Month: October 2026

The Twelve Loves of Christmas by Various Authors

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The Twelve Loves of Christmas is a delightful compilation of twelve short, delicious holiday love stories. The book is uplifting, will tug at your heart and make you laugh!

The first story is Merry Little Christmas in which two childhood best friends who drifted apart are suddenly years later reconnected over the Christmas holiday. Now, they must face each other, their past and figure out not only what went wrong years ago, but what if anything a future could hold.

I’ll Be Home for Christmas is about a couple who were madly in love when they were young. One wanted to follow his dreams of becoming a singer. She felt because of her choices he would let his dream go so she breaks up with him. Now, they are reunited at an airport and stranded due to a blizzard. This was my favorite story!

The Twelve Loves of Christmas is a delightful compilation of twelve short, delicious holiday love stories. The book is uplifting, will tug at your heart and make you laugh!

The first story is Merry Little Christmas in which two childhood best friends who drifted apart are suddenly years later reconnected over the Christmas holiday. Now, they must face each other, their past and figure out not only what went wrong years ago, but what if anything a future could hold.

I’ll Be Home for Christmas is about a couple who were madly in love when they were young. One wanted to follow his dreams of becoming a singer. She felt because of her choices he would let his dream go so she breaks up with him. Now, they are reunited at an airport and stranded due to a blizzard. This was my favorite story!

Ho, Ho, Ho No is a very funny story about two men who have worked together for a few years. One an optimist in every sense of the word. One a curmudgeon pessimist also in every sense of the word! When the pessimist agrees to help the optimist by playing Santa no less to a group of children, then becomes stranded at said optimists house, well hilarity ensures!

I could go on but I will leave the rest of the love advent calendar of stories for you to delve into with all the surprises and love and warmth (pun intended) as you get in the mood for the upcoming holiday season!

Thank you #NetGalley #AtriaBooks #TheTwelveLovesofChristmas for the advanced copy.

Ho, Ho, Ho No is a very funny story about two men who have worked together for a few years. One an optimist in every sense of the word. One a curmudgeon pessimist also in every sense of the word! When the pessimist agrees to help the optimist by playing Santa no less to a group of children, then becomes stranded at said optimists house, well hilarity ensures!

I could go on but I will leave the rest of the love advent calendar of stories for you to delve into with all the surprises and love and warmth (pun intended) as you get in the mood for the upcoming holiday season!

Thank you #NetGalley #AtriaBooks #TheTwelveLovesofChristmas for the advanced copy.

The Twelve Loves of Christmas: An Advent Romance Collection: Bellefleur, Alexandria, Bryant, Elise, Dade, Olivia, Daria, Alexis, Hogle, Sarah, Jamal, Zakiya N., Jenshak, Rebecca, Joyce, Jessica, Lee, Susan, Richard, Joss, Wardell, M. A., Weatherspoon, Rebekah: 9781668250419: Amazon.com: Books

Edit Review: The Twelve Loves of Christmas: An Advent Romance Collection | Goodreads

Do You See What I See? by Peter Swanson

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I did see what you see and did Mr. Swanson, and it was dark and so enjoyable all at the same time! Do You See What I See is a mysterious, eerie novella. The story takes a group of people, puts them in a lavish house on Cape Cod and dismantles their characters one by one. Yet even though you may think you know what is going to happen, trust me you won’t. Of course there may be a murder as well…

Author Nicholas Child has been asked by his agent to go and assist one of her clients, a popular author by the name of Marco Tavares who seems to be having a difficult time with writing his latest book. She is so desperate she is willing to pay him because he will have to spend the Christmas holiday there, but Nicholas has nowhere else to be and decides this will be perfect for him. A beautiful house working on the Cape with one of the premiere authors and he’s getting paid!

But his arrival is a bit strange. He is met by Marco’s wife Mauve, his sister and grandmother. He soon discovers Marco has also invited a few friends for the holiday as well. This was not exactly how he thought a writing session with Marco would go. He also finds out Marco seems to enjoy imbibing more than writing and spends most days at bars in town. There seems to be a great deal of tension, arguing (and drinking) by all and as he tries to convince Marco to work with him it seems to be a losing battle.

Then after a pretty bad night of drinking Marco is found dead and another body floating in the ocean. Murder is suspected. What could have possibly happened after everybody went to bed? It feels to Nicholas that everybody had a good reason to kill Marco.

So, Nicholas composes a list for the police with clues for them (and us).

What is discovered is no one is really who they seemed to be.

Did You See What I See is suspenseful, startling and the ending a complete surprise!

Thank you #NetGalley #WilliamMorrow #PeterSwanson #DidYouSeeWhatISee for the advanced copy.

Amazon.com: Do You See What I See?: A Novella – A Chilling Holiday Mystery Novella of a Celebrity Writer’s Christmas Party Gone Wrong: 9780063433670: Swanson, Peter: Books

Edit Review: Do You See What I See? | Goodreads

A Map to Murder by Michelle Chouinard

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A Map to Murder, although the third book in The Serial Killer Guide to San Fransico Mysteries which FYI I had not read any of the previous books was exciting, enjoyable and extremely thrilling. The story revolves around a popular serial killer tour guide in San Fransico who ends up agreeing to help a young girl whose mother is missing after she pleads for help when the tour is over. But the story evolves into a more complex murder mystery which encapsulates a cold case murder from the 1970’s and now the missing aunt of the victim who came to solve the murder.

