The ultimate holiday gift from New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs: a delightful novel about a Christmas transport of rescue puppies that’s guaranteed to warm readers’ hearts.
Brenda Malloy wants nothing to do with Christmas ever again. Last year, Brenda and her husband rushed their beloved dog Tim to the emergency vet on Christmas eve. The good news: Tim survived after the vet cleared the obstruction–a pair of women’s lace undies. The bad news: the undies were not Brenda’s.
A year after the breakup, Brenda has put her life back together. She’s trained for a marathon, is writing a children’s novel, and she’s found purpose and healing as a volunteer with a dog rescue organization in Houston, Texas. The rescue partners with a program in Avalon, New York–a small, snowy town deep in the Catskills. Now Brenda is arranging the transport of rescued dogs from Houston to Avalon—just in time for a merry Christmas with their forever families. Brenda’s friends worry about her driving a van two thousand miles with twelve dogs in crates, but she shrugs off their concern. How hard can it be? She knows the way, and she’s just looking to escape the Christmas overload for a while.
But a blinding snowstorm, an escaped mutt, and a life-saving encounter with Adam Bellamy—a single dad and paramedic—means Brenda has to stay in Avalon longer than she planned. As she drops off each precious pup at their new homes, some of the comfort and joy of the season begins to creep up on Brenda despite her determination to avoid the holidays. Perhaps you can bring Christmas into your heart after all…if you have the right furry friends to guide the way.
“When it comes to celebrating Christmas, Brenda Malloy has two words: bah humbug. But when she reluctantly volunteers to help transport a dozen rescue dogs to their new homes, she discovers the true meaning of the holidays. No one knows how to tug at readers’ hearts quite like Wiggs, and her latest canine-centered charmer brims with good cheer.” —Booklist
“Readers looking for a quick and satisfying Christmas novel, with the bonus of uplifting dog rescues, will love every page.” —Library Journal
This was a sweet treat from one of my favorite authors. Brenda works for a dog rescue operation that prides itself on finding forever homes for their fur babies. Located in Houston, they have partnered with a small town in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York. Brenda processes the applications and matches their homeless dogs with families who want them. That’s usually the extent of her involvement, but this year, Brenda gets roped into a road trip from Houston to New York with a dozen dogs ready to be rehomed.
When they narrowly miss hitting some deer on the icy, snowy mountainous road, Brenda is fine but the driver, not so much. And their van is on its side, dogs safe in their crates but scared. When the paramedic, Adam, arrives, he helps Brenda get the dogs out of the topsy-turvy van and ensures the driver is taken care of. Then, he offers to help her deliver the dogs.
As Brenda and Adam spend time together on this doggie project, they realize how much they enjoy each other; their only problem is geography. Adam has a young son and really can’t leave the area, but is Brenda willing to make a move for love?
This is a heartwarming romance full of love, puppies, charity, and Christmas cheer – all the good stuff. I loved it!
10/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
THE TWELVE DOGS OF CHRISTMAS by Susan Wiggs.William Morrow (October 17, 2023). ISBN: 978-0063253513. 256p.
Tessa Stafford will do anything for her daughter, Isabel…even stay on the run to protect Isabel from her narcissistic grandmother. But when her car breaks down in Painted Pony Creek, Tessa gets caught up in the warm embrace of the town and feels safe enough to build a home—and a life—for them both. Love is the last thing on her mind until rugged cowboy and lawyer Jesse McKettrick’s sexy smile and easy way tempt her into imagining more. But can she trust this handsome stranger with her heart?
When Tessa and her adorable daughter blow into town, Jesse McKettrick is smitten—by both the little girl and her beautiful mother. He’s always wanted a family of his own. Maybe this Christmas, his wish will finally come true. But the walls around Tessa are impenetrable, and when Tessa’s past threatens their newfound future—and the family he’s come to love—Jesse won’t let them go without a fight.
Painted Pony Creek:
Book 1: Country Strong Book 2: Country Proud Book 3: Country Born Book 4: Christmas in Painted Pony Creek
“The subtly Christmassy backdrop and folksy supporting characters up the charm factor. Longtime readers will be thrilled to revisit this small town with a big heart at the most wonderful time of the year.” Publishers Weekly
This was my first read in this series, and I wouldn’t have known it was part of a series – it stands alone beautifully. Miller writes a lot of contemporary westerns, which I love, and combined with Christmas made this a must read for me. It’s a short book with well defined characters that leap off the page, from Tessa to her daughter to Jesse, the cowboy/lawyer who falls in love with both mother and daughter.
