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Mistletoe Memories
Spend a heartfelt Christmas on Schooley’s Mountain as four generations make a house a home. Carpenter Stephan Yost vows to build a precocious spinster a home by Christmas. Civil War widow Mary Ann Plum learns the greatest peace on earth comes from giving
and
receiving love. Olympia Paris must protect the orphanage she grew up in from a man intending to play Father Christmas to most of the town. Joy Benucci turns to a modern-day Scrooge to save a transitional home for foster kids. Will Christmas be a season of miracles in their lives?
Tis the season / Carla Olson Gade
Mercy mild / Gina Welborn
Midnight clear / Lisa Karon Richardson
Comfort and joy / Jennifer Allee
Tis the season / Carla Olson Gade
Mercy mild / Gina Welborn
Midnight clear / Lisa Karon Richardson
Comfort and joy / Jennifer Allee
352 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2013
117 people are currently reading
370 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer AlLee
33 books153 followersJennifer AlLee was born in Hollywood, California, and spent the first 10 years of her life living over a mortuary one block away from Hollywood and Vine. An avid reader and writer, she completed her first novel in high school. That manuscript is now safely tucked away, never to see the light of day again.
She has worked in numerous fields, including as a church secretary and as an administrative assistant at a cable company, but wherever she works, writing always becomes part of the job description.
Her first novel was published in 2007. Since then, she's published 11 novels and quite a few novellas with five different publishing houses. While she's thrilled to be living her dream as author, Jennifer considers raising her amazing son to be her biggest creative achievement.
She lives in southern Nevada with her husband, Nic, who is a hunky Englishman and the best cabbie in Las Vegas.
She has worked in numerous fields, including as a church secretary and as an administrative assistant at a cable company, but wherever she works, writing always becomes part of the job description.
Her first novel was published in 2007. Since then, she's published 11 novels and quite a few novellas with five different publishing houses. While she's thrilled to be living her dream as author, Jennifer considers raising her amazing son to be her biggest creative achievement.
She lives in southern Nevada with her husband, Nic, who is a hunky Englishman and the best cabbie in Las Vegas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
June 26, 2016
This is a good book. I love the characters. The historical elements are nice. Highly recommended.
September 5, 2013
Mistletoe Memories
Season for Love – 1820 German Valley NJ
I should really stop liking novellas; they go over speed-limit on highway of love. Annaliese and Stephan have seen each other but effectively never officially met. She has her future mapped out as a spinster and he is in search of his former love. But there is this boy Rory who whistles in hopes to get help for his uncle. What a mess one whistle can create… their love story is a whirlwind of unexpected circumstances from a kiss under mistletoe to keep Stephen from whistling and to a major discovery and a confession by iron mine. It seemed to miss a chapter or two but all in all it was enjoyable with a great glimpse into history of early German and Dutch settlers.
Mercy Mild –1868 German Valley NJ
Former solder, and now a Deputy, Zeke is in charge of choosing homes for a half dozen children. It is all smooth and well with exception that there is Polly a girl who arrived unexpectedly and needs a temporary home. Many people are eager to take her but Zeke decides to force her on his only love –widow Mariane who doesn’t want children. Polly charms and scares Mariane who in truth loves children but is afraid to end up being like her mother. I want tell you what all took place but after a lot of prayer Mariane finally got courage to get out of her comfort zone and fight for happiness.
Midnight Clear – 1910 German Valley NJ
Olympia and Teddy came from the same orphanage but took completely different paths in life. While Teddy ran away and became rich to prove himself worthy of respect, Olympia stayed back and took over the orphanage. While for Teddy orphanage was an embarrassment to her it was her family. Now she does everything to save the house from being auctioned off by government and Teddy is the one who apparently got her into this mess. But they are childhood sweethearts. Their story is my favorite even though I really liked them all.
