Home Sweet Home

Fern Michaels · Donna Kauffman · Melissa Storm

Feb 2020 · Zebra Books

About this eBook

What makes a place feel like home? A mother’s embrace, the warmth of new friendship, a sweet reunion—all can be found in these unforgettable stories . . .
 
THREE’S A CROWD * Fern Michaels
This Mother’s Day will be the first in three years that Samantha Stewart has spent with her parents. And she’s bringing a very special gift—the baby granddaughter they’ve never met. Sam’s work as an overseas reporter was exhilarating and dangerous. Now she’s seeking stability for little Caroline—and answers for herself—and finding them in a homecoming full of surprises . . .
 
NEW BEGINNINGS IN BLUE HOLLOW FALLS * Donna Kauffman
The moment she set foot in Blue Hollow Falls, Dubliner Katie MacMillan felt right at home. Back to help with her sister’s pregnancy, she’s contemplating her own future, especially when she confronts Declan MacGregor, her childhood tormentor and first crush. This Blue Ridge town was supposed to be a new beginning, but can it also be the setting for a second chance?
 
BRING ME HOME * Melissa Storm
For Hazel Long, spending time with her bedridden father is bittersweet. There’s comfort in the friendship offered by other hospital visitors—and the kindness of a handsome male nurse. And when Hazel’s father begins to tell her the story of the mother she barely knew, it’s an unexpected chance to bond, and a lesson in making the most of each new day.

Ratings and reviews

This book is actually three shorter stories: Three's A Crowd by Fern Michaels; New Beginnings in Blue Hollow Falls by Donna Kauffman; and Bring Me Home by Melissa Storm. Three's A Crowd by Fern Michaels - 4 star Samantha Stewart is an international news correspondent and has spent the past three years overseas. Sam was excited and nervous at seeing her parents again. What would they think of the secret she has been hiding in the form of her 8 month old daughter, Caroline? Of course they were were a little hurt, but mostly excited to being grandparents! Just as Sam is trying to settle back into being in the United States, something surprising from her past shows up again and it could make life really interesting. Blue Hollow Falls: New Beginnings by Donna Kauffman - 5 star Katie MacMillan, Pippa's sister has permanently moved to Blue Hollow Falls. She is excited to be with her sister again while awaiting the new baby, but even more important, Katie is looking forward to a new beginning in her life. Imagine her surprise when Katie finds out that Declan MacGregor is also in Blue Hollow Falls. Declan may have been Katie's first crush back in high school, but she has never forgotten him. It turns out Declan has never forgotten her either and quickly they come to find a second chance at love and their happy ending! Bring Me Home by Melissa Storm - 3 star Hazel Long lost her mother at a very young age and it has always been just her and her dad. Now when Hazel finds out that her dad has cancer it feels like her world is crashing down. Through the trips to the hospital Hazel meets three other women with family going through the same "C" diagnosis as well as the hunky chemo nurse, Keith. As things with Hazel's dad deteriorates, her new friends and boyfriend help her to navigate through the emotions. Overall I enjoyed the first book; loved the second book and had a hard time with the third book (cancer is a hard topic for me to read) but I did enjoy all of the characters and their stories.

I initially wanted to read this because of the Donna Kaffman story in her Blue Hollow Falls series, one of my favourites, but I really enjoyed the Fern Michaels story too. THREE'S A CROWD by Fern Michaels - 4 stars This was about Samantha (former overseas reporter/Afghanistan etc.) and her baby daughter Caroline, who were finally coming home to the US and staying with Samantha's parents, who couldn't wait to see her after three years, but had no idea about the baby! I'm not sure why she kept it such a secret from them, even though there were admittedly government sort of things going on in the background. I found the story very enjoyable, with an added bit of mystery about the baby's 'missing' Father, which eventually was revealed. The ending felt a little bit rushed to me, but it was a short story, but I really enjoyed the relationship between Sam and her parents, both of whom were great characters, especially her Mum! NEW BEGINNINGS IN BLUE HOLLOW FALLS by Donna Kauffman - 5 stars This story is the reason I read this anthology in the first place, as I am a big fan of the Blue Hollow Falls series and would highly recommend all of them. This time we're back with pregnant Pippa (Irish folk artist/now married and living in Blue Hollow Falls) and her sister Katie MacMillan, her PA and right hand person, who comes over from Dublin to help control the influx of family visitors (lots of!) in the last months of a difficult pregnancy. Once there Katie realises that Declan (taken in as an honorary family member from a very young age / Katie's first and only love) has also moved there. They've avoided each other for 10 years but can no longer do that as they're now both living in Blue Hollow Falls. Of course they eventually resolve their issues and there is a really lovely ending. I just love this series, the characters are fabulous and you want them all to be your friends! BRING ME HOME by Melissa Storm - Didn't Read I must admit I'd never heard of Melissa Storm before, and even though I started the story it wasn't really my sort of thing (a story about a woman's Dad dying of cancer) so I gave it a miss. After the other two stories in this anthology I didn't think this one was really the right one to end it, it didn't really fit with the other two more upbeat stories, which was a shame. But I'm sure other people like her work and enjoyed it, just not for me.

This review is only for NEW BEGINNINGS IN BLUE HOLLOW FALLS by Donna Kauffman. I love second chance romances. It has been more than 10 years since Katie and Declan last saw each other, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t thought about the other during their time apart. Katie believed Declan wasn’t interested in her all those years ago, only that couldn’t be further from the truth. This is a sweet romance with engaging characters and a guaranteed happily ever after. NEW BEGINNINGS IN BLUE HOLLOW FALLS is a novella within the Blue Hollow Falls series but it can be read as a standalone. If you have read the other books in the series you will see familiar, beloved characters.

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 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.

MELISSA STORM is a USA Today bestselling author of various romance and inspirational series. She loves books so much, she married fellow author Falcon Storm. Between the two of them, there are always plenty of imaginative, awe-inspiring stories to share. Melissa and Falcon also run a number of book-related businesses together, including LitRing, Sweet Promise Press, Novel Publicity, Your Author Engine, and the Author Site. When she’s not reading, writing, or child-rearing, Melissa spends time relaxing at home in the company of a seemingly unending quantity of dogs and a rescue cat named Schrödinger. Melissa maintains active memberships in Romance Writers of America (RWA), American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), Novelists, Inc. (NINC), and the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi). Visit her online at www.melstorm.com.