Tessa was a foster child, and is determined to make it as a single mother. The baby daddy is a bit of a jerk, but was happy to sign over his rights. His stepmother, on the other hand, takes it upon herself to try and get custody of the baby. The evil stepmother has a ton of money and influence, so Tessa figures she won’t stand a chance. She hits the road, trying to stay one step ahead of the woman chasing her down. Until she gets to the charming town of Painted Pony Creek.
The town feels welcoming to Tess. Before she knows it, she has a job and a place to live, and all the support a single mother could use. When she gets a custody demand, she turns to Jesse, who is only too happy to help her. There is a strong attraction there but Tessa isn’t looking for a relationship, not while she has to stay one step ahead of the stepmother. But it’s hard not to want to stay in this small town filled with caring people who seem to have her back. Not to mention Jesse, who seems to have her heart.
I really enjoyed this sweet romance. It’s a lovely read set during the Christmas holiday, without being preachy. I might have to go find the earlier books in this series.
10/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
CHRISTMAS IN PAINTED PONY CREEK by Linda Lael Miller.Canary Street Press; Original edition (October 10, 2023). ISBN: 978-1335430670. 288p.
She’s lonely, rich, and ten years too young for him—but she’s also his “sugar daddy,” and they couldn’t have less in common. Opposites attract in this charming new romance by Katie Shepard.
MBA student Caroline Sedlacek knows her personal balance sheet is a little lopsided. On the asset side, at twenty-two she’s got an NCAA trophy, a great education…and the two million dollars she unexpectedly inherited. Liabilities? She’s never had friends, a boyfriend, or any life experiences away from the tennis court or the classroom. She’d love to invest herself in everything else, but “everything else” never came easily for her.
In the ten years since he left art school as a vaunted prodigy, Adrian Landry has won shows and major prizes—and done his best to shed his reputation as a pretty man who makes pretty paintings. Though currently broke and sleeping off a bad break-up on his college roommate’s couch, he knows this is the chance to get his life back on track at thirty-three—he just needs the money to find a new gallery.
When Adrian’s roommate lists him on a thinly veiled escort site, Caroline is not the patron he expected. She’s way too young, way too naive, and loudly uninterested in having sex with him. Instead, they’re both going to get exactly what they want: a little culture on her side, and a lot of cash on his. Aside from their sugar baby arrangement, they’ve got nothing in common. But as they reel from the symphony to the Haymarket, they learn that what they want and what they need might be two very different things.
“Readers will have no trouble rooting for this unexpected pair.”—Publishers Weekly
“Fans of Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient will be charmed by neurodivergent Caroline and worldly, handsome Adrian in Shepard’s (Bear with Me Now) latest.”—Library Journal
This was a totally engrossing romance with interesting, well-developed characters and some laughs along their journey. Caroline is a very quirky character who is well aware of her idiosyncrasies, and one of the minor characters guesses that she is somewhere on the autism spectrum, based on a family member with similar quirks.
Adrian is also a quirky character. He is an artist who had some success right out the gate, but since his divorce from his gallery owner/wife is over, he hasn’t sold anything. She was influential in changing the direction of his work, but it’s not selling. He’s crashing with his old college roommate and needs money. He signs up for an escort service, and his first bite is Caroline. He assumes he is looking at a really old picture as she is ten years younger than him and beautiful, so why would she need an escort?
I am unfamiliar with escort services, but this one is of the sugar daddy-sugar baby variety more than I just need a date for my sister’s wedding. So Adrian goes to meet Caroline, and she is just as young and beautiful as she appeared to be in her photo. She agrees to pay him $1000 a week, and they work out the hours he will be needed.
Caroline has difficulty making friends, hasn’t really dated much, and doesn’t have much understanding of the arts. She wants Adrian to teach her by taking her to the opera, concerts, art galleries, and the theater. For his part, he can’t understand how she can afford this based on her clothes and car. He doesn’t find out for quite a while that Caroline inherited 2 million dollars from her grandmother, who tells her to have a “big life.” Needless to say, her family is not happy about the inheritance to the point where her father and uncle demand she sign over the money to them. Instead, she climbs out the bathroom window, leaves small-town Texas, and runs away to Boston in hopes of earning her MBA. And hooks up with Adrian.
