What: Winter Holiday Reading Challenge 2
When: 1 November 2009 – 31 January 2010
Who: Diane (Book in Hand)
Rules (Copied from her website):
The theme for this challenge is Winter Holidays. The books that you choose to read must have a storyline that includes celebrating a winter holiday, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s, etc. (However the holidays are not limited to just these examples.)
You may choose the number of books you wish to read and a reading list is optional.
~~ & ~~
I’m going to read Christmas anthologies. Not sure how many I’ll read. I still have books left over from last year. Here’s a few possibilities:
- One Candlelit Christmas (Julia Justiss, Annie Burrows, Terri Brisbin)
- Together by Christmas (Nicola Cornick, Catherine George, Louise Allen)
- The Night Before Christmas (Brenda Novak, Day Leclaire, Molly O’Keefe)
- A Regency Christmas (Lyn Stone, Carla Kelly, Gail Ranstrom)
- The Heart of Christmas (Mary Balogh, Nicola Cornick, Courtney Milan)
What: Winter Holiday Reading Challenge
When: 1 November 2008 – 31 January 2009
Who: Diane (Book in Hand)
Rules (Copied from her website): The theme for this challenge is Winter Holidays. The books that you choose to read must have a storyline that includes celebrating a winter holiday, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s, etc. (However, the holidays are not limited to just these examples.) There is no set number of books.
Books in RED are on more than one list/alternate list)
- Silent in the Sanctuary (Deanna Raybourn) {11 Nov 08} (REVIEW)
- Christmas Getaway (Anthology) {28 Dec 08} (REVIEW)
- Snowbound (Janice Kay Johnson) {19 Nov 08} (REVIEW)
- Hail to the Chef (Julie Hyzy) {1 Jan 09} (REVIEW)
- The Mistletoe Wager (Christine Merrill) {7 Dec 08} (REVIEW)
- Holiday with a Vampire II (Anthology) {27 Nov 08} (REVIEW)
Though there is still plenty of time for me to read more holiday-themed books before the end of January, I met my goal of six. Only disappointment for me was, about mid-December or so, I started to feel lousy and didn’t feel like reading much. I had always intended for Hail to the Chef to be read in January in honor of the Inauguration, but I really wanted to get one more Christmas anthology in before the end of the year.
I’m pretty happy with the selections I made and I enjoyed them all.
partner
Hail to the Chef
Author:Julie Hyzy
Copyright:2008 (Berkley); 328 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-425-22499-1
Series: 2nd in the White House Chef Mystery series
Where & When: Thanksgiving, Washington, DC
Who: Olivia Paras, White House Executive Chef
In the second book, Ollie and the White House staff are preparing for the holiday season and the First Lady is playing matchmaker. The President’s single, good-looking nephew, Sam Sean Baxter, is visiting and Mrs. Campbell asks Ollie to convince Sam Sean to spend Thanksgiving at the White House. The First Lady is unaware of Ollie’s relationship with Secret Service Agent Tom MacKenzie, who is on the President’s security detail. Ollie is gratified to know that Mrs. Campbell thinks so highly of her, but she’s stumped on how to diplomatically tell the First Lady she’s not interested in Sam Sean and keep her relationship with Tom private.
A security incident occurs and Ollie is sequestered with Mrs. Campbell and Sam Sean until an all-clear is given. She learns that Mrs. Campbell’s business partners — and life-long friends — are pressuring her to agree to sell the company they jointly own. Sam Sean, as her financial adviser, is telling her she shouldn’t sell.
With Thanksgiving and the start of the official holiday season just days away, the staff can’t afford to be held up by security threats and bomb scares. Because of the latest incident, the staff has to attend mandatory Improvised Explosive Device (IED) recognition training. Ollie gets off on the wrong foot with the special agent-in-change, and he singles her out at the first meeting. His persistence in making sure she fully understands the gravity of the situation pays off later when Ollie stumbles upon something where it shouldn’t be.
The staff receives a blow to their morale when the head electrician is accidentally electrocuted. Ollie can’t believe a man as experienced as Gene was could have made such a careless mistake. She questions a friend who comes up with a theory on what may have happened, but none of the other staff electricians want to listen to her theory.
Then, on Thanksgiving day, the First Lady receives news that Sam Sean has committed suicide. Even knowing him for such such a short time, Ollie is convinced that he wasn’t suicidal. There’s no time for her to poke her nose into things, however. Even with the recent tragedy, most of the scheduled events will go on as planned. Ollie and the rest of the staff are busy as ever. Conversations she has overheard, and a letter addressed to her written by Sam Sean, point to the possibility that maybe he was eliminated by someone who wants the First Lady to sell the company her father co-founded. All of the other partners want the sale to happen, but one is having finical and legal troubles, and that may have led to the death of Mrs. Campbell’s father as well as Sam Sean.
I liked this book more than the first one, primarily because Ollie isn’t stubbornly putting her nose into things as much as she did in the first book, and she is more confident in her new position. There is still the occasional encounter with the jerk of a sensitivity director, but she is now an equal and he has no influence over her. She’s even better at handling Bucky, the snarky assistant chef and her second-in-command. Tom doesn’t get much time in this book, because of his job, but they are still a couple.
As for the who-done-it part, I thought it was a bit far-fetched. The real draw, for me, is Ollie and the staff. I’m not a foodie, but I loved reading about the behind-the-scenes preparations. Like the previous book, recipes for the food served by the staff are provided, including one for gingerbread men.
Started: 1 January 2009
Finished: 1 January 2009
Rating:
Liked A Lot
Christmas Getaway
Author(s): Anne Stuart, Tina Leonard, Marion Lennox
Copyright: 2008 (Harlequin); pgs. 282
Series: N/A
Sensuality: Subtle
The stories in this anthology are connected by a main plot. The only author I’ve read before was Anne Stuart. The blurbs on the back are misleading, to say the least.
The overarching plot which connects the story is roughly this: Crooked Boston cop Connor O’Bannion tries to set up fellow police officer, James Fitzpatrick (Claus and Effect) as a fall guy. But Fitz goes on the run and Connor is due in Dallas to marry Molly Broadbent (Candy Canes and Crossfire), the woman he’s been dating for several years and he has now decided he needs to marry if he wants to advance on the force. At the rehearsal dinner, it appears that Molly’s maid of honor, Jean Norville (Caught at Christmas), may have overheard him make some threats. Figuring his cover is blown, Connor fails to show up at his own wedding. He goes to ground for a few days and eventually ends up in Australia at Christmas, hoping to get his hands on the diamonds his cousin, Vincent Devlin, has hidden.
As for the individual stories…
“Claus and Effect” (Anne Stuart)
Dr. Elois “Ellie” Pollard is preparing for her own wedding when James Fitzpatrick kidnaps her at gunpoint, dressed as Santa. Fitz hopes that Ellie can help him clear his name. He observed Ellie at the funeral for Vincent Devlin’s wife, Erica and had wondered if she might know something, anything, that can point the finger at O’Bannion. Unfortunately, Ellie only knew Erica through the woman’s brother, Joe Cartland (Candy Canes and Crossfire), whom she spent time with in a foster home in Australia. Since Ellie doesn’t know anything, Fitz’s only other hope is his first partner, long retired. He may have collected enough dirt on O’Bannion to prove him untrustworthy. But now that Fitz has dragged her into this, Ellie’s in danger, too, and Ellie refuses to leave a patient (Fitz was wounded).
This story was fast paced and the characters were likable. Ellie comes up with a clever way of getting passed a stakeout. Enjoyable read.
“Caught at Christmas” (Tina Leonard)
As stated above, Jean Norville overhears something at the wedding rehearsal. The best man, Connor’s crony, tries to take out Jean. She’s whisked away by Molly’s brother, Sam, to his secluded ranch. Sam’s a former Texas Ranger and he’s tasked with keeping an eye on Jean until Connor is nabbed. Jean isn’t thrilled by this. She rather be home in Boston, surrounded by her Christmas-loving family. Sam, feeling bad — and not knowing how long she’ll have to stay with him — allows Jean to decorate his home and even bake Christmas cookies. Sam himself isn’t much into the holiday and his parent’s bitter marriage has had a profound effect on both Sam and Molly’s views on relationships. Jean’s efforts and her stories about her family finally make him realize what he’s missing. But Jean’s barely there a day when the cops inform them that Connor has left the state, so Jean can go home. Sam elects to drive, wanting to spend time with Jean. And though Connor has gone into hiding, it doesn’t mean the coast is clear.
Of the three stories, I liked this one the best. And I loved Sam. This one isn’t as fast paced as the first, but I thought it moved pretty briskly and I thought the ending was just right — not too sugary.
“Candy Canes and Crossfire” (Marion Lennox)
After the non-wedding, Joe Cartland takes his dead sister’s children back to Australia. But Joe doesn’t know a whole lot about them, since Erica spent most of her time in the United States. Joe’s relieved when Molly arrives unexpectedly. The children — Charlie, Lily, and Zoe — are very fond of Molly and perk up when they see her. But Molly came to the secluded Devlin estate to get away and be alone after being stood up by a man who is not only crooked, but may also be responsible for the deaths of Vincent and Erica. However, she relents and whips them all into the Christmas spirit. But their quiet little holiday is short-lived. Connor is still on the loose.
