Christmas on Ladybug Farm

Ladybug Farm #3.5

by Donna Ball

"A must read." --Examiner.com 'Twas the Night Before Christmas It’s Christmas Eve, and Cici, Bridget and Lindsay are busy preparing for their annual holiday party. The tree is sparkling, the turkey is roasting, the wreaths are hung and the eggnog is chilled. The scene is set for the perfect Christmas... with one or two exceptions. The entire state is in the midst of a heat wave. No one can find any mistletoe. The Christmas tree lights keep exploding, and, perhaps worst of all, something has gone terribly wrong with Ida Mae’s fruitcakes. It wouldn’t be Ladybug Farm if everything went according to plan, and as the ladies deal with one mishap after another, they remember Christmases past, laughter shared, and lessons learned. But when nightfall descends upon Ladybug Farm and one of their own still has not come home, they begin to worry that this Christmas will be one to remember for all the wrong reasons. All they can do is cling to each other as they watch and wait ... and pray for miracle. "Donna Ball has created a delightful world in her Ladybug Farm novels. Her characters are lively and endearing, and readers will feel a longing to join the girls on the front porch in the evenings as they reminisce about the day's activities." --Fresh Fiction "A delight to read" -- Book Binge "Once you've traveled down that long road to Ladybug Farm , it's hard to leave." --Georgia Mountain Laurel "Here's to Ladybug Farm!" --Beyond Her Book "Absolutely delectable" ---Publisher's Weekly

Genres: Fiction, Christmas, Chick Lit, Holiday, Womens Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

129 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 30, 2011

Reviews

[Melodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short and sweet Christmas story comes with the bonus of a compilation of recipes used in the Ladybug Farm series. While I finished it in a couple hours, I spent time drooling over the recipes and picking a for my own holiday baking. I love the Ladybug series!

[~Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first Ladybug Farm book I have read. Maybe they need to be read in order because I had trouble sorting out the characters. They ran together. Or, maybe I was just tired when I read it ...

Anyway, it was a cute, fun book. I enjoyed the stories the women told about Christmas time when they were each younger. My favorite was the young bride preparing for her husband's parents to come for Christmas! What a crazy fiasco!

The thing that stood out the most to me was the companionship and friendship of these characters. They have made their own version of a family and a remarkable group they are.

I intend to read more books by this author and I think maybe I'll start at the beginning of the series!

[Mo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not realize that this novella was #4 in a series. I will put it aside until/if I read the first 3 books. Although that is not very likely, since I did not like the tone of the first 10 pages.

UPDATE: December 7, 2020
I picked this up and tried again. Nope, it's definitely not for me.

[Sandym24 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet wholesome holiday read. Very short but a perfect light Christmas novella that will get you in the holiday spirit. I read it as a Christmas in July read and am sort of wishing it was Christmas now .

[Sue Gerth (The Bookalicious Babe) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little novella from a series that I just loved, and was sorry it didn't continue on with more novels.
Christmas at Ladybug Farm was a nice, quick read.

[Myrna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ladybug Farm series is among my most favorite books. Christmas on Ladybug Farm is partly a story and partly a cookbook. The story is, of course, about Christmas. The owners of Ladybug Farm, Lindsay, Cici, and Bridget are getting ready for their annual party. Anyone who knows these books, knows that anything can happen at Ladybug Farm and the fun is finding out what mishap will befall the three friends and how they will cope with it. Intertwined with the preparations are touching stories related by each character. My only non-positive thought about this book is that I wished the story part could have been longer. The cookbook part of the book is filled with recipes that will tempt anyone who enjoys cooking. Since I have now read all of this series I look forward to another and hope its coming soon.

[Merrill Medansky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Purely a brand extension from the prior books. Have was characters' reminiscences of past Christmases, and the other half was recipes. An easy read if you're fond of the characters (which I am) and looking for a light and fluffy story.

[Marge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. I was lucky enough to receive an advanced reader copy from Ms. Ball

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet Christmas memories shared with the extended family is interwoven with the events on Christmas Eve. Noah goes off to buy his new Mom a present and on the way home is in a wreck with a military veteran who was injured in Iraq. The two talk as they walk to "civilization" and get to know each other a little. Unfortunately a power grid outage makes the early night very dark and Noah is a bit lost. The power company makes repairs using big portable lights which act as a beacon for them. Just as everyone is sitting down to dinner Noah and his companion arrive. Heartwarming stories make this a good holiday read.

[Carole at From My Carolina Home · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful holiday novella you can finish in just a couple of days, or even in one sitting. It is the hottest Christmas eve on record, and the plans are in full swing as the characters we’ve come to know once again bite off more than they can chew. A near disaster for Noah, and a Christmas tree on fire in the house sets off the events triggering memories of Christmases past. Short vignettes of those memories sprinkle through the story, and the last half of the book is filled with comfort food recipes. A fun read for the holidays.

[Kaitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I wanted to continue the series but the next book was the Christmas book. So I decided Christmas in July is fine.

This one really doesn't further the plot except for one small thing, so if you are reading the series you could probably hold off and read this one at Christmas, if that's your thing.

It was sweet, maybe a little too sweet but that's ok for me right now. Quick easy read and now I can continue the series without feeling like I missed anything. Some laugh out loud moments.

3.5 stars

[Marseydoats · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this a higher rating of I could. If you just want a "feel good" book to read, this is it. I LOVE this series and wish there were more books. I couldn't decide if I had read this or not, parts of it seemed familiar. The short stories from the past, especially Ida Mae's about the War, and the story about Whiskers were great. The soldiers at the end were wonderful.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, quick popcorn novel for the holidays. Our favorite characters are back with a glimpse into their pasts. At times the characters were too stereotypical, but I enjoyed reading from this series again.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, sweet Christmas story that finds each of the inhabitants telling of their favorite Christmas memories while trying to not worry about Noah, who has gone AWOL on Christmas Eve. And, in the end, a very unexpected but sweet Christmas miracle. A nice addition to this enjoyable series.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the three previous books in this Ladybug Farm series and this little novella didn't disappoint. Always love a good Christmas story and the stories from Christmas past from some of the characters were fun. Hopefully I won't wait another 8 years to get to the final two books in the series!

[Kay Wathen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a great series

I so enjoy third authors series of Lady Bug Farm. Just fun and enjoyable , she has a gift when describing a scene so the reader feels they are right there. Her characters are fun as she carries you through the series.

[Jane Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet story!! I love how hard Donna Bell makes me laugh at some of the situations that the characters get into. I really enjoyed everyone's "worst Christmas ever" stories and the recipes at the end. It's an easy and pleasurable read.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read two of the Ladybug Farm books years ago and grabbed this one on a whim off the Christmas display at the library. I had forgotten most of the characters, but it was a nice, feel good, Christmas novella.

[Kathy Govreau · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful Christmas story.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a happy ending I absolutely loved it!

[Linda Smatzny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very small book composed of Christmas stories told by the main characters in the series. The book was a feel good book and was a very quick easy read.

[Judy Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good, but not what I expected. I liked the recipes though, that was a nice added touch, will have to try some of them.

[Tami Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find this series so fun and light. Very relaxing to read.

[Ms.Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT!!! What a GREAT way to end My Xmas....💖

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is easy to skim this book , to get the gist of the stories inside, Why do they always have to have a big catsrophe happen?

[Kathy Andersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

More recipes than story content.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mainly recaps and recipes.
Cool book.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite of the series, but still a super cute little story with yummy receipts from previous books.

[Ginny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a short book about different family members who come together to run a farm. Nice easy read.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second half of the book is recipes. A bit of a disappointment as far as story line.