Caroline also makes it clear she is not looking for sex…for a while. The more time they spend together, the more they enjoy one another’s company. Caroline feels like part of her sugar mama role is to support Adrian’s art. They both are developing strong feelings for one another, but the money is getting in the way. There are lots of hurdles here, and these characters circumvent them wisely. I loved spending time with them, and I was sorry to turn that last page!
10/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
SWEETEN THE DEAL by Katie Shepard. Berkley (October 17, 2023). ISBN: 978-0593549315. 384p.
From Karen Schaler, the Emmy Award-winning writer of Christmas movies for Hallmark, Netflix, and Lifetime, and beloved Christmas romance novels, comes this powerful new Christmas romance for 2023, a heartfelt holiday love story about second chances and believing anything is possible at Christmas…
A shrewd money manager at the top of her game, Alexis Taylor is a proud workaholic who “humbugs” Christmas and love. The only holiday tradition Alexis embraces is always breaking up with her boyfriends right before Christmas.
But this Christmas, everything changes when Alexis gets a holiday visit of a lifetime. As Alexis’s past, present, and future collide, she’s forced to risk the one thing money can’t buy…her heart.
Inspired by Karen Schaler’s treasured Christmas movie Every Day is Christmas, this heartwarming Christmas romance about redemption, forgiveness, family, and second chances is written with Karen’s signature warmth and humor, celebrating the power of true love and Christmas miracles.
Bonus Content: Includes exclusive Christmas recipes, holiday activities, and pictures from the movie set.
I am completely in awe of Schaler – she has written many, many Christmas movies for Hallmark, Lifetime, Netflix and I don’t know where else, and given them new life as novels. I never saw this movie (it was on Lifetime,) so I can’t compare, but I enjoyed the book.
This story is based on Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, but brought firmly into the 21st century. Our Scrooge is Alexis Taylor, a self-made millionaire who owns and runs her eponymously named finance company. By any standard, she is uber-wealthy and successful. She owns her own office building, with her company occupying the top floor, in one of Atlanta’s most prestigious neighborhoods, and lives in the penthouse apartment of a very fancy building. What she doesn’t have is family – her parents were killed in an accident on Christmas Eve, twenty years earlier. She’s been on her own ever since.
When Alexis lost her parents, she lost everything – they died in debt, and she had to sell everything they owned to pay it off. It also put her own very expensive Ivy League education on hold. Eventually, she went to community college and worked her way through before starting her own company. Now she has everything she has ever wanted. Or so she thinks.
When Alexis gets her year-end report, she sees that they did not meet their goals for the year. She immediately walks into the unauthorized Christmas party her staff is having and lets them all know they need to get back to work immediately, and to plan on working Christmas day through the new year – no time off for anyone. Then, she rescinds all their year-end bonuses.
Alexis has very few people in her life that she can count on. Her driver, Justin, has been with her for many years and has always been kind and supportive of her. Her COO, Jeff, is the same – and he’s the one who keeps the staff working there, despite her wicked witch energy. And after she cancels Christmas for her staff, she realizes it is time to break up with her boyfriend.
Alexis is beautiful but so anti-Christmas that the minute a boyfriend brings it up, they are history. This latest one seems to actually get it. Instead of trying to persuade her to love Christmas, he plans a vacation to Bali, where he plans to propose. But Alexis isn’t aware of the proposal, and she has to let him know she isn’t going on any vacation but rather working through Christmas. She also dumps him, as is her custom.
The Ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future are her parents, a really interesting choice. As Alexis learns about her life and how hollow it truly is, she realizes that she must make drastic changes. Immediately.
The romance is here, but I don’t want to spoil it. My only complaint was the many paragraphs of lyrics of very popular, often classic, Christmas songs – it just felt like page filler. Other than “O Christmas Tree” AKA “O Tannebaum” – I learned that there are lots of different lyrics to that song. I had no idea! (Wikipedia lists several versions if you’re curious.) This is a fast, fun holiday read, as are all of Schaler’s books. This one had me laughing out loud and crying now and then – perfect Christmas fodder. 🎄
10/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
EVERY DAY IS CHRISTMAS by Karen Schaler.Hawktale Publishing (October 10, 2023). ISBN: 979-8988543510. 314p.