Comfort and Joy – Present day same—same home
Joy knows the world of a foster child and chose a mission in life to help these young adults to transition from being a child to being a self-sufficient adult. Evan knows that world too but from a completely different side. Will they be able to overcome all the bitterness pain and prejudice and safe the Comfort house that they find out was always house parentless children?? I loved the plight in this story; Author is very unbyast and gives clear view of both Foster children and Foster parents. It made me think and hurt for the injustice done to both.
All four stories, even though are romances, show the troubles children have gone through the generations. They were misunderstood hundreds years ago and they are misunderstood today. If I am not mistaken all four stories didn’t just take place at the same hill they are all history is being held by the walls of the same home.
Readers Enjoy!!! I did. And I was touched more then I expected to be.
Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from Barbour Publishing, through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Season for Love – 1820 German Valley NJ
I should really stop liking novellas; they go over speed-limit on highway of love. Annaliese and Stephan have seen each other but effectively never officially met. She has her future mapped out as a spinster and he is in search of his former love. But there is this boy Rory who whistles in hopes to get help for his uncle. What a mess one whistle can create… their love story is a whirlwind of unexpected circumstances from a kiss under mistletoe to keep Stephen from whistling and to a major discovery and a confession by iron mine. It seemed to miss a chapter or two but all in all it was enjoyable with a great glimpse into history of early German and Dutch settlers.
Mercy Mild –1868 German Valley NJ
Former solder, and now a Deputy, Zeke is in charge of choosing homes for a half dozen children. It is all smooth and well with exception that there is Polly a girl who arrived unexpectedly and needs a temporary home. Many people are eager to take her but Zeke decides to force her on his only love –widow Mariane who doesn’t want children. Polly charms and scares Mariane who in truth loves children but is afraid to end up being like her mother. I want tell you what all took place but after a lot of prayer Mariane finally got courage to get out of her comfort zone and fight for happiness.
Midnight Clear – 1910 German Valley NJ
Olympia and Teddy came from the same orphanage but took completely different paths in life. While Teddy ran away and became rich to prove himself worthy of respect, Olympia stayed back and took over the orphanage. While for Teddy orphanage was an embarrassment to her it was her family. Now she does everything to save the house from being auctioned off by government and Teddy is the one who apparently got her into this mess. But they are childhood sweethearts. Their story is my favorite even though I really liked them all.
Comfort and Joy – Present day same—same home
Joy knows the world of a foster child and chose a mission in life to help these young adults to transition from being a child to being a self-sufficient adult. Evan knows that world too but from a completely different side. Will they be able to overcome all the bitterness pain and prejudice and safe the Comfort house that they find out was always house parentless children?? I loved the plight in this story; Author is very unbyast and gives clear view of both Foster children and Foster parents. It made me think and hurt for the injustice done to both.
All four stories, even though are romances, show the troubles children have gone through the generations. They were misunderstood hundreds years ago and they are misunderstood today. If I am not mistaken all four stories didn’t just take place at the same hill they are all history is being held by the walls of the same home.
Readers Enjoy!!! I did. And I was touched more then I expected to be.
Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from Barbour Publishing, through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.
February 11, 2018
Great Stories
I really enjoyed this collection of stories. It follows a house and all the people that have lived in it over the years, happy times, sad times, and of course love that happened there. Fun stories to lose yourself in for a while.
I really enjoyed this collection of stories. It follows a house and all the people that have lived in it over the years, happy times, sad times, and of course love that happened there. Fun stories to lose yourself in for a while.
January 1, 2024
Oh geez. This was another one of 'em books that just dragged - even though it was Christmas-y themed and all. Oh, by the way... Happy New Year! Now onto the next book... this year, I set my goal to read 30 books, as I didn't come close to my 50 - book goal in 2023. Hard to believe it is 2024. Where does the time go?
June 30, 2015
Mistletoe Memories, 4 authors Christmas anthology
Schooley's Mountain, NJ has a resort with miracle healing water that many flock to during the summer months.
.
Tis the Season by Carla Olson Gade
NJ 1920's Annaliese is the doctor's daughter and a tree branch falls just in her path on her way to bring clothes for the less fortunate. She tumbles out of the carriage and carpenter Stephen Yot rescues her. There is a sprig of mistletoe and he kisses her after making sure she's ok.
