The Trouble with Christmas by Debbie Mason

The Trouble with Christmas by Debbie Mason

Description from the publisher:
Resort developer Madison Lane is about to lose the one thing she loves most in the world - her job. Dubbed "The Grinch Who Killed Christmas," Madison spoiled a deal that would turn quaint Christmas, Colorado, into a tourist's winter wonderland. Now the citizens want her fired but the company gives her one last chance, sending Madison to the small town to restore the holiday cheer. 

For Sheriff Gage McBride, no hotshot executive from New York City is going to destroy the dreams of the people he loves. But one look at this beautiful woman and it's his heart that may be broken. In just a few days, Madison causes more trouble than he's had to deal with all year. He can't decide if she's naughty or nice, but one thing is for certain- Christmas will never be the same again...

Three words- Oh My Gosh! I LOVED this book and did not want to put it down! I thought it was great! Madison could not do anything right, she was always causing problems and trouble seemed to follow her around and it was hilarious! Poor Gage  had to keep cleaning up the mess she left and it made the book even funnier

This book took so many turns that I did not see coming. There was always something going on. I enjoyed all  of the characters and thought the writing style was great! I recommend this book to anyone but be warned, once you start reading it, you will not want t o do anything else until you finish it! 

***This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review***

Death, Taxes, and Mistletoe Mayhem by Diane Kelly

Death, Taxes, and Mistletoe Mayhem by Diane Kelly

Description from the publisher:
Christmas is fast approaching when IRS Special Agent Tara is assigned a new case involving a jewelry wholesaler who’s repeatedly claimed large theft losses on her tax returns. Was Nadine Gramercy really robbed, or were the thefts a mere ruse to pocket tax-free profits? Tara believes Nadine belongs at the top of Santa’s “naughty” list. Her investigation takes her to Chisholm Trail mall, where she meets Fort Worth Police Officer Megan Luz and her fluffy K-9 partner, Brigit. Though Megan believes Tara is barking up the wrong tree, she agrees to provide backup if a bust goes down. Moreover, they decide to team up as matchmakers to find love for Chris Rasmussen, a pediatric nurse who moonlights at the mall playing Santa Claus. Chris has a warm heart and a body that’s hot enough to melt to the polar ice caps. This sexy-yet-sad shopping mall Santa was recently dumped by his fickle fiancée, leaving the not-so-old elf more jilted than jolly. Can Tara and Megan solve the crime…and lift Santa’s spirits in time for Christmas?

It took me a while to follow this book. It jumps between two woman and to me, it was a bit confusing but once I got past the first few chapters it was easier to follow. This book to me was slow to start but got more interesting as I worked my way through it. There was some mystery, a little adventure and a little comedy. 

The characters were good. I enjoyed  watching the relationships grow  between Tara and Megan as they became friends. Brigit, the k-9 dog was hilarious.  

This was not one of my favorite books but it was a cute read. Don't take my word on it though, I would love to know your opinion. What did you think of this book? 

***This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review***

Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas

Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas by Sugar Jamison

Description from the publisher:
On the first day of Christmas, former wild child Dina Gregory returns home to New York on a mission: To find the father of her young son. Making him take responsibility for the child he helped create is the only thing on Dina’s wish list. Instead, she finds herself in an awkward run-in with his stuffy older brother, Ben.

Ben has never liked Dina. But he can’t help but admire her tenacity—and her bold beauty. Being trapped together during a holiday blizzard offers him a glimpse into what it would be like to have a family, and to fall truly in love. Could it be that Dina has reignited his Christmas spirit? The only thing Ben knows for sure is that her heart is a gift to behold…and he will never let go.

This book is absolutely adorable! Very unrealistic but fun and cute! I loved the characters and enjoyed how they played off each other. As a single mom, I would LOVE to find the perfect man (like Ben) who would be there for me and my son so I enjoyed reading it. Parts made me laugh and parts made me cry and to me, that makes a great story!

I have to say thank you for writing a book about a real woman. A woman who had a child and did not immediately turn into a twig. I am glad I did not have to read about another tiny, skinny woman!!!

***This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review***

Broken Melody by Trudy Adams

Broken Melody by Trudy Adams

Description from the publisher:

 Seventeen year-old Danae Blackburn has never known love. After being fostered out at two, the family that chose her gradually reduced her to brokenness and a life of fear. For a long time there is only one thing she can turn to - the piano, at which she is amazingly gifted.Torn between a dysfunctional past and a promising future, Danae struggles against everything that threatens her identity - the love of a friend, the challenge of a competition, the possibility of change. At first, the only thing that helps to weaken her defenses is the beauty in music ..

