Glad Tidings: Here Comes Trouble\There's Something About Christmas [Mass Market Paperback]

Debbie Macomber (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Debbie Macomber, the author of Twenty Wishes, Back on Blossom Street, Between Friends, and the Cedar Cove series, is one of today's leading voices in women's fiction. A regular on every major bestseller list with more than 100 million copies of her books in print, the award-winning author celebrated a new career milestone in September 2007, when the latest in her Cedar Cove series, 74 Seaside Avenue, scored #1 on the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly and Bookscan bestseller lists. Her popularity is worldwide with her books translated into twenty-three languages. Debbie and her husband, Wayne, are the proud parents of four children and grandparents of eight grandchildren. They live in Washington State and in the winter they live in Florida.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

On that cold day I was born, in February 1955, my great-aunt gave me a classic fruitcake for the celebration of the occasion of my birth. Every year during the holidays I pull it out of the attic and take a look at it and it still looks great, and every year I try to get up the nerve to take a slice and try it.

--Dean Fearing, chef of The Mansion on Turtle Creek

This job was going to kill her yet.

Emma Collins stared at the daredevil pilot who was urging her toward his plane. She'd come to Thun Field to drum up advertising dollars for her employer, The Puyallup Examiner, and wasn't interested in taking a spin around southeast Puget Sound.

"Thank you, but no," she insisted for the third time. Oliver Hamilton seemed to have a hearing problem. However, Emma was doing her best to maintain a professional facade, despite her pounding heart. No way would she go for a ride with Flyboy.

The truth was, Emma was terrified of flying. Okay, she white-knuckled it in a Boeing 747, but nothing on God's green earth would get her inside a small plane with this man--and his dog. Oliver Hamilton had a devil-may-care glint in his dark blue eyes and wore a distressed brown leather jacket that resembled something a World War Two bomber pilot might wear. All he needed was the white scarf. She suspected that if he ever got her in the air, he'd start making loops and circles with the express purpose of frightening her to death. He looked just the type.

Placing the advertising-rate sheet on his desk, she turned resolutely away from the window and the sight of Hamilton's little bitty plane--a Cessna Caravan 675, he'd called it. "As I was explaining earlier, The Examiner has a circulation of over forty-five thousand. As you'll see--" she gestured at the sheet "--we have special introductory rates in December. We serve four communities and, dollar for advertising dollar, you can't do better than what we're offering."

"Yes, yes, I understand all that," Oliver Hamilton said, stepping around his desk. "Now, what I can offer you is the experience of a lifetime...."

Instinctively Emma backed away. She had an aversion to attractive men whose promises slid so easily off their tongues. Her father had been one of them.

He'd flitted in and out of her life during her childhood and teen years. Every so often, he'd arrived bearing gifts and making promises, none of which he'd kept. Still, her mother had loved Bret Collins until the end. Pamela had died after a brief illness when Emma was a sophomore at the University of Oregon. To his credit, her father had paid her college expenses, but Emma refused to have anything to do with him. She was on her own in the world and determined to make a success of her career as a journalist. When she'd hired on at The Examiner earlier that year, she hadn't objected to starting at the bottom. She'd expected that. What she hadn't expected was spending half her time trying to sell advertising.

The Examiner was a family-owned business, one of a vanishing breed. The newspaper had been in the Berwald family for three generations. Walt Berwald II had held on through the corporate buyouts and survived the competition from the big-city newspapers coming out of Tacoma and Seattle. It hadn't been easy. Now his thirty-year-old son had taken over after his father's recent heart attack. Walt the third, the new editor-in-chief, was doing everything he could to keep the newspaper financially solvent, which Emma knew was a challenge.

"Hey, Oscar," Oliver said, bending to pet his dog.

"I think the lady's afraid of flying."

Emma bristled, irritated that he'd pegged her so quickly. "Don't be ridiculous."

He ignored her and continued to pet the dog. She couldn't readily identify his breed, possibly some kind of terrier. The dog was mostly white with one large black spot surrounding his left eye. Right out of that 1930s show Spanky and Our Gang. Wasn't that the name? She shook off her momentary distraction.

"I'm here to sell you advertising in The Examiner," she explained again. "I hope you'll reconsider."