This one was a bit slower and I didn’t warm up to either lead.
Overall, I enjoyed the book.
Started: 8 December 2008
Finished: 28 December 2008
Rating:
Liked A Lot
service
The Mistletoe Wager
Author: Christine Merrill
Copyright: 2008 (Harlequin); pgs. 277
Series: Harlequin Historical # 925
Sensuality: Warm
This Christmas romance has two couples, Harry and Elise, the Earl and Countess of Anneslea. Harry and Elise are estranged at the start of the book, but are still very much in love with each other. The other couple is Nicholas Tremaine and Rosalind Morley, two people who haven’t seen each other in years and have every reason to hate each other. Nicholas is Elise’s ex-betrothed and Rosalind is Harry’s half-sister.
The book opens with Harry inviting Nicholas to his Christmas house party. Nicholas is a bit of a humbug about Christmas and initially refuses. Since Harry has an ulterior motive for wanting Tremaine to come, he makes a bet and proceeds to invite all within hearing to his house party. To ensure that Tremaine comes, he sweetens the bet by informing Tremaine that he will divorce Elise, if that’s what she desires.
Harry believes that the reason Elise has been unhappy is due to the fact that she has come to regret breaking her engagement to Tremaine and accepting Harry’s proposal. Harry had hoped that Elise would, over time, come to love him as much as he loves her. He wants her to be happy and if divorcing him will free her to go back to the man she still cares for, then Harry will do it. But not without trying to win her back first by reminding her of all the happy times they had at Christmas. Elise loves the holiday and brought her traditions with her from Germany. Tremaine’s distaste for the trappings of the season are well-known and Harry hopes to use that in his favor.
Once she learns of the bet and promise, Elise talks Tremaine into taking her with him. She’s curious to see who Harry will have standing in as hostess and is afraid that he may have taken a lover. Her argument with Harry revolves around the fact that Harry doesn’t talk to her — really talk to her. He doesn’t confide in her; she doesn’t know his mind. She never knows if he’s angry with her, or upset with the fact that, after five years of marriage, there is still no sign of a child. She even renews her close friendship with Tremaine in the hopes that he would be jealous and tell her that he doesn’t like her giving another man so much of her attention. He just smiles and calmly accepts it. Though Harry’s an affectionate husband — there has never been a lack of interest in their marriage bed — Elise still feels that Harry can’t possibly love her passionately because he didn’t stop her from leaving nor has he demanded that she return to their country home.
For his part, Tremaine doesn’t want to be in the middle of the Anneslea’s marital problems. Though he cares for her, Elise is just his friend, not his lover. Nick knows that the pair really love each other — even if they can’t see it. So, he grits his teeth and willingly plays the would-be-lover, hoping the charade will be short. However, he gets more than he bargains for when they arrive for the party.
Five years ago, Nicholas kissed a young woman he had just met at a Christmas ball. Her strict father demanded that he make an offer for her, but Nicholas was betrothed to Elise and refused. The kiss had been a spur of the moment thing under some mistletoe, as he truthfully told Elise when she learned of it, and he had no intentions of breaking off with her. However, Elise was hurt and angry, so she released him from the engagement. Labeled a rogue for such stupid mistake, Nick has lived his life as one, never settling down. He never knew the name of the young woman, and never saw her again until he arrived at Harry’s house party.
Rosalind has lived unhappily in the country since that incident. She’s turned down suitor after suitor, all who seemed to offer a life no different than the one she lives now. Though she spent only an hour or so in his company, Rosalind had fallen in love with Nicholas and she has never gotten over him. At first, they try to avoid each other, but Rosalind quickly realizes that Nick would make the perfect accomplice in her scheme to get Harry and Elise back together. As much as she loves her brother, and glad for the chance to get away from her father for a spell, Rosalind is not having a happy holiday season. Harry’s haphazard party planning and the servants’ loyalty to Elise have made things difficult for her. If she can successfully reconcile the couple, then hostess duties can be turned over to their rightful owner. Nick will go along with her plans, if it means he can return to London sooner rather than later. But no matter what she does, her efforts end in disaster, no thanks to the couple she is trying to reconcile.
I really enjoyed this book. It was quiet funny at times. The author balances the story between all four characters. Since in Harry and Elise’s problems lie in their inability to communicate without mistaking intent, it was good to have a second couple to read about because misunderstandings like that can make a book frustrating. Rosalind and Nicholas’ conversations are wittier and I liked couple a lot.
Started: 30 November 2008
Finished: 7 December 2008
Rating:
Liked A Lot
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