Lenora Worth

A trio of novellas tied together with family, friendship and romance. Set in a quaint Louisiana town, the main characters are brought together through their involvement in events in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The timeline for the stories overlap, making the book feel cohesive, like a regular novel.

The family of women who are featured in each tale are introduced in the first one, and there is a bit of a mystery involving the older women that concludes in the last story. I liked all of show more the family history and the interactions with the spunky grandmother. I would love to hang out with her and drink sweet tea. The French culture of the area was interesting, including delicious food descriptions that made me hungry.

"Maybe God wanted to restore her as much as she wanted to restore the church and town."
There were spiritual gems tucked into the tales as each person struggled with different issues, both past and present. I felt for Paul and Remy the most. Old grudges, misunderstandings and some prejudice made for a bumpy path to romance. Jolene was my favorite of the three women featured, and her struggle to create something unique was one I cheered at the end. I liked how the last story brought it all together.

An enjoyable light read perfect for the busy holidays. 4 stars
(An ebook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.) show less

A serial bomber is on the loose in New York City and K-9 officers Gavin and Brianne are on the case along with their trusted bomb-detecting canine partners Tommy and Stella. I really liked that the hero and heroine were both K-9 officers in this story. Gavin and Brianne made a terrific team, and they were great together both personally and professionally. I especially enjoyed when they went undercover. The K-9 dogs, Tommy and Stella, were pretty awesome and wonderful at their jobs. The show more ongoing storyline in this series still remains unsolved, but the serial bomber storyline wraps up by the end. A thoroughly entertaining read with very likable characters, both human and canine. show less

A lovely collection of tender romances, with a sweet holiday theme. I enjoyed all of these novellas by different authors.

The first one seemed to be an epilogue to the author's Shadow Lake series, but it was easy to pick up the storyline. They all had a generous spirit of giving, fitting perfectly with Christmas. I liked the idea of the story quilts. It made me curious to read the other books in her series.
The second one was lovely, with a couple of lonely people who find a new love while show more helping a pair of neglected children. Their story was quite touching.
The last novella was my favorite, with a mail order groom and a widow. The theme of abuse was touched on sensitively, and a redemptive message added light to their story. I wish this one had been longer; it would make a good full length novel.

Overall an enjoyable read! 4 stars

( An ebook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.) show less

What an utterly adorably surprising read. I started reading this and got immediate Cinderella vibes - I could tell by the cover that it was going to be something like that but it was so entertaining and the fashion twist was awesome. I can't be the only shoe lover who just drooled at the descriptions in this book - I want to be the Lamon Lady it sounds so wonderful. Points off just for the instaloveyness of it not a HUGE fan of that in books (then again, I'm not a believer in love at first show more sight, is it real? maybe). There was just the right amount of action too - I liked Ellie's take charge attitude and her job and her whole purpose throughout the whole book, normally it's men that have that drive in books it was SO refreshing to see a woman with a role like that and a man be a bit needy in a book for once! Awesome - thanks Netgalley for the copy I can't wait for book 2 to come out show less