Release Day! Messy Under the Mistletoe by Ashley Farley ~ My Thoughts #MessyUnderTheMistletoe

Happy Release Day!

Congrats Ashley

on release today of

Messy Under the Mistletoe!

Messy Under the Mistletoe by Ashley Farley

(When Sparks Fly #2)

Holiday Romance, Short Story, 98 pages

Published September 30, 2025, by AHF Publishing

She needed a model. What she got was a mess—and maybe the love of her life.

Sloane Delaney is one big pitch away from the promotion she’s worked for all year. All she needs is the perfect face for her new men’s grooming campaign—someone who embodies every version of the modern man. When she spots a flannel-clad Christmas tree vendor with an annoyingly perfect jawline, she sees more than lumberjack vibes—she sees potential.

Reid McAllister would rather stay behind the scenes at his family’s tree lot than be anyone’s holiday fantasy. But when Sloane dangles a paycheck big enough to solve his money problems (and maybe win back the girl who dumped him), he agrees to play along. One kiss for the camera turns into something that feels dangerously real—especially under the mistletoe.

Now Sloane has a campaign to launch, a fiancé who’s getting suspicious, and a growing she might have cast the wrong man in her real-life love story.

My thoughts about Messy Under the Mistletoe ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"I plaster on a smile as my senior team delivers the news."

Messy Under the Mistletoe is the perfect Christmas story, one you can get lost in to escape reality for a bit. It's a quick read, filled with loveable characters. 

Sloane and Reid meet at the Christmas tree lot—the perfect way to meet in a Christmas story, right—and sparks fly. Sloane wants to keep it professional, since Reid is the perfect model for the role she is trying to fill, but the chemistry between the two of them is electric. There are definite ups and downs, as there are in any holiday romance story, but there's also a lot of growth and discovery right along with the angst. It's what makes for a fun, enjoyable story, right? 

I loved Messy Under the Mistletoe, and Ashley did not disappoint with this one, another one of her great stories! I highly recommend it and if you love Christmas stories as much as I do, you will love this one for sure. 

I received a copy of Messy Under the Mistletoe from the author and this is my honest opinion.

********************

About the author

Ashley Farley writes books about women for women. Her characters are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives facing real-life issues. Her bestselling Sweeney Sisters series has touched the lives of many.

Ashley is a wife and mother of two young adult children. While she's lived in Richmond, Virginia for the past 21 years, a piece of her heart remains in the salty marshes of the South Carolina Lowcountry, where she still calls home. Through the eyes of her characters, she captures the moss-draped trees, delectable cuisine, and kindhearted folk with lazy drawls that make the area so unique. For more information, visit www.ashleyfarley.com ~ Goodreads

Connect with Ashley

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

*********************

Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Release Day! Christmas People by Iva-Marie Palmer ~ My Thoughts #ChristmasPeople

Happy Release Day!

Congrats Iva-Marie

on release today of

Christmas People!

Christmas People by Iva-Marie Palmer

Holiday, Romance, Magic Realism, 304 pages

Published September 30, 2025, by St. Martin's Griffin

Some people are Christmas people, but Jill Jacobs is most certainly not. She hasn’t been ever since her hometown love broke her heart on Christmas Day three years ago. After that, Jill moved to L.A. to pursue her dream of becoming a screenwriter. She hasn’t been home in years to avoid her ex, but this winter she finds herself back in drab, suburban Illinois for the holidays.

After one very hazy night, Jill wakes up to a hometown that's filled with jolly neighbors, covered in pristine white snow, and shimmering with the smell of nutmeg. She realizes that this is more than just a bad hangover… she's stuck in a Heartfelt movie. One set in her town, starring real people from her life, including her family, her high school crush (uber perfect, owns a bakery, and definitely a Christmas Person), and of course, her ex —handsome as ever and now exclusively clad in plaid flannel.

The only way out of this bizarro world is to complete the plot of the movie, including a holiday bake off and a cookie-sweet love story. To get home in time for Christmas, Jill must act out a picture-perfect holiday romance with the one that got away, all while her ex watches on. Fa la la la freaking la….

My thoughts about Christmas People ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"This woman could be me if I'd made better choices. Or I could be her is maybe what I really mean."

