Silhouette Christmas Stories 1990 [Paperback]

Ann Major (Author), Rita Rainville (Author), Lindsay McKenna (Author), Kathleen Creighton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1990

Paperback: 379 pages Publisher: Silhouette (November 1990) Language: English ISBN-10: 0373482302 ISBN-13: 978-0373482306 Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 3.8 x 1.2 inches Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces

Product Details

• Paperback: 379 pages
• Publisher: Silhouette (November 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373482302
• ISBN-13: 978-0373482306
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 3.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,411,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

That Gemini energy got the best of me in this life time! The best place to introduce the multi-facets of my varied life is through my blog: www.talesfromechocanyon.blogspot.com. There, you will me me, the author as I pen writing journal info for aspiring writers, the gardener who loves roses, Iris, Day lilies and anything else that blooms, the medical astrologer, the person who came from Eastern Cherokee metis background via my father, the horse lover, the Earth lover and the mystic.

I was raised in a metaphysical household. The strange was normal. My father, being the metaphysician he was, would often talk of ghosts coming through the house, who they were, what they said, and so on. I know this probably sounds pretty out of this world--but that was my world growing up. My father's Cherokee blood runs strong in me in many ways. He used to tell us stories all the time and I'm sure this rubbed off on me and fueled my desire to write, which started at age 13. My mother used to read us stories when he didn't tell us a story. I believe that reading being prominent in our household all conspired to help me be a storyteller when I grew up!

I went into the US Navy when I was eighteen years old. I became a meteorologist because I loved Father Sky and the cloud beings. Before I went into the military, I got my student pilot's license. I soloed at age sixteen in twelve hours time. I earned my money picking night crawlers every night in our orchard and selling them by the hundreds of dozens to local sporting goods stores in the area. By the time I went into the Navy at eighteen, I had forty hours of flight time logged. And because of my military background, I created the sub-genre of Military Romance in the romance publishing Industry in 1983 with Captive of Fate (Silhouette Special Edition). I write what I know and I honor and respect all men and women who either served or are serving our country. They are all heroes and heroines in my eyes.

I was a fencer (I met my husband, David, in fencing--we crossed swords and it was love at first parry...) for many years. Being part of the East Coast fencing salles, I was one of the few women to take on epee and saber--and fight the guys on the copper strip--and win. The women who refused to just use a foil to fence with, opened up a whole new era for women after us to fence all three weapons. Men said the epee and saber were 'too heavy' for us girls--but we showed them differently! Now, in the Olympics, women are allowed to fence in more than just foil. That makes me proud of our burgeoning efforts so long ago. Women can do anything!

I was one of the first women firefighters in Ohio back in 1983. I routinely rolled on 400 of the 600 fire calls a year we had, and knew how to drive the pumper, the tanker and do any job a volunteer firefighter has to do. I also took training in hazardous materials down at the Reynoldsburg Fire Academy in Columbus, Ohio.

My life has been one of breaking through stereotypes, breaking down doors closed to women and showing that women are smart, strong, and capable. As a Native American raised woman, I came from a matriarchal background--not a patriarchal one as most women come from. And because of that, my books show strong, smart women who are equal to any man. I like showing the world that women are equals. We don't need to say one gender is better than the other. Rather, we need to realize, honor and use everyone's best skills and talents to make this world a better place to live. I feel like I've lived about five lives packed into one and all of this adventure and experience is reflected in the books I write.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Storyline ...., June 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Silhouette Christmas Stories 1990 (Paperback)

Anthology includes stories by Ann Major, Rita Rainville, Lidsay McKenna, and Kathleen Creighton. Here are the stories lines from the back of the book: (1)"Santa's Special Miracle" by Anne Major -- All widowed Noreen Black's son wanted for Christmas was a daddy, but even Santa couldn't bring the man she loved into their family. Grant Hale's comforting arms almost made Noreen forget why she'd run from him years ago. Yet when he discovered the child she'd kept secret, only a miracle would grant a little boy's wish ... (2)"Lights Out" by Rita Rainville -- Despite a grandfather named Kris K. Ringle, Carroll Stilwells' holiday's weren't starting out well. Grandpa's experiments with seasonal decoration kept putting out lights all over town, and their handsome new neighbor was complaining about the power failures. But despite his anger, Carroll kept wondering how he would look under her tree! (3)"Always and Forever" by Lindsay McKenna -- Fighter pilot Kyle Anderson waged a private war against desire for the one woman he could never have. Gale Taylor had sworn never to give her heart again ... until a twist of fate at Christmas sent her into Kyle's arms for always. (4)"The Mysterious Gift" by Kathleen Creighton -- Christmas looked bleak. Karen Todd was broke, with eight-year-old Andrew to support. Only nechanice -- and guardian angle -- Tony Angelo stood between her and total poverty. After all, no car, no job. Then Andrew asked Santa for a very special gift. Would Tony be an angel one more time?

4.0 out of 5 stars Two stellar stories in this collection make it one worth owning, December 7, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: Silhouette Christmas Stories 1990 (Paperback)

From the back cover:

SANTA'S SPECIAL MIRACLE by Ann Major
All widowed Noreen Black's son wanted for Christmas was a daddy, but even Santa couldn't bring the man she loved into their family. Grant Hale's comforting arms almost made Noreen forget why she'd run from him years ago. Yet when he discovered the child she'd kept secret, only a miracle would grant a little boy's wish...

