Carries Book Reviews

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Title: How Snowball Stole Christmas

Author: Kristen McKanagh

Publisher: Kensington Books

Publication Date: September 27, 2022

Page Count: 277

My rating: 5 stars

About the book:

Cats and Christmas are a heartwarming combination in Kristen McKanagh’s series starring Snowball, the matchmaking kitty who brings unlikely couples together in stories “saturated with heart and humor” (Booklist starred review). Perfect for readers of Melinda Metz, Sandi Ward, it’s a sweet treat for fans of holiday-themed novels and cat fiction.

Snowball, the fluffy furball who found her forever home at a cozy Victorian inn, has her paws full this Christmas bringing two stubborn hearts together. Good thing no mission is too big for this kitty cupid . . .
 
Most cats have nine lives, but Snowball is one of the very few with two jobs. Officially, she’s the Weber Haus inn’s greeter. Unofficially, she’s the town matchmaker. Her track record is the cat’s pajamas—until she meets her owner’s grinchy brother, Peter Diemer. Peter hopes to move the family bookstore to a busy location downtown—but someone else has outbid him for the last storefront.
 
Christmas is the ideal season for Lara Wolfe to fulfill her dream of expanding her home business into a real shop. Too bad someone is posting negative comments on the town forum. What kind of Grinch objects to a toy store?
 
Snowball is sure these two are a perfect match. They already have so much in common—books are a kind of toy, right? Now all they need to add to the mix is love, and Snowball has just the shenanigans up her furry sleeve to deliver a sweet romance in time to make the season merry and bright . . .

How Snowball Stole Christmas by Kristen McKanagh is the third book in the contemporary romance Snowball series. Each of the books in this series take place in the days leading up to Christmas and feature different main characters so they can be read as a standalone or in any order if choosing to do so. The characters from the other books do make a slight appearance in the others though for those having read from the beginning.

The somewhat unique thing with the Snowball contemporary romance series is that not only do you get the point of view of the two main characters but also that of the tiny fluffball herself, Snowball the kitten. Snowball belongs to Miss Tilly who runs the B&B in which the stories are set and Snowball is quite the matchmaker around the B&B. This time around though Snowball is staying with Peter for a little catsitting and matchmaking. Peter had tried to bid on an open store space but lost out to another shop owner, Lara, who manages to change Peter’s grinchy attitude in time for Christmas.

I have been following the Snowball contemporary romance series from the beginning after not being able to pass by the cuteness on the covers. Thankfully though with this series my cover love obsession paid off when the stories are full of wonderful Christmassy fun with lovely characters and the most adorable furry matchmaker. This third book in the series had all of what I’d come to expect and now I hope I’ll see Snowball again next winter too!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Romance author Kristen McKanagh writes sweet contemporary romance & Amish romance. She loves plots that warm the soul, feisty heroines with sass, heroes with heart, a dash of snark, and oodles of HEAs! Other titles include wife, mother, Star Wars geek, ex-competitive skydiver, spreadsheet lover, eMBA, organizational guru, Texan, Aggie, and chocoholic.

Kristen attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing) and an MBA. However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it.

Kristen currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own swoon-worthy hero, their amazing kids, who are growing up way too fast, and 2 adorable fur babies.

kristenmckanagh.com

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Title: Mrs. Claus and the Evil Elves

Author: Liz Ireland

Publisher: Kensington Books 

Publication Date: September 27, 2022

Page Count: 296

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

Jessica Fletcher meets Tim Burton in this creative and witty cozy mystery series from Liz Ireland, filled with unconventional characters, year-round Christmas cheer, and a unique heroine who’s married to the real-life Santa Claus!

April Claus has grown to love her new North Pole home almost as much as she loves her husband, Nick—Santa himself. But even in Christmastown, the holidays can be murder . . .
 
April Claus is getting an early gift for her second Christmas in Santaland. Her dear friend, Claire, is visiting from Oregon, and April hopes to show off her adoptive country at its cozy, glittering best. But when the annual ice sculpture contest is derailed by a kamikaze drone-deer, it’s just the first in a series of un-festive events . . .
 
Drone-deer, created by inventor elf Blinky Brightlow, are none too popular with the genuine, flesh-and-hoof kind, who are currently on strike. With no reindeer games to keep them in shape, Nick worries they may get too chunky to pull his sleigh come Christmas. Now Blinky is missing, his girlfriend, Juniper, is under suspicion, and between rogue reindeer and conniving elves, all of Santaland seems to have gone sugarplum-crazy. Add a dash of murder to the mix, and suddenly April is battling not just to clear Juniper’s name, but to save herself from being put on ice—permanently . . .
 