#1New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey delivers a sexy, hilarious standalone holiday rom-com about the adult children of two former rock stars who team up to convince their estranged mothers to play a Christmas Eve concert…
Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers her a lot of money to reunite her mother’s band on live tv, Mel begins to wonder if it’s time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life… and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.
Beat Dawkins, the lead singer’s son, is Melody’s opposite—the camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it’s nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show.
While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she’s never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything—the Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love.
“Bailey writes banter and rom-com scenarios with aplomb, but for those who like their romance on the spicier side, she’s also the Michelangelo of dirty talk. She wields filth like Da Vinci does a paintbrush, and there’s a lot to be said for an author who can fill such exchanges with all the requisite heat, enthusiastic consent, and yes, even humor, of such a scenario without veering into corny territory.” — Entertainment Weekly
Not sure why, but I kept thinking about Fleetwood Mac while reading this story about a band that broke up, and no one really knows why. All anyone knows is that the two leads, both women, have been hating on each other ever since.
They were both pregnant when they split, so their kids never met until they were teenagers. Both have long been in the public eye due to their famous parents. Beat has always been the golden boy who can do no wrong, while Melody came under the scrutiny of the media, with devastating results to her self esteem. When they meet on the set of a TV morning show, there is an instant rapport that they both feel. They exchange phone numbers, but neither one ever reaches out. Until several years later when Beat agrees to a live streaming show, with him trying to get the band back together. When Melody is told that Beat is on board, she also agrees and the couple gets to meet again.
Their feelings for one another are even stronger as adults, and as they spend time together, they fall in love. But their mothers are none too happy about it. Much to their surprise, Beat’s mother agrees to a reunion when Melody lies and tells her that her mother is already on board – which turns out to be just as difficult as they suspected it would. Beat is being blackmailed; he needs the money from the show to pay off his blackmailer, and while he never told his parents about it, he tells Melody, although withholds the blackmailer’s identity.
With the world watching, Beat and Melody fall in love, and despite the almost insurmountable obstacles to their futures, a happy ending is reached.
I usually love Tessa Bailey’s books, but the emphasis on sex here was a bit over the top for me, so if that is a concern for you, this is your forewarning. Ultimately, I did enjoy this book, but it was not my favorite, maybe because it is a holiday book? I think I like my Christmas romances more on the tame side.
10/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
WRECK THE HALLS by Tessa Bailey.Avon (October 3, 2023). ISBN: 978-0063308305. 368p.
The most profound book yet from the visionary author of Milk Fed and The Pisces, a darkly funny novel about grief that becomes a desert survival story.
In Melissa Broder’s astounding new novel, a woman arrives alone at a Best Western seeking respite from an emptiness that plagues her. She has fled to the California high desert to escape a cloud of sorrow—for both her father in the ICU and a husband whose illness is worsening. What the motel provides, however, is not peace but a path, thanks to a receptionist who recommends a nearby hike.
Out on the sun-scorched trail, the woman encounters a towering cactus whose size and shape mean it should not exist in California. Yet the cactus is there, with a gash through its side that beckons like a familiar door. So she enters it. What awaits her inside this mystical succulent sets her on a journey at once desolate and rich, hilarious and poignant.
This is Melissa Broder at her most imaginative, most universal, and finest. This is Death Valley.
Melissa Broder (Milk Fed) has written a weird and wacky treatise on grief. The protagonist is an author trying to complete her newest novel while dealing with serious family issues. She hits the road, leaving Los Angeles, and heads to the desert, where she is delighted to find a room in her favorite hotel chain, Best Western. Her husband has been debilitating from an undiagnosed illness for years; her father was in a terrible car accident several months earlier but has cheated death twice while remaining mostly unresponsive in the ICU; her mother deals with it all by adhering to strict superstitions. Written in the first person, the novel’s first half details her journey to this point; the second half is a stream of consciousness of her visit to the desert, hallucinating an enormous cactus and going inside it; very much an escape from reality. The humor is bleak, the metaphors strong, and her grief is palpable. The meandering story finally arrives at a somewhat surprising, almost heartfelt ending. Buy for demand only.
