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melaniesreads's review
5.0
Nine stories all connected by the wonderfully quirky Miss Moonshine and her emporium.
There is something inside her whimsical little shop for everyone, just like there is something inside this book for everyone. Whether you love historical, modern, family drama or just a little romance all set around Christmas.
The first story The ghost in the machine by Mary Jayne Baker was the perfect start highlighting the absolute magic of Miss Moonshine, her little dog Napoleon and the emporium with an added little mystery at its heart.
This is then followed by eight more stories including tales from 1831, 1912, 1982 and a modern one but with 1940 details written by various authors. I have a vision in my mind after reading this of all the collaborating authors sitting discussing details over drinks in Olive’s Temperance bar.
My favourite story was Miss Moonshine’s advent calendar by Jacqui Cooper which completed this anthology. It had romance, kittens AND A DONKEY!!! The handyman wasn’t bad either. This was a charmingly sweet tale of loneliness and what can happen when you open your heart.
I’m a lover of cheesy Christmas Hallmark movies and I would recommend this to all the hopeless romantics who love Christmas and happy ever afters like me.
There is something inside her whimsical little shop for everyone, just like there is something inside this book for everyone. Whether you love historical, modern, family drama or just a little romance all set around Christmas.
The first story The ghost in the machine by Mary Jayne Baker was the perfect start highlighting the absolute magic of Miss Moonshine, her little dog Napoleon and the emporium with an added little mystery at its heart.
This is then followed by eight more stories including tales from 1831, 1912, 1982 and a modern one but with 1940 details written by various authors. I have a vision in my mind after reading this of all the collaborating authors sitting discussing details over drinks in Olive’s Temperance bar.
My favourite story was Miss Moonshine’s advent calendar by Jacqui Cooper which completed this anthology. It had romance, kittens AND A DONKEY!!! The handyman wasn’t bad either. This was a charmingly sweet tale of loneliness and what can happen when you open your heart.
I’m a lover of cheesy Christmas Hallmark movies and I would recommend this to all the hopeless romantics who love Christmas and happy ever afters like me.
sarahs_bookish_life's review
4.0
This book is great for readers of short stories, looking for a festive read.
The book is made up of nine short stories by nine different authors:
The Ghost in the Machine by Mary Jayne Baker
The Boy Next Door by Helen Pollard
My True Love Gave to Me by Sophie Claire
How To Save Christmas by Kate Field
A Raven’s Gift by Angela Wren
Make My Wish Come True by Helena Fairfax
Christmas Magic by Marie Laval
The Timepiece by Melinda Hammond
Miss Moonshine’s Advent Calendar by Jacqui Cooper
Admittedly I have only read books by a couple of the authors so this was a great introduction to the other authors works that are new to me. Each one has a festive theme as well as mainly a touch of romance in them. They also centre around Miss Moonshine’s Emporium. This is a shop that seems to sell everything.
As with a lot of short story books, some stories I enjoyed more than others, my two personal favourites being How To Save Christmas and Make My Wish Come True. For short stories, the characters really grabbed my attention and could have easily read more as I was enjoying the stories so much.
Christmas At Miss Moonshine’s Emporium is a great read when you are short for time but wanting a reading fix. Each story took around 20-30 minutes to read and gave me a great festive fix. You don’t need to wait for Christmas to read it as can easily be enjoyed at anytime of the year.
The book is made up of nine short stories by nine different authors:
The Ghost in the Machine by Mary Jayne Baker
The Boy Next Door by Helen Pollard
My True Love Gave to Me by Sophie Claire
How To Save Christmas by Kate Field
A Raven’s Gift by Angela Wren
Make My Wish Come True by Helena Fairfax
Christmas Magic by Marie Laval
The Timepiece by Melinda Hammond
Miss Moonshine’s Advent Calendar by Jacqui Cooper
Admittedly I have only read books by a couple of the authors so this was a great introduction to the other authors works that are new to me. Each one has a festive theme as well as mainly a touch of romance in them. They also centre around Miss Moonshine’s Emporium. This is a shop that seems to sell everything.
As with a lot of short story books, some stories I enjoyed more than others, my two personal favourites being How To Save Christmas and Make My Wish Come True. For short stories, the characters really grabbed my attention and could have easily read more as I was enjoying the stories so much.
Christmas At Miss Moonshine’s Emporium is a great read when you are short for time but wanting a reading fix. Each story took around 20-30 minutes to read and gave me a great festive fix. You don’t need to wait for Christmas to read it as can easily be enjoyed at anytime of the year.
ericarobyn's review
4.0
Christmas at Miss Moonshine’s Emporium is a wonderfully heartwarming collection of cute romances. I had so much fun reading this!
If you’re looking for a great short story collection to curl up with while drinking some hot cocoa, this is a great one to snag!
I really enjoyed that while each of these stories were so different in tone and style, that they were all linked together by Miss Moonshine and her lovely shop.
Each of the authors really painted a wonderful picture of the town and the people that lived there. This is a place that I would absolutely love to visit!
As this was a collection of stories, I will add my quick notes about each below.
The Ghost in the Machine by Mary Jayne Baker – 5/5
This was so cute! I loved all the bookish references. Definitely a tale that moves very quickly from strangers to love interests, but so adorable. I really related to the main character when she discussed how busy she is and how she’s always working, though I’m definitely not as bad as she is. The reminder to take time off was good for me to read.
