The Christmas Treasury: A Home for Christmas/Season of Wonder/Sugar and Spice/A Season for Miracles [Paperback]

Laura Marie Altom (Author), Marta Perry (Author), Lynnette Kent (Author), Cynthia Rutledge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2005

A HOME FOR CHRISTMAS by Laura Marie Altom - When Rachel's husband is presumed dead, she does what she thinks is best for her and her unborn child-she disappears. But her husband's best friend, Chance, promised to look after her, and he's determined to track her down. Now it's Christmas, a time for miracles and celebrations, so he ... more »feels hope when he gets a lead on Rachel's whereabouts. But is she ready to be found? SEASON OF WONDER by Marta Perry David is content with his laid-back life, and sees no reason to want anything more--until he finds his old friend Allison on the beach one winter afternoon and realizes what he's been missing. But the girl who once reminded him of a Christmas tree angel has changed. Can he help her find her sense of wonder again? SUGAR AND SPICE by Lynnette Kent Dr. Ian Baker moved to New Skye because he was needed in the small town. But with Thanksgiving fast approaching and his family scheduled to arrive for a holiday visit, he realizes he needs a life outside the hospital--if only to convince his relatives that leaving Atlanta was not a huge mistake. Is take-charge Cass Stuart just what the doctor ordered? A SEASON FOR MIRACLES by Cynthia Rutledge Shannon has never met a man as perfect as Jake. There's only one problem: he's dating her twin sister, Erin. But when Erin makes plans to go out of town with another man, Shannon agrees to pose as her sister. It's Christmastime, and in this season of miracles, Shannon will discover that God works in mysterious ways. And that sometimes, when you least expect it, dreams really do come true.

Product Details

• Paperback: 219 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises (2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373153139
• ISBN-13: 978-0373153138
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,761,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I realized I wanted to be a writer at age eight, when I read my first Nancy Drew novel, The Secret of the Old Clock. Most little girl reach the end of that book wanting to be Nancy. I wanted to be the person who created the story!
The dream lay hidden for years while I became a teacher, married, had children...all the usual things. But eventually it re-surfaced, and I began to write, beginning with short children's stories for Sunday school take-home papers. It seemed a long time until that first acceptance, but eventually I began to sell. After some three hundred published short stories, I finally found the courage to work on the novel I'd always wanted to write.
Thirty-some published novels later, I still feel the same excitement every time I begin a new book--a mix of not believing I can do it combined with an overwhelming urge to see the story on the page.
A lifetime spent in rural Pennsylvania and my own Pennsylvania Dutch roots eventually led me to the books I'm writing now about the Amish. The Pleasant Valley Amish series from Berkley Books are longer, more complex emotional stories with Amish main characters, while my forthcoming HQN suspense novels are more adventure-filled books set in Pennsylvania Dutch country. I'm also writing a Love Inspired series, The Bodine Family, set on the South Carolina coast where we have a second home.
When I'm not writing, I'm busy with church activities, traveling, and spending time with my three children and six beautiful grandchildren.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, November 23, 2007

By 

Gemma "bookworm" (Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Christmas Treasury: A Home for Christmas/Season of Wonder/Sugar and Spice/A Season for Miracles (Paperback)

From the back cover:

A HOME FOR CHRISTMAS by Laura Marie Altom
Harlequin American Romance
When Rachel's husband is presumed dead, she does what she thinks is best for her and her unborn child--she disappears. But her husband's best friend, Chance, promised to look after her, and he's determined to track her down. Now it's Christmas, a time for miracles and celebrations, so he feels hope when he gets a lead on Rachel's whereabouts. But is she ready to be found?

SEASON OF WONDER by Marta Perry
Steeple Hill Love Inspired
David is content with his laid-back life, and sees no reason to want anything more--intil he finds his old friend Allison on the beach one winter afternoon and realizes what he's been missing. But the girl who once reminded him of a Christmas tree angel has changed. Can he help her find her sense of wonder again?

