Sweet Christmas Kisses 4

[Birdlady1950]

A Bundle of 14 Wholesome Holiday Romances
Mona Risk and Other Authors

I choose to review 2 of the 14 books available in this collection. Loving At Christmas By Kristen Wallace and The Gift of Yesterday by Milou Koenings

Loving You At Christmas By Kristen Wallace
I am sad to say Loving You At Christmas, by author Kristen Wallace, ends our sojourn in Shellwater Key, Florida. A wonderful series of love and happy ever after, this book's a perfect ending for the series. Kristen Wallace filled this story with intense emotion; grief, attraction, love, and romance.

Although a novella, Wallace, created a solid tale which grabs the reader immediately. With skillful plotting and well-developed characters, Wallace made this novella feel like a full length novel. I found the pace perfect for the length of the book and her writing flowed well; making the book easy to read. Her scenes transition from scene to scene smoothly and with vivid writing I felt the character's emotions. My heart broke for Annaliese; enduring a childhood no child should and then the death of her anchor and soul mate, Matthew, brought tears to my eyes. I could feel her resistance as she began to care for Duke and his nieces, as well as, Duke's sorrow at the passing of his beloved sister. Annaliese must face her fears of losing the ones she loves; but can she?

Adding the mama drama with the Queen of Shellwater Key, gave the story an extra element. What a witch Wallace gave us in these books. Wallace also included a lot of humor in Loving You At Christmas. When Layla called in the big guns, I laughed and laughed. By the way, Noah's the big guns; Shellwater Keys resident soul searcher, advise giver, and counselor to one and all. Not only does this story have grief, it has a lot of funny snips and snarks. If I was not laughing, I found myself crying. I cried buckets at the end of the story.

Kristen Wallace also included characters from the earlier books. I love a series with continuing characters; we get an update on their life and all the town gossip. Loving You At Christmas, is a wonderful romance perfect for anytime of the year. I would not hesitate to buy this sweet, clean, romance for myself or a friend.

Stars 4


THE GIFT OF YESTERDAY BY MILOU KOENINGS:
When Bailey Ames' Aunt Muriel became ill, she returned from France where she schooled and studied; Bailey put her dreams on hold to cared for her aunt. After her Aunt Muriel's death, it's time for Bailey to spread her wings and live her dream. Bailey, alone in the world, returns to Green Pines, the place of her teenage years and past happy times to open a pastry shop.

Joe Hudson has loved Bailey since a teenager. Never able to forget her, he dates, but his dates are always temporary. With Bailey's return, he finally sees a chance at happiness. However, Bailey has relationship issues which force Joe to take a stand for love. Will love win out in this sweet romance? My contemporary romance book reviews of The Gift Of Yesterday follows.

CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, DEVELOPMENT:

Milou Koenings created a sweet clean romance which will touch the reader's heart. Koenings placed her characters in the small town of Green Pines; with all the closeness and protectiveness of each other you find in small communities. I love the atmosphere of small towns; from the gossips to the caring.

Koenings' tale of love never forgotten, held my interest from start to finish. Joe's character will bring out you're rooting spirit; a fine, steady, determined, good man, who never forgot his first and only love. His wealth has had no influence on his character, morals, or sense of community. His determination to win Bailey is wonderful. With issues of loss and losing the ones she has loved, Bailey, must face her hang ups head-on and make decisions which will impact her life.

I found the story-line solid, with well-developed characters and plotting which kept me reading A Gift Of Yesterday straight through. The pace of the book's in line with the length of the story and Koenings' writing is clear and easy to follow. Her scenes transition smoothly from scene to scene without lagging or bogging down. A perfect read for anyone who enjoys reading a sweet, clean, relaxing romance, I would not hesitate to buy this book for myself or a friend. I closed this book with a sigh of contentment.


Stars 4

Additionally, I received this book collection from the authors and chose to voluntarily review the book with honest romance book reviews. Lastly, book reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author’s opinion. Consequently, all book reviews on-line and on my blog, are my opinions. In addition, no one influences my voluntary romance book reviews.