Verdict: For the literary sophisticate – readalikes include novels by Banana Yoshimoto and Jeffrey Eugenides.
Laurel Grant is playing house for the holidays—complete with a fake husband and kids—in this delightful, charming rom-com by Kerry Winfrey.
Laurel Grant works as the social media manager for Buckeye State of Mind, an Ohio tourism magazine and website. She most definitely does not run a farm . . . but one tiny misunderstanding leads her boss, Gilbert, to think she owns her twin sister Holly’s farm just outside of Columbus. Laurel only handles the social media for the farm, but she’s happy to keep her little white lie going if it means not getting fired—she cannot be jobless again.
And keep it going she must when Gilbert, recently dumped by his wife, invites himself over for the farm’s big Christmas Eve Eve dinner (as advertised on Meadow Rise Farm’s Instagram, thanks to Laurel herself). Laurel immediately goes into panic mode to figure out how she can trick Gilbert into thinking she’s basically the Martha Stewart of rural Ohio and keep her job in the process.
Laurel and Holly come up with the perfect plan—all Laurel has to do is pretend to own the farm for one dinner. But Laurel shows up at the farm to find an unwelcome guest is waiting: Max Beckett, her nemesis since Holly’s wedding. The annoyingly attractive man she hates will be posing as Laurel’s husband just for the evening, but when a snowstorm traps them all for the entire weekend, Laurel is going to have to figure out how to survive with her job and dignity intact. Whatever the case, this promises to be the most eventful Christmas in ages. . . .
“With a keen eye for both the wacky and the wonderful, Winfrey (Just Another Love Song) rings in the holidays with a clever comedy of errors…The sweet romance blooms organically amid the chaos and Winfrey uses it as a vehicle to touch on deeper themes of loneliness and self-esteem. The results are utterly adorable.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“In Winfrey’s latest rom-com, opposites attract amid festive holiday fun. Winfrey mixes up a tale of tenderness, mischief, and friendship as inviting as your favorite Hallmark movie. Holiday hijinks and fake dating make Winfrey’s romantic comedy a cozy classic.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Anyone who’s ever enjoyed a quirky heroine, a Hallmark Channel movie, or the classic Christmas in Connecticut should rush to pick this one up.”—Library Journal
Winfrey delivers another fun romcom, this time for the holidays! Some of my favorite tropes are included here; enemies to lovers, and fake dating. Plus twins!
Holly and Laurel are identical-ish twins; their differences are slight, but the truly observant can tell them apart. But their lives, and their personalities, are completely different. Holly lives on a picture perfect farm, has a doting husband, twin sons, crafts like Martha Stewart, uses power tools like a pro, and cooks like Ina Garten. Laurel, on the other hand, is perpetually single, one slip away from unemployment, burns toast, and has some serious self esteem issues, especially when comparing herself to her twin.
Their family always celebrates Christmas Eve Eve with a big dinner at the farm. In her job as social media maven for an Ohio magazine, Laurel has posted many, many pictures of her sister’s farm, meals, crafts, etc. There is only one tiny, little problem – her boss has the mistaken impression that it is Laurel’s farm and family, and fearing for her job, Laurel is afraid to tell him. The bigger problem is that Gilbert is the best boss she’s ever had.
It all comes to a head when Gilbert’s wife leaves him for their accountant. He is devastated, and invites himself to the farm for the famous Christmas Eve Eve dinner. The twins parents have decided to go on vacation to somewhere warm this Christmas, so it’s just the girls and their brother, if he shows up. And Laurel’s brother-in-law’s best friend, Max.
Laurel has hated Max since Holly’s wedding, when she overheard him say something horrible about her sister. No one knows she heard it, and she never told Holly – she didn’t want to hurt her. But it turns out Max has become part of the family, and has graciously agreed to play Laurel’s husband for this farce for Gilbert.
It takes a while for Laurel and Max to realize their attraction to one another, and to get past their history, but it’s such a fun ride to get there. This was a fast paced story with laugh out loud moments sprinkled throughout, and a terrific, unputdownable holiday story. Don’t miss it!
Two hotel receptionists—and arch-rivals—find a collection of old wedding rings and compete to return them to their owners, discovering their own love story along the way.
It’s the busiest season of the year, and Forest Manor Hotel is quite literally falling apart. So when Izzy and Lucas are given the same shift on the hotel’s front desk, they have no choice but to put their differences aside and see it through.
