Friday, October 4, 2024

Book Review - The Christmas Tree Farm, A Christmas Novella by Melody Carlson


My Review

Madison McDowell comes home from teaching abroad to work on her family's Christmas tree farm in Oregon. She is part owner of the farm with her sister Addie.  She doesn't count on Addie wanting to sell the farm, or her first love, Gavin, being widowed and living next door with his youngest daughter.

I wanted to read The Christmas Tree Farm because I love Melody Carlson's Christmas novels.  I try to read them each year.

This novel was one of my favorite of Ms. Carlson's recent Christmas books.  I loved the setting of the Christmas tree farm and the old fashioned house there.  

I also really liked the cast of characters - especially Madison, who loves working outdoors and is determined to make the Christmas tree farm a community fixture again.  I also liked Gavin, who is sweet and a bit eccentric (he lives in a trailer by the lake while building a house).  His daughter Lily, an 11 year old dirt bike enthusiast, is delightful.  Part of the conflict early on is based on Gavin and Lily building a dirt bike track on their property - right next door to the Christmas tree farm.

I highly recommend The Christmas Tree Farm for fans of Christmas reads, picturesque holiday settings, and heartwarming storytelling!

Book Synopsis

Christmas is the perfect time for old memories, new beginnings, and second chances

When Madison McDowell returns from teaching overseas, she has high hopes of picking up where she left off at her family's Christmas tree farm in Oregon. But between damage from a recent wildfire and the neglect due to her sister Addie's unwillingness to invest, the farm is in sad shape. In fact, Addie is intent on selling the property. And to top it off, Madison's former high school flame, the now-widowed Gavin Thompson, has plans to break her heart again by turning his neighboring property into a dusty, noisy dirt bike track for his daughter.

With the odds stacked against her, Madison decides there's only one thing to do: double down on her dreams. It will require a ton of hard work--and some help from an unlikely ally--to save the farm she so dearly loves. But it may take a Christmas miracle to restore her relationship with her sister.

Author Bio

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than 250 books with sales of more than 7.5 million, including many bestselling Christmas novellas, young adult titles, and contemporary romances. She received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award, her novel All Summer Long has been made into a Hallmark movie, and the movie based on her novel The Happy Camper premiered on UPtv in 2023. She and her husband live in central Oregon. Learn more at MelodyCarlson.com.

Book Review - Meddling with Mistletoe A Red Door Inn Christmas Romance by Liz Johnson


My Review

Meddling With Mistletoe is the story of Whitney Garrett, who is baking homemade pies to fund her culinary school tuition.  When her oven breaks, she works out a deal with the owners of the local bed and breakfast to bake pies there in exchange for babysitting and cooking breakfasts daily.  While working at the inn she meets a guest named Daniel, who is in town to visit his aunt -- who is an eccentric antique shop owner determined to make a match between Daniel and Ruby, the woman buying his aunt's antique store.  Whitney is convinced, though, that Daniel and Ruby are not an ideal match . . . and she has an idea of a better match for him.

I wanted to read this novel because it sounded like a Hallmark movie in book form.  It is!   It is a delightful Christmas story, with lots of holiday atmosphere.

I liked Whitney as a protagonist and admire her determination to pursue her dream.  I also like Daniel and I thought from early on that they would be an interesting match.  Their story is very heartwarming with some light faith references.

I recommend Meddling for Mistletoe for readers who enjoy Christmas reads, heartwarming love stories, and cozy settings.

Book Synopsis

The recipe for romance is simple: sweets, treats, and mistletoe meets

Whitney Garrett is preparing to enter culinary school in the spring, but first she has to sell enough homemade pies at the local Christmas markets to pay her tuition. When her oven breaks, Whitney asks Marie Sloan, proprietor of the Red Door Inn, if she can use the inn's kitchen to keep up with her orders. Marie agrees, with a catch: Whitney has to watch the three Sloan children and cook breakfasts for the Red Door in return.

The inn is busy with holiday guests--including Aretha Franklin Sloan's perpetually single nephew Daniel and Ruby, a businesswoman in town to purchase Aretha's antiques store. Intent on making a Christmas match for the two, Aretha enlists Whitney's help in her schemes. But the deeper Whitney gets, the more she realizes that Ruby is not the right woman for Daniel--and the more she thinks that she just might be his perfect match.

Author Bio

Liz Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 novels, including Beyond the Tides, The Last Way Home, and Summer in the Spotlight, as well as the Georgia Coast Romance and Prince Edward Island Dreams series. She works in marketing, makes her home in Phoenix, Arizona, and daydreams of summer days on PEI's shores. Learn more at LizJohnsonBooks.com.