The White Christmas Inn

“The White Christmas Inn” by Colleen Wright  288 pages

The Evergreen Inn in Vermont is the quintessential New England Inn. Add a blizzard, Christmas, people in desperate need of a miracle and you have a wonderful holiday tale. It’s especially heartwarming given the global pandemic that we have faced for the last two years. 

The Inn’s owners, Jeanne and Tom, have two major hurdles to overcome. First is their relationship, which seems to get more and more strained with each passing day. Second is the inn. Since a new luxury ski resort was built about twenty miles up the road, no one wants a charming B&B anymore. They can barely pay their bills and have made the tough decision to close after the new year.

But this holiday seems a little brighter. One of their long-time guests, Hannah, has been coming to the Inn since she was a little girl with her family. Now an adult, Hannah has chosen Evergreen Inn as the venue for her wedding. It will be a small affair, immediate family only, but at least the rooms are occupied.

Things go awry when Hannah’s finance gets cold feet and calls off the wedding. Hannah isn’t as devastated as she, and everyone else, thought she would be. Her summer’s crush, Luke, has dropped by the inn to check on his grandmother. who is the inn’s hostess. The sparks fly even before he gets in the door. Jeanne and Tom are sad that all the rooms aren’t going to be full after all, but mostly they are distressed about the wedding.

There is one other guest at the inn, Molly. She has checked in for a few days. She’s a writer and illustrator of children’s books. Her new book is due soon, but she has absolutely no story idea. Scrounging the internet, she fell in love with the inn.

Then the blizzard arrives. A real Nor’easter it is. The Highway Patrol has closed all the roads. A couple of stragglers manage to make their way to the inn to spend the night. One is Marcus, a widower with two small girls, and the other is grouchy Englishman who rubs on everyone’s nerves. Even Luke is forced to bunk down at the inn since he cannot get to his parents’ house.

 As the character’s stories intertwine, author Colleen Wright, mixes up a tale of romance and magic that is sure to set a sweet start to the holidays.

There is one thing that really irritated me though. I’m guessing that the novel’s title comes from the snowstorm on Christmas Eve, since it snowed in feet, not inches.  That seemed more like gimmick to get people to at least pick it up and, hopefully, buy it.  Therefore, “The White Christmas Inn” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

Unscripted

 

Unscripted  by Davis Bunn   317 pages

I had never heard of Daivs Bunn before I started reading his latest novel, “Unscripted,” but I’ve since learned he is a prolific writer, with more than twenty novels to his credit.

Danny Byrd has a reputation in Hollywood for being a guy who is tru to his word. He produces films on time and on budger. But Danny has landed in jail thanks to his best friend (former best friend now) who has stolen all the money he has in the world. And Danny is the one who winds up in jail.

It was not clear to me how, but Danny is released, and given a majority share in an abandoned hotel in the middle of nowhere. The opportunity to redeem himself comes in a quick deal…Not sure exactly how that came to be either…if only he can make a movie on a tight, tight deadline and for an exceedingly low budget. Unfortuately there is no script, so they’ll have to wing it.

During the transfer of the hotel to Danny, he encounters lawyer Megan Pierce. Megan is tired of the long hours and cutthroat ethics of her law firm. I was never really clear on how Megan came to represent Danny.

As Danny tours the abandoned hotel, he comes across the caretaker’s daughter, Emma, who has the voice of an angel.  That gives Danny the inspiration for the film he needs to make. He calls LA and brings in his crew: two writers and a cameraman. The writers write the script the evening before it is to be shot….or as the cameras are rolling.

Emma is the star. With her gorgeous voice and natural talent, she give suca studied performance that it is hard to believe that she has had no training.

 “Unscripted” receives  3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Lady Jayne Disappears

Lady Jayne Disappears by Joanna Davidson Politano  416 pages

Aurelie Harcourt was raised in Shepton Mallet Prison, a debtor’s prison; it was the only home she had ever remember having. Now that her father has died, she is thrust, alone, upon the world.

