Emily Pennington
The Spirit of Christmas... Revealed Bernie, who loves all things Christmas (except Ruby’s off-key singing of carols), is going through her list of things still to be done. She will be having a Christmas party for her friends and needs to buy the gifts fort a white elephant gift exchange. Everything had to be perfect! But right before the party, all the gifts are stolen! With Ruby, her ghostly grandmother, helping her, can she find out who ruined her party and why they would do such a thing? Her cop boyfriend, Adam, wrote up the report and will be replacing the old locks with deadbolts. Then Elvira, Ruby’s cat, took a flying leap from the stairs and landed precisely in the Christmas tree, toppling it and breaking ornaments as it crashed on top of Adam! After admiring her disaster, Elvira sought out a hiding place until it was safe to sneak out again, while Bernie considered taking her to the local shelter! Almost in tears, she drove Adam to the hospital while his scalp wound bled all over the seat. Yes, Christmas was canceled! Adam texted a couple friends who came over to help clean up the trashed living room. They actually got Bernie to laugh a little, which helped. The ornaments brought back memories and she was sad they had to be thrown out. But new ones would be made. Jezebel tried to tell her that Christmas is about spending time with friends and family, not about the decorations and the gifts. Then Darla at the diner called – her refrigerator went down the night before, and it was the one where the Christmas meal for the party had been stored. So Darla told her to hand the phone to Jezebel. Despite Bernie canceling Christmas, her friends were not ready to give up. I love how the author builds up the Christmas atmosphere as Bernie gets wrapped up in the details of getting the B&B decorated and making her plans. But we are to see the “bigger picture” here of what Christmas is really all about. Grab your copy and see if she finds what she is looking for here. Will the party at the B&B happen this year?
1 person found this review helpful
Molly Hamblin
Bernie develops a case of the bah-humbugs when some petty theft and a vicious cat she inherited from her grandmother wreak destruction on her decorations, her gifts, and her mood. sometimes the spirit of the season sneaks up on us in unexpected ways some sweet ans some sad holidays moments and friends beyond measure- not so sure about that cat though I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Judy Hendrickson
Bernie is prepping for a Christmas get together with friends when everything goes wrong, and I mean everything. Friends rally around Bernie after four major issues come to light and Adam is hurt. Love the characters and could feel how they felt during the sad times and the better times. The storyline had its share of anguish, but the point of just being together, especially in support was perfect. The storyline gets into your heart and makes you smile as the holiday arrives. Great ending, as expected from this author. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