Christmas People is the perfect Hallmark Christmas movie that's inside a story that isn't a Hallmark Christmas movie. Does that sound crazy? It kinda is.

Jill finally goes home for Christmas, after 3 years of avoiding her hometown. And avoiding her ex. After she overindulges one night out on the town, she wakes up to find herself in the perfect Christmas town with everyone filled with the Christmas spirit. It's a lot to wrap her head around. She is surprised at the changes in people but more surprised at herself and how much she is enjoying this new world. What will happen when she 'wakes up' to her real reality?

Christmas People was a very enjoyable, fun escape for me and I loved every minute of it, savoring all of the holiday cheer and adventure. I'm a sucker for Christmas stories this time of year and this one was an excellent getaway read. I highly recommend it if, you too, love Christmas stories, especially if you are a fan of Hallmark Christmas movies. 

I received an ARC of Christmas People and this is my honest opinion.

********************

About the author

Iva-Marie Palmer is the author of the young adult novels Gimme Everything You Got and The End of the World as We Know It. She also wrote the Gabby Garcia's Ultimate Playbook series and Oh My Dog! for middle grade readers, as well as the books Romeo, Juliet and Jim and the Edgar Award-nominated The Jules Verne Prophecy with co-writer Larry Schwarz. Christmas People is her first adult novel.

Before writing professionally, Palmer worked as an award-winning community news reporter in Chicago's South Suburbs and as a web editor for the Walt Disney Company. She also got to know many a Christmas person working at a Hallmark store through high school and college.

Palmer now resides in Burbank, California with her husband and two sons. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Iva-Marie

Website | Goodreads | Instagram | Substack

*********************

Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Release Day! Hello Wife by Lisa K. Friedman ~ My Thoughts #HelloWife

Happy Release Day!

Congrats Lisa

on release today of

Hello Wife!

Hello Wife by Lisa K. Friedman

Women's Literature & Fiction, 274 pages

Published September 30, 2025, by Santa Fe Writer's Project

Single, unfulfilled and well into middle age, long-troubled Charlotte Lansing desperately reaches for love and acceptance.

When she announces her engagement to an unemployed morphine addict, her family falls into a tailspin. Her mother is determined to prevent disaster, her father seeks to mend the growing chasm, and her sister stubbornly hopes that their sibling bonds can keep Charlotte safe. But Charlotte resists all this because she thinks she is finally happy. Ultimately, all her loved ones can do is watch as Charlotte disappears, slowly and inevitably, into her new husband’s illness. 

In this bittersweet novel of determination, love, and familial bonds, Lisa Friedman takes listeners into the insidious world of prescription drug abuse, showing the havoc opioids can wreak in our lives, and revealing the grace and care given to us at our lowest moments.

My thoughts about Hello Wife ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"My wedding dress was made by a costume designer I met while buying weed at the 7-Eleven one February, which is where I met Jimbo, my husband to be."

Hello Wife is a heartbreaking tale of the life of a person in the throes of addiction, a person craving drugs, love, and a life time of acceptance for who she is. Charlotte is just looking for the love of her life and if he comes with a drug problem, that is something she can overlook for the love she craves. As his lifestyle becomes her lifestyle, her family and friends become alienated and withdraw from her life. Is this really the life she wants, and needs? Oh, the power of drugs. 

I had a hard time liking any of the characters in this story so that made it a hard read for me. I really never connected with anyone, and I feel like I should have had more empathy for what Charlotte and everyone else was going through. I'm sorry, it just wasn't there for me but I know that this story will hit differently for other people who read it. 

I received an ARC of Hello Wife and this is my honest opinion.

********************

About the author

Lisa Kaplan Friedman is an award winning writer of essays, articles, novels and stories. Her humor essays appear in the New York Times, Huffington Post, and in magazines and online venues. A contributing editor in Health and Medicine, Lisa writes widely about dementia and other brain diseases - something she knows entirely too much about. 

