Jingle All The Way [Paperback]

Fern Michaels (Author), Linda Lael Miller (Author), Theresa Alan (Author), Jane Blackwood (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821777726
• ISBN-13: 978-0821777725
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #541,144 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In January of 2006, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Linda Lael Miller left the Arizona horse property she's called home for the past five years and listened to the call of her heart. Packing up her work-in-progress for HQN Books; her dogs, Sadie and Bernice, and her four horses, the author of more than 70 novels bid farewell to her home in the desert and returned to the place of her birth, Spokane, Washington.
The daughter of a town marshal, Linda grew up in Northport, WA, a community of 500 on the Columbia River, 120 miles north of Spokane. Her childhood remembrances include riding horses and playing cowgirl on her grandparents' nearby farm. Her grandparents' spread was so rustic that in the early days it lacked electricity and running water.

As delightful as this childhood was, Linda longed to see the world. After graduating as valedictorian of her high school class, she left to pursue her dream. Because of the success of her author career, Linda was able to live part-time in London for several years, spend time in Italy and travel to such far-off destinations as Russia, Hong Kong and Israel. Now, Linda says, the wanderlust is (mostly) out of her blood, and she's come full circle, back to the people and the places she knows and loves.

Before Linda begins her writing day, she takes her first cup of coffee while enjoying the scenic view of the wooded draw behind her new home. The first morning there, a snowfall blanketed the pine trees, something she had missed in the desert outside Scottsdale. Still enamored with the people she came to love in Arizona, she says she will still set books in that starkly beautiful area, and, of course, in other stories the action will take place in Washington.

Devoted to helping others pursue their dreams, the author will launch her sixth round of Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women in May of this year. A talented speaker, she donates all her speaking honoraria to her scholarship fund. The stipends are awarded to women who seek to better their lot in life through education.

It's no wonder the protagonists in Miller's novels are women her readers admire for their honor, courage, trustworthiness, valor and determination to succeed, despite overwhelming odds. 'These qualities make them excellent role models for young women,' Miller explains. 'The male leads possess equally noble traits that today's woman would be delighted to find in her life's mate.'

The author traces the birth of her writing career to the day when a Northport teacher told her that the stories she was writing were good, that she just might have a future in writing. Later, when she decided to write novels, she endured her share of rejection before she made her first sale.

Although Linda has written successfully in other genres, she is best known for stories set in the West'stories like McKETTRICK'S CHOICE (HQN Books March 2006 paperback); THE MAN FROM STONE CREEK (HQN, June 2006 hardcover) and that very first novel, FLETCHER'S WOMAN, which is being reissued in 2006. Her stories, set in yesterday's world, and today's, are historical romances, romantic thrillers, and other contemporary tales. They consistently score on prestigious national bestseller lists.

Linda has come a long way since leaving her sheltered life in Northport at age 18 to experience the world. 'Growing up in that time and place, in a family grounded in Western values, served me well,' she allows. 'And I'm happy to be back home.'

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Four mismatched Christmas tales, December 1, 2004

By 

Anza Carrillo "heavenlyanza" (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jingle All The Way (Paperback)

This book contained four holiday romances, each of which I will review separately.

"Santa Unwrapped" by Theresa Alan - 3.5 stars

Aimee Lachaussee volunteers to help pass out gifts to sick children this Christmas, and along the way meets Ryan, a wheelchair bound hottie who has issues. She's attracted to him, but it's almost as if he's afraid to admit that he's attracted to anyone, because of his wheelchair.

The story was pretty good until it came to the end. There was no ending! At least, there was not a satisfactory ending at all. There was no commitment at all. Sex does not equal commitment. Ryan was doubting entering into a relationship at the end, so who knows if the characters ended up together or not. If the author had bothered writing an ending for this story, the story would have gotten a higher rating.

"Maybe This Christmas" by Jane Blackwood - 5+ stars

Ever wish that you could go back in your life and relive an important moment to change its outcome? Laura Randall sure does. We first meet Laura when she is an old woman, dying in the hospital and regretting her life and the mess she made of her children's lives. Her hospital roomie asks her if she'd like to go back and change things, and magically Laura is young again, still married, and her children still love her. Laura only has until Christmas Eve to recapture the love she and her husband once shared.

This was really the only story worth reading in this anthology. Oh, this story was so good! This is probably the best romantic short story I've ever read. It was so emotional and heart-stirring, I didn't want it to end.

"The 24 Days of Christmas" by Linda Lael Miller - 3.5 stars

Addie Hutton returned to her hometown after a scandal destroyed her journalism career. Frank Rayner, her former fiance and now a widowed father, offers to let her live in a house on his property for free. As Addie's step-son and Frank's daughter become friends, Frank and Addie realize that their feelings for one another were still alive.

I think I may have enjoyed this story more had it not been placed after such a warm, emotional romantic story. But since it was, it seemed to fall flat. I didn't get attached to Addie or Frank. This story was fluffy and nice enough, but didn't pack an emotional punch like the previous story.

"A Bright Red Ribbon" by Fern Michaels - 2 stars

Morgan Ames, a surprisingly childish 29 year old, had been waiting for two years for her ex-boyfriend to propose to her. He had dumped her on Christmas Eve, but had promised to propose to her two years later if he felt they were meant to be together. But as Mo tries to return home, she is stranded in a blizzard, rescued by a dog, and holes up with Marcus Bishop. Mo begins to wonder if she really wants Keith to propose to her after all.