Mrs. Claus and the Evil Elves by Liz Ireland is the third book in the cozy Mrs. Claus series. As with most cozy mystery series each book in the Mrs. Claus series features it’s own mystery that will be fully solved with that book so they can each be read as a standalone or in any order if choosing to do so. There will be some character development that carries over from book to book though for those that follow the series from the beginning.

April Claus was just a regular woman living in the United States when she met Nick, the man she just knew she’d be spending the rest of her life with. What April didn’t know or suspect at the time was that the wonderful Nick she was going to marry was none other than THE Santa Claus. After marrying Nick April found herself moving to Christmastown in Santaland at the North Pole and living among elves with Christmas celebrated year round.

It’s coming up quickly on April’s second Christmas in Santaland and she’s hoping that this holiday season will go better than the last. April has her friend, Claire, visiting from April’s hometown of Oregon and hopes only to showcase Christmastown in it’s glittery festive best but things do not go to plan during the annual ice sculpture contest and April quickly finds herself investigating yet another incident this holiday season.

Liz Ireland’s Mrs. Claus series is the type of cozy that will have the reader laughing out loud from the beginning to end. The characters are of course are everything you would think you would find in Santa’s village and get up to the craziest antics to create havoc for April to untangle in each read and this third installment wasn’t any different in it’s quirky craziness. Definitely one that I enjoy returning to with each new book in the series.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Liz Ireland, author of the Mrs. Claus cozy mystery series, has written over forty works of romance, women’s fiction, and mystery. She also publishes under the names Elizabeth Bass and Liz Freeland. Originally from the United States, she now lives on beautiful Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

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Guiding the Grouch
Shanna Hatfield
(Summer Creek, #5)
Publication date: December 15th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance

He’s a billionaire set on escaping the holidays and his demanding family.

She’s a single mom with a sunny smile who keeps her heart safely hidden.

When she makes him her personal Christmas project, what could possibly go wrong?

Gabe Gatlin would do anything to evade the obligatory family holiday hobnobbing that is nothing more than one horrible business event after another, all wrapped up with a gaudy Christmas ribbon. Then the opportunity arises to explore a property in the small town of Summer Creek, Oregon, and gives him the idea to run away for the holidays. This year, he’s skipping Christmas. All he has to do is hide out until January in the quirky little town where the residents have dubbed him Grinchy Gabe. But when a delightful woman starts making his sleigh bells jingle, he might find it impossible to avoid losing his three-sizes-too-small heart.

Single mom and waitress, Dani Latham, has two priorities: give her son the stable life she never had, and spread joy to her friends and neighbors in Summer Creek. When a stranger with a grinchy attitude sits at her table, she makes it her personal mission to make him smile. As she guides him into a flurry of Christmas festivities, she starts to wonder if this grounch’s heart will ever return to normal size. And even worse. . . if it does, who is going to save hers from breaking when he leaves?

Will a little Christmas magic and wonder bring these two lonesome people together?

Discover the joys of the season mixed with humor, holiday fun, and moments that tug at your heartstrings in this sweet contemporary Christmas romance.

 

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

As he listened to three more calls from Monique, they got progressively more annoying. The call from just an hour earlier ended with her making threats to “have Daddy fire you” if he didn’t come home and fulfill his holiday obligations.

“Maybe I don’t want to be there,” Gabe said, unaware of his dark glower or that he spoke aloud as he scrolled through a dozen of Monique’s infuriating text messages. “Maybe I’ll skip every holiday from now until the end of time. Maybe I actually despise Christmas and all the hoopla of the stupid, stupid season!”

“Well, aren’t you a grouchy one,” a teasing voice spoke from beside him, “I believe you could use a dose of Christmas cheer before you whip out the phone book and begin alphabetically listing all the people you hate. Or is it loathe?”

Gabe had no idea about her reference to the phone book, and he didn’t care. Irritated at being interrupted, he glanced up and stared at the server.

The stunning woman smiling at him could have been an angel as the overhead lights created a halo around her golden hair. Hers was a rare beauty. The kind that didn’t need makeup to enhance it, although she wore a light coat of mascara and lip gloss. She was of medium height and willowy, with high cheekbones, a generous mouth, and hazel eyes that twinkled with mirth. If she lived in New York City, he had no doubt she’d be in high demand as a fashion model. What was a woman with her looks and seductive voice doing in such a backwater place taking food and drink orders?

He envisioned her in a ruby-red velvet evening gown, strolling on his arm to a symphony performance. The picture in his mind was so real, so clear, he felt the oddest sense of knowing this woman deep in his soul.