This book is hard to read,  don't get me wrong, the book itself is great but it  is very emotional. It was written so well that you felt like you were in the room with them, I cried my eyes out so many times and  other times laughed out loud!

I do really love Danae's friends and how they look out for her. I also loved the teacher that had faith in her and how everyone came together to protect her. Every character was believable and seemed very real.

After reading this book I really want to adopt a few children! It is heartbreaking to know how children in the system are treated! I know that there are parts of this book that are a reality and that saddens me.  

***This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review***

Baby Santa and The Lost Letters by M. Maitland DeLand

Baby Santa and The Lost Letters by M. Maitland DeLand

Description from the publisher:

"Santa and his elves are ready to finish making presents . . . but where is the last batch of Christmas letters? For the first time in history, the mailbox at the North Pole is empty. If Santa can't find the missing letters, Christmas will be ruined for children across the world.

Just when it seems that all is lost, out jumps Baby Santa. The youngest member of the Claus family relies on his quick wits, his winning attitude, and his endless energy to solve the mystery of the lost letters with help from remarkable animal characters around the globe.

Responding to a cry for help, penguins, kangaroos, and even a three-toed sloth cooperate with friends on every continent in an amazing race to save the holidays."

This book is just as cute as the other Baby Santa books! I LOVE that it talks about the different continents and iconic animals that you would see there. It mentions it all multiple times so it sinks in. I also really liked that there was a world map inside, granted it was cartoonish but my son was still able to see and understand where all the continents are plus the big oceans were on there and he  thought that was neat.

Again, the pictures are amazing, the cover is catchy and the story line is cute and fun. Another must have for your bookshelf! I can not wait to buy a copy of it for my son!

Review from my six year old son-"Baby Santa is so cute and he helps Santa get the letters! I like all the animals in the book, especially the penguin!"

***This book was given to me in exchange for an open and honest review***

Secret Santa

Secret Santa Fern Michaels, Marie Bostwick, Laura Levine, Cindy Myers

This book is made up of 4 stories so I am going to break down my review for you. I will give you the description from the publisher and then my opinion for each story.

"Mister Christmas" by Fern Michaels

Description:

A week before Christmas, attorney Claire O'Brien is summoned to Ireland to change her wealthy client's will--only to encounter resistance from his handsome nephew. Will Claire be forced to spend the holidays up close and personal with her irresistible Irish nemesis?

Review:

I personally thought this was a cute story. It was very obvious as far as where the story was going and how it would end but that is not always a bad thing in my opinion. While I enjoyed reading this story, it was VERY unrealistic. Again, not a bad thing, just an observation.

"The Yellow Rose of Christmas" by Marie Bostwick

Description:

Though Miss Velvet Tudmore wrote off romance years ago, rumor has it she has a secret admirer. And when her surprise suitor promises to reveal himself at the annual Christmas ball in Too Much, Texas, Velvet starts to wonder: is it ever too late to find love?

Review:

This story was not my favorite but I can see how many would love it. To me, reading about a woman old enough to be my grandmother, falling in love and all that jazz was a little too much for me to handle but it was a cute story and was written very nicely.

"Nightmare on Elf Street" by Laura Levine

Description:

Aside from the mortifying costume, how bad can a gig as a mall Santa's elf be? Jaine Austen finds out when she's teamed up with the Santa from Hell. But things go from bad to worse when he's found murdered on the job--and Jaine is a suspect. Now all she wants for Christmas is to find the real killer…

Review:

I thought this was a great story. I loved the mystery! Nothing scary or gory. A perfect combination of all the important elements! There was even quite a bit of unexpected humor! Yay!!!! This was my favorite story in this book!

"Room at the Inn" by Cindy Myers

Description:

When a Rocky Mountain blizzard forces Barb and her husband to spend Christmas in a remote Colorado cabin with their fellow travelers, Barb struggles to cope--especially when her husband reveals troubling news. But sometimes a holiday shake-up is all a woman needs to discover what she's truly made of….

Review:

This is a fun story where you  can watch a woman (actually several people) transform. I enjoyed that alot. Reading about a woman making a better life for herself is always fun for me. I  love how children were used to bring the Holiday spirit to everyone!

Overall, this was a great book! A fun Christmas read! Grab a cup of hot cocoa, some Christmas cookies, sprawl out in front of the fireplace and enjoy!!!

***This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review***

The Sunday Post and HoHoHo Holiday RAT

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer  is a chance to share news,  A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news on what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.

What a fun week! We got tons of Christmas cookies baked, I got a lot of stuff cleaned and organized and worked alot of hours! Woot! I even had time to READ! Gasp! I know! Amazing!!! LOL. I am getting in the Christmas spirit already and loving it!