Luckily for her, she is aware if some relatives, her father’s sister and her family, who reluctantly take her in. She isn’t welcome and feels it from the moment she arrives. But Aurelie harbors a deep secret.

During his years in prison, her father took up writing. When he died unexpectedly, he was in the middle of a novel that was serialized. London is enamored with Nathaniel Droll, and cannot wait for each installment. Aurelie is left to finish the story. 

Keeping her secret isn’t easy. She must find a way to post the manuscripts to the publisher. As she begins to include details that only the family would recognize, they begin to believe that a traitor is in their midst.

What’s most intriguing in that the novel is that it is about her own mother’s disappearance, virtually creating a story-within-a-story. Politano has an easy, breezy style that makes this a fun read, but it also distracts from the emotional depth that I should have felt as a reader. Therefore,

Lady Jayne Disappears receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Where the Fire Falls

Where the Fire Falls by Karen Barnett    352 pages

This is the second in the Vintage National Parks novel series. I love that they are stand alones, that I don’t have to remember plot lines and characters, especially because there is such a wait between publications.  I love the backdrops of the National Parks. And given my adoration of Abraham Lincoln, I was triply please to learn that he signed the Yosemite Grant Act way back in 1864 the park featured in this novel

As you’ve probably ascertained by now, this novel  takes place in Yosemite. Readers are in for a treat that we get to see the park as it was in 1929, much more pristine and isolated. I wonder if it still is?  This story takes place from July to March 1930. 

Olivia Rutherford is a young artist on the cusp of notoriety. As the story opens, she is enjoying a gallery showing and hoping that a lot of her art sells. Her genre is watercolor. Olivia tries to love up to all things that a flapper should: she’s brassy and hard.

Her art dealer, Frank, has some good news. “Scenic Magazine” is hiring her to paint Yosemite for the next magazine. So she takes off for the wilderness.

At Yosemite, she encounters Clark Johnson, a former minister, who leads guides of the backcountry. Clark isn’t sure what God wants him to do. He left his church in disgrace, and now he has a month to decide if he wants to become a park ranger or do something else.

Then Olivia and her entourage arrive. She is accompanied by the wealthy Sophie and Marcus Vanderbilt. At first, Clark and Olivia butt heads. She doesn’t think that she needs to get off the hotel balcony to paint what she needs. He thinks she is a spoiled girl who has gotten everything she’s ever wanted.

As Clark convinces to move outdoors, the attraction between the two ignites. When Clark learns that Olivia is not whom she claims to be, will their attraction heat up, or dissolve like a fallen leaf?

One of the things that really made me long for this park in a simpler time was the descriptions of the sites that no longer exist. One is the Yosemite Firefall. According to legend, the original owner of the Glacier Point Mountain House Hotel used to build giant bonfires, then kick the burning coals over the cliff so it appeared that the waterfall was on fire.

I really liked this story, although there were a few unanswered questions. That why Where the Fire Falls receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Road to Paradise

The Road to Paradise by Karen Barnett      352 pages

In this first book of the Vintage National Parks series, author takes us to Mount Rainier in Washington State. Signed into law in 1899 by President William McKinley, Mount Rainier National Park is the nations’ fifth national park and the first created from a national forest.

Sit back and get ready to enjoy the beauty of the park as author Karen Barnett describes it’d splendor. The majestic beauty of the park is only accentuated by the wonderful little yarn Barnett unravels.

It’s 1927. Margaret (Margie) Lane is an avid naturalist. She has fled to the park after her former fiancé strikes her.  Margie is a senator’s daughter and has only known the lap of luxury. But she’s more than willing to give it up to settle herself in God’s beauty.

Unknown to her, Margie’s father has made a significant donation to the park in order to secure her a position for the summer. The calendar may read June, but there is still snow on the ground.

Margie reports to Chief Ranger Ford Brayden, who is extremely uncomfortable with a green-horn woman in his park.

The park has been Ford’s life. He took over his father’s job when he died attempting to scale Rainier. Ford hasn’t come to terms with that yet although it’s been two years now.