LIGHTS OUT! by Rita Rainville
Despite a grandfather named Kris K. Ringle, Carroll Sitwell's holidays weren't starting out well. Grandpa's experiments with seasonal decoration kept putting out lights all over town, and their handsome new neighbor was complaining about the power failures. But despite his anger, Carroll kept wondering how he would look under her tree!

ALWAYS AND FOREVER by Lindsay McKenna
Fighter pilot Kyle Anderson waged a private war against desire for the one woman he could never have. Gale Taylor had sworn never to give her heart again...until a twist of fate at Christmas time sent her into Kyle's arms for always.

THE MYSTERIOUS GIFT by Kathleen Creighton
Christmas looked bleak. Karen Todd was broke, with eight-year-old Andrew to support. Ony mechanic--and guardian angel--Tony Angelo stood between her the total poverty. After all, no car, no job. Then Andrew asked Santa for a very special gift. Would Tony be an angel one more time?

And my review:

While this is an older book, it just goes to show that not all romances age badly. The last two stories in this book were wonderfully good, and didn't feel aged at all. But I'll back up and review each story in order:

I didn't really expect much of Ann Major's SANTA'S SPECIAL MIRACLE. I find that this is an author who creates very unlikeable characters and often uses cliched, over-the-top situations to fuel her stories. This one almost blew the lid off the unlikeable characters expectation. The hero and heroine were both despicable! The hero is a man who makes a play for his brother's wife...and she reciprocates! Disgusting. Any man who will french-kiss his brother's wife ON HER WEDDING DAY deserves to be dumped into a barrel of pig swill. And any woman who will respond should be right in there with him. I'm supposed to cheer for these two? I felt like they deserved each other, and not in a good way. The fact that the heroine didn't really love her first husband does not make cheating okay. (Yes, the infidelity does go farther than just that kiss--I cheated and skimmed ahead.) I didn't get very far into this story, but that's not very suprising when you find yourself wanting to do physical harm to the two main characters. One star.

LIGHTS OUT! by Rita Rainville was an okay story, but not one I would bother reading again. The character of the heroine's grandfather was a bit overdone, in my opinion. Eccentric older people as characters are enjoyable, but they shouldn't be charicatures. That's what Kris K. Ringle felt like. He didn't come across as endearing...he just came across as ridiculous. And weird. And totally crazy. The writing was also rather awkward in places, and I never really felt like I knew or connected with the characters. Still, I did get all the way through this story, so I'll give it three stars.

ALWAYS AND FOREVER was my first try of author Lindsay McKenna, and I was very impressed. I just loved this story. It's semi-historical, in that it's set during the 70's. It's also a military romance. I was a little worried coming into this story, as I was afraid that the whole forbidden love the hero has for his best friend's wife would lead to cheating and other unforgiveable behaviour. Thankfully, that didn't happen. Both the hero and heroine were honorable thoughout this story (rare in romance these days). There was no cheating in this story.

I also really liked how their friendship was very strong, and that it developed into love. The author drew on her own experiences, and gave the reader a good inside view into military life, and portrayed how letters really are a lifeline for those in the armed forces (and for their families). Another added bonus to this story (at least in my opinion) was that it was totally clean (no lurid sex scenes). While the hero and heroine were physically attracted to each other, the romance was based on much more than that. I really felt like I knew why these two should be together.

My only complaint with this novella was that the author was really bad for head-hopping. The point-of-view would constantly ping-pong back and forth between the hero and heroine, which gets a bit annoying after a while. But if you can get past that, you'll find a very enjoyable story that holds up to rereading. Five stars.

THE MYSTERIOUS GIFT by Kathleen Creighton was another lovely character-driven story. This author drew together some wonderful elements for this story: an adorable young boy who's eight (but talks like he's 30); a gruff but loveable hero; a widowed heroine who is aching to love again, but afraid; and an old man named Mr. Clausen who may or may not be Santa Claus. Even though this story spanned only a week, the romance never felt rushed at all. The little boy was so cute, and felt like a real character, and not just a flat plot device. I really felt the heroine's pain and fears. The emotions were very realistic.

I also really liked that the author refrained from making the heroine's first marriage turn out to be inferior or unhappy. So many romance writers now have it that the first marriage will be pleasant, and the new relationship so much better because the lust is so overwhelming. That didn't happen here--thank goodness. While the hero and heroine were physically attracted to each other, it wasn't the sole thing drawing them together. I felt like I really knew why they should be together, and it was for more compelling reasons than that they just couldn't keep their hands off each other. This story was also clean, for the most part. Sex gets a VERY brief mention, but the author doesn't go into any detail. And it isn't a cheap, casual encounter, either. I highly recommend this story. Five stars.

Romance anthologies are always a mixed bag. Usually, you'll be lucky to find even one novella that's worth finishing, let alone rereading. In this collection, you're lucky enough to be able to find two! I recommend trying to get your hands on a copy of this book. The second half makes it worth owning. Also, see me list "Christmas romance books worth buying" for my other recommend picks of keepers and rereads.