Holiday Review: Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber

Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber

Published: October 3, 2017

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Format: audiobook via Overdrive

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Merry Knight is pretty busy these days. She’s taking care of her family, baking cookies, decorating for the holidays, and hoping to stay out of the crosshairs of her stressed and by-the-book boss at the consulting firm where she temps. Her own social life is the last thing she has in mind, much less a man. Without her knowledge, Merry’s well-meaning mom and brother create an online dating profile for her—minus her photo—and the matches start rolling in. Initially, Merry is incredulous, but she reluctantly decides to give it a whirl.

Soon Merry finds herself chatting with a charming stranger, a man with similar interests and an unmistakably kind soul. Their online exchanges become the brightest part of her day. But meeting face-to-face is altogether different, and her special friend is the last person Merry expects—or desires. Still, sometimes hearts can see what our eyes cannot. In this satisfying seasonal tale, unanticipated love is only a click away.

My Thoughts

Merry is all about taking care of her family so much so that she basically has no life. She works but doesn’t date and her family thinks its time for that to change. So her brother makes an online profile for her and decides Merry needs a man in her life and makes it his mission to find her someone. Her brother has the best intentions and soon Merry meets someone who grabs her attention. They have great conversations and they share things with each other that neither one has shared with no one else. However, despite the flirting and great convos neither one has a profile picture so they don’t know who they are actually talking to.

Merry is a hard worker but her boss is not a very kind man. He doesn’t really appreciate his workers and honestly doesn’t really pay attention to things around him. He’s a smart and rich guy but decides he wants to try online dating and find someone real and soon he finds the perfect person and she is much closer than he realizes. As you can imagine that person is no other than Merry. Now, this isn't a spoiler since you find this out real quick but this book definitely has a You’ve Got Mail kind of vibe going on. He figures out who she is before she does and the things he does for Merry are so cute.

I really enjoyed this story all be it, it was so predictable it was really cute and heartwarming. I love Debbie Macomber’s Christmas reads because they have that element of Christmas magic to them and this one isn’t any different. So if you want something fun and romantic than look no further than this holiday rom-com.

Day 7 of 25 Days of Christmas: Dashing through the Snow by Debbie Macomber

Dashing through the Snow by Debbie Macomber

Published: October 6, 2015

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Format: Kindle buy

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

Ashley Davison, a graduate student in California, desperately wants to spend the holidays with her family in Seattle. Dashiell Sutherland, a former army intelligence officer, has a job interview in Seattle and must arrive by December 23. Though frantic to book a last-minute flight out of San Francisco, both are out of luck: Every flight is full, and there’s only one rental car available. Ashley and Dash reluctantly decide to share the car, but neither anticipates the wild ride ahead.

At first they drive in silence, but forced into close quarters Ashley and Dash can’t help but open up. Not only do they find they have a lot in common, but there’s even a spark of romance in the air. Their feelings catch them off guard—never before has either been so excited about a first meeting. But the two are in for more twists and turns along the way as they rescue a lost puppy, run into petty thieves, and even get caught up in a case of mistaken identity. Though Ashley and Dash may never reach Seattle in time for Christmas, the season is still full of surprises—and their greatest wishes may yet come true.

My Thoughts

When Ashley tries to surprise her mother for Christmas and can’t make the flight a whole set of circumstances set in motion a series of things that make Dashing through the Snow a funny and heartwarming tale of love and mistaken identity something you can’t miss. Ashley is all set to visit her mother over the holidays when for some reason she isn’t allowed on her flight. So she accepts the offer from a fellow stranded stranger Dashiell, to share a car so that they both can make it to their destination on time. After a few bumps and too many pit stops they go from butting heads to slowly falling for one another. The chemistry between the two is one that while we see coming it was never forced and it came so naturally which was a beautiful thing. While this storyline has been played over and over throwing in a comical sub plot was a genius idea! We get the romance but we also get this underlying story that provides quite a few laugh out loud laughs. We also met a few quirky supporting characters that are a breath of fresh air throughout the novel. Dashing through the Snow is a romantic and funny read that is a fresh take on the typical holiday read. It has a little bit of everything for everyone so I know it’s bound to satisfy the pickiest of readers.