Dumbfounded by his thoughts, Gabe felt like someone had sucked the air right out of his lungs.

The woman slid the menu closer to him “Chef Owen is one of the best in the Pacific Northwest. You can choose anything and know it’s going to be wonderful. Take a look at the menu. I’ll be right back.”

The angel strode across the room, walked behind the bar, and disappeared through a doorway before he could engage enough brain cells to utter a single word to her.

Gabe picked up the menu, but it might as well have been written in hieroglyphics based on his sudden inability to read. It was like his brain had just decided to take a vacation and left him in the lurch.

 

Author Bio:

USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes sweet romances rich with relatable characters, small town settings that feel like home, humor, and hope.

Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”

When this farm girl isn’t writing or indulging in rich, decadent chocolate, Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller. She also experiments with recipes, snaps photos of her adorable nephew, and caters to the whims of a cranky cat named Drooley.

To learn more about Shanna or the books she writes, visit her website http://shannahatfield.com or find out more about her here: linktr.ee/ShannaHatfield

 

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Winter Dragon
Olena Nikitin
(Season’s War, #2)
Publication date: December 18th 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

“When a Chaos mage fights, only blood and scorched earth remain.”

Mage War Chronicles

Some victories are more costly than others, and Ina was the one that paid the price.

Determined to rescue her dragon, the newly appointed royal witch embarks on a gruelling journey through the wintery Grey Mountains. The weather is not her only obstacle, as the enemy forces gathered in the kobold mines have only one goal.

To capture the Chaos mage and deliver her to the heart of the mountain.

With the help of Sa’Ren, Ina arrives at Castle Liath almost unscathed, but her joy is short-lived, as its granite walls hide a shocking revelation.

With blossoming love shattered by a possessive dragon’s claim and an impossible mission to fulfil, will the mysterious Blessing of the Mountain help or hinder her efforts to protect Cornovii?

Immerse yourself in the second book of Season’s War, where passion mix with cruelty and the world-changing power is buried deep in the ancient tomb guarded by the stern Mountain God.

 

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

A flash of movement caught her attention. Next to the stables in the small courtyard, Ren danced with his sword. That was the only way she could describe his fluid, graceful movements as he glided around the small space. Relieved to see he’d recovered from their ordeal and fascinated by his technique, Ina grabbed the poker from the fire and clumsily followed his moves. Despite feeling embarrassed at her lack of skill, she followed the more straightforward combinations. If I can’t work my magic, it would be helpful to know a trick or two.

Ina had never trained in combat, as her mother and great aunt wanted her to comport herself as a lady, and by the time she started university, enough people had belittled her inability to work any branch of Order magic that all confidence to try it was gone. The few attacks the witch could manage, she had learned from her mercenary friends in the tavern. Not that she would ever start a tavern brawl—not on purpose at least—but after getting caught up in two fights in Gruff’s place, Janik, the bloody idiot, taught her how to disable any drunk man who

saw a woman as an easy target. Ina pictured her former associate as she thrust the poker forward, pleased at how satisfying it felt.

‘Die! ’she shouted, preparing to kill the wardrobe when the door snapped open, and Ren charged into the room.

Despite his laboured breathing and heavy perspiration, the warrior’s eyes were focused as he looked around the small room, sword drawn and ready to strike the enemy. As he noticed Ina, alone, her poker pointed towards the wardrobe, he stepped closer and turned to the potential danger.

‘Ina? Move back. I’ll deal with this, ’Ren said slowly.

‘But Ren—’ she tried to say, but he raised his hand to silence her.

‘Step away from the wardrobe, ’he said, crossing the small room, not a single plank creaking beneath his feet.

Ina rolled her eyes and stepped aside. The warrior yanked the door open, revealing an empty interior and a few spiders running away from the sudden light. Still, it wasn’t good enough. Ren poked and prodded the back panel before he turned around to Ina.

‘My lady, who was attacking you? ’he asked, and despite the calm tone of his voice, Ina noticed how on edge he was.

‘Why does everyone always assume someone’s trying to kill me? ’She could not resist but answer his question with one of her own.

Ren just raised his eyebrow. ‘I saw through the window you were stabbing something and heard a commotion in your room, and you shouted, “Die!” when I was running up here. Care to tell me who was it and where they are now?’

Putting it like that, Ren had a point, and now it was her turn to explain. Pink shades of embarrassment blossomed on her cheeks as she started. ‘My magic is gone, for now. I can’t even start a fire, and I don’t know how long it will take to get it back. I saw you practising, and I wanted to learn. ’Ina tried to hide the poker behind her back. ‘That was what you saw in the window, and I may have tripped over the furniture a few times.’

