Advent Reads Day 4: Christmas and Cannolis by Peggy Jaeger

 Welcome to Advent Reads!

This is an event I have had on my blog for several years running now.  Each evening I feature a different holiday themed book. Think of it as your Book Advent Calendar! I post a variety of holiday books including romance, children's, middle-grade, mystery, paranormal, and I try to find some that are other holiday celebrations than Christmas too. I hope you will stop by each evening to see what new book I have for you!

Synopsis: "With Christmas season in full swing, baker Regina San Valentino is up to her elbows in cake batter and cookie dough. Between running her own business, filling her bursting holiday order book, and managing her crazy Italian family, she's got no time to relax, no room for more custom cake orders, and no desire to find love. A failed marriage and a personal tragedy have convinced her she's better off alone. Then a handsome stranger enters her bakery begging for help. Regina can't find it in her heart to refuse him.

Connor Gilhooly is in a bind. He needs a specialty cake for an upcoming fundraiser and puts himself—and his company's reputation—in Regina's capable hands. What he doesn't plan on is falling for a woman with heartbreak in her eyes or dealing with a wise-guy father and a disapproving family.

Can Regina lay her past to rest and trust the man who's awoken her heart?"

My Review: I have had this book waiting for a couple of years now, but I am glad I finally got around to picking it up. I absolutely loved the family dynamics in this book, the love the family has for one another is definitely shown in their own unique but very real way. It was a bit more heavy emotionally than I was expecting but the family and the steam between Regina and Connor kept it from going too far. It was a great holiday ready full of the busy season stress, the chilly snowy days, delicious family dinners and lots of happy feel good moments.

My Rating: This was a book that definitely highlights the family dynamics of a conservative Italian family, full of love for each other but a bit meddling. While it was a bit predictable as to how it would all come together, it was still a very enjoyable ride and I adored Regina and Connor.  I give it a rating of Three Paws and a Stump Wag.

Advent Reads Day 3: Stories for Christmas by Bernadette Watts

  Welcome to Advent Reads!

This is an event I have had on my blog for several years running now.  Each evening I feature a different holiday themed book. Think of it as your Book Advent Calendar! I post a variety of holiday books including romance, children's, middle-grade, mystery, paranormal, and I try to find some that are other holiday celebrations than Christmas too. I hope you will stop by each evening to see what new book I have for you!

Synopsis: "Eight heartwarming classic tales for the Christmas season—illustrated by Bernadette Watts--in one beautiful volume.

A beautiful Christmas collection that includes The Smallest Snowflake, The Little Drummer Boy, Shoemaker Martin, The Star Child, The Snow Queen, The Little Donkey, The Christmas Story, and Varenka, this collection of stories will get you in the Christmas spirit."

My Review:  I am always on the hunt for great Christmas books, and have a special fondness for children's Christmas books; so when I saw this book I jumped at the opportunity to read it. While this book doesn't scream Christmas with the tales inside, the collection does give you that warm, cozy feeling with some classic winter stories and some other folk stories retold along with some beautiful illustrations. They are all short stories and would make for great bedtime stories to read throughout the holiday season and beyond. This collection gave me the feeling of beloved stories being passed down in families and of tradition, something that can pulled down from the shelves and enjoyed year after year.

My Rating: While it wasn't quite the collection of Christmas stories I was expecting, this was still a book with some great stories to warm your heart, they have a folktale feel, some are more religious based, so there is a bit of something for everyone. I give it a rating of Three Paws and a Stump Wag!

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley, the above is my honest review and opinion.

You can find out more about Bernadette Watts and her books on her Goodreads Page 

Stories for Christmas was released on September 14th so you can pick up your own copy from Amazon or Barnes & Noble or request it at your local bookstore or library.

Advent Reads Day 2: Dear Santa by Nancy Naigle

 Welcome to Advent Reads!