Lisa writes about art and culture for the Smithsonian Institution's Associates Magazine. She teaches, mentors and tutors student writers, and is a frequent guest lecturer around the country. Awarded the prize for Best in Humor from the Erma Bombeck Center, Lisa also received First Prize for Writing at the DCJCC Literary Festival, and was nominated for Best Essayist by the American Society of Journalists and Authors. She received her BA from the George Washington University, and her Masters of Writing from the Johns Hopkins University. ~ Amazon

Connect with Lisa

Website | Goodreads | Instagram | Amazon | Facebook

*********************

Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? September 29, 2025 #IMWAYR

     

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are! 

**************************************

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week. 

Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

Good Days Bad Days

by Emily Bleeker

print ARC for review

Pub date ~ October 7

Overdue

by Stephanie Perkins

eARC for review

Pub date ~ October 7

Desperation in Death

(In Death #55)

by J.D. Robb

audio-book from my TBR

Published September 2022

What I recently finished


Hello Wife
by Lisa K Friedman
print ARC for review
Pub date ~ September 30


At the Quiet Edge
by Victoria Helen Stone

e-book from my TBR collection for a challenge
Published May 2022


The Summer Girl
by Jenny Blackhurst
audio-book from Audible
Published July 2023

What I am going to read next

Nineteen: A Daughter's Memoir of Reckoning and Recovery

by Leslie Johansen Nack

print ARC for review

Pub date ~ October 14

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

*************************

Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!  

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen ~ My Thoughts #TheLockedWard

Congratulation Sarah

on the release of

The Locked Ward!

 

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen

Women's Psychological Fiction, 320 pages

Published August 5, 2025 by St. Martin's Press

Was it...

Bitter, all-consuming jealousy?

Pathological sibling rivalry?

Pure insanity?

Whatever the cause—and everyone has a theory—it's the Crime of the Decade when glamorous Georgia Cartwright, who was adopted as a newborn, is accused of killing the biological daughter of her wealthy, Southern family.

Georgia is locked in a psychiatric institution where the most violent offenders are held while she awaits trial. The only words she whispers when her estranged twin sister Amanda visits are, “I didn’t do it. You’ve got to get me out of here.”

Amanda doesn't trust Georgia, but she can't abandon her in a place so eerie and menacing that it seems to exist in another dimension. Is Georgia the victim of a powerful family that's so depraved murder is the least of their crimes? Or is Amanda being led down a path of madness into the web of a master manipulator?

Nothing is as it seems in Sarah Pekkanen’s The Locked Ward, a shocking psychological thriller about the complex bonds of sisterhood—and what happens when they are stretched to the breaking point.

My thoughts about The Locked Ward ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First lines—"You awaken slowly, struggling to surface, like you're swimming up through mud."

I'm a big fan of Sarah Pekkanen's books and am always excited for another one of her thrillers. This one did not disappoint. 

Sisterhood is not an easy thing to navigate, but what about having a sister that you can't trust and may have done evil things? This story had me doubting everything I read and felt. What is truth and what is not?

The Locked Ward is a suspenseful, twisty thriller that will keep you guessing and scratching your head until the very end. Highly recommend it!

I received an eARC of The Locked Ward and this is my honest opinion.

***************************

About the author

I'm a #1 New York Times bestselling author of 15 solo and coauthored books, including HOUSE OF GLASS, which is a Goodreads Choice award nominee and Amazon best book of the year.

My upcoming thriller, THE LOCKED WARD, is being hailed by Lee Child as "psychological suspense at its very best."

I'm also the coauthor of four bestselling thrillers: THE GOLDEN COUPLE, THE WIFE BETWEEN US, AN ANONYMOUS GIRL, and YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

I've also written eight novels that are contemporary fiction, not thrillers: THE EVER AFTER, THE PERFECT NEIGHBORS, THINGS YOU WON'T SAY, CATCHING AIR, THE BEST OF US, THE OPPOSITE OF ME, SKIPPING A BEAT, and THESE GIRLS. My linked free short estories, published by Simon&Schuster exclusively for ereaders, are titled "All is Bright," and "Love, Accidentally."

When I'm not writing or spending time with my three kids, I'm a passionate advocate for rescue animals. I serve as Ambassador of RRSA India, a shelter and sanctuary for abused and injured street dogs and other animals in Anand, India. And I'm the founder of the nonprofit charity IndiaStreetPaws.com.