Day 5 of 25 Days of Christmas Reviews: Mr. Miracle by Debbie Macomber

Mr. Miracle by Debbie Macomber

Published: October 7, 2014

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Format: via NetGalley

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis

Harry Mills is a guardian angel on a mission: help twenty-four-year-old Addie Folsom get her life back on track—and, if the right moment strikes, help her find love. Posing as a teacher at a local college in Tacoma, Washington, Harry is up to the task, but not even he can predict the surprises that lay in store.

After trying to make it on her own, Addie has returned home to Tacoma for the holidays, but this time she plans to stay for good, enrolling in the local community college to earn her degree. What she doesn’t plan to do is run into Erich Simmons.

Addie and her next-door neighbor, Erich, are like night and day. Growing up, he was popular and outgoing while she was rebellious and headstrong, and he never missed an opportunity to tease her. Now she intends to avoid him entirely, yet when they’re suddenly forced to spend Christmas together, Addie braces for trouble.

Perhaps it’s the spirit of the season or the magic of mistletoe, but Addie and Erich soon find they have more in common than they thought—and that two people who seem so wrong for each other may actually be just right. With a little prompting from a certain angelic teacher, the two are in for a holiday miracle they’ll never forget.

My Thoughts

Well I had some very high hopes for this one and well frankly it just fell flat. Considering I’ve read the Mrs. Miracle books and loved the Hallmark movies I was just expecting more than what this was. I just couldn’t connect with the characters or the plot for that matter. I liked the idea of the plot but there was so many characters and at times I got confused, which I never do. While it isn’t all that bad it just isn’t what I’ve come to expect when it comes to Debbie Macomber’s books. However I see this one will also be a movie on the Hallmark channel tomorrow night and I will check it out. Maybe I’ll like the movie more than the book.

Holiday Reads: Starry Night by Debbie Macomber

I know it’s a tad too early for anything Christmas, but what can I say…I LOVE CHRISTMAS!! Yep, I’m one of those freaks who just loves any and everything that comes with the season. While others get sad, mad or just plain grumpy I’m the total opposite. I just come alive during this time of year, which is kind of strange since I live in Texas and it hardly gets cold this far south. However maybe that’s why I love it so much, anything beats 100+ degrees!

So from now until Christmas I will be posting reviews under the offering: HOLIDAY READS. Some are new some are old but all give you options to settle down and snuggle under a warm blanket with a hot drink and enjoy some magical holiday reads.

Starry Night: A Christmas Novel by Debbie Macomber
Published: October 15, 2013
Format: E-Arc via NetGalley
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Carrie Slayton, a big-city society-page columnist, longs to write more serious news stories. So her editor hands her a challenge: She can cover any topic she wants, but only if she first scores the paper an interview with Finn Dalton, the notoriously reclusive author.

Living in the remote Alaskan wilderness, Finn has written a megabestselling memoir about surviving in the wild. But he stubbornly declines to speak to anyone in the press, and no one even knows exactly where he lives.

Digging deep into Finn’s past, Carrie develops a theory on his whereabouts. It is the holidays, but her career is at stake, so she forsakes her family celebrations and flies out to snowy Alaska. When she finally finds Finn, she discovers a man both more charismatic and more stubborn than she even expected. And soon she is torn between pursuing the story of a lifetime and following her heart.

My Thoughts

First off I’m a huge fan of Debbie Macomber, her books are so great and her characters are well written and a bit quirky. What I enjoy most is of course the romance! Starry Night doesn’t disappoint either, though I don’t really know why it’s called a Christmas novel since it doesn’t just focus on that time but the whole holidays in general.

I loved the romance of Carrie and Finn, like any love story there is a bit of dislike in the beginning but you know that’s all a lie because you feel the attractive between these two from the very start. Two souls who aren’t looking for love, since they both have been hurt but two who have lots of it to give. While they both admit they are from different worlds, they can’t deny that there is something there that pulls them together.

What started out as a regular job assignment turns out to be true love. Two people who are meant to be together no matter what others think. There is something magical to be said about the holidays. Many think it’s cheesy and just for kids, but I still believe that anything can happen during that time of year. So yes it can be a bit cheesy but I like a novel that can give you hope. I love it when everything turns out the way it should, what’s wrong with that? So pick up this novel, it has a great romance and background of the holidays just adds to its magic.