This week we have been participating in the Ho Ho Ho Holiday Read A Thon. We are both loving it! I have been unable to get  online to post our goals but we have been reading as much as we can! Since I can finally get online, here are our goals:

Read 3 Christmas books:
Secret Santa Fern Michaels
Have Yourself A Curvy Little Christmas by Sugar  Jamison
Death, Taxes And Mistletoe Mayhem by Diane Kelly 

My six year old son, Max wants to read and review 2 books:
Baby Santa and the Lost Letters by M. Maitland DeLand

Baby Santa's Worldwide Christmas Adventure by M. Maitland DeLand

So far we are on a roll with it! Woot! Max has met his goal and I am close! YAY!!!!!

Last week we brought you:

Dinosaur Rescue by Penny Dale

Baby Santa's Worldwide Christmas Adventure by M. Maitland DeLand Wisdom To Know by Elizabeth Maddrey Next week we will bring you: Secret Santa Fern Michaels, Marie Bostwick, Laura Levine, Cindy Myers Baby Santa and The Lost Letters by M. Maitland DeLand Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas by Sugar Jamison Have a wonderful week!!!

Sweet Olive by Judy Christie

Sweet Olive by Judy Christie

A take charge woman in a high power job, a stubborn and strong attorney and a town full of Southern artists. This is the setup for a great book! I loved Camille and her ability to get in and get the job done. As she tries to convince land owners to sell their mineral rights, she finds herself falling in love with everyone.

This book was great! I enjoyed it from beginning all the way through the end! There was an unexpected ending that had my full undivided attention and was positively amazingly written. I can not say enough about this book! It was written well, the characters were great, the story was wonderful, it was just a well rounded book!

Warning-once you start this book, you will NOT want to put it down!

In case you have not heard of this book, here is the description from the publisher:

"Camille Gardner came to small town Louisiana in the name of big business. But will the town of Samford change her before she can change it?

A talented businesswoman in the oil and gas business, Camille Gardner agrees to take on one last assignment for her uncle at the J&S Production Co. She would rather be anywhere than Samford, Louisiana, the small southern town where she once spent the worst month of her life. Most of all, she wants to move on to the art gallery job that is waiting for her in Denver.

To fulfill the obligation she feels to her uncle and get on with the life she dreams of, Camille needs to entice a group of rural landowners to sell their mineral rights—and allow use of their precious water for the drilling of natural gas. Instead, she finds herself drawn to the local folk art created by those same landowners, and attracted to Marsh Cameron, the attorney representing them.

Camille must decide whether family obligation—and her own plans for her future—are more important than the lives and tradition of this small community."

***This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review***

Wisdom To Know by Elizabeth Maddrey

Wisdom To Know by Elizabeth Maddrey

Description from Goodreads
"Lydia Brown has taken just about every wrong turn she could find. When an abortion leaves her overwhelmed by guilt, she turns to drugs to escape her pain. After a single car accident lands her in the hospital facing DUI charges, Lydia is forced to reevaluate her choices.

Kevin McGregor has been biding his time since high school when he heard God tell him that Lydia Brown was the woman he would marry. In the aftermath of Lydia's accident, Kevin must come to grips with the truth about her secret life.

While Kevin works to convince himself and God that loving Lydia is a mistake, Lydia struggles to accept the feelings she has for Kevin, though she fears her sin may be too much for anyone to forgive."

I personally LOVED this book as I have this whole series. I have to confess, I read the series out of order but alas, they were still great books. Now I need to go and read them again in order! LOL.

This book was amazing. It kept my  attention from the first page and held it through the last page. Parts of it felt very realistic, I felt like I was in the room and involved. I found myself laughing and crying along with the characters so to me, that shows amazing writing skills by Elizabeth Maddrey.

This book does talk about God but he is not thrown in your face so to speak. As the characters struggle, they call out to God or yell at him but I never felt overwhelmed and I appreciate that. I felt the balance was great.  I am loving this Grant Us Grace series and hope there are many more to come!

***I won this book from the publisher and wanted to do an open and honest review on it***

Baby Santa's Worldwide Christmas Adventure by M. Maitland DeLand

Baby Santa's Worldwide Christmas Adventure by M. Maitland DeLand

Description from the publisher:

"The presents are packed up, Santa is ready . . . but where is his magical sleigh? For the first time in history, Santa's sleigh is broken. Santa is grounded on the most important night of the year. How will children around the world get their presents?