This is an event I have had on my blog for several years running now.  Each evening I feature a different holiday themed book. Think of it as your Book Advent Calendar! I post a variety of holiday books including romance, children's, middle-grade, mystery, paranormal, and I try to find some that are other holiday celebrations than Christmas too. I hope you will stop by each evening to see what new book I have for you!

Synopsis: "Angela Carson wants nothing more than to be the third-generation to run her family’s holiday store, Heart of Christmas, successfully. They’ve weathered over sixty tourist seasons, major hurricanes, and urban sprawl, in their old decommissioned lighthouse. But the national chain that set up shop in their small North Carolina town of Pleasant Sands may be more than Heart of Christmas can survive.

Encouraged by her niece to ask Santa for help, Angela gives in and lets the words fly in a way that, if Santa were real, would no doubt land her on the naughty list. What’s the harm when it’s just a computer-generated response?

Geoff Paisley has been at his mother’s side running the mega-chain Christmas Galore for the last ten years. When his mother falls ill, Geoff promises to answer the town’s Dear Santa letters in her stead. Soon he realizes the woman he’s been corresponding with on Dear Santa is Angela. How could the woman that grates his every last nerve in person have intrigued him so deeply through those letters?

When Geoff reveals that he’s her Dear Santa, will Angela be able to set aside their very public feud to embrace the magic of the holiday and possibly find true love?"

My Review: I can always count on Nancy Naigle to get me into the Christmas spirit, this was a great book to get in the mood for those Santa letters (as a side note, don't let your still believing young readers check the back of the book or listen at all, it will spoil the magic for them). I absolutely love the idea of someone answering Santa letters, it just warms my heart, and this book certainly does that for me. You have two polar opposite characters who are both at a point in their lives when everything is changing. I like that it was a bit slow burn but with some great verbal banter as well, it was the best of both worlds. Definitely a great one to pick up early in your holiday season to get you thinking about a wish you would want Santa to grant, and maybe a way to grant someone else's too!

My Rating: I just love the small town holiday romances Nancy Naigle turns out for us. I absolutely adored the premise of this book and she nailed it for me. I give this one a rating of Three Paws and a Stump Wag!

Advent Reads Day 1: The Christmas Hirelings by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

 Welcome to Advent Reads!

This is an event I have had on my blog for several years running now.  Each evening I feature a different holiday themed book. Think of it as your Book Advent Calendar! I post a variety of holiday books including romance, children's, middle-grade, mystery, paranormal, and I try to find some that are other holiday celebrations than Christmas too. I hope you will stop by each evening to see what new book I have for you!

Synopsis: "With his sole surviving daughter Sybil estranged, and his wife passed away, there is a deficit of Christmas cheer in the near-vacant country mansion of Sir John Penlyon. In an attempt to improve the festive mood, Sir John's good friend Mr Danby suggests that three children be 'hired' over the Christmas period in the hope of brightening the mood. After overcoming his initial reluctance, Sir John soon opens the doors of Penlyon Castle to Lassie, Laddie and little Moppet. Their arrival does more than signal the coming of Christmas however, as Sir John finds himself re-evaluating his past actions."

My Review: This is a book that caught my eye for the holiday season, it was a short read and it gave me a classics vibe (I honestly don't know what year it was published so don't take my word for it). Anyway, it is just the story I look for to get into the holiday spirit, it gave me a bit of Annie feeling with Daddy Warbucks and all combined with a Charles Dickens kind of setting. I really enjoyed Sir John and Moppet, the way their characters interacted just warmed my heart. This is a great little holiday tale and I highly recommend the audio book version!

My Rating: I really enjoyed this short little story, it gave me the warm fuzzies just like I wanted and I really enjoy the classic feel to the story.  I give it a rating of Four Paws!

November Wrap Up & December TBR

Boy did November fly by or what?! It could also be the fact that I didn't finish getting my last monthly wrap up post completed until mid-month! With that said, I did end up having a pretty fantastic reading month, so how about we get into it.

We will start with my main challenge this year . . .