This story was the worst of the four. Not only is Morgan incredibly childish (waiting TWO YEARS for her ex-boyfriend to come back to her, with no word at all from him, and knowing that he's sleeping with other women?!), but the characters just seemed incredibly flat. Mo and Marcus were in love with one another, although they didn't even know one another. During the year, they had probably spent less than 48 hours in one another's company, but it was true love for both of them. Yeah, right. Something with the author's writing style didn't click with me - the characters talked a LOT, and there was little description of their feelings or the situation. The characters just didn't talk - they rambled without rhyme or reason.

So, in brief, the only story worth its salt is "Maybe This Christmas" by Jane Blackwood.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth buying for one story, October 6, 2011

By 

brandilynn7 (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jingle All The Way (Paperback)

I must say that this book is absolutely worth buying for one story- "Maybe This Christmas" by Jane Blackwood. This story is emotional, the characters well thought out, and had a slightly surprising ending (it did not quite have the ending I thought it would, although the ending was very satifying). This is a story about redeeming yourself and second chances. The main character is an old woman who is an alcoholic mess, basically dying in the hospital alone, as her husband long ago divorced her and then died in a car wreck, her daughter is a prostitute who hates her, one son is in prison, and the other joined the army to escape his life with his mother and died. She is granted a second chance of living the weeks leading up to the Christmas where her husband served her divorce papers by her hospital roommate. This "guardian angel" coaxes her to sleep and when she wakes up (feeling hungover) she is young- beautiful and with a new boost of energy- her kids are once again little and relying on her, and her husband is young and alive but distant and cold, as this is what was the end of their marriage. As the protagonist relives the days that led up to the end of her marriage and the destruction of her family she is determined to change the outcome and change her life- giving up the alcohol, spending time with the kids, and trying to be a real wife to her husband. She is not only trying to save her own life, but the life of her husband and kids, since she knows what will become of all of them if things turn out the same way as they did the first time around. This story was extremely moving and I cannot help but thing it would make a wonderful holiday movie.

As for the other 3 stories in this anthology...they were, quite simply, awful. But don't let stop you from buying this book. Buy it and just read "Maybe This Christmas".

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Must agree with others... a mishmash of stories, April 17, 2005

By 

Jake (Huntersville, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jingle All The Way (Paperback)

Thought I'd really enjoy this anthology of Christmas stories, but was sadly disappointed. The first story, Santa Unwrapped (Theresa Alan) had the potential to be a great, enlightening book, about a woman not afraid to have a relationship with a so-called 'disaabled' man in a wheelchair. But I don't feel it dealt enough with the issues that such a relationship might face: obstacles both physical and psychological. How would such an outdoorsy woman adapt to a life in which her guy's participation in such activities is strictly limited? What will that be like three or five or ten years from now? Also, the story didn't have an ending, it just... stopped. Ryan came over to Aimee's house to explain his 'break-up' with her, and next thing you know the two of them are breathing heavily and headed to the bedroom. Yeah, right, we all know that sex fixes everything. And that's the end of the story. One quick paragraph in which Aimee supposedly wrestles with and conquers life's metaphysical questions, and off they go to sex-land, and end of story. And by the way, the 'teaser' for Theresa Alan's next book was based on such a weak, lame premise, it pretty well assured me that I won't look for her upcoming works anytime soon.
The 2nd novel, Maybe this Christmas, showed more promise and ingenuity. Laura's life was in the pits (literally) and she was at death's door, when an encounter with 'Grace' gives her a second chance to go back and fix the mistake that caused her life to take such a horrible turn. Laura manages to deal with the changes surprisingly well but Grace pulls another fast one on her at the end. My beef with this story is that there isn't as much follow-up as I'd like. What is the medical problem that Laura has, and what is her prognosis? And I would have liked more detail about her family. LIke the first book, this one ended too soon.. I would have liked to see another page or so to fill in the blanks.
I think I enjoyed "The 24 Days of Christmas" most of all, altho that still isn't saying much. There were too many questions and details not imparted to the reader, such as about the 'scandal' that ruined Addie's career in LA, and why she chose to go back to her tiny, rural hometown that offered so few opportunities rather than start elsewhere in another larger city. And I have a hard time believing that a father can be so uncaring about his own son as Toby is. (Yes, I know it happens in real life, but that doens't mean I want to read about it. It's just a convenient device to get her an instant child.) Also, I was sure the scrooge-like MIss Pidgett would have a scrooge-like transformation, but that didn't happen. Once again, I thought this story ended just a little too conveniently, with a vague reference to Addie starting a new career as a romance writer (yeah, we all know how easy THAT is to do) and no worries in the world.
Now for the last story, Bright Red Ribbon (Fern Michaels). Let me say that this was the most disappointing of all. Firstly, I too, like another reviewer, was struck by how stupid and unrealistic Morgan is, expecting her erstwhile fiance, who dumped her and hasn't contacted her in two years and has been dating other people, to think he's magically going to appear on Christmas Eve and ask her to marry him. (And who would want to be married to THAT piece of work??) But as Morgan started to drive to her home, and got stuck in a blizzard, I thought "Oh no, not another 'stuck-together-in-a-blizzard' story. I've read a few of them before so it's not exactly unique." Well come to find out that not only have I read stories like this before, but I've read THIS story before. I can't believe this story was recylcled from another anthology. That's just plain low on the part of the publisher. I didn't even bother finishing reading it. Seems to me I wasn't all that impressed the first time around.