Customer Reviews

Christmas Kisses: Mackenzie's Magic/ Silver Bells/ A Wild West Christmas

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

 

 

The story of Maris Mackenzie should have been full length but the story was excellent in itself [if too short].
Meeting up with the FBI special agent Alex MacNeil and tumbling in love with him in the process of trying to catch horse killers was fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes of setting up the sting and the complications.

But most enjoyable of all, of course, was going back to Mackenzie's Mountain and rejoining Wolf and Mary's family.

Note that this is the 4th story in the Mackenzie series with Chance's story following to complete the series.

Also be aware that Debbie Macomber's story is a follow-up of the Manning family series.
And Linda Turner's story is a follow-up to the Wild West series of the Rawlings family - Love these add ons. Just too short.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO ALL especially for family catch-ups.

I especially enjoyed Linda Howard's continuation of the Mackenzie family. Maris' story includes all of the elements that make a Linda Howard book so difficlut to put down. The hero was a surprise. A must for this author's fans. Debbie Macomber's "Silver Bells" was one of her better stories and a true pleasure to read. Then Linda Turner added her story to make this one of the best holiday books published for Christmas.

For once, I like all of the authors who contributed to this book. I got it because I wanted to read about Maris McKenzie. It was very satisfying to me. I love the McKenzie family.

Debbie Macomber and Linda Howard also contributed a good story each. The only reason I give this book 4 stars is the stories were too short. I prefer these authors in longer formats.

Book description:

"Mackenzie's Magic" by New York Times Bestselling author Linda Howard
Just in time for the holidays: author Linda Howard's beloved Mackenzies. Meet Maris Mackenzie--and the sexy stranger she woke up to find in her bed! Unfortunately, she had no memory of Alex MacNeil, the previous day...or the prize Thoroughbred she'd apparently stolen...

"Silver Bells" by bestselling writer Debbie Macomber
Celebrate the magic of Christmas with the Manning family.
It wasn't easy for Philip Lark to single-handedly raise his rambunctious teenage daughter. But the girl had hatched a plot to fin her father a wife, and lovely Carrie Weston fit the bill. Philip claimed he wasn't interested in remarriage, but would the magic of the holiday season--and Carrie's wonderful charms--help him change his mind?

"A Wild West Christmas" by Linda Turner
Years ago, Priscilla Rawlings gave Wyatt Chandler her innocence. He repaid her by running out on her. Now he'd come back to the Rawlings ranch for Christmas, and Priscilla had to face the one man who had broken her heart...but whom she had never stopped loving.

And my review:

I knew when I purchased this book that the stories were part of a series each author had written. I hadn't read any of the other books in any of the series, but I didn't let that deter me. Most authors who've produced series have managed to make each book capable of standing on its own. And after all, this was a Christmas romance anthology, and those are my not-so-secret passion. But I'm afraid I was dissapointed by this book.

I wasn't expecting much from Linda Howard's novella, as I have not been impressed by her work in the past. My instincts were correct. Right off the bat, this was a falling-in-lust story (which I've never liked) rather than a falling-in-love story. I have nothing wrong with sexual attraction between characters (in fact, it's necessary for a good romance) but it needs to be handled well. I need to see more motivation for a couple to be together than just wanting to jump each other's bones. The amnesia plot wasn't as well done as I've read in other books. One star.

I had much higher hopes for Debbie Macomber's story. While not very many of her books make it onto my keeper shelf, her stories are usually cute, heartwarming, and sensual without being too explicit - worth it for a one-time read. But this one felt much too rushed. The author touched on the characters without really fleshing them out. I couldn't really see why Carrie should be attracted to Philip, nor why, apart from the fact that she would make a great stepmother, he would want her. I found myself getting bored by the end and had to force myself to finish the story. Two stars. (If you want really good Christmas romance by this author, check out her "Angel" books, including 'Shirley, Goodness and Mercy', 'The Trouble With Angels', 'Touched by Angels', 'Season of Angels' and 'Those Christmas Angels', available at Amazon.com)

Linda Turner's main characters were just not likeable. Priscilla was a sour harpy, and Wyatt was a conceited jerk. The way he spurned her when she was a teenager was utterly unforgivable, yet he justifies it by saying that he did it for her own good. As if taking a barely-at-the-age-of-consent's virginity and then setting it up so that she finds you in the arms of another woman is anything other than reprehensible. I tried to push past this, but the book descended into a silly contrived scene where Priscilla tries to prove that he means nothing to her by kissing him, which of course backfires. Oh brother. I started rolling my eyes at this point. And Wyatt was so full of himself that I wanted to push him into a pile of horse manure. I couldn't even finish this one. One star.

