A Season to Celebrate

Fern Michaels · Kate Pearce · Donna Kauffman · Priscilla Oliveras

Oct 2018 · Zebra Books

About this eBook

Featuring “Christmas Homecoming” by #1 New York Times-bestselling author Fern Michaels, now the hit Hallmark movie Unlocking Christmas!

Make it a merry Christmas with four stories of the special way the holidays warm our hearts . . .
 
“A Christmas Homecoming” by Fern Michaels
Former Air Force Pararescueman Kevin Matthews is back home in Texas, working at his family’s Christmas tree farm while deciding his next move. Or maybe he won’t move at all, if sparks keep flying with the town’s new surgeon, Kate Stafford . . .
 
“An Unexpected Gift” by Kate Pearce
Widower Billy Morgan wishes his grown children still needed him. Good thing his longtime friend, Bella, does. She’s planning her son’s Christmas wedding and Billy is happy to help. Along the way they just might discover their own occasion to celebrate . . .
 
“Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls” by Donna Kauffman
Attorney Moira Brogan expects her brother’s Christmas wedding to be a peaceful affair. She doesn’t expect to be cornered by an unwanted lothario, rescued by a gorgeous Aussie chef—or be swept off her feet by said chef . . .
 
“Holiday Home Run” by Priscilla Oliveras 
Event planner Julia Louisa Fernandez dreams of a life in Chicago. But her family in Puerto Rico expects her to take over the catering business. Former pro baseball player Ben Thomas knows what that’s like—and when they meet, he might be the one to inspire a winning strategy, just in time for the holidays . . .
 
An Official Military Spouse Book Club Pick

Ratings and reviews

This review is for Kate Pearce's novella, An Unexpected Gift. While I have read all the other Morgan novels and LOVED them, this novella was not my favorite. Billy Morgan, the patriarch of the Morgan family, has a troubled past. Having been accused in the murder of his wife, disappearance of his daughter, then drowning his sorrows in the bottle, the recovering alcoholic deserves his HEA! I just pictured him as being more "alpha", than wimp. After rescuing Bella from an upset ex-employee, one would think he'd be "tough", but not so much. He and Bella's banter was so cheesy. If my parents spoke like that, I'd die laughing. It just didn't seem to "fit" with the rest of the Morgan series. I did appreciate their work ethic and care they showed to their family's. This just wasn't the novella for me. I do recommend the rest of the novels in the Morgan series! I read a gifted copy and all opinions stated are my own.

I must admit I wanted to read this initially because of Donna Kauffman's story and a lovely addition to the wonderful Blue Hollow Falls series, but all these short stories were very enjoyable and the cover was just beautiful, so Christmassy! CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING by Fern Michaels - 3 stars This was a very sweet Christmas story that I enjoyed, although it did verge on the too sweet side on occasions for me. Kevin is back in town working at his parents Christmas tree ranch after being invalided out of the Air Force and Kate and her daughter have just moved to town. Kate is a surgeon and looking for a new start after her divorce. They soon bump into each other and feel attracted to one another. It did feel a bit rushed for me though, for instance Kevin got put out when he called around to Kate's house and she had another guy there (an old friend), even though they'd only just met each other and hadn't even talked about dating. Equally Kate jumped to conclusions when she saw Kevin coming out of the house of a woman she knew was married and just assumed something was going on between them. So a bit far fetched at times, probably because it's a short story, but enjoyable nonetheless. AN UNEXPECTED GIFT by Kate Pearce - 5 stars I really enjoyed this story about two people, Billy and Bella, who were both in their fifties and had older children. They had been friends since they were very young and each had married and had children, with various issues along the way, but both are now single. The setting sounded lovely (The Morgan Ranch) and even though this is in the middle of this series it didn't detract from the story, in fact it made me want to read the rest of the series. Very enjoyable. CHRISTMAS IN BLUE HOLLOW FALLS by Donna Kauffman - 5 stars I must admit this story is the one that drew me to this anthology in the first place as I've absolutely loved all the Blue Hollow series so far so this was a definite read in my case. Even though I wish this had been a full-length book I absolutely loved it. Hudson and Moira were such a lovely couple. Moira was in Blue Hollow Falls for her brother's wedding and Hudson is an Aussie chef working in The Falls. Hudson rescues Moira from a nasty guy in the bar who then tries to sue him after a brawl breaks out, and Moira advises him as she is an attorney. Great chemistry between them! The ending was just so lovely. This was definitely my favourite of the anthology. HOLIDAY HOMERUN by Priscilla Oliveiras - 4 stars This was a very enjoyable story set around a Christmas charity event. Julia is helping organise the event, and hoping to move to Chicago from Puerto Rico on a more permanent basis if she's offered a job (and can get away from her over-protective family), especially as she has other family there too. Ben is a famous retired baseball player who is helping out with the charity event. Julia doesn't want to get involved with him as she's trying to concentrate on her career, but of course love gets in the way! Very enjoyable. I've read another full-length book in this series and the Fernandez family are great fun.

CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING Fern Michaels 4 Stars Former Air Force Pararescueman Kevin Matthews is back home in Texas, working at his family’s Christmas tree farm while deciding his next move. Or maybe he won’t move at all, if sparks keep flying with the town’s new surgeon, Kate Stafford. I can’t believe this is the first story I’ve read from the author, I really enjoyed it & look forward to reading more from her. AN UNEXPECTED GIFT Kate Pearce 4.5 Stars Widower Billy Morgan has returned after years away & wishes his grown children still needed him. Good thing his long time friend, Bella, does. She’s planning a Christmas celebration for her son’s wedding as he married in Vegas. Billy is more than happy to help. If you love the Morgan boys then you won’t want to miss this delightful short story. Billy & Bella have been friends for decades but things change after a thank you kiss. Well written, great characters, well paced everything I expect, it was different in that Billy & Bella are in their 50’s with grown children. CHRISTMAS IN BLUE HOLLOW FALLS Donna Kauffman 4 Stars Attorney Moira Brogan expects her brother’s Christmas wedding to be a peaceful affair. She doesn’t expect to be cornered by an unwanted lothario, rescued by a gorgeous Aussie chef—or be swept off her feet by said chef. Nursing a broken heart, the last thing she wants is a new romance. But Hudson Walker has other ideas . Another new author to me, it took me a while to ‘get into’ this novella. I think if I’d read other books in the series then it would have been easier. However it did whet my appetite enough to search our more from the author. HOLIDAY HOMERUN Priscilla Oliveras 3 Stars Event planner Julia Louisa Fernandez dreams of a life in Chicago. But her family in Puerto Rico expects her to take over the catering business. Former pro baseball player Ben Thomas knows what that’s like—and when they meet, he might be the one to inspire a winning strategy, just in time for the holidays. Another enjoyable read & ideal for whiling away a couple of hours. I found my interest waning at times so for me the length was about right. Four engaging short stories, I read each one in a sitting. Kate Pearce is a must read author for me & her story was the icing on the cake in this anthology & I must admit the reason for reading it. However I was delighted with the other novellas from three new to me authors who I’ll certainly be reading more of. My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

About the author

Fern Michaels is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of the Sisterhood, Lost and Found, Men of the Sisterhood, and Godmothers series, as well as dozens of other novels and novellas. Her books have been translated into more than 20 languages and sold over 150 million copies in print. Fern Michaels has built and funded several large day-care centers in her hometown and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. She shares her home in South Carolina with her fur family of dogs and cats, as well as a resident ghost named Mary Margaret. Visit her website at FernMichaels.com.

USA Today bestselling author Kate Pearce was born in England in the middle of a large family of girls and quickly found that her imagination was far more interesting than real life. After acquiring a degree in history and barely escaping from the British Civil Service alive, she moved to California and then to Hawaii with her kids and her husband and set about reinventing herself as a romance writer. She writes for Kensington, Penguin Random House UK Rouge Romance, Carina and Cleis Press and is known for both her unconventional heroes and her joy at subverting romance cliches. In her spare time she self publishes science fiction erotic romance, historical romance and whatever else she can imagine. You can find Kate at www.katepearce.com, on Facebook as Kate Pearce, and on Twitter @Kate4queen.

USA Today bestselling author of the Blue Hollow Falls series, DONNA KAUFFMAN has been gratified to see her books get rave reviews in venues ranging from Kirkus Reviews and Library Journal to Entertainment Weekly and Cosmopolitan. She lives in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in western Virginia, where she is presently applying her crafty DIY skills to decorating her new mountainside abode. When she isn’t busy trying to keep the bears from hanging out in her flower and vegetable garden all day and night, she loves to hear from readers! You can contact her through her website at www.donnakauffman.com.

Priscilla Oliveras is a USA Today bestselling author and 2018 RWA® RITA® double finalist who writes swoony stories that stir your heart. Proud of her Puerto Rican-Mexican heritage, she strives to bring authenticity to her novels by sharing her Latinx culture with readers. Her books have earned Starred Reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Booklist along with praise from O, The Oprah Magazine, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, frolic.media, and more. She earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University where she currently serves as adjunct faculty while also teaching the online class “Romance Writing” for ed2go. Along-time romance enthusiast, Priscilla’s also a sports fan, beach lover, and Zumba aficionado, who often practices the art of napping in her backyard hammock. Find out more and check out her events calendar at prisoliveras.com/books/, and follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/prisoliveras or other social media platforms via @prisoliveras.