Customer Reviews

The Night Before Christmas

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

 

 

PROMISES TO KEEP-This one is by Victoria Alexander. A lonely business woman, who refused marriage to her true love during World War II, gets the chance to relive her life, and the share the passion yet again. Thanks to the help of a department store Kris Kringle. 5 stars.

NAUGHTY OR NICE-Written by Sandra Hill, this one follows the adventures of a young beauty named Jessica, who dresses as Santa Claus one night, so she can commit a robbery, but ends up taking a hostage who turns out to be her one true love. And the only person whom she can trust. 4 stars.

SANTA READS ROMANCE-This one is by Dara Joy. A romance writer decides to take some time to seclude herself in a cabin, so she can finish up her latest masterpiece. But when a publisher dressed as Santa Claus ends up arriving during a snowstorm, she experiences something that she has only experienced through the characters in her novels. 5 stars.

A GIFT FOR SANTA-Written by Nelle McFather. When a widow and her daughter decide to spread Christmas cheer throughout their small town, she doesn't realize that she is finding a perfect husband for herself, and a perfect father for her daughter. 4 stars.

I found this treasury very enjoyable and well written. I felt that the stories that really shined in this novel, were Victoria Alexander's PROMISES TO KEEP, and Dara Joy's SANTA READS ROMANCE. A must-have treasury for your home this holiday season.

The first story is by Victoria Alexander, it's called "Promises to Keep". This is about a woman named Katherine who is lonely and sees Santa at a department store, she is 70 years old. She has many regrets in her life, but the one regret is her loss of her soul mate in 1942. Suddenly she finds herself swept back to that very point in her life that she always wished to change. She gets a real second chance to make things right this time. But is it too late? Is he still there? This is a beautiful and heartfilled story of hope and love. I loved it. 5 stars...

The second story is by Sandra Hill (my favorite author). the story is called "Naughty or Nice". It's an hysterical journey through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as you follow a young woman through her 'Christmas Curse'. Jessica is dressed as Santa and is about to commit a crime, when she takes a hostage who coicidentally looks just like Brad Pitt who is also dressed like Santa. The two find themselves experiencing 'love at first sight'. I was nearly on the floor laughing with this one. It's funny and romantic. It's a 5 star read...

The third story is by Dara Joy, it's called "Santa Reads Romance". I have never read Dara joy before and I was surprised. She is a funny and witty writer! This tale is about a woman romance writer, May. She goes to Maine and rents a cabin in the middle of nowhere to work on her book in peace. Soon she finds herself wishing she could go home when a blizzard begins and a 'Santa' shows up at her door who she knocks out thinking he is a maniac. The man she knocks out is a publisher named Hunter. Hunter is trying to get a manuscript from a moody horror writer deep in Maine. He is talked into dressing as Santa to do a stranger a favor when he finds the 'writer', May. Soon the story becomes hysterical as the two try and get along until they can leave the snowed in cabin. Will publisher and writer get together? This is a sure 5 star read...

The fourth and last story is by Nelle McFather. It's called "A Gift for Santa". This is a tale of a single mother who finds true love and happiness on Christmas from a stranger named Nick. She finds her soul mate at long last, but can she teach him the true meaning of the season? Can she convince him that true love does indeed exist? This is more of a 4 star read in my opinion, but it is still wonderful.

Tracy Talley~@

It is difficult for me to say which story in this book I liked the most, but I was probably most touched by Nelle McFather's story. I thought it was beautifully done.

I thought the Dara Joy story was good, but I found it to be the least touching story, for me. I guess I like my Christmas romances to have children somewhere within the book, and this particular story didn't, although it did have a cute puppy.

The Sandra Hill story was different. I would not have thought of having a halfway house as part of the backdrop for a Christmas story, although I'm not sure why I think that way, because each year at Christmas, we are urged to give to halfway homes. The sex was a little kinky in this short story, something different from the norm.