I also serve on the board of the International Thriller Writers. Readers and writers - come join us at Thrillerfest in NYC every spring! ~ Goodreads

Connect with Sarah

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

*********************

Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Book Blitz! The Icing on the Cake by Grace Worthington ~ Excerpt and #Giveaway! #TheIcingOnTheCake @XpressoTours

The Icing on the Cake by Grace Worthington
(Love in Maple Falls #7)
Publication date: September 24th 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Sports

Rule #1: Never fall for a hockey player. So why does my dating coach—who also happens to play hockey—make me want to break every rule I’ve set?

Neesha

It starts with one conversation with a stranger…and suddenly, everything changes.

He won’t tell me what he does for a living, and maybe that should be a red flag. But after the hardest year of my life, my new neighbor feels like a lifeline—calm, capable, and always there when I need him.

When he offers to be my dating coach, I tell myself it’s harmless. That he just wants to help.

But behind that cinnamon roll smile, he’s hiding something—and I’m starting to fall for him anyway.

I told myself we were just friends.

So why am I dreaming about kissing the one man I swore I’d never fall for?

Lucian

Keeping my hockey identity secret was supposed to be temporary—just long enough to figure out my next move with the girl next door.

There’s just one problem: she’s sworn off hockey players for good.

She asked me to help her fall for someone else and be her dating coach.

But I’m the one falling now.

And when she finds out who I really am, I might lose the only woman who’s ever made me want something more than the game.

I stopped pretending it was a fake date a long time ago.

But when our fun leads to feelings? That’s the icing on the cake.

Tropes in The Icing on the Cake

• Cinnamon roll hero
• Secret identity
• Neighbor romance
• Stars Hollow/Gilmore Girls vibe
• Cupcake baker heroine
• Handy hero who fixes things
• Forced proximity
• Practice dating / fake dating

The Icing on the Cake is a slow-burn, secret-identity hockey romance featuring a cinnamon roll hero who falls hard for the sweet cupcake baker next door.

Goodreads | Amazon

*********************

EXCERPT

“You need practice dating. I could help.” He shrugs. “No pressure. No commitment. Just proving it’s possible to have a good time with a friend.”

A friend—someone safe and harmless to my heart.

I stare at him. “You’re joking, right?”

“I wouldn’t joke about this. We could even go to a public place together if that makes you feel safer.”

Most guys would be focused on convincing me they’re fun or interesting, but Lucian’s defense is that he’s trustworthy.

And that’s my issue.

“Think about it,” he begins, not pressuring me at all. “You already know where I live. And with me, what you see is what you get—even when I’m sweaty and covered in sawdust—so there’s nowhere to go but up.”

I can’t tell him that seeing him sweaty and covered in sawdust was actually incredibly attractive.

I blink, stunned that he’s actually serious about this proposal. “Does this mean you’re my dating coach?”

“If you want me to be,” he says, studying my face. “Though I have to ask what exactly you think you need to practice—because from where I’m standing, you seem to have the basics covered.”

I let out a nervous laugh. “Are you kidding? I can barely string two coherent sentences together. Case in point: ‘Hi-ho’ was my greeting to you. No one wants to date the Seven Dwarfs.”

He tilts his head, considering this. “I don’t know. Snow White seemed pretty happy with them. And for the record, your ‘Hi-ho’ was actually kind of cute.”

“Well, I feel like I’ve forgotten how to make conversation that doesn’t revolve around cupcake orders,” I admit. “Besides, you probably have women lining up to go out with you.”

“Not really,” he says quietly, before looking back at me. “You want to know what dating a good man looks like? I could show you.”

My pulse skips a beat. “Show me how?”

“Well, we’re alone. We’ve got time now.” He pauses. “What if I gave you a quick demonstration, just so you know what to expect?”

Something flutters in my stomach. “A demonstration?”

“Just the basics. How a guy should treat you, what good conversation feels like, how to read the signals. Think of it as a preview of coming attractions.”

This is definitely not what my friends had in mind when they said to flirt with Lucian.

Or maybe it is.

“Okay,” I say before I think better of it. “Show me.”

He catches my gaze while my heart dives off a cliff.