I hate to give such a negative review, but this book just wasn't up to par. I would not recommend buying this book, unless you happen to be a hardcore fan of these authors, and/or want to complete the series collections that these novellas belong to. While any of these stories could stand on its own, (I wasn't confused, even though I didn't read any of the other books in any of the series) I didn't think they were good enough to justify the price of the book.

All of the Mackenzie books in the series are really really good, and this book feels like it could have been a really good book, but it was very short and didn't have a chance to fully develop into a good story.

Ok I only read Howard and Turner but I have to say I was torn. Its not that the Howard read was bad, but it was soo rushed and shallow despite being well over 100 pages and although entertained I was disappointed for a Mackenzie series edition. The others were so detailed and you became so involved. This was so superficial I never really cared except to see the other charaters in the series that I loved in the other books. Now Turner really showed you how a short story is done! She has fewer pages than Howard but the characters and story were very developed and entertaining. The book was worth it just for that story which I really loved and would like to read more by the author in the future.

Over the last few years I have read and even reread (and for me that is amazing) the stories she wrote on the Mackenzies. It was the first Linda Howard books I read and by far the best. She has discribed these people well and yet made them so endearing. It is what everyone would and should expect from a hero. This was the last one that I finally got to read on the family (truly it is a sad day that I have finished the series). Again she does not disappoint as you read through the book. In fact if you have read them in order you truly will enjoy this one as the main character Maris is outspoken and leaves nothing to 'chance' (A Game of Chance is the next book in the series and the last). I saved this book especially for the time I was on vacation and am a little embarrased to admit that reading it was nearly the highlight of my day.
I expect that even though I don't reread books much (hers being an exception) I will be picking these books up again and again just to enjoy my favorite spots.

This is Maris Mackenzie's story. She is working as a horse trainer for a prestigious owner in Kentucky and wakes up one morning to find herself in bed with a man she doesn't know. Maris finds herself in the middle of an investigation involving insurance fraud but realizes she's met the man she's going to marry.

While Maris' journey to the altar is a short one, what's engaging about the story is when she and Alex MacNeil return to Ruth, Wyoming to meet the MacKenzie clan. It's an opportunity to check in on the other members of the family and watch Alex face the wrath of five brothers who question his motives.

It is an entertaining story and any excuse to revisit MacKenzie Mountain makes it worthwhile.

Mackenzie's Magic was the weakest in the series so far. There was little plot development, weak character development, no tension at all, the "romance" between the hero and heroine just wasn't there. There was nothing there except supposedly lust, but Howard didn't make me believe even that much existed between them. The pacing was so slow and boring that I made myself finish it just so I could catch up with other characters in previous story. Hopefully the last in the series will be better.

MACKENZIE'S MAGIC by Linda Howard.

STORY BRIEF:
Maris is a horse trainer. Someone plans to harm her favorite horse, and Maris is hit in the head. She wakes up in a motel room the next day with a concussion. Mac is with her. He was recently hired to work with her on the horse farm. Together they try to figure out what is going on and what to do about it. Maris has no memory of what she was doing before she was injured. Maris realizes she is attracted to Mac.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
This was about half the length of a typical romance novel. It was a "falling in lust" story. There was no time for any relationship development. It was shallow. I wanted more intrique, unique characters, and more interesting plot and dialogue. But if you loved the series, you might like this out of curiosity.

After the mystery and danger is over, a chunk of time is spent with Maris' family in Wyoming. There is the cute little toddler, all the hunky men, their wives and children. Everyone is loving and protective. It was a pleasant time.

OTHER BOOKS:
There are five Mackenzie books. The first three were much better than books 4 and 5. This is book 4. For a list of my reviews of all five books, see my 5 star review of Burn posted 7-11-09.

CAUTION SPOILER:
I didn't understand the scene in which Maris was hit in the head (which was told and not shown). Apparently the bad guy was starting to inject the horse when Maris arrived. He hits her in the head causing a concussion, but she is able to get on the horse and ride away. Can one be concussed and still mount and ride? Why couldn't the bad guy finish the injection as she was mounting? I wanted more details and showing, not telling.

DATA:
Kindle count story length: 1462. Swearing language: mild. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 1, about a page long. Setting: current day mostly Kentucky and Wyoming. Copyright: 1996. Genre: contemporary romance.