Christmas in September: My Review of An O'Brien Family Christmas

An O'Brien Family Christmas (Chesapeake Shores)

About the Book:

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author SHERRYL WOODS takes the O’Briens to Ireland for a family Christmas they’ll never forget!


Dating Matthew O’Brien—a playboy and a younger man—cost Laila Riley her career and her parents’ respect. A high price, even for love—and when Laila decides it was just a fling, she breaks it off , despite Matthew’s objections.


But the O’Brien family has other ideas, and they conspire to get Laila to join them on a Dublin holiday. It’s a
great time to get away from it all, but Laila has reservations about the trip. Matthew’s bound to be there, and she’s far from immune. What if she can’t resist temptation?


Meanwhile, the O’Briens are in an uproar over matriarch Nell’s unexpected romance with an old flame. Will she follow her heart despite the risks? And will Laila discover that some risks are actually once-in-a-lifetime
opportunities?


My Comments:
I enjoyed this heartwarming almost clean Christmas romance.  Though one of many Sherryl Woods books about the large O'Brien clan of Chesapeake Shores, it reads well as a stand-alone (though it does seem a little  busy at times with practically useless characters).  Laila is a controlled person, the steady reliable responsible accountant whose life has been turned upside down by a younger man.  She gave up so much for him, and then bolted away from him.  In the tradition of large loving meddling Irish families, his family members plot to bring them back together.


One thing I liked about the story is that they realized that their early relationship had been spent mostly in bed, and when they got back together, chose to abstain from that activity for a while so they could work on other aspects of their relationship.  Alas, they didn't manage to remain chaste until marriage, but it was nice to read a romance that crackled with sexual energy even though the couple wasn't going to bed.  However, when they did go to bed, we didn't get to watch.  


I also liked the fact that Laila and Matthew were, in some ways, opposites.  She needed to learn to relax, to be spontaneous, to have fun without counting the cost ahead of time.  He needed to take life a little more seriously.  Watching them grow together was fun.


One small complaint--they were in Ireland, going to a church where "services" were presided over by a priest.  I assume they went to Mass, so why not call it Mass?


I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B+

Christmas in September: My Review of Naomis Gift

Naomi's Gift: An Amish Christmas Story

About the Book:

Take a trip to Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania, where you'll meet the women of the Kauffman Amish Bakery in Lancaster County. As each woman's story unfolds, you will share in her heartaches, trials, joys, dreams ... and secrets. You'll discover how the simplicity of the Amish lifestyle can clash with the 'English' way of life---and the decisions and consequences that follow. Most importantly, you will be encouraged by the hope and faith of these women, and the importance they place on their families. Naomi's Gift re-introduces twenty-four-year-old Naomi King, who has been burned twice by love and has all but given up on marriage and children. As Christmas approaches---a time of family, faith, and hope for many others---Naomi is more certain than ever her life will be spent as an old maid, helping with the family's quilting business and taking care of her eight siblings. Then she meets Caleb, a young widower with a 7-year-old daughter, and her world is once again turned upside-down. Naomi's story of romantic trial and error and youthful insecurities has universal appeal. Author Amy Clipston artfully paints a panorama of simple lives full of complex relationships, and she carefully explores cultural differences and human similarities, with inspirational results. Naomi's Gift includes all the details of Amish life that Clipston's fans enjoy, while delivering the compelling stories and strong characters that continue to draw legions of new readers.

My Comments:

This is a short Christmas story that mentions several characters from Clipston's other novels,but it reads well as a stand-alone.  Like most Christmas books it has a predictable plot and a heartwarming ending.  Fans of Amish fiction will enjoy the details about how these people celebrate Christmas.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B- (nice story but very predictable and short).  

Monday Memes

Mailbox Monday is hosted this month by Amused by Books and is where book bloggers gather to share what showed up in their mailboxes this week, whether those mailboxes received email or snail mail.

Snail Mail:  

This was a review book from The Catholic Company

The Snowman's Revenge

A review book from Cadance

Via NetGalley:

Christmas Stories: Heartwarming Classics of Angels, a Manger, and the Birth of Hope

Celebrate Christmas with heartwarming tales and reflections
 by one of today's greatest storytellers.
Be inspired by the true meaning of the season with this spectacular
 collection of Max Lucado's favorite Christmas stories and reflections.
You'll be whisked away to the heavenly battle between angels
 and demons preceding Christ's birth. Then walk in the shoes of
 Joseph as he ponders the miracle before him. Travel to a small Texas
town where a missing baby Jesus from a manger scene sets
 a modern day miracle in motion. And witness the story of Madeline,
 a prodigal girl who thinks she's lost everything until her dad gives
 everything to win her back one Christmas.
These and many more stories will lead you back to the manger-to be
 awed anew at the gift of Christ's birth.

.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.  She asks what we read or reviewed this week and what we plan to read next week.
Read this Week: 
 My Review

My Review.

 Books Read Earlier; Reviewed last week: 

You'll note that the first couple of books below are Christmas books.  They are part of a link-up to which I'd like to invite all readers and book bloggers, Christmas in September.  Bloggers are invited to add links to your reviews of Christmas books, either from this year or years past (could be a good way to get more mileage out of old posts).  Readers are invited to read the linked reviews.  Prizes are available for both readers and bloggers.  Hopefully by the end of the month Christmas in September will have a long list of Christmas-themed books for all of us to try.

  My Review

 My Review

 My Review

 My Review

My Review.

Reading Now:

Other:  I joined another meme this week:  Top Ten Tuesday.  My entry this week was the Ten Best Books I've Read This Year.

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

I'd like to welcome everyone to Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival.  We are a group of Catholic bloggers who gather weekly to share our best posts with each other.  To particpate, go to your blog and create an entry titled Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival.  In it, highlight one or more of your posts from the past week that you believe would be of interest to Catholic bloggers---whether they are posts reflecting on spiritual matters or posts about antics of Catholic kids, or anything in between.  Come back here and enter the URL of that post below.  Finally, go visit other participants, and leave comments!  If you want a weekly reminder to post, join our yahoogroup.

This week continues Christmas in September, in which I'm promoting Christmas books.  It includes a contest, and one of the prizes is Kathleen Basi's Joy to the World..  Other than Christmas books, I blogged about the ten best books I've read this year.  For The Catholic Company I read a children's book I didn't like:  Why Am I Here.  The best book I read this week was Next to Love, which is about four women who lived through WWII and its aftermath.  I participated in Seven Quick Takes this week too.

What about your blogging week?