Heartwarming Holiday Wishes

Each of the stories in this anthology pulled you into the town of Christmas Town and made you believe in the magic of Christmas again.

This is a great collection of holiday stories! I've had the privilege of reading Merry Christmas Carol by Melinda Curtis and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more great stories in this collection. Carol DeMerritt is going home for Christmas. She needs this time away from her students, but going home isn't always easy especially with her mother's nonstop charity work that has always been placed before Carol for as long as she could remember. Mike Hopkins had his whole life ahead of him until that night so many years ago when his parents were in horrible accident that left his father paralyzed and took his mother's life. Since that night he hasn't left his home town or done anything for himself, but care for his father and grandfather. Carol has always cared for Mike, but every time she came home he always seemed angry with her for some reason, but this year circumstances put them together and now neither one can hide the feelings that they've had for one another all of these years. I was given an ARC from the author/publisher. All conclusions are mine and mine alone.

I absolutely love all of the Christmas anthologies that become available at this time of the year because #1) the price is a steal, #2) I love discovering new authors and reading more by the authors I'm already a fan of, and #3) reading them always manages to put me in a happy and hopeful frame of mind, especially in the scary atmosphere we find our world in today. This superb collection was especially enjoyable because of the stories of Carol Ross, Liz Flaherty and Cari Lynn Web. All three of their stories share mutual characters living in Christmas Town and I'm a huge fan of small town romance at any time of the year.

Reviewing: GINGERBREAD GIRL by Carol Ross The temptation of a childhood crush! Included in the Heartwarming Holiday Wishes box set, Carol Ross brings us Gingerbread Girl, a sweet holiday novella about overcoming adversity to find your happily ever after! The characters are easy to like and the plot is both a seasonal delight, as well as a heartfelt story of reconnecting with loved ones. I really enjoyed it! Architect Kinley Reed is keeping herself busy this holiday season! Not only is she overseeing the judging of the annual Gingerbread Dream Home competition, but she's also putting the finishing touches on her own design that she's hoping will finally take her to the level she's hoped to achieve with her career. She can't believe her horrible luck when her old nemesis returns to town and moves right on in to her niche in town! Ian Mackey is back home from the big city to get his troubled teenage sister back under control and on the right path. He didn't get her opinion on the matter, but he plans to get his old friend and secret crush Kinley to take her under her wing and make sure everything stays on the up and up when he heads back home!

I really enjoyed these stories. They are all sweet stories centered around Christmas Town, Maine. There are those who don't believe in miracles and magic, but the town will tell you differently. Some think the town is too good to be true, but the residents know the truth.

I do so love it when the holiday books arrive! I enjoy reading them all year long but when fall hits, there is nothing better than a whole box set. I’ve read them all and enjoyed my yearly visit to Christmas Town. I only have one word to describe them all: Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! One of my favorites in this set is The Christmas List, by Anna J. Stewart, one of my favorite authors. She starts out by introducing Clancy Gallagher, our hero. He will just about melt your heart – both as the hero AND as the administrator in a retirement home. The author gave him so much compassion and you can only hope that if one of your relatives was a ‘resident’ of a facility like this (he refused to call them ‘patients’), they would enjoy the warm familial atmosphere. A wonderful story about Clancy helping Hazel, niece of a beloved resident, listen to her heart…and along the way, he learns to do so as well. Loved it! Next was Santa’s Secret Heart by Anna Adams. Emma and Mason have this story but it was Jamie that captured my heart – really loving story where both Emma and Mason discover “their hearts”! Okay, so there was a little Santa “misstep” by Mason but hey, he came through in the end! And Merry Christmas Carol by Melinda Curtis brought me back to high school angst…but with two wonderful people, Carol and Mike, learning that old habits need to die hard. And that leaning on each other will be the way to make those changes. What a great lesson to learn, for both of them, at Christmas time! In A Case For Christmas Magic by Amy Vastine, there’s whole lot of debunking going on…but not the kind you’d expect! Great story about Clara and Boyd; don’t miss it because it will give you Christmas thrills.

I was able to read 4 of the stories in this collection. I love returning to Christmas Town, Maine every year! It's almost become a real place to me! I wish it were, I'd definitely go there! THE CHRISTMAS LIST BY ANNA J. STEWART A fun holiday story about Clancy and Hazel. Hazel is very "by the book" and lives completely by a schedule every day. She lost her parents at an early age (was raised by Aunt Trudy) and now she wants to control everything about her environment! Clancy, however, runs the retirement home in Christmas Town and because his grandpa wasn't treated nicely when he was old, he wants to treat the elderly differently. He had Aunt Trudy in his retirement home before she passed away and finds a list of things Trudy wanted to do for Hazel so he sets out to do those for Hazel instead! Fun, Fun!!!! SANTA'S SECRET HEART BY ANNA ADAMS Emma had a broken engagement when she was younger and she's never gotten over it. Her marriage to another guy didn't go very well either and now she's divorced but, with a darling son who longs for a father. When he meets Santa, she thinks he will ask for a father for Christmas BUT when she finds out his real wish, she is stunned and realizes she needs to make some changes in her life. "Santa" is the guy who broke her engagement - Mason. He only broke it off because he was going into the military and didn't know if he'd come back alive. I enjoyed how they worked things out and of course, Christmas magic was a big help! MERRY CHRISTMAS, CAROL BY MELINDA CURITS What fun to go back to all the issues in your high school years! Mike was the usual star high school quarterback who was going places - definitely to college on a full-ride. However, everything changed one night at the end of high school and Mike's still in Christmas Town 10 yrs. later running a lumber yard. Not where he thought he'd be. Carol, on the other hand, was NOT popular and happened to be with Mike when that "night" happened 10 yrs. before. Neither one has spoken since. Carol hasn't had a normal childhood - she has always volunteered everywhere to everyone because that's where her mother took her. So great to see these 2 get together! A CASE FOR CHRISTMAS MAGIC BY AMY VASTINE A fun beginning for this story when Clara's sleigh goes crashing through the snow right into the road in front of a vehicle and Boyd (who is just driving into town) tries to stop the vehicle from hitting the sleigh! Boyd is a total Scrooge and wants to expose Christmas Town as a farce (along with his sister) but Clara thinks something totally different so it's a fun "misunderstanding" story! I enjoyed watching Boyd's transformation!!!

I read Merry Christmas Carol by Melinda Curtis. This novella is sweet, fun, caring, and emotional. Carol DeMerritt has returned home to Christmas Town to visit her mom and aunt for the holidays. She teaches middle school in Philadelphia. She went to high school with Mike Hopkins, who still lives in Christmas town, taking care of his dad and grandfather. Growing up together, they totally had their own perception of what and who each of them were. A person never knows what another is genuinely like until they actually interact, especially after years apart. With humor, serious moments, and holiday cheer, it was wonderful. [I received this novella for free.]

My review is based on the stories by Anna J. Stewart, Melinda Curtis, and Anna Adams. I loved all 3 magical Christmas stories and I look forward to reading the rest of the box set. The Christmas List by Anna J. Stewart Clancy has a heart of gold and he is determined to make sure that Hazel's first Christmas without her aunt is magical. I knew from the beginning that their story would be special. I was torn between reading it quickly because it was so good and reading it slowly to savor it. Merry Christmas Carol by Melinda Curtis Carol & Mike's story was so good. I especially liked the part where Mike was trying to get Carol to confess why she had a change of plans regarding her occupation. :) Santa's Secret Heart by Anna Adams I loved Mason & Emma's story! I was glad that they had a second chance at romance. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary Advance Reader Copy.