Customer Reviews

Keepsake Christmas Stories 1993

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

 

 

From the back cover:

Once Upon A Christmas by Curtiss Ann Matlock

Rancher Monroe Locket didn't want the responsibility of a widowed mail-order bride, but even he didn't have the heart to ship Olivia Pritchett and her two precocious children back East mere days before Christmas.

A Fairytale Season by Marianne Wilman

Christmas festivities were in full swing aboard the luxury steamship bound for Jamaica, yet all Ellen Shepard could think of was the moment dashing Hugh Kincade would choose to expose her as a royal imposter!

Tidings of Joy by Victoria Pade

Linnie Rhode's heart had been shattered when town rogue Drew Dunlap left Pinewood, Colorado, all those years ago. Now he was back, happily reformed, bursting with yuletide cheer--and armed with a very tempting proposition...

And now for my review (drum roll please!)

Each story comes with a recipe at the beginning.

The first story was BORING. I couldn't even finish it. There was more emphasis on the fact that Monroe liked Olivia's biscuits than on the romance. I am not kidding. She makes biscuits like a dozen times in twenty pages. Yeah, yeah, I know, the way to a man's heart it through his stomach, but I need a bit more motivation for romance than that. If all he likes about her are her stupid biscuits, he might be tempted to cheat if a pastry chef came along who can make him croisants! (ha ha!) I got so bored by the lack of real character development that I skipped to the next story. Amazingly, the recipe is for Baker's Clay Christmas Ornaments, and not biscuits! Two stars.

The second story was better, but not a keeper. It was an amusing one-time read. I liked the mystery even though I did figure it out before it was revealed. Still, it had its funny moments, but I wouldn't bother reading it again. The recipe is for sugar pie. Three stars.

The last story was very good. I am currently re-reading it. If you like stories about reunited love, then you will like this one. It was sweet and clean, and very nearly made me cry at the "black moment". The recipe is for Triple Chocolate Pate. (I haven't made it, but it sounds yummy!) Four stars.

The last story made this book worth the $$$ I paid for it. I would recommend trying to find this in a thrift or used book store, or maybe at the library, as it's not worth spending a lot of money, but it is an enjoyable read (at least the last two thirds of it is!)

This anthology contains three solid stories; well-written and well-developed, withstrong protagonists.

In Once Upon a Christmas by Curtiss Ann Matlock, a widowed Southern lady travels with her two young sons to the untamed Texas territory to marry. Upon her arrival, she discovers that her intended groom died of lockjaw a few days early. She convinces his best friend and business partner to allow her to stay in the ranch that was to be her new marital home, so that the boys won't have to spend Christmas on the road. Sparks fly between the two, however he is determined that he doesn't need a woman in his life. With her optimism, determination and fine cooking, she wins over his enemy neighbors and his hardened heart.

A Fairytale Season by Marianne Willman is about a down-on-her-luck Lady who needs passage to Antigua to search for her brother, an academic who's gone missing there. She agrees to accompany a demanding Princess on a trans-Atlantic luxury steamer, however the Princess never makes it aboard. Fearful she'll be sent back to England, she poses as the Princess. There's a jewel thief and lots of quirky characters on this adventure!

In Tidings of Joy by Victoria Pade, Linnie's childhood sweetheart returns to town, and she must choose between the man who broke her heart and the promise he made to her, and the solid but boring banker she is currently involved with. This is a nice story about redemption, and about not settling for safe choices.

I personally enjoyed the first story the most. I felt the characters were more developed, and I the focus of the story was more on Christmas and togetherness than any of the other stories. I tried the recipe for the baker's clay ornaments and it was a lot of fun for me and my children. The second story was not very good at all. There were many typos and the story only mentioned Christmas here and there. It seemed kind of slapped together and I was kind of like "yeah right" when I finished reading it. The third story was good, the characters were believable and likeable. Christmas was definately an important part of the story too. Overall I enjoyed reading this book and it was a great book to read around Christmas time!