The Boy Next Door by Helen Pollard – 3/5
I really didn’t care for the journal entries from the teenager. The other bits were enjoyable though. I loved Jan and Bob!
My True Love Gave To Me by Sophie Claire -5/5
So cute! I was a bit nervous about how this story was going to turn out, but it went the way I had been hoping it would. This tale was such a classic trip that I both love and hate as a little bit of communication could clear things up. But it’s also a terrifying situation to find yourself in.
How to Save Christmas by Kate Field – 5/5
SO cute! This woman coming to stay for the holiday was certainly a Christmas miracle for this little town! I loved how much she was able to help the people she encountered. With what she had going on, she very easily could have been grumpy and withdrawn. I’m so glad she stayed positive and put herself out there. I would love to see a follow up story to this one. I also want her to meet Jan from a previous story.
A Raven’s Gift by Angela Wren – 4/5
A sad but exciting one! I loved how things started to fall into place. If only she had been a bit more patient at the start!
Make My Wish Come True by Helena Fairfax – 4/5
Such a cute tale. I loved how much this boy wanted to impress his crush. I also loved how dedicated he was to helping his dad on the farm. What a great kid!
Christmas Magic by Marie Laval – 5/5
I loved this one so much! I love tales of reuniting after a long time and in this one there were two of these situations! This tale was so adorable. I loved the play in Christmas miracles and luck by shaking the snow globe.
The Timepiece by Melinda Hammond – 3/5
A bit sad, but overall cute tale of two widows trying for move forward from their grief.
Miss Moonshine’s Advent Calendar by Jacqui Cooper – 5/5
This one was my favorite of the bunch! I loved the characters so much and the story line was wonderful. Per usual with stories like this, there was a bit of tension but I’m so glad that it passed really quickly.
My Final Thoughts
I had so much fun reading this collection! I really enjoyed seeing how many people Miss Moonshine was able to help. The organization of the tales was the only thing that I didn’t totally love as the timeline was slightly confusing… However, I think I may have been trying too hard to fit them all together.
If you enjoy cute tales of light romance, then this is one you gotta pick up!
If you’re looking for a great short story collection to curl up with while drinking some hot cocoa, this is a great one to snag!
I really enjoyed that while each of these stories were so different in tone and style, that they were all linked together by Miss Moonshine and her lovely shop.
Each of the authors really painted a wonderful picture of the town and the people that lived there. This is a place that I would absolutely love to visit!
As this was a collection of stories, I will add my quick notes about each below.
The Ghost in the Machine by Mary Jayne Baker – 5/5
This was so cute! I loved all the bookish references. Definitely a tale that moves very quickly from strangers to love interests, but so adorable. I really related to the main character when she discussed how busy she is and how she’s always working, though I’m definitely not as bad as she is. The reminder to take time off was good for me to read.
The Boy Next Door by Helen Pollard – 3/5
I really didn’t care for the journal entries from the teenager. The other bits were enjoyable though. I loved Jan and Bob!
My True Love Gave To Me by Sophie Claire -5/5
So cute! I was a bit nervous about how this story was going to turn out, but it went the way I had been hoping it would. This tale was such a classic trip that I both love and hate as a little bit of communication could clear things up. But it’s also a terrifying situation to find yourself in.
How to Save Christmas by Kate Field – 5/5
SO cute! This woman coming to stay for the holiday was certainly a Christmas miracle for this little town! I loved how much she was able to help the people she encountered. With what she had going on, she very easily could have been grumpy and withdrawn. I’m so glad she stayed positive and put herself out there. I would love to see a follow up story to this one. I also want her to meet Jan from a previous story.
A Raven’s Gift by Angela Wren – 4/5
A sad but exciting one! I loved how things started to fall into place. If only she had been a bit more patient at the start!
Make My Wish Come True by Helena Fairfax – 4/5
Such a cute tale. I loved how much this boy wanted to impress his crush. I also loved how dedicated he was to helping his dad on the farm. What a great kid!
Christmas Magic by Marie Laval – 5/5
I loved this one so much! I love tales of reuniting after a long time and in this one there were two of these situations! This tale was so adorable. I loved the play in Christmas miracles and luck by shaking the snow globe.
The Timepiece by Melinda Hammond – 3/5
A bit sad, but overall cute tale of two widows trying for move forward from their grief.
Miss Moonshine’s Advent Calendar by Jacqui Cooper – 5/5
This one was my favorite of the bunch! I loved the characters so much and the story line was wonderful. Per usual with stories like this, there was a bit of tension but I’m so glad that it passed really quickly.
My Final Thoughts
I had so much fun reading this collection! I really enjoyed seeing how many people Miss Moonshine was able to help. The organization of the tales was the only thing that I didn’t totally love as the timeline was slightly confusing… However, I think I may have been trying too hard to fit them all together.
If you enjoy cute tales of light romance, then this is one you gotta pick up!
bookbeforeuleap's review
4.0
A book chocked full of mini Christmas reads, by various different authors but with the same central character, the marvellous Miss Moonshine and her magical match-making skills means that there is something for everyone!
I really enjoyed this and was disappointed when it was finished, I wanted more!
It was perfect for reading a short story a night before bed to get me in the festive spirit! I’m off to check out all of the authors other works!
I really enjoyed this and was disappointed when it was finished, I wanted more!
It was perfect for reading a short story a night before bed to get me in the festive spirit! I’m off to check out all of the authors other works!
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