Hello, beautiful readers! I've had a wonderful month of reading! I also
finally kept my promise to release my latest novel, The One Redeemed, this
month. I've got a few story ideas floating in my head. I'm just waiting for
one of them to connect with my muse. My son is home again for the holidays,
and I am thoroughly enjoying my time with him. I hope everyone is enjoying
the holidays and has a wonderful New Year celebration tonight. Here are my
reviews for this month:
Genre: Teen & Young Adult Magical Realism
Pages: 440
Book Blurb:
While the Dragon Guild battles dark forces obsessed with utter
dominion, Gabri and Makani must first protect Gabri’s younger brother,
in danger of becoming a primary target. Alex and his dragon, Tito,
have a plan. Those around him believe he is a defenseless little boy,
but Alex and Tito disagree.
As tensions rise, and Gabri, Elio, and their dragons prepare for
battle, Alex and Tito embark on a daring mission to rescue Phoenix, a
dragon caught in the crossfire of a sinister plot.
Treacherous challenges await
the Dragon Guild as they harness their unique abilities and forge
alliances to secure the safety of their loved ones and the future of
their planet. Will courage and determination be enough to overcome the
darkness threatening to engulf them? Will Gabri lose her little
brother in their fight to regain dominion over their world?
My Review:
I absolutely love this series! This final book of the trilogy was awesome!
I loved how the characters bonded with their dragons and their Aracai. The
pace of the book was great and allowed for new characters to be developed
before the final battle.
The author's creativity really shines in this book. Ozul, Katzir, and
Kierra are excellent antagonist, each creating their own form of chaos to
satisfy their greedy needs. The solutions created to protect the dragons and
riders were brilliant. The emotions run strong in this book, and I teared up
many times throughout the story, especially toward the end. I also loved how
Gabri's premonition from book one took on a whole new meaning at the end of
this story.
And while all battles have death and destruction, the author poured love
and grace into her battles as well. I absolutely recommend this book (and
the whole series) to everyone!
Genre: Holiday Fiction
Pages: 347
Book Blurb:
An enchanted Christmas dress brings two generations of women together
for the magic of the season in this delightful holiday story
from New York Times bestselling author Courtney Cole.
One Dress. Two Women. The Magic of the Holiday Season.
When hopeful fashionista Meg Julliard must return to her hometown
of Chicago to manage her late father’s apartment building, she
thinks her dreams of making it in the fashion business are over.
Add in her father’s eclectic roster of tenants who all need Meg’s
attention (ASAP!), a host of building related disasters, and a
handsome handyman she keeps embarrassing herself in front of, and
this has all the makings for the worst Christmas she’s ever
had.
Ellie Wade, one of the building’s longtime residents, is also not
feeling the Christmas Joy this year. She is preparing to move into
a nursing home (reluctantly), and is in the process of sorting
through her belongings to downsize. Every corner of her apartment
holds memories, some good, some bad. But there’s one dress she
hesitates to pack up as it represents both the best and worst
night of her life.
Ellie and Meg strike up an unlikely friendship and the story of
Ellie’s dress comes out. Ellie gifts the gorgeous dress to Meg,
hoping that it will bring her more luck, on the condition that she
wear it to the building’s Christmas party.
The dress magically fits, and while it eventually leads to the
best night of Meg’s life, it also acts as inspiration for Meg to
follow a life-long dream of her own, a dream that will help save
the crumbling Parkview West, and restore it to its former glory,
and keep it as a safe home for all of the current tenants.
The dress and the magic of the holiday season helps both Meg and
Ellie find their own happy endings.
My Review:
When my book club chose this book as our next read and I read the blurb, I
wasn't so sure I'd like it. The idea of one of the residents leaving to a
nursing home just didn't sound very cheerful. It had great ratings, so I
held my judgment, and I'm so glad I did. This was such a cute story.