SUGAR AND SPICE by Lynnette Kent
Harlequin Supperromance
Dr. Ian Baker moved to New Skye because he was needed in the small town. But with Thanksgiving fast approaching and his family scheduled to arrive for a holiday visit, he realise he needs a life outside the hospital--if only to convince his relatives that leaving Atlanta was not a huge mistake. Is take-charge Cass Stuart just what the doctor ordered?

A SEASON FOR MIRACLES by Cynthia Rutledge
Steeple Hill Love Inspired
Shannon has never met a man as perfect as Jake. There's only one problem: he's dating her twin sister, Erin. But when Erin makes plans to go out of town with another man, Shannon agrees to pose as her sister. It's Christmastime, and in this season for miracles, Shannon will discover that God works in mysterious ways. And that sometimes, when you least expect it, dreams really do come true.

And my review:

I love Christmas romance anthologies, and will read just about every one that I can get my hands on. Unfortunately, this was a collection I would have been better off skipping.

One big problem is that the stories are all way too short. That's to be expected in romance anthologies, but these stories were very short even for that standard. More novellas run around 100 pages or so. All of these stories were 40-60 pages. Even the most talented author would have a hard time writing a good read in that little space. There is just no room for any character development, or much tension in the plot. Every conflict must be introduced, then wrapped up easily and quickly, leaving no question as to the story's outcome. There's no time for the "dance of attraction", which is my favorite part of a romance novel.

A HOME FOR CHRISTMAS had me scratching my head for a lot of it. It made no sense why the heroine would run away; it wasn't as if her life was in danger. Your late husband's best friend, whom you've always secretly been attracted to, wants to help you out to fulfill his promise to said late husband, and you run away to live on the streets? With a baby? Huh??? Come on, does anyone really have that much pride that they would choose homelessness for their innocent child rather than accept charity? I wanted to smack the heroine one. If you want to be stupid, fine. But don't make your child suffer just because you have your head screwed on wrong.

SEASON OF WONDER, though it used the recycled plot of a woman once burned and twice shy, had a lot of promise, but it was really hurt by the page restriction. Also, this 60 page story is split up into 20 chapters! That meant that as soon as any scene just started to get interesting, it would be over, and on to the next scene. I was unable to get drawn into the story, because just as things would gain momentum, the chapter would end and it would be the next day.

SUGAR AND SPICE was a story I wasn't sure if I'd like. I've enjoyed some books by Lynnette Kent and hated others. This one was okay, up until it used one of my most hated plots: love at first sight. I know that some romance readers adore this plot, but I personally can't stand it. I think that it just shows laziness on the part of an author. It's easier to just say "they see each other and BAM, they're in love" than to bother developing a satisfying "do I love you? do you love me?" dance of attraction. Of course, part of the reason this author chose this plot is probably because of the page restriction, but it still bugged me.

(And before anyone blasts me for hating the "love at first sight" theme, I want to clarify: Do I believe in attraction at first sight? Yes. Do I believe that attraction can grow into love, once you get to know one another? Yes. Do I believe that you can love someone that you don't actually know just by looking at them once? No. True love takes trust, friendship and time. How many times have we seen a very physically attractive person who turns out to be a total jerk once we get to know them?)

A SEASON FOR MIRACLES uses another old plot: twins switching places, where of course the "wrong" twin then falls into forbidden love. Not that I mind reading old plots. Romance writing is all about escapism, so it doesn't have to be totally realistic. No, my problem was with how choppy this story was. This 60 page story is split into 18 chapters. Again, it was impossible to get drawn into the story, because scenes were always ending just when things started to get interesting. And of course, things are wrapped up so easily and quickly that it's hardly satisfying. This would probably have made a fun full-length novel, but the page restriction really hurt things.

There are better Christmas romances out there. Unless you're a hard-core fan of one of these authors and must have her entire backlist, I'd recommend you look elsewhere for your Christmas romance fix.