“If this were a date,” he says, “the first thing I’d do is make sure you felt comfortable. That starts with eye contact.”

His gaze remains on mine, never wavering. “Most people are afraid to really look at someone, but eye contact is everything. It shows you’re present, that you’re interested in the person, not just waiting for your turn to talk.”

I find myself caught in his impossibly blue eyes, my heart beating wildly in my chest.

“Then, if the moment feels right…” He reaches toward me, his fingers brushing mine. “Small touches. Like this.”

I almost can’t breathe as he gently takes one of my hands.

“Most people rush through moments like these,” he says, his voice low. “But the small touches matter. They tell you everything.”

“Like what?”

“Like whether someone’s patient or impulsive.” His thumb starts stroking slowly over my skin. “Or whether they’re paying attention to how you respond.”

I swallow hard, failing to hide that I’m totally entranced by this.

“What else?” I ask, not even caring if this is real or not. I’m here to practice—to master the art of whatever this is between us.

He moves closer still. “Proximity,” he murmurs. “Letting someone into your space. Reading their response. And not moving away.”

He’s closer than ever now, and for one wild moment, I see him differently—not like someone I’m practicing with, but someone I’d actually want this to be real with.

“And then?” I ask, my voice barely audible.

His eyes graze down my face for just a second. The corner of his mouth quirks up. “And then…you always leave them wanting more.”

*********************

About the author

Grace Worthington eats, breathes, and geeks out over sweet romcoms. So it’s no surprise that she believes that laughter and love are a cure-all for pretty much everything in life. After a short stint working in musical theatre (where she was often cast in comedic roles), she instills her books with witty banter, lovable characters, and a story that moves your heart and soul. Her inspiration includes quaint towns by the beach, romantic comedy movies from the '80s & '90s, and the crazy shenanigans of her family. Snag a free sweet romcom at graceworthington.com

Connect with Grace

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram

The Icing on the Cake Blitz Giveaway

*************************

Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!  

New Release! Slashed Beauties by A. Rushby #SlashedBeauties @Allison_Rushby

 

Congrats A. Rushby

on recent release of

Slashed Beauties!

Slashed Beauties by A. Rushby

Horror, Historical Fiction, 384 pages

Published September 23, 2025, by Berkley

A gothic feminist body horror in two timelines revolving around three Anatomical Venuses—ultrarealistic wax figures of women—that come to life at night to murder men who have wronged them

Seoul, present day. Antiques dealer Alys’s task is nearly complete. She has at last secured Elizabeth, the third and final Anatomical Venus. Crafted in eighteenth-century London and modeled after real-life sex workers to entice male medical students, these eerie wax figures, known as slashed beauties, carry unsavory lore. Legend has it that the figures are bewitched, and come to life at night to murder men who have wronged them. Now Alys embarks for England, where she knows what she must sever her cursed connection to the Venuses once and for all.

London, 1763. Abandoned and penniless in Covent Garden, wide-eyed Eleanor and another young woman, Emily, are taken under the wing of beautiful and beguiling Elizabeth, one of the city’s most highly desired courtesans among the rich and powerful. But as Eleanor is seduced deeper into a web of money, materialism, and men, it seems that Elizabeth may not be the savior she appears to be.

As the timelines begin to intersect, it becomes clear that the women’s stories are linked in deeper, darker ways than it initially seems. And that the only method for Alys to end the witchcraft that binds her legacy is to gather all three models in one place and destroy them.

However, these haunted, murderous dolls might not be ready to burn.

********************

Praise for Slashed Beauties

"Rushby takes readers on a globe-trotting, timeline-straddling journey...brisk and entertaining... Rushby’s characters are richly realized, and she doesn’t shy away from depicting the high risk of their lives as sex workers or society’s cruelty and indifference toward women on the margins. Tense and fast-paced with refreshingly unique supernatural elements."—Publishers Weekly

"Slashed Beauties is the warped, witchy lovechild of Madame Tussaud and Jack the Ripper – an engrossing gothic tale of friendship, misogyny, and the murderous consequence of denying women's autonomy."—Ellie Marney, New York Times bestselling author of None Shall Sleep