A boy runs through the field as he saw the doctor's carriage. They all go to Rory's uncle while Stephen finds the doctor to help. Love the mystery of the magnetized mine and how Rory is saved from his real father. Like how that all came about and mention of Bonaparte in the storyline. References to religion as he is from Holland and is of German descent.
hadn't realized I had read other works by the author-a quilt series she is part of.
.
Mercy Mild by Gina Welborn
Eziekiel is the deputy and he's in charge of bringing the orphans to Schooley Mountain where 4 of them have already been adopted. Nobody planned on the 5th child, Polly.
He elected Mrs. Plum to take care of her temporarily while he tried to track down other relatives of Polly to see if they wanted her.
Mrs. Plum has never had children and feels out of place with her, she's very nervous and is not used to having another in the house. Zeke lives next door with his mother and stops in from time to time til they are used to one another.
Love the glass house and all it stands for. Marianne confesses her love for Zeke and then he leaves to find guardians for Polly. She throws herself into decorating and shopping and Polly is only too happy to help. The mishap with the tree is the last straw til the town meets at the war memorial...
.
Midnight Clear by Lisa Karon Richardson
Olympia Paris is doing everything she can to save the orphanage from going to auction the day after Christmas. She waitresses and tends to the children and it's never enough.
Teddy has returned from when he was a boy growing up at the orphanage and he has plans. He hadn't realized how it'd effect Olympia and the kids. Can a Christmas miracle happen to save the place so they will have a place to live.
.
Comfort and Joy by Jennifer AlLee
Modern days and Joy has just been notified of Sam's passing away and he gave the house to his nephew. She's a bit put out as she doesn't know where the residents will live...
Evan Lancaster had told her she and the clients had to be out of the house in 30 days time. It's Christmas and she prays for a miracle. The people that live in the house are out of the foster care system and are learning how to do things with her help, by themselves.
Can a photograph of the original house save them all?
Schooley's Mountain, NJ has a resort with miracle healing water that many flock to during the summer months.
.
Tis the Season by Carla Olson Gade
NJ 1920's Annaliese is the doctor's daughter and a tree branch falls just in her path on her way to bring clothes for the less fortunate. She tumbles out of the carriage and carpenter Stephen Yot rescues her. There is a sprig of mistletoe and he kisses her after making sure she's ok.
A boy runs through the field as he saw the doctor's carriage. They all go to Rory's uncle while Stephen finds the doctor to help. Love the mystery of the magnetized mine and how Rory is saved from his real father. Like how that all came about and mention of Bonaparte in the storyline. References to religion as he is from Holland and is of German descent.
hadn't realized I had read other works by the author-a quilt series she is part of.
.
Mercy Mild by Gina Welborn
Eziekiel is the deputy and he's in charge of bringing the orphans to Schooley Mountain where 4 of them have already been adopted. Nobody planned on the 5th child, Polly.
He elected Mrs. Plum to take care of her temporarily while he tried to track down other relatives of Polly to see if they wanted her.
Mrs. Plum has never had children and feels out of place with her, she's very nervous and is not used to having another in the house. Zeke lives next door with his mother and stops in from time to time til they are used to one another.
Love the glass house and all it stands for. Marianne confesses her love for Zeke and then he leaves to find guardians for Polly. She throws herself into decorating and shopping and Polly is only too happy to help. The mishap with the tree is the last straw til the town meets at the war memorial...
.
Midnight Clear by Lisa Karon Richardson
Olympia Paris is doing everything she can to save the orphanage from going to auction the day after Christmas. She waitresses and tends to the children and it's never enough.
Teddy has returned from when he was a boy growing up at the orphanage and he has plans. He hadn't realized how it'd effect Olympia and the kids. Can a Christmas miracle happen to save the place so they will have a place to live.
.
