Holidays are rife with stress. Grab your hot chocolate, curl up by the fire, and give yourself the gift of love with these seven Christmas romances that are sure to fill your heart with holiday spirit.
Serendipity - A Christmas Fairy Tale - Jolene Cazzola A Magical Christmas in Jerusalem - Joanne Dannon Home for Christmas - Mel Hammond Lost In Christmas - Cherie Marks Hollywood Snowfall - Heather C. Myers Dance Me a Dream - Kait Nolan All About Us - Tracey Pedersen
An accidental author... maybe? For most of my life, I never, ever, thought of myself as a writer – writing wasn’t even something she enjoyed doing. Then about a year ago, after some conversations with friends about the regrets of losing personal history, the idea of preserving experiences started to grow and flourish in my mind. Without any real thought about publishing, I began writing, just getting feelings and ideas down on paper. Love’s Illusions is the result.
Finding I truly enjoyed the 'writing journey', the next book in the Love's Illusions series is currently underway. The creative process, be it in the visual arts or literary arts, both required the desire and stimulus to move from simply 'thinking' about an idea to the actual production of that idea. In many ways, Love's Illusions equates to my visual arts work with glass and light.
I have both creative and analytical sides, holding MFA and MBA degrees. I spent much of my adult life working in social service and a niche area of medical billing.
Time to kick back with more just - for - fun Holiday reads and just like your favorite pie, you can have one slice at a time or the whole collection at once! Seven authors have gotten together with a variety of tales, each showcasing their unique style and voice. You may like some better than others, but I guarantee you, when you finish these, you will be wearing a smile, just like that pie and best of all, unlike that pie, they are calorie free! ROMANCING THE HOLIDAYS is the prefect getaway!
Jolene Cazzola’s SERENDIPITY is short, sweet and fun! Two people brought together by chance, seriously, what’s NOT to love about that? If you never believed in chance or fate, this might just change your mind! I have to say, having read other works by Ms. Cazzola, this one definitely showcases her ability to break stride and prove she can shine in more than one genre!
Joanne Dannon takes us on a journey across the world where two people from different cultures find love and the beauty of an ancient city with an amazing background. A MAGIC CHRISTAMS IN JERUSALEM is short, not too in depth, a tale of love found when one least expects it and taking a chance with one’s heart.
Mel Hammond’s HOME FOR CHRISTMAS is a brief tale of instant love, two souls finding each other and just knowing they are meant to be together. Just proves that you never know when love will find you and how far you will fall.
Cherie Marks’ LOST IN CHRISTMAS is a double dip of romance as two couples either re-discover or discover for the first time, the meaning of love and what a relationship is all about. A touch of humor, a touch of sweetness.
Next up, Heather C. Myers gives us HOLLYWOOD SNOWFALL, tells us what happens when a chance encounter with one of the rich and famous and one of us regular people uncovers the fact that love doesn’t care who you are. Fun, quick reading, and hey who’s to say it isn’t possible to find love this way?
How romantic does Kait Nolan’s DANCE ME A DREAM sound? It’s almost magical, as love, surprises and kids, yes, kids make for a sweet tale that will melt your heart. Made me want to go Awww…
Last, but certainly not least, Traci Pedersen’s ALL ABOUT US is actually a tale that highlights characters from a series, and while it is definitely filled with some wonderful characters and a feeling of love permeates all around, if one hasn’t read the series to know these characters, it is difficult to feel involved or invested. I almost felt this was a ploy to read the series, which may not be a bad idea!
I received this copy from Jolene Cazzola in exchange for my honest review.
Romancing the Holidays is a collection of seven super cute Christmas romance stories. Some were better than others, but for the most part I enjoyed them all. Because it’s easier, I will deal with each individual story before addressing the collection as a whole.