Oliver straightened, crossing his arms, and leaned against his desk. "As I said, I'm just getting my business started. At this point I don't have a lot of discretionary funds for advertising. So for now I'll stick with the word-of-mouth method. That seems to be working."

It couldn't be working that well, since he appeared to have a lot of time on his hands. "Exactly what is it you do?" she asked.

"I give flying lessons and I've recently begun an air-freight business."

"Oh."

"Oscar and I haven't crashed even once."

He was obviously making fun of her, and she didn't appreciate it. Nor did she take his alleged safety record as an incentive to leap into the passenger seat.

"But then," he added, "there's always a first time."

"Exactly what I was going to say," Emma muttered.

"Well, I'll leave the information with you," she said more pleasantly. "I hope you'll think about our proposal when it's financially feasible."

Retrieving her briefcase and purse, she headed toward the door--which Oliver suddenly blocked with his arm. His smile was as lazy as it was sexy. Hmm, funny how often lazy and sexy went together. Considering all that boyish charm, plenty of other women had probably melted at his feet. She wouldn't.

She met his gaze without flinching. "Are you sure I can't take you up for a spin?" he asked.

"Absolutely, positively sure."

"There's nothing to fear except fear itself."

"Uh-uh. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other calls to make."

He moved aside. "It's a shame. You're kinda cute in an uptight sort of way."

Unable to resist, she rolled her eyes.

Oliver chuckled and walked her out to her car, his dog trotting behind him. Normally Emma would've taken time to pet the terrier, but Oliver Hamilton would inevitably read that as a sign she was interested in him. She was fond of animals, especially dogs, and hoped to get one herself. Unfortunately, her apartment complex didn't allow pets; not only that, the landlord was a real piece of work. As soon as she had the chance, Emma planned to find somewhere else to live.

Using her remote, she unlocked her car door, which Oliver promptly opened for her. She smiled her thanks, eager to leave, and climbed into the driver's side. "So I can't change your mind?"

She shook her head. The one thing a ladies' man could never resist, Emma had learned from her father, was a woman who said no. Somehow, she'd have to get Oliver to accept her at her word.

She reached for the door and closed it. Hard. Oliver stepped back.

After she'd started the ignition and pulled away, he smiled at her—a mysterious smile--as if he knew something she didn't.

As far as Emma was concerned, she'd made a lucky escape.

Her irritation had just begun to fade when she returned to the office and walked down to her cubicle in the basement, shared with half a dozen other staff. The area was affectionately--and sometimes not so affectionately--termed The Dungeon. Phoebe Wilkinson, who sat opposite her, glanced up when Emma tossed her purse onto her desk.

"That bad?" Phoebe asked, rolling her chair across the narrow aisle. She was one of the other reporters, a few years older than Emma. She was short where Emma was tall, with dark hair worn in a pixie cut while Emma's was long and blond. Most of the time, anyway. Occasionally Emma was a redhead or a brunette.

"You wouldn't believe my afternoon."

"Did you sell any ads?" Phoebe asked. It'd been her turn the day before and she'd come back with three brand-new accounts.

Emma nodded. She'd managed to get the local pizza parlor to place an ad in the Wednesday edition with a dollar-off coupon for any large pizza. That way, the restaurant could figure out how well the advertising had worked. Emma just hoped everyone in town would go racing into the parlor with that coupon. Badda Bing, Badda Boom Pizza had been her only sale.

"That's great," Phoebe said with real enthusiasm.

"Yes, at least our payroll checks won't bounce." She couldn't restrain her sarcasm.

Phoebe frowned, shaking her head. "Walt would never let that happen."

Her friend and co-worker had a crush on the owner. Phoebe was the strongest personality she knew, yet when it came to Walt, she seemed downright timid--far from her usual assertive self.

Emma sighed. Her own feelings about men had grown cynical. Her father was mostly responsible for that. Her one serious college romance hadn't helped, either; it ended when her mother became ill. Emma hadn't been around to help Neal with his assignments, so he'd dropped her for another journalism student. Pulling out her chair, Emma sat down. She hadn't worked so hard to get her college degree for this. Her feet hurt, she had a run in her panty hose and no one was going to give her a Pulitzer prize when she spent half her time pounding the pavement and the other half writing obituaries.

