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kitsunesakura's review
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
kgormley's review against another edition
4.0
This was a nice collection of four Christmas stories. The stories are connected, yet independent of each other. Connected in that they all take place in Door County, Wisconsin, and one of the primary characters from the first story is mentioned in all of the subsequent stories. Other than those two facts, the stories are stand alone stories. I really enjoyed the first three stories -- I found the last story a bit confusing at the beginning, and although I did finally "figure" it out, I still didn't find myself liking it as much as the first three. Overall, an enjoyable Christmas read.
cordiallybarbara's review against another edition
4.0
On a scale of cotton candy to Brussels sprouts, A Door County Christmas is a cookie table. Molasses crinkles highlight the brightly decorated sugar cookies while chocolate dipped pretzels tantalize the tongue with salt and sugar. This sweet arrangement is beautiful to the eye and delicious too!
Since A Door Country Christmas consists of four different novellas written by four different authors, I want to take a bit longer on this review. Each story needs its own section because I enjoyed it so. Grab your hot chocolate and read on.
THE HEART'S HARBOR by Cynthia Ruchti: This snickerdoodle-cookie read is full of moments of snickering as Amanda finds herself suddenly in charge of an inn and the town's legendary Christmas tea. When the innkeeper's handsome son arrives on the scene, Amanda is pushed to her limits. This story is adorable, but I often had a hard time following the story. It felt jerky, as though it was meant to be longer but had to be chopped to novella-size. But, I still enjoyed the situations that Amanda and Jordan found themselves.
RIDE WITH ME INTO CHRISTMAS by Rachael O. Phillips: Crunchy, Christmas trail mix, good for all year around, whisks readers into the sweet and salty exchanges between widow Joanna and her neighbor Paul. Despite having grown children and knee-high grandchildren, Paul challenges Joanna to a bicycle race. From that moment on, the romance between them flies forward, even with the bumps and ruts of life. This romance was so sweet, hilarious, and realistic. The story and characters developed so seamlessly that I felt like I'd live a full few years with them.
MY HEART STILL BEATS by Eileen Key: Sugar-cookie sweet with red-hot sprinkles, this read introduces Madison, chauffeur to octogenarians, and their realtor, Grant. Madison isn't interested in love after her heartbreak, but she can't help but notice Grant. But, you know, I think the octogenarians and Grant's sweet daughter stole the story. My heart was certainly warmed with this Christmas novella.
CHRISTMAS CRAZY by Becky Melby: Creme puffs hide a delicious surprise in the center just like this Christmas read. Jillian arrives to her uncle's theater to run advertising only to realize that the theater needs a whole lot more TLC than she thought. With the help of a gorgeous Brazilian, she gets to work but discovers some surprises along the way. This one put me in the mind of I Love Lucy, but I sometimes struggled to keep secondary characters straight. But I so loved this story.
Overall, I think you need to grab A Door County Christmas for your Holiday reading time. It's sweet and clean.
Since A Door Country Christmas consists of four different novellas written by four different authors, I want to take a bit longer on this review. Each story needs its own section because I enjoyed it so. Grab your hot chocolate and read on.
THE HEART'S HARBOR by Cynthia Ruchti: This snickerdoodle-cookie read is full of moments of snickering as Amanda finds herself suddenly in charge of an inn and the town's legendary Christmas tea. When the innkeeper's handsome son arrives on the scene, Amanda is pushed to her limits. This story is adorable, but I often had a hard time following the story. It felt jerky, as though it was meant to be longer but had to be chopped to novella-size. But, I still enjoyed the situations that Amanda and Jordan found themselves.
RIDE WITH ME INTO CHRISTMAS by Rachael O. Phillips: Crunchy, Christmas trail mix, good for all year around, whisks readers into the sweet and salty exchanges between widow Joanna and her neighbor Paul. Despite having grown children and knee-high grandchildren, Paul challenges Joanna to a bicycle race. From that moment on, the romance between them flies forward, even with the bumps and ruts of life. This romance was so sweet, hilarious, and realistic. The story and characters developed so seamlessly that I felt like I'd live a full few years with them.
MY HEART STILL BEATS by Eileen Key: Sugar-cookie sweet with red-hot sprinkles, this read introduces Madison, chauffeur to octogenarians, and their realtor, Grant. Madison isn't interested in love after her heartbreak, but she can't help but notice Grant. But, you know, I think the octogenarians and Grant's sweet daughter stole the story. My heart was certainly warmed with this Christmas novella.
CHRISTMAS CRAZY by Becky Melby: Creme puffs hide a delicious surprise in the center just like this Christmas read. Jillian arrives to her uncle's theater to run advertising only to realize that the theater needs a whole lot more TLC than she thought. With the help of a gorgeous Brazilian, she gets to work but discovers some surprises along the way. This one put me in the mind of I Love Lucy, but I sometimes struggled to keep secondary characters straight. But I so loved this story.
Overall, I think you need to grab A Door County Christmas for your Holiday reading time. It's sweet and clean.
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