The first story, Serendipity by Jolene Cazzola, sets off the tone brilliantly. It was an adorable story, one you’re quickly pulled into. I gave it a four star rating, as I had a lot of fun with it. It was my first story by the author and it left me willing to have a look at her other work. The title pretty much tells you what to expect with this one – serendipity, chance, fate, destiny; the whole shebang. I could explain it in detail, but it would be spoilers. Whilst some of the things failed to surprise me, I still found the story super adorable.
The second story, A Magic Christmas in Jerusalem by Joanne Dannon, wasn’t quite as good as the first but I still enjoyed it. Truthfully, I rounded this one up. It was more a three-point-five rating, but I gave it a four. This is Christmas without the snow, but it’s still as sweet. I enjoyed the characters and story, but I wasn’t as crazy about the romance as I’d been in the first story. The passion and tension wasn’t quite the same. Fun, but I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I enjoyed the first story.
The third story, Home for Christmas by Mel Hammond, was my least favourite of the stories. Sadly, I gave it a two star rating. It could have possibly managed a mental two-point five-but it just missed out on it. I felt as though this story had very little to it. Oh, there was a story. However, by the end of the story I was left feeling as though I hadn’t experienced anything. I had more questions than answers. I didn’t feel as though I knew the characters. Sadly, this one wasn’t for me.
The fourth story, Lost in Christmas by Cherie Marks, was one of my favourite stories in the collection. It earned a solid four star rating from me. There are two romantic tales being told from the perspectives we follow, with all kinds of drama going on within the story that keeps you entertained throughout. Whilst it was fun to see the two different kinds of romances – a couple that is already together, and then the coming together of a romance – I must admit that I didn’t particularly care for the couple who were already together. There were some entertaining moments, but I was constantly left wanting to find out more about the other couple. Without a doubt, I’ll be reading more of this author.
The fifth story, Hollywood Snowfall by Heather C. Myers, was another fun read. There wasn’t much by way of festivity – it was more winter than Christmas – but it was still enjoyable. I’ve read a number of books by this author, and as always she delivers a great little story. It’s short and sweet, taking a pairing that has been done many times before – famous and non-famous – and making it her own. Whilst not my favourite Heather C. Myers story, it’s a four star read.
The sixth story, Dance Me a Dream by Kait Nolan, may well be my favourite of the collection. I thought my favourite would be Lost in Christmas until this one blew me away. Wow, just wow. The highest four star rating of the collection. I just wanted more of it. The story was so sweet, and the couple were adorable. I’ve already hit download on a couple of the authors other books. I could fangirl for a while about this one – just know the story is super wow.
The seventh story, All About Us by Tracey Pedersen, was a nice way to end the collection. It received a three star rating from me. This is mainly because I feel as though I needed to read the other books in the series. The story explains everything that has happened to the characters in the past, yet I felt as though I didn’t know them as well as those who have read the series would understand them. Whilst I’m interested in reading the series, it does feel a bit pointless based upon how I know the ending. I will probably read it, but I won’t go out of my way to read them right now.
Overall the collection earned a three-point-five-seven rating, rounded to four. They were great stories, really putting you in the mood for Christmas on a worldwide scale (we get both white Christmas stories and summer Christmas stories in this collection). Some of the stories needed a bit of editing, but that seemed to be an author-by-author thing, rather than the collection as a whole. Nevertheless, it was super enjoyable.
Certainly recommend to lovers of seasonal romance.
I received a free copy from one of the authors and will be leaving an honest review.
Romancing the Holidays This is a collection of 7 novellas.
Serendipity - I really enjoyed this one. It was a lovely story with a nice little twist at the end. I’ll definitely be looking for more by this writer because I really liked her style of writing.
A Magical Christmas in Jerusalem by Joanne Dannon – I wasn’t too sure about this one because I thought it might be too religious, but I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the story and enjoyed my mini tour of the city.
Home for Christmas by Mel Hammond – I found this one quite confusing. It almost seemed like I should have read previous books to know what was happening.