The hotel won’t stay afloat beyond Christmas without some sort of miracle. But when Izzy returns a guest’s lost wedding ring, the reward convinces management that this might be the way to fix everything. With four rings still sitting in the lost & found, the race is on for Izzy and Lucas to save their beloved hotel—and their jobs.
As their bitter rivalry turns into something much more complicated, Izzy and Lucas begin to wonder if there’s more at stake here than the hotel’s future. Can the two of them make it through the season with their hearts intact?
“O’Leary returns with a humorous and poignant rom-com set at a boutique hotel in southern England…Add in some charming supporting characters and stakes that feel high but believable, and the result is exactly the cute contemporary romp that O’Leary’s fans have come to expect.”―Publishers Weekly
“O’Leary’s is full of heart, humor, and a sprinkle of holiday magic. While this will easily find a spot on holiday displays, it will also appeal to readers who love enemies-to-lovers storylines with supporting characters who shine.”―Library Journal
I’ve read all of O’Leary’s book, and I love them. That said, when I looked at my previous reviews, a pattern has emerged. All of her books start out slowly, and this one does as well. But I stuck with it, and enjoyed the reward.
Izzy and Lucas work the front desk – and wherever else they are needed – at a small hotel in England. The owners are terrible at the business end of things, but have turned their staff into a family. Except a year earlier, at the hotel Christmas party, Izzy gave Lucas a card, telling him how much she liked him. It was a very brave thing to do, so when he opened the card and laughed, and then kissed Izzy’s roommate under the mistletoe, Izzy lost it. Lucas became her arch nemesis, and that’s where this story starts.
Over the course of a year, they work together and torture each other as only competitive co-workers can. But then something starts to change. Izzy’s feelings for Lucas have never gone away, she only buried them as best as she could. And Lucas is developing feelings for Izzy, but both of them know to avoid one another as much as possible, despite their attraction.
Best laid plans and all that – of course they end up sleeping together, again and again. They are at crossed points. Izzy wants a not-friends-with-benefits situation, and Lucas wants Izzy to really see him as the good person he truly is. It’s complicated, to say the least, but no worries, a happy ending is reached.
There are a lot of laughs – the things they do to one up each other are often hilarious, but I think the poignancy of this story was the real hook for me. A lovely Christmas read – I hope you’ll give it a try!
10/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
THE WAKE-UP CALL by Beth O’Leary.Berkley (September 26, 2023). ISBN: 978-0593640128. 368p.
From Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author of The Homewreckers and The Santa Suit, comes a novella celebrating love and the warm, glittering charm of the holiday season.
“Nobody does Christmas like Mary Kay Andrews.” ―Debbie Macomber
“Cozy up with Santa’s favorite novelist!” ―Adriana Trigiani
When fall rolls around, it’s time for Kerry Tolliver to leave her family’s Christmas tree farm in the mountains of North Carolina for the wilds of New York City to help her gruff older brother & his dog, Queenie, sell the trees at the family stand on a corner in Greenwich Village. Sharing a tiny vintage camper and experiencing Manhattan for the first time, Kerry’s ready to try to carve out a new corner for herself.
In the weeks leading into Christmas, Kerry quickly becomes close with the charming neighbors who live near their stand. When an elderly neighbor goes missing, Kerry will need to combine her country know-how with her newly acquired New York knowledge to protect the new friends she’s come to think of as family,
And complicating everything is Patrick, a single dad raising his adorable, dragon-loving son Austin on this quirky block. Kerry and Patrick’s chemistry is undeniable, but what chance does this holiday romance really have?
Filled with family ties, both rekindled and new, and sparkling with Christmas magic, BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CHRISTMAS delivers everything Mary Kay Andrews fans adore, all tied up in a hilarious, romantic gem of a novel.
“Andrews serves up a Christmas treat in this sparkling tale.” ―Publishers Weekly
The Queen of Christmas is back with another heartwarming romance, this time set in NYC!
When I started reading, my first thought was is this a reissue of an older book? But nope, just my confusion between MKA’s latest and a couple of Hallmark Christmas movies in a similar setting. But as always, the book is so much better!
