Title: Where Treetops Glisten
Author: Tricia Goyer, Cara Putman, & Sarah Sundin
Publisher: Waterbrook
Pages: 368
ISBN: 978-1-60142-648-2
Publication Date: September 16th, 2014

Synopsis:

The crunch of newly fallen snow, the weight of wartime

Siblings forging new paths and finding love in three stories, filled with the wonder of Christmas

Turn back the clock to a different time, listen to Bing Crosby sing of sleigh bells in the snow, as the realities of America’s involvement in the Second World War change the lives of the Turner family in Lafayette, Indiana.

In Cara Putman’s White Christmas, Abigail Turner is holding down the Home Front as a college student and a part-time employee at a one-of-a-kind candy shop. Loss of a beau to the war has Abigail skittish about romantic entanglements—until a hard-working young man with a serious problem needs her help.

Abigail’s brother Pete is a fighter pilot hero returned from the European Theater in Sarah Sundin’s I’ll Be Home for Christmas, trying to recapture the hope and peace his time at war has eroded. But when he encounters a precocious little girl in need of Pete’s friendship, can he convince her widowed mother that he’s no longer the bully she once knew?

In Tricia Goyer’s Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Meredith Turner, “Merry” to those who know her best, is using her skills as a combat nurse on the frontline in the Netherlands. Halfway around the world from home, Merry never expects to face her deepest betrayal head on, but that’s precisely what God has in mind to redeem her broken heart.

The Turner family believes in God’s providence during such a tumultuous time. Can they absorb the miracle of Christ’s birth and His plan for a future?

Review:

I've really been enjoying WW2 era books this year. There is so much history there that can be used as a background and the authors who I have had the privilege to read, have used these settings to their advantage. I have to say that Tricia Goyer, Cara Putman, and Sarah Sundin combined their creativity and these backgrounds well and made a wonderful novella collection.

I have to be honest and say that novellas can be hit and miss for me. My main pet peeve can be when there is no connecting factor to the stories. I didn't have to worry about this here. These three short stories were all connected through the family of the characters. With that connection it allowed who they were to be flushed out a little more then in other types of collections and you weren't left wondering, "What now?".

I'm going to do my best to not spoil any of these stories, so I will probably keep this a wee bit short.

All three of these stories take place in the days leading up to Christmas. Much loss has been suffered and there is a lot to over come with these characters. Each face these tragedies in their own way and they each have decisions to make. We are first introduced to everyone as a whole a year before these stories unfold and really bring out the characters. It is through this introduction, we get a glimpse them all and the raw grief they each have to battle through. And with that jumping point, as we dive into each of their stories, we find out what barriers they have put up and what barriers they need to tear down for their faith to be restored.

I will say, my favorite character through this collection was Grandma Louise Turner, the matriarch of the family. She was the back bone to the family always wanting to help and be there for her family. And her faith was wonderful thing to read about, especially in such a hard time.

This was a wonderful collection. If you love WW2 era stories, you will really like these. And if you love seasonal stories, it is a great Christmas collection!

Too Read
4 out of 5

About the Authors:
TRICIA GOYER is a prolific author of nearly forty books, including “Chasing Mona Lisa,” and a speaker and blogger. CARA PUTMAN is the author of twenty books including “Shadowed by Grace.” She is the winner of the 2008 Carol Award for historical fiction. SARAH SUNDIN is the critically-acclaimed author of the Wings of the Nightingale series, the Wings of Glory series, and the forthcoming Waves of Freedom novels.


Thank you to Litfuse and Waterbrook, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

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What about you? What books do you like to dive back into?

Title: At Bluebonnet Lake
Author: Amanda Cabot
Publisher: Revell
Pages: 384
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3434-3
Publication Date: October 21st, 2014

Synopsis:

Marketing maven Kate Sherwood's world is fast-paced, challenging, and always changing. The last thing she wants to do is slow down to a crawl at Rainbow's End, a dilapidated resort in the Texas Hill Country. But she cannot deny her ailing grandmother's request to visit the place where she and her deceased husband spent one glorious week (albeit fifty years ago). There Kate meets Greg Vange, the resort's handyman. But there's more to Greg than meets the eye--billions more, in fact, as he recently sold his successful software company and is at the resort in search of what's next for his life.

Kate isn't looking for romance, but she can't deny the sparks of attraction that fly every time she and Greg are together. She even starts to see potential in the rundown resort. Could there be a future there? Or will Kate's long-sought promotion take her back to the big city?

Amanda Cabot invites readers to step away from the pressures of the daily grind. They might be surprised by what they find at Rainbow's End. 

Review:
I've only read two other books by Amanda Cabot, and they really captured me up. So, it was safe to say, I was looking forward to this latest book....and with the setting in Texas, it was a given it was going to be on my TBR list.

At Bluebonnet Lake had such an interesting setting. We are introduced to Rainbow's End resort through the eyes of Kate. She has heard a lot about this place from her Grandma Sally, who visited the resort many decades ago. Safe to say, time has not be kind to the place. The buildings haven't been maintained as they should have been. Actives are limited. And no cell service. The last is one thing Kate has a problem with, especially with her job wanting her accessible when ever they want to reach her.

Sally is a feisty woman. After the loss of her husband, she didn't want Kate to call her Grandma, just Sally. She was very unique and had fun with her surroundings. She was the opposite of Kate in that way. Sally kept things light, because I will admit, I would side with Kate on the lack of internet/cell service. Sally really made the most of her trip and in doing so, pulled Kate into it as well, despite her health.

Greg is a guy we find out about a little bit at a time. He is one who is content to let people guess who he is and not flaunt who he is or what he has. However, he has been plagued by many things from many directions. Rainbow's End ability to keep connections at a minimum was a perfect escape for him.

Through this isolation of sorts from the resort, Greg and Kate find from the separation of the busy world the quiet that they were both needing, but didn't know it till they had it. Their ideas for their life start switching and without the rush, they are able to dive a little deeper into their faith and search for what is they were really needing...not what they thought they wanted.

It was an interesting story with a quiet background to it. The writing was as fun as the previous stories I've read. There were a couple of parts that were a little slower, but it was an enjoyable story that offered a nice reminder to slow down and take to time to see where you really need to go.

Too Read
3.5 out of 5

About the Author:
Amanda Cabot is the bestselling author of the Texas Dreams series, the Westward Winds series, and Christmas Roses. Her books have been finalists for the ACFW Carol Awards and the Booksellers Best. She lives in Wyoming.
Learn more at www.amandacabot.com.







Thank you to the Revell Reads Blog Tour, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Review:


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