A Knights Bridge Christmas Book Review

I went back to the library with the wrapped books so I grabbed a bunch of them and googled the names of the books on the label to see if they were books that I would like to read.  I got a bunch more and only one of them was something that I already read so I was excited to start on A Knights Bridge Christmas: Christmas at Carriage Hill bonus story (Swift River Valley) by Carla Neggers.  I haven't read any other books in the series but this seems like a series I might like to try.

Clare Morgan is ready for a fresh start when she moves to the small Massachusetts town of Knights Bridge with her young son, Owen. Widowed for six years, Clare settles into her new job as the town librarian. She appreciates the welcome she and Owen receive and enjoys getting the library ready for the annual holiday open house. Clare expects to take it slow with her new life. Then she meets Logan Farrell, a Boston ER doctor in town to help his elderly grandmother settle into assisted living. Slow isn't a word Logan seems to understand. Accustomed to his fast-paced life, he doesn't plan to stay for long. But Daisy Farrell enlists her grandson to decorate her house on the village green one last time. Logan looks to Clare for help. She can go through Daisy's book collection and help him decorate while she's at it. As Clare and Logan get his grandmother's house ready for the holidays, what neither of them expects to find is an attraction to each other. Better than most, they know all the crazy things that can happen in life, but everything about Knights Bridge and this magical season invites them to open themselves to new possibilities…and new love.

I hope that you check out this book and others in this series because I think that you will enjoy the holiday festive environment in this small town setting.  I enjoyed getting to know Knights Bridge and the new town librarian, Clare Morgan and her son, Owen.  They were trying to make a new home for themselves after moving from Boston to this small town where they are making friends with everyone in town.  The great part is that Dr. Logan Farrell is person who is just visiting the town to get his mom settled in a new assistant living situation and he decides to visit a lot more after meeting Clare and Owen.  This is a great balance for both their lives because the one is a workaholic and the other is a worrier but together they are a perfect balance to raise 6 year old Owen together but their different lives are pulling them in different directions so you have to pick up the book to find out what happens.  I loved being their for the journey and getting to know this small town.  I hope to read lots of books in this series soon.  I hope that you do to!!

The Lopsided Christmas Cake Book Review

I was at a library after taking my son to their library program when my son found a pile of adult Christmas books that were wrapped and they had a tag on the front of the book with if you liked these books, you will like this book.  With my son's help, I picked out one and checked it out.  Turned out that even though the title was private, my son realized that you could read it on the screen at checkout.  The first two books that I picked were books that I already read so we decided on a third one and I got this one, The Lopsided Christmas Cake by Wanda E. Brunstetter which I was excited to get to read before Christmas.

Join the Hochstetler twin sisters on stage as they bumble their way through baking a cake for a charity auction in front of a live audience. The take-charge Elma and the klutzy optimist Thelma manage to entertain their audience—and attract the admiration of two bachelors, an outspoken woodworker and a shy harness maker from a neighboring Amish community. As fall leads into the Christmas season, could romance be blossoming for one or more of the Hochstetler twins? Find out in this brand new romance from New York Times bestselling author Wanda E. Brunstetter, writing with her daughter-in-law Jean Brunstetter.

I really enjoyed this Christmas story about how the twin sisters make a cake to support charity and then have to present the cake on stage after making it.  If anything could go wrong, it did but the sisters had two people bidding on their cake in spite of the horrible presentation and the look of the cake.  Joesph was willing to fight to win the cake because he wanted to meet Thelma, one of the twins that made the cake.  The story is set in the new town that the twins move to after being named in their grandparents will to inherit the house and the store that their grandparents owned.  They are working very hard to make money with the store and repair the house to make both their future.  It is interesting to watch these identical and very different sisters go through their lives and all the trouble that they find just from being twins.  I was glad that my son made me pick some of the books out at this interesting Christmas wrapped mystery book section because I never would have found this book on my own and now I am looking for the second book in this series to find out what happens next.

Meant to Be Mine Book Review

The second book in the series is Meant to Be Mine by Becky Wade.  It was new on the library shelf and I was super glad to see it while at another branch of the library so that I could have the chance to read it.  I was excited to read the first book in the series and get to pick this up right after.