Kerry and Murphy are brother and sister, except after their parents’ divorce, Murphy went to live with their father on the Christmas tree farm, and Kerry stayed in town with their mother. They rarely saw one another and basically grew up estranged. But when their dad has some health issues, Kerry is drafted into going with Murphy to New York City to the block where their family has sold Christmas trees for decades.
Kerry gets stuck driving Spammy up from North Carolina to New York – Spammy is the name given to their old camper because it looks like a canned ham. Sadly, it hasn’t been maintained, so the bathroom and kitchen are useless. Luckily for the siblings, their neighbors on the street take care of them, sharing their facilities and even food. Murphy drives up their old pickup truck, and they meet in New York.
As Kerry meets the neighbors, she finds herself attracted to Patrick, the divorced dad who shares the apartment with his ex-wife. Instead of making their son move back and forth between apartments, the parents do. Austin is quite precocious and lends some of the humor to this story. There is another neighbor, an elderly man, who frequents the block as well. No one knows where he lives, but he is very kind to Kerry and Austin, especially when he sees Kerry drawing. Turns out the old guy is an artist himself, and the three of them work together on a story for Austin.
But when the old man goes missing, Kerry and Austin are worried and determined to find him. Patrick puts the moves on Kerry, but she is hesitant about getting involved in NY, even though she lost her job a few months earlier.
I loved how all the neighbors pulled together for Kerry, Murphy, and the old man. There is a lot of kindness in this neighborhood, and it was touching to see it all play out. NYC often gets a bum rap about disinterested, non-caring people, but it’s like anywhere else: some good, some bad. If you want a feel-good holiday story, you can never go wrong with Mary Kay Andrews. This is another gem from one of my favorite authors.
10/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CHRISTMAS by Mary Kay Andrews. St. Martin’s Press (September 26, 2023). ISBN: 978-1250285812. 288p.
I grew up on Long Island, New York. This is what fall looked like. It was often too cold, but always beautiful. Autumn in South Florida may be a few degrees cooler than summer – 88 instead of 95. The leaves don’t change. The palm trees keep their palm fronds and coconuts.
Autumn in Miami
For most of the country, fall promises cooler weather. For us in South Florida, fall promises the worst of hurricane season, followed by slightly cooler, more temperate weather. But it’s the hurricanes that have always been the problem.
When you are sitting smack dab in the middle of most hurricane routes, you tend to spend quite a bit of time keeping an eye on things. The past few years, the storms seem to be hitting the Gulf coast rather than the Atlantic coast. Or if they are hitting the Atlantic coast, they have been problems for the states north of Florida. Maine was in the eye of Hurricane Lee just a few weeks ago! One of my good friends moved to Maine from Florida almost 20 years ago. Trust me, she never once thought about a hurricane following her there. But that is the weather we live with now. Everything we once knew? Not so much anymore.
Even more disturbing are the water shortages worldwide. There are countries shooting at each other over water rights. Iran and Afghanistan. Haiti and Santo Domingo. And then there is America, and the fight over the Colorado River. There may not have been shots fired here, but there is fighting.
I love the New York Times Cooking App. They have great recipes, lots of videos, people like you and me post comments, most of which are incredibly helpful, and best of all, you can ask questions of the staff and they will get back to you pretty quickly.
Freebie P.S.A. coming your way! New York Times Cooking is offering a free trial right now. Previously, the Cooking app was available to subscribers only, but for a limited time, you can access any recipe via the app at no cost. (I cannot emphasize enough how big a deal this is!) Just download the NYT Cooking app to start your free trial: iOS users can download the app here, while Android users can use this link.
Last month, I wrote about the beautiful tinned fish stores in Portugal. Now, the New York Times is writing about the beautiful tinned fish store in Times Square in New York City!