Comfort and Joy by Jennifer AlLee
Modern days and Joy has just been notified of Sam's passing away and he gave the house to his nephew. She's a bit put out as she doesn't know where the residents will live...
Evan Lancaster had told her she and the clients had to be out of the house in 30 days time. It's Christmas and she prays for a miracle. The people that live in the house are out of the foster care system and are learning how to do things with her help, by themselves.
Can a photograph of the original house save them all?
February 12, 2016
This is a delightful collection of Christmas miracles... with a touch of mistletoe! My Rating 4.5.
Each of the four stories shares a wonderful, gentle message of faith. The stories are warm and charming. All of my book club ladies loved the book, even if some thought that the quick romances were somewhat unrealistic. Since I know from personal experience that quick romance can happen that didn’t bother me one bit. I highly recommend this to readers who enjoy charming, clean romance with inspiring messages of faith. I will be glad to read any of these authors again.
See the full review and a giveaway at my blog:
http://marthasbookshelf.blogspot.com/...
Each of the four stories shares a wonderful, gentle message of faith. The stories are warm and charming. All of my book club ladies loved the book, even if some thought that the quick romances were somewhat unrealistic. Since I know from personal experience that quick romance can happen that didn’t bother me one bit. I highly recommend this to readers who enjoy charming, clean romance with inspiring messages of faith. I will be glad to read any of these authors again.
See the full review and a giveaway at my blog:
http://marthasbookshelf.blogspot.com/...
May 23, 2014
My novella, Mercy Mild, is a 2014 Selah Award finalist.
October 7, 2017
This book is a collection of four short romance stories centered around Christmas time:
'Tis the Season
by Carla Olson Gade,
Mercy Mild
by Gina Welborn,
Midnight Clear
by Lisa Karon Richardson, and
Comfort and joy
by Jennifer AiLee. All were published in 2013. Each story covers a different period of time but all in the same location: Schooley's Mountain, New Jersey. All are romances but also involve children, usually orphans finding homes. These are the type of stories you don't mind if the children read over your shoulder. They are squeaky clean and sweet.
The basic theme is good people overcoming adversity. From historical romance to contemporary romance, each of these stories fit into this book as part of a whole. Reading this, I felt a sense of continuity that was comfortable. There's a sense of community even if it spans a couple centuries. Each is the perfect length for a short, feel good Christmas read.
There's a lot of fun packed in these four short stories. I had a good laugh over the antics of the children. The romances were sweet. The drama was mild in keeping with the Christmas spirit. And God was honored in each of the stories in many special ways. Overall this is a very pleasant book.
The basic theme is good people overcoming adversity. From historical romance to contemporary romance, each of these stories fit into this book as part of a whole. Reading this, I felt a sense of continuity that was comfortable. There's a sense of community even if it spans a couple centuries. Each is the perfect length for a short, feel good Christmas read.
There's a lot of fun packed in these four short stories. I had a good laugh over the antics of the children. The romances were sweet. The drama was mild in keeping with the Christmas spirit. And God was honored in each of the stories in many special ways. Overall this is a very pleasant book.
December 29, 2025
Suppose to all happen at the same house but not much interaction from each other. Hallmark type stories. It’s the season is about Stephan, a carpenter, coming back to the place he lost his wife. Unbeknownst to him the boy helping him is his son that he never knew about. Annalise is the resort doctor’s daughter and they get together. At the very end he has built a house for them. In Mercy Mild Marianne lives in the house. When an orphan needs a home, she unwilling takes in a girl which thinks is just temporary. The sheriff in charge changes her mind. Midnight Clear involves someone wanting to tear the house down to build a resort. Comfort and Joy has the lady in charge of a home for kids coming from foster care fighting to keep it with a handsome lawyer finally agreeing to help.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2016
Entertaining
I enjoyed this collection of stories that surrounded a house in a quaint town. All were nice standalone sweet tales that were light reading and enjoyable. I recommend this book collection.
I enjoyed this collection of stories that surrounded a house in a quaint town. All were nice standalone sweet tales that were light reading and enjoyable. I recommend this book collection.