Lost in Christmas by Cherie Marks – I found this to be a cute, offbeat kind of story. I kind of solved the mystery of the missing seniors before the deputy, but I enjoyed the little sidetrips we took.
Hollywood Snowfall by Heather C. Myers – I wasn’t too crazy about this one. I know that we often have to suspend belief when reading some romance novels, but I found this one to be too unrealistic.
Dance Me A Dream by Kait Nolan – I really, really enjoyed this one. I absolutely loved the main characters and the kids were refreshingly ….. kids. Too many books have precocious mini-adult children. Loved the surprise Jace put together for Tara.
All About Us by Tracey Pedersen – Again, a story I really enjoyed. I had already read the first two books of the series, but hadn’t gotten to the third. I wish I’d realized this was a continuation of the series so that I could have read the third book first. I’ll probably go back and read it, then do another skim of this story to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Nice to catch up with Jenna and Ryan.
All in all I really enjoyed this book. It definitely put me in a Christmas state of mind. I’ve even started my shopping! LOL
I have been provided with a copy of Romancing the Holidays Anthology: 7 Enchanting Christmas Reads by the author for an impartial review. In this anthology are the following tities Serendipity A Christmas Fairy Tale by Jolene Cazzola, A Magical Christmas in Jerusalem by Joanne Dannon, Home for Christmas by Mel Hammond, Lost in Christmas by Cherie Marks, Hollywood Snowfall by Heather C. Myers, Dance Me a Dream by Kait Nolan, and All About Us by Tracey Pedersen. I will be updating this review as I finish each title.
Serendipity - A Christmas Fairy Tale by Jolene Cazzola
A Magical Christmas in Jerusalem by Joanne Dannon
Home for Christmas by Mel Hammond
Lost in Christmas by Cherie Marks
Hollywood Snowfall by Heather C. Myers
I really enjoyed this book it was short and sweet and it was a really easy read that you could finish in an afternoon. At the end of the book I really wanted there to be more of the story I was completely brought into the main characters lives and I got to see them come together. The only negative thing I have to say about this book is that it could use some editing to correct some of the grammar and word usage errors throughout the story.
Dance Me a Dream by Kait Nolan
I really enjoyed this story I got to see what happened to a character that I previously had wondered about in another of the Wishful series books. In this book you get to see the struggles that Tara has faced and you get a better understanding of what has happened in her life and it just tugged at my heartstrings for all the tough situations that she had to go through to get to where she is at. This book is a really easy read and it something that you can finish in one setting if you have the time to spare. I absolutely loved it and I can’t wait to read more of the Wishful series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from one of the authors. This is my voluntary and honest review.
Romancing the Holidays is an enjoyable anthology of Christmas stories, some better than others, but for the most part they put a smile on your face. Having lived in Israel, I strongly identified with A Magical Christmas in Jerusalem, as I have spent my own Christmas in the Holy Land and it brought back so many memories, including those of other "Righteous Gentiles" like the Lenoir family. I also identified with Tracey Pedersen's Australian Christmas in All About Us, as our South African "beat-the-heat" Christmases are very similar. One story left me a little bewildered, one was unfortunately badly edited with typos and a third switched from third person to first person in one of the chapters, which also left me feeling confused. On the whole, I enjoyed the book which generally leaves one with a good feeling about Christmas.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of Hollywood Snowfall by Heather C. Myers which is included in this book.
Erin Sanders is a student who works part time at Chinese Mann Theatre in LA. Johnny Barker is a film star who just wants to watch a film starring anyone else and to not have the public and paparazzi annoying him.
They meet and strike up a friendship with the potential to become more.
I lovely story that was very enjoyable. It was well written and easy to feel the emotions involved. I enjoyed the way their friendship developed and how they overcame any barriers.