Baby Santa, the youngest member of the Claus family, comes to the rescue. With his boundless energy, bright smile, and bouncy enthusiasm, Santa's son hatches a plan to save Christmas and have a traveling adventure at the same time."

I personally thought this was a cute book. The pictures are absolutely adorable! They are very colorful and catchy. The cover stands out and would capture my attention in a bookstore easily. In fact my son walked by, saw the cover on my computer and asked me if he could read that book because it looked so cool! 

My favorite part of this book is that is shows a few countries around the world. It does not really talk about them but it shows a picture of America, Australia, Canada, ect. I thought it was neat to incorporate the countries like that. My son saw things in the pictures that he recognized and learned what country those items were in! YAY!!!

One critique I would give it is that the writing was too fancy. My son stumbled through it as he read because he could not tell what some of the letters were and it was confusing him. He is at that independent stage and wanted to read it by himself (he is in first grade but reads at a third grade level) but he was definitely getting frustrated with the fancy script.

Review from my six year old son- " This book is awesome! Baby Santa helped Santa and that is super cool! I loved that Rudolph's picture was hanging on the wall and the funniest part is that Baby Santa has RED pajamas!!!!!"

***This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review***

Dinosaur Rescue by Penny Dale

Dinosaur Rescue by Penny Dale

This book was full of lots of favorites, fire trucks, police cars, and of course, dinosaurs! The pictures are amazing and colorful, the words are easy to read and fun. This was an all around great book!

*The  following review was done by my six year old son Max.*

"Dinosaurs helped a truck from a train that was heading towards the truck, and they did it! They saved the truck! They also put an arm thing on the dinosaur that was getting on the ambulance.

This book was super cool! I love dinosaurs and there were lots of different kinds in this book. I liked that they all had different jobs too.My favorite part was the end when they were all in bed because one of the dinosaurs were sleeping with a teddy bear! Hahahahahahahaha!!!! That is so funny!

***This book was given to us by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review***

The Sunday Post

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer  is a chance to share news,  A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news on what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.

Hello friends! It has been a long time and I have missed you all! My life has been beyond busy for the last month and a half so I am now trying to catch up. I apologize for my blog being strange but I hope to get it back to normal in the coming days. 

Last week we brought you:

Love At First Date by Susan Hatler

Everything Bared  by Kristine Cayne

Poppy The Pirate Dog by Liz Kessler

Next week we will bring you:

Dinosaur Rescue by Penny Dale

Baby Santa's Worldwide Christmas Adventure by M. Maitland DeLand

Wisdom To Know by Elizabeth Maddrey

Thank you all for sticking with us through our harder times!!!!!

Poppy The Pirate Dog by Liz Kessler

Poppy The Pirate Dog by Liz Kessler

This is one of the cutest children's books! An adorable dog who wants to be a pirate! You can't go wrong with that combo! This book teaches some great skills like never giving up, trying new things and the importance of family and that is what made me fall in love with this book. I will encourage my son to read this book alot!

*The  following review was done by my six year old son Max.*

"This book was about a dog named Poppy. She was trying to find a pirate ship because she wants to be a real pirate dog. She had to try a whole bunch of different boats to find one she likes.

I thought this book was very very very very good. It was easy to read and the pictures were really cool. My favorite part was when Poppy found the scarf. Poppy was such a cute puppy dog!!! I have already read this book 3 times and now I am going to go read it again!"

***This book was given to  us by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review***

Everything Bared by Kristine Cayne

Everything Bared  by Kristine Cayne

Description from the publisher:

"Firefighter Dani Harris has always wanted a family, but doesn't think it's possible because of her demanding, high-stakes career. Her sex life is as high-adrenaline as her job, and that's just one more thing that makes her unsuitable to be a wife and mother. Her secret kink--exhibitionism--has gotten in the way of more than one relationship. Will she ever find a man who not only shares her wild fantasies, but loves her for them?

Burdened with ensuring the success of the struggling family business, William Caldwell IV needs a wife suited for a CEO--one with money and connections, who can manage his busy social life and raise their 2.5 children. He's got everything all mapped out, but when he meets Dani, a woman who's every kind of wrong, she taps into desires he's only half-recognized and long-suppressed. Suddenly his carefully crafted five-year plan feels as confining as a straightjacket."

This book caught my attention on the first page and held it all the way through. I enjoyed the relationship between Dani and William. The way they started out in the beginning and came together throughout.

There was romance, erotica, mystery and alot of fun in this book! I found it to be well rounded and interesting. A fun read when you have time to yourself!

The cover----- Have you seen it? Do I really need to say anything about it? HOT HOT HOT! OMG. This cover is simple but exciting! He is yummy! LOL!

***This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review***