December 11, 2017
Mistletoe memories
Mistletoe Memories by Jennifer AlLee is a great read. These four authors done a great job weaving heart warming stories that would be enjoyable to read during this holiday season and those to come.
Mistletoe Memories by Jennifer AlLee is a great read. These four authors done a great job weaving heart warming stories that would be enjoyable to read during this holiday season and those to come.
December 13, 2018
Four generations, one house. What a delicious premise, beginning with the 1820s, then right after the Civil War, the next after the Turn of the Century (1910), the last one contemporary. Each one takes place around Christmas time. Sweet connected short stories.
January 2, 2020
It was okay. I wish they had tied in the story of the house a little sooner than they did. I think I was expecting a book like “Thanksgiving.” In it, the house is always inhabited by family descendants. I guess I was expecting that.
January 22, 2021
Clean Holiday Fun
All of these stories feature a damsel in distress, trying her best to make things work for kids. I loved the historical stories but the contemporary were good too.
All of these stories feature a damsel in distress, trying her best to make things work for kids. I loved the historical stories but the contemporary were good too.
December 8, 2022
I usually don't read short stories but I was given this book. To my delight I loved each and every story. The characters had a strong faith and trusted God when they had obstacles in their lives. It was just lovely.
March 25, 2023
Clean Romance
I enjoyed reading this series about a home that goes through many changes over the decades and the people that live there. I especially enjoy the fact that each story is squeaky clean.
I enjoyed reading this series about a home that goes through many changes over the decades and the people that live there. I especially enjoy the fact that each story is squeaky clean.
June 19, 2017
Cute short stories from different time periods. All religious, but no sermons. Only borders on invasive briefly in last one. Solid 3
December 13, 2017
Awesome stories.
The stories keep you wanting to learn more about the characters. Real page turners. Highly recommend to anyone. Merry Christmas
The stories keep you wanting to learn more about the characters. Real page turners. Highly recommend to anyone. Merry Christmas
December 18, 2017
Wonderful reading!
This was a very good book. With 4 stories that tied to one another, it was even more enjoyable. I definitely recommend this book.
This was a very good book. With 4 stories that tied to one another, it was even more enjoyable. I definitely recommend this book.
January 1, 2018
Warm and entertaining Christmas novellas, which I very much enjoyed.
September 4, 2019
I enjoyed this book..hope you will too
November 20, 2020
Did not finish - it was not for me.
December 12, 2020
Two of the stories were repeats from another collection. I did like Mercy Mild by Gina Welborn
December 23, 2020
Good
Very interesting. Kept your interest. Couldn't put it down as I was always what the next page held. Two days to read it all
Very interesting. Kept your interest. Couldn't put it down as I was always what the next page held. Two days to read it all
September 14, 2023
Adorable, although I probably should have read this in December instead of September.
December 23, 2024
This wasn't exactly what I expected so I did not enjoy the stories as much. They were good stories, well written, just a little disappointed in them.
January 9, 2017
Great Bpok
This was s great collection of stories . Tracing the history of the house . I really enjoyed thi SSC book
This was s great collection of stories . Tracing the history of the house . I really enjoyed thi SSC book
March 14, 2017
It is a great book to read
January 21, 2018
This is a collection of stories centered around one house that served as an orphanage or foster home for four generations. From the title, I expected the stories to be about four generations of one family, but it was about four generations of children who grew up in the house as orphans. It was interesting to read about how the children lived in the different time periods.
February 24, 2017
Stories about one house
Each story is set in a different period of time and each story is different but all have one house in common. The characters in each story were diverse and entertaining. My only complaint is the first story, "Tis the Season," had text missing. There wasn't a smooth transition from one page to another on several pages.
Each story is set in a different period of time and each story is different but all have one house in common. The characters in each story were diverse and entertaining. My only complaint is the first story, "Tis the Season," had text missing. There wasn't a smooth transition from one page to another on several pages.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews