity and also works for the construction company.  They have a rather comical and unfortunate first meeting. Charlie reluctantly decides she needs his help.  Arran’s sister, Ellie, enlists Arran’s help in giving Charlie, a self proclaimed tom-boy, a makeover.  Will Arran change his bad-boy ways and what will he and Charlie discover about themselves along the way?

The third story in this collection is Say No to Mistletoe by Sheila Roberts. In this story, Hailey Fairchild, a romance writer, has had bad experiences with dates and mistletoe kisses. The author gives us an accounting of Hailey’s last three disastrous relationships all beginning with a kiss under the mistletoe. Hailey has vowed she will never kiss under the mistletoe again.  When she returns home to spend Christmas with her family, she discovers her brother’s new girlfriend is the mean girl from high school.  She is a hairdresser and convinces Hailey to let her color her hair.  She purposely colors it bright green, and this is how Hailey looks when she sees her high school crush, Carwyn, for the first time in years.  Hailey is convinced that in order for her to have a relationship with Carwyn, she must stay away from any mistletoe kisses.  Their relationship seems to be progressing but problems arise when she realizes that their relationship would have to be a long distance one. He lives in her hometown and she lives in New York City, where her publisher is. After several months, Hailey knows she must make a decision.  Will Hailey get over her fears?  Will their relationship survive?

These three stories are lighthearted, clean romances filled with fun holiday spirit.

This is from the publisher’s website:

“Say No to Mistletoe by Sheila Roberts

Mistletoe is Hailey Fairchild’s kryptonite. Every time she’s kissed someone under the mistletoe it’s led to love disaster. Not a good thing for a romance writer! When she was a gawky high school girl, her hunky neighbor, Carwyn Davies, star of the basketball team (and her dreams), kissed her under the mistletoe on a dare. But the kiss wasn’t a dream come true. It was a mortifying moment she’s never forgotten, and now she’s about to go home for the holidays, unengaged and . . . determined to say no to mistletoe. Especially if Carwyn is anywhere around.

Return to Mistletoe by Kathleen Fuller

Emmy Banks has always loved Christmas. How could she not when she lives in Mistletoe, Missouri? Kieran O’Neill has spent years abroad, renovating an old Irish castle, but returns to Mistletoe for his mother’s seventieth birthday. He reconnects with Emmy, his sister’s close friend, and spends time with her in her charming antique shop. When the weather turns colder, things start to warm up between Emmy and Kieran. But can Emmy risk her heart when she knows he’ll never stay in Mistletoe, and she will never leave?

The Mistletoe Prince by Pepper Basham

Prince Arran St. Clare has lost his freedom and fairytale life in exchange for a three-month “punishment” in the small town of Ransom, North Carolina. To prove he is ready for the royal life for which he was born, Arran must engage in the Christmas charity fundraiser, The Mistletoe Wish. But when kindness, authenticity, and hard work prove more appreciated in Appalachia than a royal pedigree, Arran must face the mirror and find out who he is beyond the crown. Add a beautiful and intelligent woman who doesn’t recognize her own worth, some mistletoe, and a little Christmas magic and it all might be enough to help the rebel-prince understand what truly matters most.”

 

Go HERE to read an excerpt 

#MistletoeSeason

#NetGalley

 

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from the Thomas Nelson, Harper Collins via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed  are my own.

 

Letters to Katie by Kathleen Fuller - a book review

Kathleen Fuller has done it again!  Letters to Katie is a heart touching tale of secrets, unrequited love, family struggles and relationships.  This book is part of the Middlefield Family series. We are reacquainted with characters from the previous two books.  It was nice to see them again.  Here’s what the publisher says about it:

“Everything changed between them the first time he called her Katie.

Katherine Yoder has loved Johnny Mullet since they were children, but he never actively returned her affections. Like so many things in their world, he assumes Katherine will always be there. Once his horse farm is a success, then he will court her in earnest.

For several weeks, Katherine has been plagued by severe headaches and dizziness. While resting at home, Johnny unexpectedly visits, but when dizziness strikes, she loses consciousness. She awakens hours later in a hospital bed, unable to remember how she got there.

Seeing Katherine injured and vulnerable stirs something in Johnny, and his guilt compels him to spend time with her while she heals. Soon his heart begins to stir with questions: Does she even remember why he'd come to her house that day?

As Katherine struggles to recall recent memories of Johnny, a surprise visitor arrives in her already unsteady world—a man named Isaac who claims they had been writing letters to each other, even considering marriage, before her illness.

With two men vying for her attention and her memory still elusive, Katherine has never felt so divided. The answer may lie behind a door she never considered opening.”

 Of course, as with most romance novels, we always have a happy ending, so this one was no surprise.  But the journey to get there was very engaging.  Actually, there could have been a couple of endings that would have still qualified as happy,  so we aren’t really sure which is going to come about.  I liked the dialog between Katherine and Johnny.  The tension between Sawyer and his englisher grandmother was portrayed in a very respectful manner.  Will they learn to accept each other? 

Fuller also gives a glimpse of how some unscrupulous people try to take advantage of the Amish, who they perceive as uneducated and easily fooled. 

You’ll have to read it to find out how the letters fit in to the story. But I will tell you it is very sweet.
Go HERE to read an excerpt.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it for anyone who likes reading Amish romance.
Go to the Amazon search box in the right column to find it if you'd like to purchase it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookSneeze and Thomas Nelson through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed above 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.”

What the Heart Sees by Kathleen Fuller

For those of us who love to read Christian romance fiction, we are well aware of the fact that, most of the time, there will be a happy ending....it's pretty much a given.  We get that!  It makes us feel good !  So, that being said, I've been reading and reviewing alot of Amish romance fiction lately, and I pretty much know that the outcome will be a happy one.  However, knowing that most of the authors that I read have personal ties and relationships with members of the Amish community, helps me to trust their portrayal of these fasinating people.

So, here is my latest review, as promised...........

What the Heart Sees by Kathleen Fuller


This is a collection of three stories, A Miracle for Miriam, A Place of His Own, and What the Heart Sees.

A Miracle for Miriam is about a young Amish girl who considers herself an ugly duckling. She develops a crush on Seth, the most popular boy in her Amish school who very cruelly humiliates her and mocks her in front of the other students. He subsequently moves away and forsakes his Amish upbringing for the English way of life. He returns to the community a changed man, emotionally, spiritually and physically. His perfect face and athletic physique are now scarred and weak, but his faith is stronger than it ever was. Through the years that Seth has been away, Miriam comes to accept herself and has resigned herself to the fact that she may never marry and that no man would love her. When Seth returns he realizes what a beautiful spirit she has and has to work very hard to convince Miriam as his scars fade and his body heals, that this time, his feelings for her are genuine.

The second story of the collection, A Place of His Own, is also about a young Amish man who returns to his childhood community after being away for many years. Josiah and his father disappeared from their close knit community virtually over night. Josiah’s best childhood friend, Amanda, is left wondering what has become of him and wondering if she will ever see him again. When he returns he is secretive, quiet and bitter and will not confide in or accept Amanda’s friendship. Amanda, being a very straight forward and confident young woman will not accept his indifference. What has happened to Josiah to make him so bitter and distant? Amanda comes to the realization that her feelings for her childhood friend have grown but that her love may not be enough to heal whatever has wounded Josiah.

The third selection, What the Heart Sees, is about a young Amish women, Ellie, who was injured in an accident and as a result has become blind. Christopher Miller’s fiancé, Ellie’s best friend, is killed in the same car accident. When Christopher goes against the doctrine of his Amish faith and tries to have the young Amish man, who he feels is responsible, arrested he comes under the bann and leaves to live among the English. He returns to the community desiring to be restored but struggles to forgive the young driver, Isaiah. Upon returning he discovers his sister has become engaged to Isaiah. Ellie, tries to encourage him to forgive and make peace, and through their friendship he discovers a stronger faith in God.

All three of these selections give us a glimpse of a culture very different from ours. But we also learn about a culture completely based on their understanding of God’s word and how everything in their lives is based on faith in God, peacefullness, humility, a strong sense of community and close knit family ties.

You can purchase this book here ,  here,    or at many local book stores

I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookSneeze and Thomas Nelson through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed above 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.”

An Amish Love book review

An Amish Love – 3 Novellas by Kelly Long, Kathleen Fuller and Beth Wiseman

I live in a part of New York State with a considerable Amish population. It’s not unusual to hear an Amish buggy rolling down the road, or see one parked on the side of the road selling baked goods. I’ve always been intrigued by our obvious differences but until I started reading Amish fiction, I never realized what our likenesses are - our love of family and our faith in God just to name a couple.

I appreciate that most of the authors who write Amish fiction try very hard to be accurate in their depiction of their characters. Many are personal friends with the Amish community and they treat their characters with respect.

Anyone who reads Christian romance fiction expects a happy ending and these stories don’t disappoint. We leave each story happy and hopeful.

The three stories in this volume are independent of the others, but overlap and are connected by characters, places and happenings.

The first story is by Kelly Long. “Marriage of the Heart”, is the story of Abby, a spunky young woman, whose has grown up without her mother and Joseph, who has been living outside the community and has just been accepted back in. Abby tricks Joseph, by lying about him, into marrying her so that she can get away from her authoritative father. However, Joseph, her new husband, turns the tables on her and declares that they will live with her father. Sparks fly! Abby wants out, Joseph wants back in, deception throws them together, love sneaks in, secrets are revealed and faith binds them together.

“What the Heart Sees” by Kathleen Fuller, is the second offering. Christopher Miller’s fiancé is killed in a car accident and her friend, Ellie, is blinded. When Christopher goes against the doctrine of his Amish faith and tries to have the young Amish man, who he feels is responsible, arrested he comes under the bann and leaves to live among the English. He returns to the community desiring to be restored but struggles to forgive the young driver, Isaiah. Upon returning he discovers his sister has become engaged to Isaiah. His late finance’s best friend, Ellie, tries to encourage him to forgive and make peace, and through their friendship he discovers a stronger faith in God.

Beth Wiseman is the author of the last story. “Healing Hearts” is unusual in that the main characters are not a young couple discovering love. Rather, its about a married couple married for more than 30 years suffering from the empty nest syndrome and working to rediscover the love that they had when they were young. The husband, Naaman, has come home after leaving his family for a year. His older children are not as forgiving as his younger children and his wife struggles with trying to be the wife she feels God wants her to be and her own feelings of doubt and resentment. This is a story of forgivness and rediscovered love.

All three of these novellas have similar themes of spunky characters, comical situations, tender moments and sensitive intimacies. They are stories of love, loss, secrets, hope, courage, patience, forgiveness and a reliance on deep faith in God.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars only because I wish each story had been a longer, stand alone novel.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookSneeze and Thomas Nelson through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed above 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.”