Ren blinked several times, looking at her with disbelief. ‘You’re trying to tell me you practised Jian kata… with a poker? ’Something broke in him, and the warrior doubled over, laughing. He struggled to calm down, and gasping between bouts of laughing intertwined with cough, Ren stuttered, ‘But why, my lady?’

Ina huffed with exasperation. She was proud of her new moves, but Ren seemed to find it a joke. ‘I wanted to learn how to defend myself when my magic is depleted or blocked. I would like to know other ways to fight instead of always relying on magic and my Chaos. Right now, even a simpleton with enough strength could take me down. I don’t like it, Ren.’

Ren approached and reached behind her, taking the poker from her hand. ‘I will teach you, if you’d like. ’His eyes were smiling, and he behaved as if teaching her couldn’t make him happier.

 

Author Bio:

Olena Nikitin is our pen name. We are an enthusiastic couple of writers who are fascinated by the fantasy/paranormal romance genre and decided to write a book we would love to read

Behind the Pen name:

Olga – is Polish, armed with a wicked sense of humour and typical Slavic pessimism she is the wicked witch from the East. She has written stories since childhood, initially mostly about her work. As an emergency physician, she always has a story to tell and often not much time to write.

Mark is a typical English gentleman whose charm, refined taste and an impressive collection of books were tempting enough to make Olga leave her homeland. Don’t tease him too much; this man has an impressive sword collection and he knows how to use it. He also can fix everything, including Polish syntax in English writing.

See more on our website: http://www.olenanikitin.uk

 

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Title: Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas

Author: Sarah Robinson

Publisher: Forever

Publication Date: September 27, 2022

Page Count: 353

My rating: 5 stars

About the book:

When sparks start flying, these total opposites discover Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.

To raise enough money to start her own business, Nola Bennett needs to sell “The Castle,” her beloved grandmother’s historic house and get back home to the city. But Heart Lake’s most eligible bachelor is insisting she hang on to the property. He may be one of the hottest, grumpiest men she’s ever seen, but Nola has no time to pine over her high school crush.

All woodworker Tanner Dean wants for Christmas is some peace and quiet, but that’s not going to happen with infuriating, irresistible Nola Bennett back in town. How can he persuade her to keep The Castle out of the hands of greedy developers when sizzling attraction flares every time they’re together? And the more time he spends with Nola, the harder it becomes to picture a future without her—unless he can convince her, once and for all, that Heart Lake is exactly where she belongs.

Includes the bonus novella The Christmas Wish by Melinda Curtis!

Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas by Sarah Robinson is a contemporary romance novel that is set during the Christmas holiday season. The story in Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas is a second chance romance that is told by alternating the point of view between the characters.

Bailey Bennett left her hometown of Heart Lake, Michigan for the big city and never planned to return but inheriting her grandmothers historic home has brought her back to the small town. Bailey plans to handle the renovations and head back to the city to open her own business but a snowstorm brings her together again with Tanner Dean who doesn’t want Bailey to sell and leave the town yet again.

Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas is not the first book I’ve read by author Sarah Robinson and it certainly will not be the last. I’m a sucker for small town charm especially at the Christmas season so it didn’t take me long at all to settle into the story and grow to enjoy the characters, including the secondary characters in the charming town. A lovely Hallmark-y type of Christmas read perfect for the holiday season.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Sarah Robinson first started her writing career as a published poet in high school, and then continued in college, winning several poetry awards and being published in multiple local literary journals.

Never expecting to make a career of it, a freelance writing Craigslist job accidentally introduced her to the world of book publishing. Lengthening her writing from poetry to novels, Robinson published her first book through a small press publisher, before moving into self-publishing, and then finally accepting a contract from Penguin Random House two years later. She continues to publish both traditionally and indie with over 18+ novels to her name with publishers like Penguin, Waterhouse Press, Hachette, and more. She has achieved awards and accolades including 2021 Vivian Award Finalist, Top 10 iBooks Bestseller, Top 25 Amazon Kindle Bestseller, and Top 5 Barnes & Noble Bestseller. She has been published in three languages.

In her personal life, Sarah Robinson is happily married to the gentle giant of her dreams and the duo recently welcomed to the world their first baby, Norah Grace. They have a home full of love, snuggly pets, and are happily living in Arlington, Virginia.

Visit her website at booksbysarahrobinson.com or follow her daily life updates on Instagram @booksbysarahrobinson

Subscribe to her newsletter at http://www.subscribepage.com/sarahrobinsonnewsletter