Yes, obituaries. Walt's big coup had been getting a contract to write obituaries for the large Tacoma newspaper, and that had been her job and Phoebe's for the past eight months. Emma had gotten quite good at summarizing someone else's life--but that hardly made a smudge on the page of her own.

She hadn't obtained a journalism degree in order to persuade the local department store to place mattress sale ads in the Sunday paper, either. She was a reporter! A darn good one...if only someone would give her a chance to prove herself. Emma longed to write a piece worthy of her education and her skills, and frankly, preparing obituaries wasn't it.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Mira; mass market edition (November 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778323552
• ISBN-13: 978-0778323556
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #738,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #63 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( M ) > MacOmber, Debbie
  • #63 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( M ) > Macomber, Debbie

More About the Author

With more than 100 million copies of her books sold worldwide, Debbie Macomber is one of today's most popular authors.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author is best known for her ability to create compelling characters and bring their stories to life in her books. Drawing on her own experiences and observations, Debbie writes heartwarming tales about small-town life, home and family and enduring friendships. Every book features the delightful sense of humor that readers around the world clamor for.

Debbie is a regular resident on numerous bestseller lists, including the New York Times (55 times and counting), USA TODAY (currently 63 times) and Publishers Weekly (23 times to date). She is the first-ever recipient of the "readers' choice" Quill Award for Romance Fiction, for 44 Cranberry Point, the fourth book in her highly popular Cedar Cove series. Debbie has also been honored with a RITA® Award, a Romantic Times BOOKreviews Career Achievement Award and is a multiple winner of both the Holt Medallion and the B. Dalton Award.

Her recent books include 92 Pacific Boulevard, 8 Sandpiper Way, 74 Seaside Avenue and Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook, as well as Twenty Wishes, A Cedar Cove Christmas, Summer on Blossom Street and The Perfect Christmas.

For more information on Debbie and her books, visit her Web site: www.DebbieMacomber.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming, November 21, 2006

By 

Plurabelle (Egg Harbor Twp, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Glad Tidings: Here Comes Trouble\There's Something About Christmas (Mass Market Paperback)

"Glad Tidings" is my first taste of Debbie Macomber's work, and it definitely won't be my last. The two holiday themed stories included here, are both extremely enjoyable. Macomber's writing style, is no-frills and the romance is decidedly G Rated. But that isn't a bad thing. With only one exception (which i will get to in a moment), Macomber makes you care about these characters, and the over-done, falseness that seems to hamper many modern romance novels, is not present here.

Of the two stories, i will say, i much prefered the first, "There's Something About Christmas". A light-hearted, funny, genuinely sweet story of rookie reporter Emma & cocky pilot Oliver, who deal with fear of flying, sneezing dogs,& fruitcake.

The second story, "Here Comes Trouble" really only has a passing reference to Christmas, and while i really enjoyed it as well, i felt it was lacking some of the charm of the first. My main problem was with the character of Nolan. He was just such a grouchy, gruff, stubburn pain in the butt, that i found it hard to believe that the plucky Maryanne would not only fall for him, but basically beg him to love her, the way she did. My reservations regarding this point, is the only reason i'm not giving the book 5 stars.

All in all though, "Glad Tidings" was an enjoyable experience, and i can't wait to dive into Macomber's other work.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A dynamic duo you'll be glad to take home and savor over the holidays, October 27, 2006

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Glad Tidings: Here Comes Trouble\There's Something About Christmas (Mass Market Paperback)

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT CHRISTMAS - Emma Collins has wanted to be a serious journalist ever since she can remember. However, after attending school, the best writing job she can find for herself is a position with the "Puyallup Examiner" in small-town Puyallup, Washington, where she spends the hours between nine and five attempting to sell ad space to reluctant business-owners, and writing obituaries that no one but the deceased's own relatives will take notice of. However, when her first real journalism assignment comes rolling in, Emma is disappointed in what the subject will be - writing about the three Washington-based finalists in a national fruitcake recipe contest. Not only does Emma dislike fruitcake, but she also dislikes Christmas since her mother passed on, and feels that she's not cut out to accept a subject that she's so dead-set against. Not only that, Emma's boss has arranged for her to be flown to each contestants home in a rickety, small aircraft with none other than Oliver Hamilton behind the wheel, along with his dog, Oscar. As if having to contend with a fear of flying wasn't hard enough for the Scrooge-like Emma, trying to ward off the advances of the irresistible and charming Oliver proves just as impossible. Now, as Emma begins her journey to meet each of the three women, she begins to fall in love with the idea of their different recipes, from using all of your deceased husband's favorite ingredients, to sprinkling a little extra liquor into the concoction, and trying out a no-bake graham cracker fruitcake. But, not only does she fall for the recipes, she falls in love with each woman's story of how they were created, soon making her realize that Christmas isn't truly as bad as one would think, and sometimes life is full of fruitcake. 5 stars.

