Reading, Writing & Pondering

    On a Midnight Clear includes three Christmas novellas by Tracie Peterson, Karen Witemeyer, and Kristy M. Beller. This collection of novellas is inspired by the nativity and that is reflected in each story. The Shepherd's Hear t by Tracie Peterson is a marriage of convenience story. Angel Lewis agrees to marry Vincent Duran after her own courtship ended with her being jilted at the alter. To escape from the local embarrassment she feels, she agrees to marry her childhood friend who was widowed with two young children who need a mother. This is a lovely short story of redemption. No Room at the Inn features Innkeeper Hope Palmer and her brother taking in a stagecoach full of passengers during a rough winter storm.  One of the passengers is Noah Bentwood who is taking charge of his employer's daughter to make sure she has safe passage to her home in California. However, he may also have found a reason to return to the area. This story includes both mystery and romance....

  Have you ever been in a friend relationship that turned into more? Her Pretend Holiday Beau by Susanne Dietz features this fun trope. Mick Larson and Sadie Dalton have been friends for years. Mick is the town veterinarian. Sadie is a florist. This year, Mick asks for Sadie's help in planning a town Christmas nativity event. She agrees--but she also needs a date for a wedding in return.  Mick agrees to be Sadie's Plus-One at a wedding where she will be seeing her ex-boyfriend who is engaged to someone else. That day, they are caught under some mistletoe and well-meaning matchmakers think they are a couple. Mick and Sadie agree to pretend to be a couple through the holidays to appease the matchmakers.  Her Pretend Holiday Beau is a quick read full of fun holiday events and family gatherings that Mick and Sadie attend. I enjoyed seeing the couple grow in who they were as individuals and as a couple. As the book went along, their communication got better too and I liked t...