Meg inherits a dilapidated apartment building when her father passes, so
she gives up her job and her dreams of becoming a fashion designer to take
over the building. Once she gets there, she realizes everything is falling
apart and there's no money to fix anything. Luckily, the people living
there are wonderful and help lift her spirits, especially Ellie and
Logan...and eventually Sylvie. With the help of her newfound friends, Meg
comes up with a way to save the building and perhaps keep her dream alive
to become a fashion designer. With a little bit of luck (or magic), she
might just find a way to enjoy Christmas.
I really enjoyed this story and its ending. It does need a bit more
editing. There were a lot of sentences that could have been combined to
make paragraphs to help the reading go a bit more smoothly. And there were
some formatting issues with the text messages. For a regular reader, that
may not even be noticeable, but since I help authors edit their stories,
those things stick out to me. Still, it's a heartwarming story that
definitely should be enjoyed during this season.
Genre: Holiday Fiction
Pages: 128
Book Blurb:
Miracles saturate the sweet-scented Christmas season-a reminder
we aren't alone.
Miracles & Ghosts Past: A Christmas Collection brings eight stories from past holidays. Rita buys train
tickets for her and Morris's 30th anniversary in the novelette,
"The Christmas Train Mystery."She's convinced this trip will bring her and Morris closer-if
he can find the time. A murder mystery excursion will change
Rita's life in more ways than one, but will she go with her
workaholic husband or by herself? In the first short story,
"Christmas Rescue," Opal trusts the wrong man and loses her
mother in the same year, leaving her feeling lost. On a mission
to get candles for the dinner table, she makes an unexpected
find. "Is There a Santa?" goes back to the 1920s, where a
widower is desperate to hold on to his farm and children. He
doesn't want charity, just a bit of luck or a miracle. In the
final stories, you'll meet an eleven-year-old who's home alone,
a family living in the aftermath of war, a girl who gets some
shocking news, a widow with a warning from beyond, and a woman
trapped on an elevator with Santa. Hope underlies these stories;
it endures even in the direst of circumstances. Whether help
comes from a ghost, Santa, or an angel, miracles are just within
reach.
My Review:
This was such a wonderful collection of holiday short stories. D.L. Finn
never disappoints with her ability to weave heartbreak with holiday
miracles. I read her first collection of holiday short stories and loved
them, and this collection was just as great. I don't tend to enjoy
historical fiction, but this author finds a way to make me love every
story no matter which decade they take place in. From ghosts saving their
loved ones from tragedy to heartfelt kindness of strangers, these stories
tugged at my heart strings. If you enjoy holiday stories with a paranormal
twist, you will love each of these! :-)
Genre: Motivational and Inspirational Poetry
Pages: 172
Book Blurb:
Sunflower Tanka, edited by Robbie Cheadle and Colleen M. Chesebro, is an annual
anthology showcasing contemporary tanka, tanka prose, and
experimental tanka. Each volume brings together a vibrant tapestry
of voices—both emerging and established—from across the globe.
For 2025, our
theme “Dreams” invites poets to explore the symbolic language of dreaming,
where metaphors blur the line between reality and imagination.
Dreams often serve as gateways to layered meaning, offering
fertile ground for syllabic poetry.
This year’s contributors
journeyed deep into their dreamscapes, opening portals to
boundless creativity. Through the timeless form of syllabic verse,
they captured visions that transcend waking life, weaving poetry
that resonates with mystery, wonder, and the infinite
possibilities of the human imagination.
My Review:
This was such a beautiful book of poetry. I read the first edition and
loved it. This collection was incredibly wonderful. There were so many
different poets, and I loved how each one interpreted the theme of dreams
just a bit differently. I also love the variety of formats. I especially
loved the tanka prose and the garland tankas, most likely because they
weave a story through the poem. I also love the taiga poems within this
collection. This anthology includes poets from all over the world, uniting
voices through poetry. At the end, the two poets who created the book
highlighted their favorites and explained why those poems were chosen.
Truly, this is a gorgeous book of poetry, and I would recommend it to
anyone who enjoys the beauty of the written word. :-)
Have you read any great books lately? I'd love to hear from you. :-)