The story which travels between the 1970’s-time frame where free love and communes were popular and where we meet the young girl who was killed who came to the area to get away from a bad home situation to try and become a writer. She is there to make money so she can bring her sister there. Unfortunately, she ends up living in a commune where drugs were made. But when she was found dead, she just becomes another statistic of the times.

Present day finds Capri Sanzio who owns a serial killer tour company is shocked when a young girl comes to her after a tour and pleads with her to help find her mother who came to San Fransico a few weeks ago to investigate the cold case of her sister, the young girl’s aunt. But no one in the family has heard from her in days and they all fear the worst. Capri reluctantly agrees and with the help of her police officer boyfriend they begin the task of attempting to follow the mother’s footsteps as well as look into the unsolved murder from years ago.

What follows are a series of clues, many witnesses from years ago no longer alive, some who seem to be hiding information and an abundance of possible suspects. And suddenly Capri finds herself being threatened. And so is her daughter. Clearly not everybody wants her to figure this out! But she seems to be getting close to something. Capris learns in order to solve this case she must figure out the crossover of what happened in the 1970’s with the latest missing person.

A Map to Murder is a wonderfully engrossing can’t put down story with an incredible surprising ending you won’t see coming!

Thank you #NetGalley #MinotaurBooks #MichelleChouinard #AMapToMurder for the advanced copy.

A Map to Murder (The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco Mysteries, 3): Chouinard, Michelle: 9781250432063: Amazon.com: Books

https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/244967585-a-map-to-murder

Book Club Confidential by Julie Hatcher

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Book Club Confidential is an uplifting and inspiring story about three best friends who have been in a book club together since college. Now, older and not as wiser, they are the only ones left. All three are at a crossroad in their lives whether it be job, romance or fame. At their last book club meeting which was at a new restaurant books were not the only item on the menu. They come up with a fascinating idea as to how to jump start themselves and uplift each other. It sounded good at the time. But what may you ask could possibly go wrong? Well, everything!

Tessa, Kate and Hallie have been best friends since college. As they mull over their lives at their latest book club meeting, they come up with a brilliant idea as to how to make more of their lives and force themselves to do things they never could imagine. The premise? When faced with an issue, they are to ask themselves what would one of their favorite heroines do? And just do that. They eagerly agree.

Tess is a corporate marketer at a firm she has worked for since college. Unfortunately, her boss dismisses her and never seems to see how she holds the company together. Her clients love her, her coworkers adore her and she is exhausted from trying to please everybody. Now she is up for a promotion she is sure she will finally receive. Or so she thought…

Kate is a social fashion media influencer. What she truly would loves to post on social media is all the books she enjoys as well as what her real style of clothes she would really love to wear. She dresses for millions and yet feels so uncomfortable. Kate decides to change her brand.

Hallie is a foodie who loves to create and cook meals. She is a barista at a coffee shop whose boss is constantly berating her. Preparing to marry her boyfriend from college and his very wealthy uppity family whom she knows does not like her, she continues to procrastinate the wedding plans. Tessa and Kate try to help her make a few life changing decisions. Can she though?

Book Club Confidential is a wonderful, thoughtful, funny read about three women who are at turning points in their lives. Do they have the courage to challenge themselves and each other as they move into unknown territory and as they realize the power of change.

Thank you #NewGalley #LakeUnionPublishibng #BookClubConfidential #JulieHatcher for the advanced copy.

Book Club Confidential: A Novel: Hatcher, Julie: 9781662539718: Amazon.com: Books

Edit Review: Book Club Confidential | Goodreads

Rough Cuts by Glenn R. Miller

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Lights! Cameras! Censors? Rough Cuts is a fascinating, funny story about what happened in the 1920’s when the silent movies went silent and the talkies took over… and so did State censors. Particularly one Reverend on the board in a tiny town in Ohio who almost brought down the movie industry single handedly. Filled with behind-the-scenes drama, secrets which needed to be well, kept secret and one director shooting his last and probably best work who must now deal with one person who could possibly ruin his masterpiece and destroy all his hard artistic work!

Patrick J. Shepard is topping off a long-distinguished career as a movie director with one last motion picture called The Mating Seas-On. He sees great potential in the casting, and all the workers involved. Yes, two of the stars went through a nasty divorce (to each other) and the only young actress has a stage mother to rival any he has ever seen, but as they work through the problems, he sees a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Until…

Revered Harold Dawdry, a minister has been appointed to the Ohio Film Review Censorship Board after the death of the previous minister. who is young and trying to make the parish warm up to him in some way. He decides to not only take this new job seriously, but act as someone who can see moral and ethical issues in just about any movie scene. So much so, he decides to show his parishioners through having them reenact said scenes during the Masses rather than give a sermon. Needless to say, he becomes quite popular with the church goers. But…

Unfortunately, the movie studios whose movies are being cut into pieces and now need to be reedited begin taking a beating. Enter Shepard who for some reason Dawdry has become obsessed with his career and not only wants to take apart his swan song, but make the story lose its heart and soul.

What happens when said director is forced to meet said censor is nothing but genius. Rough Cuts will not only give the reader a lesson in what it took to make some of the first talking movies, but will also have them appreciate the humor, deception but heart that went into the actors and the new motion pictures industry.

Thank you #JackieKarneth #KoehlerBooks #GlennR.Miller #RoughCuts for the advanced copy.

Amazon.com: Rough Cuts: 9798897470747: Miller, Glenn R.: Books

Edit Review: Rough Cuts | Goodreads