Now, the Victoria Alexander story. This was a very good story, an interesting choice for this particular compilation, I thought,
because it is a story that could have fit into other compilations as well. This one could fit in a time-travel book, a time-travel
Christmas book, or a book about 1940's romance, such as Strangers
in the Night (I am currently reading this one). Instead, Love Spell decided to put it into this particular book, which is okay, but I'm not sure it is the best fit. That said, I enjoyed her story very much, having to do with 2nd chances. It is my first Victoria Alexander book, and I will look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

I love the collection as a whole, but right now am just reviewing Victoria Alexander's story in The Night Before Christmas, "Promises to Keep." Boy, this is an amazing time travel/fantasy story. A woman who loses the man she loves in WWII has a second chance to find him again through a magical Santa Claus. This is an incredible story. Really, really moving. And very original. Ms. Alexander just keeps getting better!

From the back cover:

Here comes Santa Claus--with four stories that celebrate the joy of holiday love and cheer!

"Promises to Keep" by Victoria Alexander
After a trip to see a department-store Kirs Kringle, a lonely business woman is swept back to a long-ago Christmas--and given a second chance to share a passion that will prove to her it really is a wonderful life.

"Naughty or Nice" by Sandra Hill
When a young beauty sets out to steal some Yuletide cheer, she expects to end up with a stocking full of coal. Instead, a run-in with Santa's most virile helper brings her the best gift of all: a heart full of love.

"Santa Reads Romance" by Dara Joy
During a snowstorm, a romance writer is surprised when a handsome stranger dressed as Jolly Old St. Nick arrives at her isolated cabin--and stires up a blizzard of desire.

"A Gift for Santa" by Nelle McFather
With a dast a Father Christmas's magic, a generous widow saves her town's holiday celebration--and teaches the man she loves the true meaning of the season.

And my review:

I absolutely LOVED "Promises to Keep". I didn't expect to like it so much, as I've found that (apart from "The Prince's Bride") this author's work is good for a one-time read, but not as a keeper. But this story was FANTASTIC. I normally don't like the falling-in-love-at-first-sight theme (I usually find it silly) but this author handled it so well, that it was believable. I actually got tears in my eyes reading about the heroine's lost love, and I really rooted for them to get together. And the paranormal time-travel (the heroine went back into the WWII era) twist just made it that much more enjoyable. I know I'll be rereading this novella! Highly recommended. Five stars.

"Naughty or Nice" started off really well. It grabbed my attention within the first two pages, which is what you really want in a story. And it had some laugh-out-loud moments (glad I was at home at the time). But this author's use of the love-at-first-sight theme was very poorly done, especially when compared to the story that preceded it. And it was really more of a lust-at-first-sight story than a love story. If that's what you're looking for, then fine. But I don't like stories about people who hardly know each other having wild sex in a pantry. I need more motivation for romance than just physical attraction. When the characters jumped each other's bones, I skipped to the next story. Two stars, as it started off well.

"Santa Reads Romance" also started off really well. I liked the idea of a romance writer falling in love with a publisher (who incidentally thinks that writers are the bane of his existence). The plot started off with a bang, and what could be more interesting (and funny) than having the heroine conk the hero out with a piece of firewood because she thinks he's about to attack her? But then this became a falling-in-lust story, which again is not what I'm looking for. While I have nothing wrong with sexual attraction between leads (necessary for a good romance), I want more motivation than that to make the story work for me. Two stars, as again, this novella started off well.

"A Gift for Santa" just could not hold my interest. I'm not really sure what the problem was, but it seemed like the author was trying to throw way to much information at the reader without bothering to properly develop the characters. When I have to find myself re-reading the same page over and over and still not having it stick in my head, it's not worth the effort. One star.

As usual with romance anthologies, if you find one good story, you're lucky. While the last three stories (which were all contemporaries) were not worth my time, the first one was sooo good that I'm glad that I bought this book, and I would recommend it for that one story alone.

I thought these to be really good laid back christmas stories. Just something to pass the time. I enjoy short stories every once in awhile to break up the full size novels. These are really good.
And yes I actually liked Sandra Hill's story.:}

In my book collection, could only give it an 8. I consider it about
average...nothing to write home about. I read so many books, that it
takes something very special for 5 stars.