"Utterly compelling from the first page to the final, shocking twist, Slashed Beauties is a darkly exquisite story that explores the corrosive effects of misogyny and the enduring power of female love."—Christine Wells, author of The Paris Gown

"An extraordinary tale. Slashed Beauties left me spellbound."—Emma Grey, author of Pictures of You

"Easily one of the best books I've read this year. Captivating from start to end and tells a haunting tale of feminine rage."—Abbie Eaton, author of Dragonhart

"Adored this gorgeous, sumptuously gothic feminist novel. Slashed Beauties moves from present-day Seoul to the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens of Georgian London in a colourful riot that examines the macabre world of the anatomical Venus and the seedy underbelly of the modern-day antiques trade, with a dash of witchcraft thrown in. It's also about sisterhood, friendship and the ties that bind a beautifully-rendered love story that spans centuries. I loved it."—Emma Cowing, author of The Show Woman

********************

About the author

A. Rushby (also writing as Allison Rushby), was gifted the middle name of Jane, for Jane Austen. Wordsmithing was duly destined and, under several pseudonyms, she has published more than thirty books. She has long been a fan of cities steeped in history, wild, overgrown cemeteries, red brick Victorian museums, the curious and the uncanny. She prefers to write with a cup of French Earl Grey tea by her side and a cat curled up in her lap. ~ Goodreads

Connect with A. Rushby

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram | X

*********************

Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Release Day! A Carol for Mrs. Dickens by Rebecca Connolly ~ My Thoughts #ACarolForMrsDickens @AuthorRConnolly

Happy Release Day!

Congrats Rebecca

on release today of

A Carol for Mrs. Dickens!

A Carol for Mrs. Dickens by Rebecca Connolly

Christmas, Historical Fiction, 1176 pages

Published September 23, 2025, by Shadow Mountain Publishing

Catherine Dickens, wife of Charles Dickens, experiences her own Christmas Eve transformation as she magically travels through her cherished memories to rediscover her lost love of Christmas.

By 1851, all of London has fallen in love with A Christmas Carol, heralding Charles Dickens as “the man who invented Christmas.” But for his wife, Catherine, Christmas is less of a reason for celebration and more of a burden. Between hosting lavish parties, decorating her home, and caring for her eight children—with one more on the way—she feels more like Scrooge than herself this year.

But everything changes after a chance encounter with a kitchen cook, who reminds her that Christmas can be a time of miracles and magic, if she is willing to open her heart.

Armed with a magical sprig of holly, Kate embarks on three transformative journeys into her past, hoping to reconnect with the love she once felt for the holiday—and with herself. But can these memories be enough to reignite her Christmas spirit? Or are such miraculous transformations only meant for the characters in her husband’s beloved tales?

Inspired by real individuals, A Carol for Mrs. Dickens reminds us that the true spirit of the holiday lies in love, faith, and the joy of giving.

My thoughts about A Carol for Mrs. Dickens ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First lines—"'The holly and the ivy when they are both full grown...' The carolers were out in full force, gathered in a small but boisterous semicircle outside the bookshop."

I really enjoy reading Christmas stories and especially love A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It's one of my must-reads every year. I was super excited to read this version of the story told from the perspective of Charles Dickens' wife.

Catherine, Charles' wife, is feeling like what I imagine a lot of women feel during the holidays, overworked and overwhelmed by all of the hoopla and busyness of the season, forgetting what the true meaning of it is all about. As she journeys to her past and sees what true happiness was for her and being reminded of the blessings that she has all around her, she comes to realize that she is in a good place and right where she should and needs to be. She finds her joy again. 

This was a wonderful story and will now become one that I read right along with A Christmas Carol each year to remind me to savor the beauty and blessings of the season. I highly recommend A Carol for Mrs. Dickens.

********************

About the author

I was born once upon a time, and I started making up stories right away. Eventually, I started writing them down, and never stopped! I have a day job, which gets in the way of my writing, but it pays the bills so I CAN write, so I guess that's okay! I am a bookworm, which I think is key to being a writer, and I am always looking for inspiration! I live in Indiana, am obsessed with hot chocolate, and I am on track to be the best aunt in the world.  ~ Goodreads

Connect with Rebecca

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram | X

*********************

Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!