With Each Tomorrow

With Each Tomorrow is the second book in the Jewels of Kalispell series.  I truly enjoyed the first book of the series and I generally love books by these authors, but this one was a miss for me.  Tracie Peterson has been writing since the dawn of time, almost, and I have loved everything I've read by Kimberley Woodhouse.  

For the most part, I couldn't get past Eleanor's behavior and entitlement.  She bullied her way around situations that would have been better handled with a touch of kindness instead.  She held onto her attitude throughout most of the book.  That the authors would write in a character who was drawn to her baffles me.  Carter Brunswick seems to gather great pleasure in poking the bear known as Eleanor, to the point that he tells her he'd never marry her, and she wasn't good enough for him. 

This is one of the hardest novels I've read and tried to get through.  I couldn't appreciate the plot and most of the characters, but the one saving grace was the setting.  I've been through Glacier National Park and it is breath-takingly beautiful.  I wish that the setting had played a bigger role in the plot.  I've read other books based around national parks that are far more enjoyable.  I count this as only one miss in a history of hits.  It happens.  But this is my opinion, someone else may truly enjoy the book and all that it offers. 

Three Stars. 

Bethany House Publishers provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.  

 

Mistletoe Season

Thomas Nelson Publishing has collected three extremely talented authors to write this collection of Christmas stories.  The one by Pepper Basham actually adds to a series she's been writing. Each of the novels in the series can stand alone, as well as this story, but they do create a cohesive story when the reader takes them all in.  

Pepper's contribution to the book is about a prince who is trying to turn over a new leaf in his formerly profligate life. He's come to the States to live with his sister and her husband.  His father gave him a list of things to do while he was in the US:  get a job to learn a trade, and get involved with a charitable organization.  He added a third item to the list--to find out who he truly is and what his purpose is in life. 

Kathleen Fuller is more notably known for her Amish fiction, but she's departed from that to write a contemporary novella.  The story she has supplied is a story of middle-aged adults finding love for the first time. It's a sweet story that has some twists and turns with surprises turning the narrative around in a most satisfying way.  

Sheila Roberts' tale kind of gives the reader an inside look at an author's life, and she also includes a cast of characters every reader can relate to--the author, the school bully who hasn't outgrown her tactics, the brother who is engaged to the bully and oblivious to the bully's ways, the author's and her brother's parents who are also blind to the bully's tactics, and then there is the hunky guy next door. 

This group of stories is readable any time of year, but would be especially fun during the Christmas season.  Definitely four strong stars. 

Thomas Nelson Publishing provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.