Merry Christmas, Baby!

by Susan Wiggs, Bobby Hutchinson, Karen Young (Translator)

In Cinderfella, a reporter hopes to save a shelter and seduce his boss, while in Grady's Kids, a stubborn rancher dislikes the woman his kids have chosen for him, and in It Takes a Miracle, a divorced couple gets a second chance. Original.

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Anthologies

377 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Susan Wiggs's life is all about family, friends...and fiction. She lives at the water's edge on an island in Puget Sound, and she commutes to her writers' group in a 17-foot motorboat. She serves as author liaison for Field's End, a literary community on Bainbridge Island, Washington, bringing inspiration and instruction from the world's top authors to her seaside community. (See www.fieldsend.org) She's been featured in the national media, including NPR's "Talk of the Nation," and is a popular speaker locally and nationally.

According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with "refreshingly honest emotion," and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is "one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book." Booklist characterizes her books as "real and true and unforgettable." She is the recipient of three RITA (sm) awards and four starred reviews from Publishers Weekly for her books. The Winter Lodge and Passing Through Paradise have appeared on PW’s annual "Best Of" lists. Several of her books have been listed as top Booksense picks and optioned as feature films. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have made national bestseller lists, including the USA Today, Washington Post and New York Times lists.

The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book. Readers can learn more on the web at www.susanwiggs.com and on her lively blog at www.susanwiggs.wordpress.com.

Reviews

[Jo Reads Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written and likeable anthology
4 stars

This is a Mills & Boon anthology where each story is centred around the Christmas season.


CINDERFELLA by Susan Wiggs
Down to earth reporter, Jack Riley and his new boss, socialite Madeline Langston couldn't be from more different worlds. But when Jack does a good deed, a good deed is done for him in return, and he goes to Madeline's Christmas party and finds that he might just be her Prince Charming.

This Cinderella parody is sweet, funny and very cleverly written. I didn't find it especially festive but it was a good story all the same.


GRADY'S KIDS by Bobby Hutchinson
Rancher Grady Hughes admits that he was wrong to try to stop a train from killing his cattle by holding the train up at gunpoint but he was at the end of his rope. When he is put on probation by the judge he doesn't expect his parole officer to be as sweet as Fiona Bennet. Grady knows she has fallen in love with his home and his kids, but can she ever feel the same way about him?

This was another very enjoyable story that didn't feel overly Christmassy (despite all the snow!) However, good and memorable characters still made this a joy to read.


IT TAKES A MIRACLE by Karen Young
Little Jessica and Jamie really want their Uncle Nathan to get a wife for Christmas - especially since he's now their guardian. They also have the perfect woman in mind - his ex-wife, Emily. That's exactly what Nathan wants, too, but convincing Emily is going to take a miracle.

This was definitely my favourite story of the anthology, as I love a story where a couple are reunited! I sighed at the happy ending of this tale and liked the way the story seemed almost magical. Wonderful.


Overall, apart from the last story, this wasn't really festive enough to be called a Christmas anthology, in my opinion. Having said that, the stories are all enjoyable, well written and are perfect for a quick read, whatever the time of year. 4 stars.

[JoAnn M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this anthology because Susan Wiggs was the featured author, but I didn't really care for her story. "Cinderfella" is the opposite-sex twist on the old fairy tale, but I disliked the one-night stand aspect. But Harry Fodgother was pretty funny. I liked the other stories better. "Grady's Kids" want him to marry his probation officer. Grady had a minor offense and his parole officer comes to the house for a visit and gets snowed in. Of course, she ends up really liking his kids. "It Takes a Miracle" involves Nathan getting custody of his late sister's two children. Under the influence of an angel, the kids scheme to reunite him with his separated wife.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stories about Christmas, the first by Susan Wiggs was a bit silly in places, but well-written. The other two were also enjoyable, but nothing that really stood out. Each story had kids who needed a mom, and that always appeals.

[Jessica Conant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three very touching and heartfelt Christmas romances. The first one even had me a little teary eyed. Nice quick enjoyable stories to read while snuggled warm in your bed during the holiday season .

[Gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I normally like books by Susan Wiggs. While they are not often ones that go on my keeper shelf, they are always an entertaining read. But I did not like "Cinderfella". The one-night-stand-under-false-pretenses-that-turns-into-love theme is one that I don't enjoy. When I got up to the point where the characters hopped into bed, I skipped to the next story.

"Grady's Kids" started off really well. The author had a good balance of plot and character development, which is difficult to do well in just over 100 pages. I liked the "forbidden love" element to this story: she was his parole officer (don't worry - the hero was a good guy who let his temper get the best of him and stopped a train at gunpoint to keep it from killing his cattle. He didn't hurt anyone). Grady's little girl, Belinda, was absolutely adorable, and I would dare any reader to not fall in love her - she was just that sweet. But then this author had the characters, who were just starting to get to know each other (the second day they've been together), having sex on the living room floor - where the kids could have walked in on them! What kind of responsible parent does that? And who sleeps with someone they hardly know? And what kind of parole officer sleeps with one of her cases? Ick. The falling-in-lust rather than falling-in-love element completely ruined the story for me, and once again I skipped the rest of this novella. Also, Christmas was over by the first ten pages, and only makes a very brief appearance in the epilogue (I skimmed). Less than a page of Christmas content does not a Christmas story make!

"It Takes A Miracle" is the story that saved the book from my donation pile. This story was absolutely WONDERFUL! I love stories of estranged spouses reconciling, and this one was one of the best stories of this theme that I've ever read. The characters were well-rounded, their motivations clear, their wants and fears keenly felt by the reader. They were both good people, and I was really rooting for them to get together. They split up for valid reasons, and it was not over a silly misunderstanding like you find so often in romance novels. The children were endearing, and the author's paranormal twist was so delicately handled that you couldn't be certain it was really there, which just added to the feeling of magic. Christmas was an integral part of the story, and not something that was just tacked on at the end. Reading this novella will make you believe in miracles and make you feel the magic of Christmas. After all, that's the reason most of us read Christmas romance anthologies, right? I've reread this story over a dozen times, and I still love it.

[Lauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second two stories had wise beyond their years children which tends to bother me. If you want the kids planning these things, why not make them older? I enjoyed the first story more though I wish Madeleine had taken more control of her own life instead of letting Jack and her Board of Directors make decisisons for her and then react to them.

[Mollie *scoutrmom* · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story, Cinderfella by Susan Wiggs, got a solid four out of five from me. The rest were fairly blah, entertaining but not at all deep or meaningful.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

A keeper. Worthy of a reread every Christmas, each story was excellent, a mixed group of characters and settings. Loved it!