I aim to make this a regular compilation post annually,
but its nickname all these months has been Christmas in July. None of
these books were published in July, but as you can see from the titles, they
all have a Christmas theme. Happy Christmas in July! (^-^)
<This is
a standalone novella.>
In Edwardian-era England, 19-year-old Lady Mariah Lyons
is the beloved stepdaughter of Lord Geoffrey Lightbourne, the Earl of
Castleton. Her mother married the earl when Mariah was only two years old. Lady
Mariah has grown up in the idyllic Plumford Manor, a home and village she
cherishes, and it’s rechristened Sugar Plum Manor every Christmas holiday. Her
childhood friend, whom she hasn’t seen in 12 years, 22-year-old Cyril
Lightbourne, is set to return to Plumford as its heir. Lady Mariah once dreamed
her friendship with Cyril would spark into something more, but she’s learned
that he’s courting the cruel Lady Pearl Kingeland. She vows to accept him as a
friend and prays he’ll be the heir her stepfather and Plumford need.
A youthful
misunderstanding kept Cyril away from Plumford Manor, and he no longer has an
attachment to Lady Pearl. He hopes Mariah is still a friend, but winning her
heart may pose tricky, as a Danish lord, Søren Gyldenkrone, is determined to
win her hand and whisk her back to Denmark. Will the magic of the holiday
season usher in true love like sugar plums, cinnamon and gingerbread usher
holiday merriment into a festive home?
This
short tale is layered with friendship, love, sugar plums, gingerbread and an
E.T.A. Hoffman-inspired Nutcracker play. The main characters
are easy to root for, and it’s even easy to root for Lord Gyldenkrone and hope
for a happy outcome for Lady Louise, Lady Mariah’s 26-year-old widowed sister.
There are Scrooge-y hearts that need thawing. The whimsical backdrop of this
novella, with its holiday descriptions and Christmassy foods, makes for a
charming historical romance. While outside the realm of her usual novels, White
remains a powerhouse in Christian, historical fiction. What a treat that it’s
Christmas-themed this time!
The Christmas Tree Farm (Sept. 3, 2024) by
Melody Carlson.
<This is
a standalone novella.>
After several years of teaching in Mongolia, Madison
McDowell has returned to her family’s Christmas tree farm in Oregon. There’s
damage after a recent wildfire, and it’s also been neglected due to her younger
sister’s unwillingness to invest her time and money into the farm. Addie wants
to sell, claiming there wasn’t much to inherit after their other grandparent
passed away, but Madison is prepared to invest in the farm, and she does. Her
time, her money, her sweat. She isn’t thrilled that their property-adjoining
neighbors want to create a dusty, noisy, dirt bike track, but maybe dirt bikes
aren’t so bad? The neighbor is a widower and her first love, Gavin Thompson,
whose younger daughter, Lily, wants the track. The older daughter, Lucy, is
away at college. Now all she wants is for them to be good neighbors and
friends. Just friends. (Maybe.) Her focus is the Christmas tree farm and
restoring the one place that ever felt like home to Madison. It’ll take grit,
hard work and great effort to restore the farm, but that may prove easier than
reconciling with her sister. Will unexpected help spell a second chance at
love or will it just dredge up painful memories right before Christmas?
This
Hallmark moviesque novella is a Christian, contemporary romance with drops of
faith that will have readers wanting a custom wreath, the fresh scent of a real
Christmas tree and plenty of hot cocoa. Readers know the story will be tied up
with a neat bow by the story’s end, but that’s not a bad thing when you know
going in that you’re in for a swift, sweet, charming story that encourages
holiday spirit.
Santa’s Secret (Sept. 24, 2024) by Fern
Michaels.
<This is
the third book in a series.>
With Christmas fast-approaching, ‘tis the season for high
school friends Frankie (Francesca) Cappella, Amy Blanchard, Rachael Newmark and
Nina Hunter to go on a Girls’ Trip. Their trip finds three-quarters of them
traveling with partners, and Frankie’s parents are going, too. They’re
traveling to Salerno, Italy, where Giovanni Lombardi’s family lives. Giovanni
is Frankie’s boyfriend. Giovanni and his older brother, Marco, run an Italian
restaurant in Manhattan, and the traditional family recipes delight tourists
and locals alike. But one recipe eludes them, and it’s their mother’s coveted
panettone. She claims it’s “Santas’ secret.” Amy, Rachael and Nina have their
own side quests planned before converging on the Lombardi family. From lost
luggage to the wrong tour group to jet lag and Vespas, there’s never a dull getaway
with this crew of high school friends and company.
The
third in the Santa’s Crew series (I’ve not read the previous
two) likely finds strong readership with viewers who enjoy their Hallmark
holiday movies era. There’s amazing food, mischief-making, holiday merriment
and wholesome romance in this contemporary romance, Christmas story. It’s a
story of beloved traditions and making new memories. My one struggle is how she
writes her interactions with her friends. The friends are in my
generational age group, but none of my various friends with their varied
backgrounds and current stations interact like that, not even those
friends who are huggers. Those interactions are cringey to me. Still, for
readers looking for a little merry mayhem during the holiday season and copious
amounts of delectable Italian food, this may be the Christmas story for them.