Margie manages to provide a radiance to the park that is warmer than the upcoming summer. Soon Margie’s ex-fiancé shows up, doing his best to disrupt the mountain’s peace.  Margie has other plans and will stop at nothing to thwart him, including attempting to climb to the summit.

The Road to Paradise is the perfect summer read. All the descriptions of the snow and the budding spring soon make readers forget that sweat is dripping down their spines. The interaction between the characters is honest. The plot moves along nicely and the pacing keeps readers quickly turning the page to learn what happens next.

The Road to Paradise receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.

Peace in the Valley

 Peace in the Valley by Ruth Logan Herne        352 pages

Welcome to Book 3, and the final book, in the Double S Ranch series.  It’s nice to meet up with the Stafford clan again.

This adventure centers on the third, and youngest, son, Trey. Trey is actually a cousin to brothers Colt and Nick. His uncle/now father Sam adopted Trey after his parents overdosed and died in California when he was three years old. He remembers a bit about that life but is grateful that Sam rescued him.

Trey is a country mega-star. He seems to have it all, but that’s just on the outside. He still suffers from growing up without a mother’s love. He is still trying to prove that he was right to pursue his music dream, no matter how much Sam disapproved. And he is still reeling from the death of his wife, Cathy, also from drugs.

Now Sam is sick; he needs a liver transplant. Ironically the one person who is not a full-blood relative is the best match. Trey doesn’t hesitate to donate part of his liver to Sam. It’s a painful and dangerous operation, but Trey knows that it’s the right thing to do.

On his way back home to Gray Glen, Washington, and the Double S Ranch, Trey has a little fender-bender with the single mom on the neighboring farm. Things have never been easy between Sam and Lucy Carlton, but that’s about to change.

Sam is trying to make up for his past and the way he treated the other residents in the valley. Back then, he didn’t care who walked over to get what he wanted…and he did. Often.

While waiting to hear from a San Francisco hospital for the go-ahead with the surgery, Sam sends Trey over to Lucy’s farm to help. The place is falling apart and it’s up to Trey to make it whole again.

The plot is predictable from there on, but I knew what I was getting into when I selected this book to read. It does go on a too long, with the same basic scene being repeated over and over. There are a lot more Bible verses in this episode than the first two. I felt as if Herne was trying to get those in than crafting the story. Still, it’s a fun read with a happy ending, so Peace in the Valley receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

I received this book from Blogging for Books  in exchange for this review.

Home on the Range

Home on the Range by Ruth Logan Herne    352 pages

Return to the Double S Ranch in Gray’s Glen, Washington, in this second novel of the Double S Ranch Series. 

In the first book, we met the Stafford family. Patriarch Sam is grievously ill. Oldest brother, Colt, came home after losing his job on Wall Street. And while Colt was the star of the first book, the second book concentrates on the middle brother, Nick, and his shattered family.

Home on the Range seems to pick up practically where the first book, Back in the Saddle, left off. Both brothers, along with the youngest, Trey, know the feelings of a mother’s abandonment; feelings Nick two little girls, Cheyenne and Dakota, are wrestling with. 

Nick has finally agreed to get his girls professional help. Recommended by the school principal, Dr. Elsa Andreas, is grappling with problems of her own. She left Seattle after a devastating outcome with two of her patients. She’s living in the woods, far off the beaten path, outside Gray’s Glen.

When Nick first pulls up, he feels attracted to the beautiful young woman. His oldest daughter immediately hates Elsa but feels the strong tug of attraction.

The story is about forgiveness, redemption, second chances and new beginnings.

Home on the Range  is predictable, but nonetheless a worthy read. A perfect beach reads. It’s well written, follows a well-planned story arc and is sprinkled liberally with some interesting plot twists.  I found myself eagerly awaiting my evening read-time so I could see how it would all turn out.  I enjoyed getting to know the Stafford family, Nick especially, better. Home on the Range gets 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. Why 4 stars? It’s a formulaic plot that is a good read. I would recommend it to those looking for a light, happily-ever-after- novel.