Happy Friday, friends! I finished reading my first book for the Literary Christmas Reading Challenge (hosted by In the Bookcase) last night, so I thought I'd share some quick thoughts. :)
I wasn't 100% sure whether or not I had read The Sound of Sleigh Bells before...but it definitely felt like a new experience either way! I really liked the length of it (almost 200 pages in hardcover format)—not too long to be a quick seasonal read, but also not super short. As the story got started, I was concerned about the role of deception, how it might be treated like it's no big deal if the ends justify the means. But given Cindy Woodsmall's deeper writing, I shouldn't have assumed that would be the case! I'm grateful for the way the story ultimately confronts different kinds of lies and celebrates the freedom of truth.
This isn't a lighthearted Christmas read; it begins in the spring and ends in the winter, and it tackles a painful emotional journey along the way. The heroine's personality and coping mechanisms sometimes rubbed me wrong, but she's still a likable character beneath that, and it's hard not to love the hero. All in all, I found this to be an engaging book with sweet characters and a hard-won romance.
In other Christmas novella news, yesterday I discovered that one of Melissa Tagg's holiday reads is FREE for Kindle right now! I really enjoyed the first novella in the series, One Enchanted Christmas, which I included on my Favorite Books of 2015 list. So I was excited to snatch up the second novella. :) Here's a graphic the author shared on Facebook, indicating the deals last through November 24, 2019:
This isn't a lighthearted Christmas read; it begins in the spring and ends in the winter, and it tackles a painful emotional journey along the way. The heroine's personality and coping mechanisms sometimes rubbed me wrong, but she's still a likable character beneath that, and it's hard not to love the hero. All in all, I found this to be an engaging book with sweet characters and a hard-won romance.
* * * * *
In other Christmas novella news, yesterday I discovered that one of Melissa Tagg's holiday reads is FREE for Kindle right now! I really enjoyed the first novella in the series, One Enchanted Christmas, which I included on my Favorite Books of 2015 list. So I was excited to snatch up the second novella. :) Here's a graphic the author shared on Facebook, indicating the deals last through November 24, 2019:
One Enchanted Christmas (book 1): $.99 for Kindle
One Enchanted Eve (book 2): FREE for Kindle
One Enchanted Noel (book 3): $2.99 for Kindle
Happy Christmas reading, everyone!
2 comments:
Great review, Amber! Thanks for sharing all about your first Christmas read. :)
Too bad, it looks like I missed that Kindle freebie. Oh well, but I've got to read the 1st book in the series anyways.
Tarissa,
Thank you! :)
I just finished One Enchanted Eve today, and both it and the first book are enjoyable Christmas novellas! While that freebie deal ended, it seems like Black Friday and Cyber Monday should be full of other ebook deals, like these ones: http://sale.perrykirkpatrick.com/listing-category/christmas/. Savannah Jezowski's The Innkeeper's Wife is already/currently free for Kindle, and that's a great Christmas read!
~Amber
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