TBR Books Read:

I managed to blast through a bunch of my TBR books and I am super happy about that accomplishment considering how fast the month went and how crazy it was! I ended up reading 8 books off my TBR, I think I made up for a few of the months I was short!

 

 

 

 

2021 Books added to TBR & Read:

I didn't get as many of my new books read this month as I would have liked but at least I broke even with reading the same amount of new books as I purchased, that is progress I guess.

 

Other Recent Additions:

In addition to Lore Olympus, I also picked up these 3 books. I have to say, I am pretty proud of myself for only getting these with all the sales going on everywhere! I do have hopes to read 2 of these next month.

 

 

In other reading I am tracking this year, I read . . .

Re-Reads: - COMPETE-

Goal: Re-read 15 books

I have continued really enjoying re-reading old favorites and diving back into worlds I loved years ago. I will definitely be continuing to re-read more often!

23. Poison Study

24. Magic Study

25. Two Towers

Borrowed Books: - COMPLETE-

Goal: Borrow 30 books

29. A Side of Murder

30. The Christmas Club

31. The Christmas Hirelings

32. The Littlest Christmas Elf

33. Charlie and the Christmas Kitty

34. Together

Books Over 500 Pages: - COMPLETE-

Goal: 10 books

None this month but sitting at 15 total for the year so I am really happy but hoping to squeeze in one or two more before the end of the year.

Requested Reviews: 

38. The First Christmas: A Story of New Beginnings

39. Monkey Mystery

40. An Eggnog to Die For

41. Christmas at Frozen Falls

 Reading Stats:

I read a total of 24 books this last month, probably the best one I have had since starting my new job!

Resolutions Check in:

1. Read that TBR: I managed to meet my goal and pass it this month, I am really getting excited to see exactly how much my TBR has come down this year! - CHECK

2. Re-Read More: again, the re-reads have been fantastic, it has almost been difficult to pull myself out of those worlds to pick up new books. - CHECK

3. Purchase Less & Read More: While I didn't read every book as it came in, I still read as many of the new TBR books as I brought in this month! After really looking at it and thinking about this challenge, I don't think I will ever be able to read every book as it comes in, sometimes I am waiting to get the whole series, other times I pick up books for a specific season or readathon for the following year, but I think if I just keep reading the same number of books I bring in each month/year I will be happy. - CHECK

4. Keep Trying New Genres/Authors: While I have enjoyed a lot of my familiar authors, series and genres, I have tried some books outside what I really reach for, some have been great, others were a bit of flops. - CHECK

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December TBR

I managed to read all but 7 books off my super ambitious TBR last month, so I am thrilled with that accomplishment. I am usually pretty darn crazy in December but I do have a few books I really want to get to this month. I will definitely be trying to focus on getting some requested reviews done that I have had lingering. I also want to try to get some more of those new books read before I total up for the year. So here are a few of my reading plans for this month

For TBR books: 

Snowball's Christmas

The Season of Us

Fury of a Phoenix

They Eyes of Tamburah

Sugar

The Sea Queen

From the Library:

Christmas Days

Twelve Slays of Christmas

The Christmas Pig

The Clause in Christmas

For Re-Reads:

Fire Study

Return of the King

Return to Shanhasson*Currently Reading

Recent Additions:

Murder Makes Scents

A Little Hope

Under the Whispering Door

Her Christmas Gift *currently reading

ARCs:

Cuckoo's Flight

Local Star *Currently reading

Even and Odd

The Excalibur Curse

Duke, Actually

Another ambitious TBR but last month went so well I couldn't help myself. There are so many books calling out to me right now!

In other news, I will be continuing the Advent Reads event.  Once I actually sat down and looked at things, I have already read 18 books for the season and it kind of felt like a waste not to share them with you! So now I am scrambling to get reviews completed and posts scheduled.  So the first one will go live tonight at 6:00pm EST and continue on that way every day for the rest of the month.  I will warn you though, the book selection is going to lean heavily towards romance and cozy mysteries since that is what I have been enjoying lately, but I have made it a point to include some fiction and children's books as well.