Eating an early meal in the new time zone and avoiding a meal late the night before could mean two fewer days of jet lag, a mathematical model showed
Other News
A few weeks ago, we had a pretty bad scare with my cat, Loki. We’ve noticed over the past several months that he occasionally gets tremors. They only last a few seconds, and he is pretty old – he’ll be 15 on Nov. 1 (that’s 76 in human years!) But then, a few weeks ago, it got more serious. He let out this really loud, low-pitched meow, one that we rarely hear from him, but when we do, he’s usually in pain. My husband and I ran and found him lying on the floor near the litter box. He was lying in a pool of urine and couldn’t move. We crouched there with him, he looked into my eyes, and I petted his head. It felt like hours, but probably just a few minutes later, he stood up. I cleaned him up as best as I could – I didn’t want to give him additional trauma by bathing him, and he spent the next little while cleaning himself. He seemed perfectly fine after that, but it scared me badly.
waiting for his turkey dinner
Our vet was out of town (this happened over the Labor Day weekend,) but I was able to bring him in that Tuesday. He did a pretty thorough examination and didn’t find anything wrong. Heart and lungs were clear, no protrusions or growths anywhere. No weight loss. He wanted to know if he was able to see me, to focus, or if his eyes were shifting around or closed while it was happening. He said to keep an eye on him for the next month, and if it happened again to try and video it, especially his eyes, and to get a urine sample. It’s been a month, and I’ve seen a few seconds of tremors one time, and that’s it.
The vet thinks it may be a brain tumor. He said he could x-ray him, but an MRI is the best. There are two machines in South Florida, and it would cost $2000. So I asked what would happen if he did have a brain tumor – could it be surgically removed? How would that affect his quality of life? He said if it was him, he wouldn’t do it. He wouldn’t do the x-ray, and he wouldn’t do the MRI. He wouldn’t put an old cat through the trauma of it all, especially surgery that may or may not extend his life or even help in any way. It was discouraging, but I appreciated his candor.
nap time
I love my vet; he has been practicing medicine for decades, and he really cares about his patients. He caused quite an uproar around here about twenty years ago or so. The local newspaper, The Sun-Sentinel, did a feature story on him. He said that animals, especially those that stay indoors like our cat, do not need annual exams. Then he really poured fuel on the fire; he said they don’t need annual rabies vaccines, either. He started giving his patients rabies vaccines in their tails instead of their thighs. Why? There were way too many incidents of cancer at the injection site. He didn’t want to amputate another animal’s leg. It wouldn’t be as big a loss if they got cancer in their tail.
watching the football game
Around that same time, the pharmaceutical companies had come out with two, three, and five-year rabies vaccines at two, three, and five times the price. Except each of those vials contained the exact same dose of the vaccine. He was furious, and he called them out. He called out every vet in town that was selling them. He said that vets insist on annual visits and vaccines for one reason only: to make money. As you can imagine, he was none too popular among his peers. He had that article blown up, and it hangs on the wall in his waiting room.
Loki is the first purebred cat we’ve ever had. I wrote the breeder and asked for his medical history. I was delighted to find out that he has real longevity in his gene pool. His dad lived to be 21, and died of pancreatitis. His mom had recently passed at 18, of old age. The breeder said she got slower and slower, slept more, and ate less. Never seemed to be in any pain, though. She also said there was no history of brain tumors in any of her cats. She shared a lot about his family, and it was all reassuring, so we are hoping for the best.
Loki is a very special cat. He is just as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. He has brought me and my family so much joy in his years with us. Most days, when I get home from work, he is sitting in the sidelight window, waiting for me. He sleeps between my husband and me during most of the night. He naps on my bed all day, hiding under it if we make too much noise and disturb him. Sometimes he lies under there with his head in my husband’s sneaker. When he’s had enough napping, he hangs out with us. He lays on the hassock with his head on my ankle, or on the arm of the oversized chair my husband prefers, cuddled up with him.
He is the world’s pickiest eater – he turns his nose up some days at the food he previously devoured. When I make a turkey, he becomes my shadow, not leaving my side until he gets his. The only times he ever seems inclined to jump on the counter is when I make a turkey or sponge cake. Yep, something about that cake just makes his nose quiver.
When my grandson comes to visit, Loki hides. Not because Jonah is rough with him; he’s actually been incredibly gentle. But as Loki has gotten older, he doesn’t want to be bothered by anyone; he just wants to get his 18-20 hours of sleep in and be left alone. That said, he occasionally would wander by, and Jonah would be so happy! When we Facetime with him, he always asks for Loki. If he’s not around, we say Jonah, where’s Loki? And he says, he’s hiding. That little boy understands.
As always, thanks for reading, and stay safe.
Thanks to The New York Times and The Washington Post for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.
Comments Off on BookBitch Diary: October 1, 2023 | Ramblings | Permalink Posted by Stacy Alesi
Posted by Stacy Alesi 
Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™ 