Customer Reviews

Burning Bright (Harlequin American Romance)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A very interesting anthology because the three stories are centered on a different holiday celebration: Christmas, hanukkah and winter solstice. They each involve women who are returning to the same quiet rural Vermont town to regroup and re-evaluate their lives after suffering some sort of loss in a larger city. The common thread is an off-the-beaten-path candle shop with a mystical proprietor who gifts them with magical candles that lead them to resolving their issues. Each story is wonderful in its own right, with endearing characters, interesting plots and enough spirit to chase the humbugs away!

In Star Light, Star Bright by Anne Stuart the characters allow the Christmas spirit heal their wounds and rediscover each other. One for Each Night by Judith Arnold has a very strong plot behind the romance about a journalist gathering the facts on an embezzlement crime alongside the lawyer for the defense. However, my favorite story in the collection is Return of the Light by Maggie Shayne. It is very rare to find a story about the pagan celebration of Winter Solstice in a Holiday anthology, and although I do not subscribe to the wiccan beliefs, I found the meditations and spiritual discovery to be very inspiring.

Courtesy of Love Romances Reviews

Burning Bright is a heart-warming collection of seasonal stories encompassing the holidays of different religions. With the common denominator being the town they all take place in and a tiny little candle shop that is unusual and mysterious, it will touch all who read it.

In Star Light, Star Bright by Anne Stuart, readers meet Angela "Angel" McKenna, a new divorcee who is hoping to rebuild her life. Will a new love with an old flame be the answer to her Christmas wish? Brody Jackson has returned to Crescent Cove, Vermont to lick his wounds caused by the scandal surrounding the company he owned with his brothers. All he wants is to hide from the world, but when Angel shows up on his doorstep, he decides maybe it is time to come out of his shell for a new start.

What is a more perfect time for a renewal of life's dreams than at Christmas? Angel is slowly recovering from the crushing blow given her when her husband divorced her. After suffering through one year where she had no desire to celebrate the holiday, she decides this year is the time to start. Angel almost puts Santa Claus to shame with the amount of good cheer she spreads. Her newfound good will is a delight to encounter for the reader. Brody starts out as something of a Scrooge, with reason, but in the face of Angel's spirit, and a rekindling of that old ember of desire long ago sparked and banked, his turn around is easy to understand.

In Return of the Light by Maggie Shayne, Dori Stewart was a very important person in her Manhattan life. When everything crashes down around her, including her fantastic job and her key role in her local Coven, she comes home to Vermont to find out what went wrong. She has lost her faith in everything, including the Goddess, but maybe with the help of Jason Farrar, the local police chief and an old time fling of hers, she'll make a new start on the winter solstice.

Dori started out as a woman who has it all, and one who has forgotten just who it was that blessed her with that gifted life. When she loses everything she held dear, her faith dies with it. Or does it? She forgets for a while how important her beliefs are, but when her eyes are reopened, the outpouring of relief and hope she feels changes her in a good way. Jason has a hard time understanding her beliefs at first, but later comes to understand just how important they are to her. Another thing enjoyable about this story is how the author takes the scorn that others have for Dori's religion and turns it around, lighting up the whole town with the spirit of fellowship and understanding.

In the third and final story in the collection, One for Each Night by Judith Arnold, Alana Ross, a local news reporter, is holding her first Hanukkah open house in memory of her grandmother. However, things get hairy when Jeffrey Barrett arrives in town. His uncle was implicated in an embezzlement scandal involving school board funds and Alana is not afraid to report the facts or local suspicions. As his uncle's attorney, Jeffrey tries to get to the bottom of things, but finds he'd rather get up close and personal with Alana. Will her holiday celebration involve a new love?

What seasonal collection at this time of year would be complete without a Hanukkah story? Alana's faith is strong, as are the memories she holds of her beloved grandmother. Her entire celebration is as much about her holiday as it is keeping her grandmother alive in her heart. It was fun to read about the different delicacies that go along with the holiday tradition. Jeffrey has his doubts about Alana, feeling she is pushing too hard to ruin his uncle's reputation, but as he learns more about her and her history, he slowly comes to understand why she feels the way she does about her news reporting. The steady development of their mutual respect and love is believable and pleasing to experience with them.

This inspiring holiday collection will open readers' hearts, no matter what holiday they observe. The mystical touch of the ever changing candle shop and owner, helping each woman fulfill her dreams with the right candle, gives just enough of that feel of a miracle happening, to remind everyone what this time of year is really about... rebirth and renewal, and faith and love.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, December 2004. All rights reserved.

This book was fairly unusual - each of the stories was set in a different religious context with each of the main female characters celebrating a different winter holiday. Each story took place in Crescent Cove, Vermont, a small town with love in the air! I'll review each story separately.

"Star Light, Star Bright" by Anne Stuart - 4.5 stars

Angela McKenna is back in Crescent Cove after a painful divorce, and soon finds that Brody Jackson is also back in Crescent Cove after a financial scandal. Brody had had a crush on her when they were both teenagers, but Angela had married her childhood sweetheart and moved away. Once Brody sees Angela again, he realizes that he still has a crush on her, and Angela wonders why she was so blind when it came to Brody in the first place. Can a little Christmas magic bring Brody and Angela together?

This story was really good and laid down the foundation for the next two stories by introducing a lot of the town's places and residents. I don't have much to say about it - it was a good "second chance at finding love" story. My only complaint is that the character of Brody wasn't developed as well as he could have been, but there's always limited space in short stories.