Very good boxed set by different Authors I know I am going to go back and re-read this set maybe on Christmas eve. The stories are Serendipity - A Christmas Fairy Tale - Jolene Cazzola A Magical Christmas in Jerusalem - Joanne Dannon Home for Christmas - Mel Hammond Lost In Christmas - Cherie Marks Hollywood Snowfall - Heather C. Myers Dance Me a Dream - Kait Nolan All About Us- Tracey Pedersen All the stories are well written and once I started I did not want to put this set down
What a great collection of Holiday Books/Novellas. I enjoyed all the stories from new to me authors, though I enjoyed some more than others. I will gladly seek out more books from all of these authors. This is a collection of sweet, heartwarming and some funny holiday stories revolving around The Christmas Holiday. I received an ARC copy from Brady's Book Talk and voluntarily read and reviewed this with all opinions being 100% my own.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book These stories were so heart warming and soul searching with a great men and women the Christmas them is very touching and there is mystery in some with Police and break inn's and some with broken hearts that thought that they would not find love at all and them the Christmas miracle comes forth and there is love and forever after such wonderful and awesome books loved them all Michelle
Romancing the Holidays is out just in time for the season. Need to get lost or get into the holiday spirit then grab a copy of Romancing the Holidays. I'm only familiar with one of the 7 authors but definitely found new Authors, now I can indulge in more books. Each book has their own enchanting parts. I enjoyed reading Romancing the Holidays.
Each and every story puts you in the holiday spirit. They are all love stories with happy endings. There are some obstacles to overcome but all of the couples are strong enough to get through. I would love to see some full length novels from the stories as wells as continuation on some of them. I loved all of these stories and would strongly recommend it.
Nice heartwarming Christmas stories. Also a great way to read stories from new (to me) authors. Luckily I have read other stories that take place in Australia, so I didn't have too much deciphering some of the terminology.
I read five of the seven stories and would give three of those five stars, very enjoyable. For the price, even just getting a Kait Nolan story would have satisfied me. A perfect way to warm up to the romance of the holidays.
Overall, I give the box set 4.5 Stars. I highly recommend reading Romancing The Holidays.
**Serendipity: A Christmas Fairy Tale by Jolene Cazzola 5 Stars
Serendipity is a wonderfully sweet Christmas romance. Paul and Lauren are perfect together. I liked all the characters in this story and hope they each get their own book and HEA. Definitely read Serendipity if you are looking for a well-written, delightful Christmas romance. This is the first book I've read by this author and I look forward to reading more of her books.
**A Magical Christmas In Jerusalem by Joanne Dannon 5 Stars
This is a heartwarming story about fate conspiring so Kiara and Jacques would meet and fall in love. It is also about the love of family and friends being all important in our lives. About taking chances and following your heart. I would love to read more about these 2 as their relationship progresses from the early stages to a full blown HEA. I look forward to reading more books by this author.
**Home For Christmas by Mel Hammond 2 Stars
Home For Christmas has a lot of potential but falls short of achieving it. I have so many questions after reading the book. The story feels like it is half finished. I wasn't at all pleased with it. The 2 main characters knew each other for one day but knew they wanted to spend forever together. Nope. If that had been my only problem with the story, I could have overlooked it but it wasn't. There was no character development. No 'hook' to make me care what happened.
**Lost In Christmas by Cherie Marks 4 Stars
Lost In Christmas is a small town romance with lots of humor. New Falls is filled with quirky characters and odd situations that tickled my funny bone. I'd like to get to know people like the ones who live in New Falls. The romance between Bennett and Sunny was sweet. However, I think the conflict in the romance was a bit overblown. It detracted from the story, in my opinion. Still, I urge you to read the story. I look forward to reading more books by Cherie Marks.
**Hollywood Snowfall by Heather C Myers 4 Stars
Hollywood Snowfall is a sweet romance. A fantasy lots of people, both men andwomen, have: a celebrity meeting and falling in love with a fan. I loved the fact that there was no sex. They actually formed a relationship and got to know each other. I would like to read another story about Johnny and Erin as their relationship progresses. I think Zoe and Jessica would make good leads in a story, too. I know ARCs haven't been fully edited but this story had way too many errors. That's why I didn't give it 5 stars. The errors were distracting. However, I still look forward to reading more books by Heather C Myers.