HERE COMES TROUBLE - Twenty-three-year-old Maryanne "Annie" Simpson has led a life of privilege since the day she was born. Being the daughter of a prominent business-owner who's practically in charge of the publishing world can do that for you. So, upon college graduation, Maryanne decides to do something great: land a job in journalism. Now, for the average person, this could be a tremendous feat, but for Annie, well...in the flash of an eye she has uprooted herself from her cushy New York penthouse apartment, and traveled to the drizzly city of Seattle, where she's keeping herself warm in a lavish building known as The Seattle. It is here that her father has arranged a wonderful job as a columnist for one of his papers: the "Seattle Review." Maryanne is happy with her job, and attempts to show her co-workers just how hard she is willing to work to keep it. But when Nolan Adams, a columnist for the "Seattle Sun" - a rival newspaper - begins writing his columns about Maryanne, referring to her as "the deb" - short for debutante - leaving his legion of fans salivating over the new information he feels he is obligated to share with the city, Maryanne gets upset. For suddenly she realizes that Nolan's columns, as hurtful as they are, are absolutely true. Without her father pulling various strings, she would never have made it through the front door of the "Seattle Review." Now, she's decided to change her life for the better, with a little help from the reluctant Nolan, who blames himself for the mess he's created. And within due time, Maryanne finds herself falling for the rumpled reporter, and hoping more than anything that he shares her feelings. 5 stars.

I have been anticipating the release of GLAD TIDINGS for the last couple of months, and was absolutely ecstatic to find it sitting upon the shelf at Barnes & Noble this past weekend. I was hoping for two novels that would convey the spirit of Christmas, and be enjoyable; however, I feel as if I was given much more. Both THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT CHRISTMAS and HERE COMES TROUBLE convey such magical feelings regarding the holidays, and truly bring each and every character involved in these two tales to life. The romances between Emma Collins and Oliver Hamilton; and Maryanne Simpson and Nolan Adams are absolutely perfect, and illustrate marvelously just how easily dislike can turn to love. Out of the two tales, I found myself more enamored with THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT CHRISTMAS, as it situated itself more around the holidays, and truly gives the reader a new view of fruitcake. Hey, even I want to try a piece after indulging in this romance. However, HERE COMES TROUBLE is also a wonderful tale of romance that will ultimately appeal very much to budding writers. A dynamic duo you'll be glad to take home and savor over the holidays.

Erika Sorocco

Freelance Reviewer

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Love and Laughter Spread Christmas Cheer, September 9, 2009

By 

Edie Dykeman - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Glad Tidings: Here Comes Trouble\There's Something About Christmas (Mass Market Paperback)

Glad Tidings continues Debbie Macomber's annual two-for-one Christmas book special. Both of these stories feature heroines who work for newspapers, albeit in very different roles.

The first story, There's Something About Christmas, finds rookie reporter Emma Collins struggling with the upcoming holiday season. After all, she hates flying, hates fruitcake, and even hates Christmas. Combine the three, and a very sexy pilot, and Emma learns a valuable lesson about love.

The premise of Here Come's Trouble is that Maryanne and Nolan both write columns at competing Seattle newspapers. When Nolan begins to attack Maryanne in his newpaper articles for her debutante ways, she decides he has a point and makes drastic changes in her life shocking her publishing magnate father. Nolan is then upset that he caused problems for Maryanne and decides to try being nice to her. The battle of the sexes ensues.

Although two very different stories, they are both a joy to read. Debbie Macomber has a way with storytelling that keeps the stories moving along at a good pace. Both stories start with the female rejecting the male, but as we all know with a good love story, the male eventually wins their hand. The fun is seeing how they get there.