"Return of the Light" by Maggie Shayne - 5 stars

Dori Stewart thought she had it all - a job she loved, a great salary, and a wonderful apartment. The publishing house she worked at was acquired by a conservative publishing house, though, and she found herself fired for her religious beliefs (although the new company cleverly disguised this fact) because she was a practicing Wiccan. Dori went back to Crescent Cove, where she met Jason Farrar, her old boyfriend. She had left Jason behind years ago for the big city, but Jason had never forgotten her. In fact, he still loved her madly - but he wasn't going to get his heart broken by her again. As Dori tries to reignite her waning faith this winter solstice, will she come to the conclusion that she was meant to return to Crescent Cove because she and Jason are destined to be together?

I absolutely loved this story, it was the real gem of the book (although the other two stories were good too). Not only does Ms. Shayne manage to create two endearing characters in less than 100 pages, but she also accurately portrays the struggles of a pagan trying to fight against the stereotypes so many have against the faith. It was a wonderful story, I absolutely loved it. The letter Ms. Shayne wrote that appears before the story is also great - don't skip over it!

"One for Each Night" by Judith Arnold - 4.5 stars

Alana Ross is instantly attracted to big-city lawyer Jeffrey Barrett. Too bad he's in town trying to clear his uncle's name, a man Alana believes is guilty of stealing money from the school budget. Although they're adversaries, they can't deny the chemistry between them, especially as Jeffrey helps Alana prepare for hosting her first Hanukkah open house. Can Jeffrey and Alana forget the circumstances keeping them apart and focus on what could draw them together?

This was also an enjoyable story. Much of the story focuses on the mystery of the missing funds - did Jeffery's uncle take the money or not? I was left wondering until the truth came out. Each of the three stories also provide details about the faith of the main female character, so I learned things about the pagan and Jewish faiths (I already knew Christian beliefs, having been raised a Catholic). This is definitely a great book for anyone who loves a winter-themed romance, regardless of their faith.

Anne Stuart, Maggie Shayne and Judith Arnold off up three very different tales in for the Christmas season. Burning Bright is a charming collection of stories that centre around Christmas in a small town - Crescent Cove, Vermont. In each tale, the heroine wanders into an offbeat candle shop and comes out with a magic candle guaranteed to make their wishes come true.

In Star Light, Star Bright by Anne Stuart we meet Angela McKenna. After a nasty divorce she has returned to Crescent Cove for the holidays. It's not an easy time, her family home had been sold, so she now lives in a cottage on the edge of the old estate. A self-proclaimed Christmas Slut, she is determined to enjoy the holiday to the fullest. Only the return of Brody Jackson might upset the applecart. Long ago Angela had a secret love for Brody, but she stood and watched from afar. Now the fair-haired homeboy has returned after a scandal. With a special candle and old memories, can their love find the way?

Maggie Shayne gives us a witchy tale. Dori Stewart blew off small town life when she headed to NYC. In her wake, she left a devastated Jason Farrar who was in love with her. In New York, she found the openness to practice her Wiccian religion. Seemed everything was there for the asking. Then suddenly something went wrong. She loses her job, her home and her fancy car. Now, she has returned to the small berg that she swore stifled her. Jason still has feelings for Dori, but he's not about to let her have a second chance to crush his heart.

In the third tale, One for Each Night by Judith Arnold, Alana Ross is hunting for a special candle for her grandmother's antique menorah. A pall is through over the festive spirit of the season, because the local head of the School board has funds missing. And he refuses to say why. As a reporter for the local paper, Alana is determined to find out the truth.
Jeffrey Barrett turns up, a New York City lawyer, and uncle to the man accused of stealing the funds. He is determined to stop Alana from ruining his uncle, but he's finding the chose quite distracting as all he can think about his kissing Alana.

I was impressed with BURNING BRIGHT, a holiday anthology. I have been going through my stash of Christmas-related books recently. Many of the anthologies I have read are just ordinary and I have had a hard time finishing many books. I am lucky to find one out of the 3-5 romances that I could recommend to a friend. BURNING BRIGHT was the exception and two of the three stories were really good. The title refers to a candle shop in Crescent Cove, VT.

STAR LIGHT, STAR BRIGHT by Anne Stuart was my favorite. Ms. Stuart is a hit or miss author with me. I either love or dislike her romances. Rarely is there a middle ground. SLSB was a pleasant surprise. Angela McKenna, 'Angel', has returned to VT after a divorce from her childhood sweetheart. But could the childhood friend she left behind for the other boy she thought she loved have been her real true love? Grab that hot chocolate and read the story to find out. 5 Stars

ONE FOR EACH NIGHT by Judith Arnold was almost as good. I haven't read anything by this author before but I will look for other books by her in the future. Her story centers around Alana Ross, a reporter for the local paper in Crescent Cove. Her grandmother passed away the previous year and she is trying relive her happy memories of Hanukkah in her new town. With the help of a visiting lawyer that has come to town, does she have a chance? Curl up with your hot tea and continue reading. 4.5 Stars

I was surprised that Maggie Shayne's RETURN OF THE LIGHT was my least favorite. I have enjoyed some of her paranormal romances. Dori Stewart left years before to make a name for herself. She had money and prestige and lost it all only to return to her home town with her tail between her legs. Her old love is the sheriff of the town. I thought Jason Ferrar, the lawman, could have done better but to each his own. 3 Stars for OK

Feel your holiday spirit is lost? This book brings light, warmth and magic back into the season. A real keeper. A wonderful gift for your spirit.