**Dance Me A Dream by Kait Nolan 5 Stars
Dance Me A Dream is so much more than a sweet romance. It's a story with heart and soul. A story of sacrifice, heartache, lending aid to those in need, and love. Lots of love. Love of family, love for those in need of a caring word and a helping hand, and romantic love. Tara is a strong, capable woman with a heart of gold. Jace is a dream come true- at least to me. He has a heart as big as they come. He is sensitive, loves kids, and a romantic. WOW! This is my first book by Kait Nolan but I just bought several more after reading this one.
**All About Us by Tracey Pedersen 5 Stars
All About Us is a delightful, sweet romance. There are several storylines in the book. Two beginning romances, an emotional marriage on the rocks romance, a happily married romance, and the main romance between Jenna and Ryan. Plus, the love of family and friends. All the characters are people I would like to be friends with. They felt so real and realistic. Tracey Pedersen hasn't disappointed me yet. She writes awesome stories.
There were a couple that I wasn't completely enchanted with, but overall this collection offers several really sweet, mostly funny stories. They also have more than just the magic of the Christmas season in common. Hope seemed to be a very powerful theme in all 7 stories and more than a couple included "laughter is the best medicine" in their makeup. Serendipity by Jolene Cazzola: I should probably be in a sugar-induced coma right now. That was so sweet and so precious and utterly freaking adorable. A Magical Christmas in Jerusalem by Joanne Dannon: I'm not overly religious and I was concerned that this would be. It's not. It's a beautiful tale about love, fate, chance, and being a better person. Home for Christmas by Mel Hammond: I'm not sure what to think about this one. It's a really cute ending but I'm left with more questions than answers in the end. Lost In Christmas by Cherie Marks: What is it about small town life that just brings out the crazy? This was sweet and smart and funny. And don't read it somewhere that your laughter will disturb other people. Make sure you read it around friends and family that expect you to laugh for no apparent reason and to mutter to yourself. Hollywood Snowfall by Heather C. Myers: a cute story reminding us that covers aren't always the best way to judge books. A young woman can be more mature than her years and a celebrity can be more down to earth than his fame. Dance Me a Dream by Kait Nolan: sigh! I laughed. I cried. I laughed a whole lot more. I can't disagree with the people who've already said it's like reading a Hallmark movie. Just perfect. All About Us by Tracey Pedersen: the perfect way to end it. Some more laughs, a few tears, and a whole bunch of "awe"s. I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book.
Romancing the Holidays contains 7 Christmas reads by different authors: Serendipity: A Christmas Fairy Tale by Jolene Cazzola; A Magical Christmas in Jerusalem bu Joanne Dannon; Home For Christmas by Mel Hammond; Lost in Christmas by Cherie Marks: Hollywood Snowfall by Heather C. Myers; Dance Me A Dream by Kait Nolan; and All About Us - Finding Sweet Love Series Book 5 by Tracy Pederson. I enjoyed each story, some more than others. I think my top 3 would be: A Magical Christmas in Jerusalem; Dance Me A Dream; and All About Us.
This is a book that I received in 2016 and I am sorry that I waited so long to read it. These stories can be read any time during the year, even though they are Christmas themes. I recommend this anthology.
A wonderful collection of romance stories for the holidays. Extremely heartwarming and fits perfectly with this time of year. Received a free copy and all the authors are amazing
rcvd an advanced reader copy for kait nolans dance me a dream. very cute story. tara, a dancer who is chooses to leave school to take care of her half-siblings is doing her best for her 11yr old and 5 yr old siblings. jace is home for the holidays and is immediately smitteb with the cute blonde barista. jace wants to get to know tara and she is hesitant but jace worms his way onto her heart along with the kids. a mishap that leaves them without heat makes it easy for jace and his family to move tara and the kids into their Farm for xmas. secrets are revealed, dreams can come true and smiles all around make up a heartfelt story.
