Two Holiday Novels: Happily This Christmas by Susan Mallery & One Charmed Christmas by Sheila Roberts

 'Tis the season! All the holiday books! Yay! I decided to deliver two holiday book reviews in this post since I read these back to back over the weekend. A big shout out to my friend Lee B. for passing on these two books to me to get my Christmas reading moving along. 

I'll start with Happily This Christmas by Susan Mallery. 

This is part of the Happily Inc series (book #6) so I am sure I missed a few things because I haven't read any of the other books. However, there is plenty here that makes it feel like a standalone, so don't hesitate to read it and then if you like, go back to the other books in the series. 

Officer Garrick McCabe lives next door to Wynn Beauchene, but they've never really met each other. Wynn has certainly noticed Garrick-how could she avoid checking him out when he mows his yard shirtless? While both have noticed the other, neither is in any hurry to make the first move. Until Garrick's young daughter Joylyn is heading to his place to stay through Thanksgiving. Her husband is in the military and is away on duty, and Joylyn is eight months pregnant and, quite frankly super crabby and bitter. Garrick enlists Wynn's help in making his home look more comfortable and homey for his daughter, and from there, romance blooms. Slowly, for sure, but at a steady pace. Wynn has a lot of friends in Happily, Inc (this is the actual name of the town) and has a pretty good life as single mom to her teen son Hunter. She is, however, ready to begin looking for love and a relationship after many years on her own. Can Garrick be her happily ever after?

In One Charmed Christmas, a cruise down the Rhine River finds a group of people coming together to enjoy what is sure to be an interesting trip. Some romance, some new friendships, and a few life changes are in store. Catherine, a widowed woman who is going to have chemotherapy in the new year for her cancer, and her friend Denise are on board. Denise has talked Catherine into coming along on the cruise after another friend cancelled. Catherine's two grown children have already made plans for Christmas which don't include their mother, and she's decided to take a chance and have some fun. Sophie and Sierra are two sisters who find a few surprising truths on the cruise. Finally, there's Rudy, a retired doctor, and his daughter Athena. After a terrible second marriage, Athena is determined to protect her father from any other money hungry women. 

All of these characters (and a few more!) form friendships on the cruise. I have to admit, this sounds like a cruise I would want to take--stopping at all of the towns along the river; eating German pastries and fabulous food, shopping at Christmas markets--sounds like heaven to me (pre Covid-19, of course)! This was definitely a different and refreshing holiday tale-first one I've read where the majority of the story is on a cruise ship. 

There is romance a plenty in each novel, but nothing over the top. Enjoyed both novels, and they got me in the mood for Christmas--that and the snow that fell Friday night. I'd have to say One Charmed Christmas has a slight edge over Happily This Christmas if I have to vote on a favorite. 

Happily This Christmas: 4/6

One Charmed Christmas: 4/6 

Both are available in paperback and ebook. 

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Two Holiday Novels: Happily This Christmas by Susan Mallery & One Charmed Christmas by Sheila Roberts

Paris in Love by Eloisa James

This was a quick read, which is a good thing.  Something about Paris, baguettes, cheese, and wine always makes me hungry, so I've been hungry all day reading this lovely biography by romance author Eloisa James.  

Some people may be a bit put off by the short paragraphs in this book.  Eloisa James collected all the Facebook postings she sent out to family and friends encompassing the year her family spent living in Paris. I enjoyed the little tidbits.

 Yes, they sold their home in New Jersey, took sabbaticals from their teaching jobs (both Eloisa and her Italian husband, Alessandro, are professors), packed up their teen son Luca and 10 year old daughter Anna, and moved to Paris.  Why?  Because.  A weary Eloisa had recovered from breast cancer, her mother had died, and she realized they were just existing in New Jersey, and not really living.  Experiencing such life altering events in your life makes you look at things a bit different, and for Eloisa, it meant spreading her wings and exploring a new place.

I enjoyed this meander through Paris--all the seasons, the people, the smells, the bridges, the glorious feel of a city that's been around for centuries.  And the food.  It really does make you stop and think about how you treat food.  Do you enjoy cooking?  Do you take the time to pay attention to what you put in your mouth?  Is eating just something to get through, so you can rush to the next item on your to-do list?  Paris makes Eloisa stop and slow down, which is really what so many of us need to do.  So we can't drop it all and live in Paris for a year.  But, we can take time in our daily lives to slow down, enjoy our food, and enjoy making it for ourselves and our families.  

Funny, tender, full of oops! mistakes and bad hair color, this memoir of a special year makes for a break from your usual ho-hum day. After reading this, I am reminded once again to try something new, don't be afraid to explore, and live life to the fullest every day.  

Rating:  6/10.  Easy read with plenty of places to mark on your map for your next visit to Paris.  

Available in hardcover, paperback, and e-book format.

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Paris in Love by Eloisa James

2013 Read Off The Shelves: How's It Going?

Well.  I am happy with my progress. 4 titles read off my first list of 25 titles.  I find the challenge occupying my brain more than I thought it would.  I itch to pick another book off my list and whittle that number down to zero.  

It will happen.  

I'm still having a hard time concentrating on any one book.  I guess this will improve over time, as my brain calms down and quite frankly, when I'm not so damn sad and my grief isn't so present every day.  Sitting on the couch and staring at nothing still has a strong appeal over my reading.  But, I'm getting better.  I promise.  Fun, funky, contemporary novels seem to be keeping my interest over anything historical.  And books about family sagas  and particularly sisters are just too painful for me to pick up.  I'll take this as an opportunity to delve into books I've dismissed before as "not my type".  Maybe they'll be my type for this period in my reading life.  I will have to make an exception to my historical novel ban for The House Girl by Tara Conklin.  The South is calling me...

So:  what's up next?  I've had to dig into my boxes in the basement to find a few titles that I packed away on a cleaning binge and promptly forgot I had them:  

ARC of this one--dual time storyline

Now out in paperback.  Pride & Prejudice + murder.  Plus I'm reading a mystery!!

ARC about chocolate, romance, and Paris

British comedy.  Right up my alley

Small town in Ireland.  Enough said.

So I've got a few up my sleeves.  Will I read them all, or take a huge diverting path into non-fiction?  Dunno.  Right now I'm consumed with which one to start first.  **Sigh**.  Life as a book lover can be so darn hard. 

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2013 Read Off The Shelves: How's It Going?