All I Want For Christmas

by Cecilia Gray

Christmas comes to the small town of Heartfield, Oregon, which means a light dusting of snow, hot cocoa by the fire, and a friendly wager between Emma Gold, owner of the Main Street flower shop, and Lance Knightley, owner of the local tavern, to see which of them is the town's resident matchmaking expert. Sparks fly as bets are made and favors are won in this heartwarming Christmas tale.

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Welcome to Heartfield, Oregon, home to a charming Main Street, world-famous Shakespeare festival, miles of berry fields, and women ready to follow their dreams and fall in love.

In Small Town Jane, meet six amazing women, each determined to make their mark on the town, the world, and the men in their lives. Each seasonal novella is a modern retelling of a beloved Jane Austen novel.

Book 1: All I Want For Christmas (Emma—Christmas)
Book 2: The Promise of Spring (Northanger Abbey—Easter)
Book 3: The Heart of Autumn (Sense and Sensibility—Halloween)
Book 4: I Got That Summer Feeling (Mansfield Park—Summer)
Book 5: Beneath A Harvest Moon (Persuasion—Thanksgiving)
Book 6: Be Mine, Valentine (Pride and Prejudice—Valentine's Day)

Can't get enough of Jane Austen retellings? The Jane Austen Academy series are modern retellings of Jane Austen classics set at a beachside California boarding school, complete with a reader's discussion guide for your book club, student group, or Jane Austen fan club.

Book 1: Fall For You (Lizzie—Pride and Prejudice)
Book 2: So Into You (Ellie—Sense and Sensibility)
Book 3: When I'm With You (Kat—Northanger Abbey)
Book 4: Suddenly You (Fanny—Mansfield Park)
Book 5: Only With You (Emma—Emma)
Book 6: Always You (Anne—Persuasion)

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PRAISE FOR HEARTFIELD

Swoon-worthy! —Angela, Goodreads

Very romantic and sweet. —Maria, Goodreads

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cecilia Gray writes sweet stories where the smart girl gets the nice guy.

Genres: Christmas, Short Stories

51 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 14, 2019

About the author

Cecilia Gray writes stories about first love, second chances, and forever friendships. She--much like her characters--resides in quite a few places.

Reviews

[Georgiana 1792 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un retelling di Emma troppo breve per essere più godibile. In effetti si tratta di una short story contenuta in una delle raccolte di racconti Austenesque, i vari Holidays With Jane.
La storia si svolge tutta durante e subito dopo il matrimonio tra Taylor e West (Miss Taylor e Mr. Weston) di cui Emma Gold, la proprietaria del negozio di fiori sulla Main Street di Heartfield, Oregon, è stata matchmaker.
Durante la cerimonia e il ricevimento - che ha luogo durante il periodo natalizio - la giovane donna ha dei flashback in cui rivive i momenti salienti del suo rapporto con Lance Knightley (durante le varie festività dell'anno), il proprietario del pub locale a due numeri di distanza dal negozio di fiori, Mansfield Perk, arrivato per l'appunto da un anno in città.
Interessante il fatto che Elton sia un politico locale e che Harriet sia una cugina di Taylor (che abita lontano e che soffia a Emma il ruolo di damigella per questioni famigliari) e che sia un'insegnante di Lindy Hop (sono tutti balletini in famiglia), mentre Emma è piuttosto imbranata e ha certamente due piedi sinistri. Questo consente una ricostruzione del ballo tra Harriet e Knightley in chiave moderna.
Anche se non sono stata particolarmente impressionata, conto di leggere i successivi della serie, perché ho amato la serie The Jane Austen Academy e perché sono curiosa di vedere come i personaggi già presentati si inseriranno (se lo faranno) nelle altre storie.

[Ewa ❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable, sweet story.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A modern-day matchmaking beekeeping flowershop owner flails at matching her friends during her best friend's wedding while finally having her own eyes opened about the hottie bar owner who knows her better than she knows herself.

I read Impulses under its older title, With Love, From Emma, as part of the Holidays With Jane: Holiday Cheer anthology.

This was a sweet and heartwarming confection perfect for a fast, well-developed holiday read.

[victoria_tonks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Be careful - this is NOT a new story. It was first published in 2014 in "Holidays with Jane. Christmas Cheer" as "With Love, from Emma". I almost paid for it again yesterday but luckily, tried a free sample first and realised I had already bought and read it a while ago. I have no idea why the author would publish the same story again as a new one and with a new title.
MTA: It looks like all the stories in the series are re-published versions of those included in the "Holidays with Jane" series.

[Elin Eriksen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contemporary Romance novella

A contemporary romance inspired by Jane Austen's novel Emma.

Sweet, romantic read without any big surprises and perhaps a tad reflection-heavy.

[Ceri]

This is also in the Christmas Cheer anthology

[Patricia Baxes · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely little read...

Definitely a book for everyone who loves a good love story. A terrific storyline; awesome characters; cute little plot twists and turns; and one simply amazing HEA.

[Quinn Fforde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable. I liked the modern update and the added twists.

[Andreea · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a cute short story