Ty Porter has always been irresistible to Celia Park. All through high school--irresistible. When their paths cross again after college--still irresistible. This time, though, Ty seems to feel exactly the same way about Celia. Their whirlwind romance deposits them at a street-corner Las Vegas wedding chapel. The next morning they wake to a marriage certificate and a dose of cold reality. Celia's ready to be Ty's wife, but Ty's not ready to be her husband. He's a professional bull rider, he lives on the road, and he's long planned to settle down with the hometown girl he's known since childhood. Five and a half years pass. Celia's buried her dreams so that she can afford to raise her daughter. Ty's achieved all of his goals. Or thought he had, until he looks again into the eyes of the woman he couldn't forget and into the face of the child he never knew he had. How much will Ty sacrifice to win back Celia's trust and prove to her that their spontaneous marriage can still become the love of a lifetime?

This was an amazing story about Ty Porter and Celia Park who grew up in a small Texas town together.  Ty was a hot shot around the school and Celia fell for him when she sat next to him in school but they were only friends.  After being apart for many years, they run into each other again and things spark but he whirlwind romance leaves them in Vegas at a wedding chapel.  They were married that night and wake up in the morning with different thoughts on the subject.  They leave Vegas and don't speak for 5 and half years.  Ty comes back to talk to Celia and finds out so much more then he thought when he meets her daughter.  There is no question who the father is but a paternity test confirms that Ty is now responsible for a little girl that he hasn't had the chance to know for 5 years.  The relationship between mother and daughter is strong and she is excited to find her father and get to know him.  You have to make sure you pick up this book to find out how they work to forgive each other for the past and move forward to their new life with their daughter.  I think that you might be surprised at some of the fast changes that happen.  I hope that you check out this book and others in this wonderful series.  I know that you will enjoy the characters and writing as much as I have.  I am super glad that the library got the first two books in the series so that I could finish a series that I had read the third and forth book and really enjoyed.  I hope that you enjoy these as much as I have!!

Undeniably Yours Book Review

I was excited the other day at the library to see two books in the new section next to each other by Becky Wade.  I read a few books for review a while ago and really liked her writing and story.  I was even more excited to find out that they were Book 1 and 2 of the series that I read Books 3 and 4.  I started on Undeniably Yours by Becky Wade and was super happy to get to finish the series.

When Meg Cole's father dies unexpectedly, she's forced to return home to Texas and to Whispering Creek Ranch to take up the reins of his empire. The last thing she has the patience or the sanity to deal with? Her father's Thoroughbred racehorse farm. She gives its manager, Bo Porter, six months to close the place down.  Bo knows he ought to resent the woman who's determined to take from him the only job he ever wanted. But instead of anger, Meg evokes within him a profound desire to protect. The more time he spends with her, the more he longs to overcome every obstacle that separates them and earn her love. Just when Meg realizes she can no longer deny the depth of her feelings for Bo, their fragile bond is broken by a force from Meg's past. Can their relationship--and their belief that God can work through every circumstance--survive?

Meg was a great character that was someone that you instantly could pull for because you wanted her to get everything she wanted.  She is forced to take over her fathers business but she doesn't want anything like the life that she has been given.  It is hard for her to adjust the idea of her father being gone and her new role taking care of the family fortune.  It is great to watch Meg grow and change and make sure that she grows into the job.  Bo Porter runs the horse farm for Meg's dad and she decides that since it isn't profitable that she should shut it down.  The funny thing is that he says that he wants six months and she gives it to him.  There is a interesting relationship that pops up between Meg and Bo.  You have to pick up the book to find out what happens and I promise that you will surprised.  I hope that you check out this book and the rest of the series.  I am so glad that they added these to the library to go with the other books in the series that I already read.

Menu Plan Monday 12/25 Christmas Edition

Monday-Christmas Dinner: Turkey with gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and rolls
Tuesday- Pasta
Wednesday- ??
Thursday- Spicy Honey Mustard Chicken with mac and cheese
Friday- Leftover Night to recreate items in the fridge
Saturday- Barber Chicken with white rice
Sunday-  ??

Last week was a little off but we had dinner at home and made it through.  Monday we did my son's favorite dinner of Chicken fries, Buffalo Chicken and french fries.  Tuesday was Pasta which I am totally over eating but my son loves and we have enough in the pantry for like a year.  Wednesday was taco night which was tasty!!  Thursday we did Chicken Marsala with Orecchiette pasta.  On Friday we went to a friends house but my son and I ate before we left.  On Saturday we did the leftovers that we didn't eat on Friday.  Sunday was Lasagna as planned with rolls and salad so we had easy clean up.  We had company on Wednesday and Thursday but I must have known because I planned for things that could have been bigger for more people.

We have company this week and I am not sure how many people I will have on any given day so hoping that we can add more to the meals as needed for the crowd that I have.  I have plenty of food as long as I have a clue what to start with then I should be able to get it made for dinner.  I hope that you have a yummy week!!

