Christmas Stories

REVIEW:  The Christmas Carrolls by Barbara Metzger

REVIEW: The Christmas Carrolls by Barbara Metzger

Dear Ms. Metzger, When I was scanning my memory for good Christmas stories to recommend here, I remembered reading two of your other holiday theme books but this one didn’t ring bells for me. Turns out that’s because though I have an older OOP paper copy, I’d never read it. Time to rectify that! “If(…)

REVIEW:  Second Chance Christmas by Dahlia DeWinters

REVIEW: Second Chance Christmas by Dahlia DeWinters

Dear Ms. DeWinters, I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to get based on the blurb and excerpt. It sounded like there’s some dark past event that heroine Naomi is trying to face down but you kept it hidden through the into chapter that sets up Naomi and Zach as coworkers at some firm(…)

JOINT REVIEW:  A Christmas Bride by Mary Balogh

JOINT REVIEW: A Christmas Bride by Mary Balogh

Janine: We’ve all read Christmas stories which feature cynics whose hardened hearts soften during the holiday season. From Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol to the Grinch in Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, such figures are not uncommon in holiday stories in or out of the romance genre. But they are almost(…)

REVIEW:  Miracle on I-40 by Curtiss Ann Matlock

REVIEW: Miracle on I-40 by Curtiss Ann Matlock

Dear Ms. Matlock, One of the first books I read when I was getting back into romance was one of yours: “If Wishes Were Horses” which I think helped cement my interest in more working class/down to earth characters. This is another one which starts evocatively with the image of a hard working people at(…)

Friday Film Review: Bernard and the Genie

Friday Film Review: Bernard and the Genie

Bernard and the Genie (1991 BBC TV) Genre: Holiday Grade: Very cute While trying to decide on the next movie of this holiday season, I realized we were getting a bit top heavy with animation films. So a few are just going to have to wait until later. But what to review next? I wanted(…)

Friday Film Review: Ziggy’s Gift and A Wish for Wings that Work

Friday Film Review: Ziggy’s Gift and A Wish for Wings that Work

Ziggy’s Gift (1982) Genre: Holiday Animation Grade: B “Love is the answer.” Ziggy’s Gift is a 1982 TV special about Tom Wilson’s cartoon character Ziggy and his dog Fuzz trying to do the right thing. Ziggy wakes up one morning and while getting ready for the day, first hears a TV reporter doing man-on-the-street interviews(…)

If You Like Holiday Stories…Recommended by the Dear Author crew

If You Like Holiday Stories…Recommended by the Dear Author crew

Given that this is the holiday season, I thought it would be fun to gather a list of holiday recommended reads. Unfortunately the list is largely Christmas oriented, in part because there are so few non Christmas holiday stories out there. Leave your own recommendations in the comments so readers can refer to this list(…)

REVIEW:  Merry Sexy Christmas Anthology by Beverly Jenkins, Kayla Perrin, Maureen Smith

REVIEW: Merry Sexy Christmas Anthology by Beverly Jenkins, Kayla Perrin, Maureen Smith

Dear Ms. Jenkins, Ms. Perrin, and Ms. Smith: I’m a sucker for Christmas stories, and anthologies are a great way to try out new authors, so a Christmas anthology can be a double winner for me. While I’ve read one of the contributors to this volume before, but the other two were new to me.(…)

Friday Film Review: Tokyo Godfathers

Friday Film Review: Tokyo Godfathers

Tokyo Godfathers (2003) Genre: Anime Dramedy Grade: B+ Looking for a Christmas themed movie that’s not gushy or overly sentimental? Or do you like anime? Then check this one out. Three homeless people, an abandoned baby and it’s Christmas in Tokyo. Ho, ho, ho. Gin – a middle aged man who takes refuge in drink,(…)

Red Hot Holiday: Wish List\I Need You for Christmas\Breath on Embers by K.A. Mitchell, Leah Braemel, and Anne Calhoun

Red Hot Holiday: Wish List\I Need You for Christmas\Breath on Embers by K.A. Mitchell, Leah Braemel, and Anne Calhoun

I came to this holiday anthology in a non-traditional, non-festive way. During a Twitter conversation with another reviewer, I mentioned ménage scenes rarely raise my pulse. She suggested I read Anne Calhoun, an author I’d never heard of. I searched on NetGalley and this collection, Red Hot Holiday, came up. I downloaded it thinking at best(…)

REVIEW:  A Galactic Holiday Anthology by Stacy Gail, Sasha Summers, and Anna Hackett

REVIEW: A Galactic Holiday Anthology by Stacy Gail, Sasha Summers, and Anna Hackett

When looking around at the holiday offerings this year, I saw this anthology from Carina Press. It was a complete stab in the dark for me as I knew nothing about any of the authors and SF/futuristic usually isn’t my thing. Perhaps having no expectations allowed me to just read in the moment but I(…)

REVIEW:  Silent Night: A Lady Julia Christmas Novella by Deanna Raybourn

REVIEW: Silent Night: A Lady Julia Christmas Novella by Deanna Raybourn

Dear Ms. Raybourn: While waiting for the next “Lady Julia” mystery novel, I noticed that this little novella is on offer for the Christmas season. It’s not long, it’s not complicated and it’s not that different from any other Lady Julia story. If readers like this world and it’s people, it should be a nice(…)

Friday Film Review: Die Hard

Friday Film Review: Die Hard

Die Hard (1988) Genre: Action Adventure Grade: B+ Three years ago I did a group review of some of my favorite Christmas movies. A number of you listed your own holiday standbys and for many of you “Die Hard” seems to top the list. When I was thinking about what movies to review this year,(…)

Friday Film Review: Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Friday Film Review: Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Genre: Holiday/Comedy/Romance Grade: B+ “Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to.” I had resisted watching this movie until now due to what I feared would be a schmaltz fest of gooey, sugary pulling of heartstrings. But when another movie I had tentatively selected as a(…)

REVIEW: Claustrophobic Christmas by Ellie Marvel

REVIEW: Claustrophobic Christmas by Ellie Marvel

Dear Ms. Marvel, Why did I decide to try your novella? It sounded cute, it has a sorta Christmas-y theme, and …..well, that’s it, actually. Yes, I know it’s now after Christmas but it’s still the Holiday Season so I figure I’m still good. Right? Darcy Burkell and James Jones grew up together but both(…)