>>>>> Reviewing “All About Us” by Tracey Pedersen <<<<< In July, a gorgeous Christmas invitation was received from Ryan’s sister, Sam, and plans for Christmas were immediately changed. Christmas on the beach for two weeks was too much to resist! It would be wonderful for Jenna to be there with her husband and baby. Ryan wanted to rent the house for the 2 weeks before Christmas also so they could spend an even longer time together. Being the boss of the business did have its perks!
Sitting by the pool, Jenna asked Sam what was wrong. Sam was afraid her husband was seeing someone, probably his secretary. Jenna encouraged her to try to spend more time with him and to find out for sure rather than wonder about it. Despite her many attempts to get some alone time with Noah, he continued to be unavailable and stuck at work. Sam had little hope left of resolving this situation. Would her Christmas turn into something painful and ugly this year? Would she lose the love of her life after 10 years together?
The invited guests were starting to gather at the beach house, and Jenna was excited for the company. Her sister’s family would join them later. The boys put up the plastic Christmas tree while the adults discussed the merits of a real tree over a plastic one. Kellie and Christofer had asked if Jessie could come with them since they didn’t want her to be alone. There was room in the big beach house, so she was welcomed. Later Christofer got a call from his brother who had invited another friend to join him -- and then found he now also needed a place to go for Christmas! Jenna said yes to each request. It was going to be very crowded soon! Then on Christmas Eve morning, to Sam’s surprise, Noah arrived as well. But he spent most of his time on the phone with his secretary and had little time for his family. Why couldn’t he see what really was important?
Do yourself a favor and dive into this wonderful collection of Christmas stories! Even if there are tears, you’ll find laughter as well and a joyful celebration of life! I loved this box set and highly recommend it!
Serendipity by Jolene Cazzola 5 STARS Definitely, a really good and interesting story. I enjoyed it and didn't wanted it to end.
A Magical Christmas in Jerusalem by Joanne Dannon 4.5 STARS I really liked it. It's very inspirational. It makes you to see that you can find love in an unexpected moment and place.
Home for Christmas by Mel Hammond 3.5 STARS It was so confusing to read this story. Yes, it's pretty and all... But I didn't understand half of it. And, at the end, I was expecting more.
Lost in Christmas by Cherie Marks 5 STARS This is an awesome story! I enjoyed it from start to end. It's so cute with a little of fun. I laughed a lot while reading it.
Hollywood Snowfall by Heather C. Myers 4.5 STARS I'd describe this story as a fairy tale. I mean, which are the probabilities of a Hollywood actor to fall in love with a normal girl? It's awesome! Although, I would love to know what happens next.
Dance Me A Dream by Kait Nolan 5 STARS A sweet and beautiful story. And with a great teaching: if you wish/want something with all your heart can be reality at some point. Honestly, I loved it!
All About Us by Tracey Pedersen 4.5 STARS Although I have all the books of this series in my Kindle, I haven't had the opportunity to read any them. Now, after reading this one, I can't wait to read the others. Living in north hemisphere, I could never imagine Christmas on Summer... with warm weather and all. But it's a very interesting story. I really liked it.
I gave this five stars because, although the books were different to each other, they were all good reads. I found some new authors and I will be reading more of their books.
A great holiday compilation by some wonderful authors. Truly beautiful. One of my favorite books in this set is Dance Me a Dream by Kait Nolan. I'm a sucker for the Wishful series and this is truly a Christmas wish comes true story that melts your heart!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.
This was an okay read. Not one of my favorite reads by Tia. I didn't feel the chemistry between the characters, and it felt rushed. It is a quick and easy read. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book