Merry and Bright Book Review

I was at the library and another book jumped off the new release section and came home with me.  The 14 Day New Release Section is great because you know the books are really new so it should be something you haven't read before because they are brand new to the library and not a year old so I was hopeful that I hadn't read this Christmas story. Merry and Bright: A Novel by Debbie Macomber was luckily a new book and I got to read it shortly after I got it so that I could get it returned by the 14 day deadline....sadly, this is my 4th book from there recently so I know that I am going to be against the clock with many of them.

Merry Knight is pretty busy these days. She’s taking care of her family, baking cookies, decorating for the holidays, and hoping to stay out of the crosshairs of her stressed and by-the-book boss at the consulting firm where she temps. Her own social life is the last thing she has in mind, much less a man. Without her knowledge, Merry’s well-meaning mom and brother create an online dating profile for her—minus her photo—and the matches start rolling in. Initially, Merry is incredulous, but she reluctantly decides to give it a whirl.

Soon Merry finds herself chatting with a charming stranger, a man with similar interests and an unmistakably kind soul. Their online exchanges become the brightest part of her day. But meeting face-to-face is altogether different, and her special friend is the last person Merry expects—or desires. Still, sometimes hearts can see what our eyes cannot. In this satisfying seasonal tale, unanticipated love is only a click away.

This was a fun Christmas book that was super interesting to read about the life of Merry Knight and Jayson Bright.  Merry works part time for Jayson's company because she is saving up for finishing her special education college degree.  Merry was born on December 26th and enjoys the holidays and all the holiday time with her family baking cookies, putting together puzzles and more.  Jayson lives his life fully involved in the company with no personal life to speak of until his cousin comes back and tells him that he met a women from his past and he is getting married.  Jayson decides to check out this online dating thing and finds someone who he has a connection with but they only talk online.  Merry's family is worried that she is so busy that she isn't looking towards the future so they sign her up for a dating service and she instantly connects with Jay.  There are interesting things happening in work and outside for both of these fun people quickly and all around the holidays.  There is a great romance starting for both of them between their online romance and an office romance.  Jayson thinks that it is crazy that he could be feeling this much for both ladies when he never thought that he would be a person to settle down and have a family because of his own upbringing.  Make sure you pick up the book to find out which ones he chooses.  I think that you will love the ups and downs of this quick holiday read.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!

The House of Unexpected Sisters Book Review

I was at the library to get some newspapers and I saw something on the new release display.  I went over quickly and grabbed the book hoping that I hadn't read it before because I never know!  The House of Unexpected Sisters: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (18) (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency… by Alexander McCall Smith was indeed the next book in the series that I was waiting for.  I found the title and the cover confusing so I was ready to jump right in!

Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi are approached by their part-time colleague, Mr. Polopetsi, with a troubling story: a woman, accused of being rude to a valued customer, has been wrongly dismissed from her job at an office furniture store. Never one to let an act of injustice go unanswered, Mma Ramotswe begins to investigate, but soon discovers unexpected information that causes her to reluctantly change her views about the case.

Other surprises await our intrepid proprietress in the course of her inquiries. Mma Ramotswe is puzzled when she happens to hear of a local nurse named Mingie Ramotswe. She thought she knew everybody by the name of Ramotswe, and that they were all related. Who is this mystery lady? Then, she is alerted by Mma Potokwani that an unpleasant figure from her past has recently been spotted in town. Mma Ramotswe does her best to avoid the man, but it seems that he may have returned to Botswana specifically to seek her out. What could he want from her?

With the generosity and good humor that guide all her endeavors, Mma Ramotswe will untangle these questions for herself and for her loved ones, ultimately bringing to light important truths about friendship and family—both the one you’re born with and the one you choose.

Another great story with Mma Ramotswe leading the charge to make sure that the right things are done and this is a case that she isn't even being paid for.  She puts Mma Makutsi in charge of the investigation because she wants to do another investigation because they disagree on the truth.  Mma Ramotswe is distracted when she learns that she might have other family from a newspaper article so she decides to investigate her own mystery on the side.  The two investigations quickly put Mma Ramotswe in a bad mood which she is never in because she always looks at the positive side of things.  It was tough to read because it really did change the tone of the book quickly when she got upset but many of us can relate to that fog that comes over us when we are being negative.  Make sure you pick up this book to see how things turn around for Mma Ramotswe because I think that you will be happy with all the hard work on both investigations and learning the truth about everything.  I hope that you check out this book and the other great books in the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.  I have loved all of them with the great writing from the author and the wonderful characters, they always leave me happy that I picked them up and sad that they are done!  Hoping for the next one in the series soon.