304 pages Bethany House Publishers Publication date September 2, 2025
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Shepherd’s Heart by Tracie Peterson On the frontier, widowed sheep rancher Vincent Duran seeks a mother for his two children. Angel Lewis agrees to marry him despite believing Vincent will never truly love her, but as they work together during a fierce winter storm, will their broken hearts finally find peace, joy, and love?
No Room at the Inn by Misty M. Beller When Noah Bentwood and his charge are snowed in while traveling through the Rocky Mountains, he must stay in a barn since the stage inn has no vacant rooms. Then innkeeper Hope Palmer’s family heirloom disappears, and she and Noah work together to find it before Christmas. While the snowfall holds them captive, will unexpected feelings bloom?
A Star in the West by Karen Witemeyer Friendly correspondence with Stella Barrington evolves into something more when Harvard mathematics professor Frank Stentz arrives in Waco, Texas. As the two experiment with extending their relationship beyond letters, an impossible dilemma arises between love and logic. Will her wise man be able to calculate a way for them to be together?
MY THOUGHTS
I have read many books by each of the authors, so I was excited to see a novella collection with all of these authors contributing to it. These are Christian fiction authors who wrote clean, well thought out enjoyable Christmas stories with each having a connecting theme. I loved each story equally and am grateful I had a chance to read them.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
368 pages Harper Muse publisher November 19, 2024 publication date
ABOUT THE BOOK
MY THOUGHTS
This is one not to miss. A truly beautifully written book. One scarf from a humble and simplistic background links together three women during WWI. This scarf sees it through three couples in time of heartbreak and woven in joy.
Messages stitched with hope into the fabric of the scarf. I loved meeting the couples and felt the emotions they went through the resilience and fortitude on the front line of not only the battlefield but also life. The three stories are beautifully woven together and full of detail. A must read again book.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
435 pages Barbour Fiction publisher September 1, 2023 publication date
ABOUT THE BOOK
A Rare Snowfall Leads to a Christmas to Remember
Three heartwarming, interconnected stories of faith, love, and restoration, brought to you by three Louisiana-native authors. Will a rare snowy Louisiana Christmas bring restoration and hope to the hometown and hearts of three women from the town’s founding family?
In A Louisiana Snow by Morgan Tarpley Smith, meet Mattie: A passionate visionary who learns to forgive and finds love in unexpected places…
In Restoring Christmas by Betsy St. Amant, meet Jolene: An artist and prodigal daughter who discovers love exists in the very place she once called home…
In A Christmas Reunion by Lenora Worth, meet Adale: A beautiful widow who finally dares to love again…
And don’t forget Granny, whose feisty spirit, blunt dialogue, and quirky ways play an important and endearing role.
MY THOUGHTS
I enjoy reading novellas and this is a lovely Christmas one. Each story builds off of the previous one and when one ends the next seamlessly starts as we find a generational thing going with strong and faithful women from the same Louisiana town.
We don’t usually connect snow and Louisiana but this season with a little holiday magic and a generous helping from the unexpected snowstorm forgiveness, romance and coming together again of a special family may just be happening.
A delightful feel-good holiday story I was delighted to read.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
THE AUTHORS
Lenora Worth is an ACFW Honor Roll member. She writes inspirational fiction for Harlequin’s Love Inspired and sweet romance for Tule Publishing. She also writes for Kensington Books. She helped launch the Rodeo Knights Western Romance imprint. Her LIS Body of Evidence made the NY Times Bestseller list and she is also a USA Today and Publishers Weekly Bestselling author. In 2016, she received a Romantic Times Pioneers of Fiction Award. Three of her books have been nominated for the ACFW Carol Award and she is an RWA RITA finalist. Lenora has written 80+ books and has an estimated 3 million books in print. She loves cheesecake, shoe shopping, walking on the beach and reading.
Betsy St. Amant Haddox is the author of over twenty romance novels and novellas. She resides in north Louisiana with her hubby, two daughters, an impressive stash of coffee mugs, and one furry Schnauzer-toddler. Betsy has a B.A. in Communications and a deep-rooted passion for seeing women restored to truth. When she’s not composing her next book or baby-talking her dog, Betsy can be found somewhere in the vicinity of an iced coffee. She writes frequently for iBelieve, a devotional site for women, and offers author coaching and editing services through Storyside LLC.
Morgan Tarpley Smith is a bestselling author and world traveler who weaves stories of history and heart. She loves to write inspirational fiction that transports readers to faraway places and intertwines past and present to explore questions of truth and faith. Her debut novella was published in 2023 as part of a contemporary collection of interconnected stories called A Louisiana Christmas to Remember, which ranked #8 on the ECPA Bestseller List for Christmas Fiction. Morgan is an award-winning journalist who works as a freelance writer and publishing assistant. She lives in Louisiana with her husband and son. For more information, visit her website by searching her name online.
Hope you’re having a great weekend. Thanks for stopping in.
Happy Friday & welcome to the First Line Friday post! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today I’m delighted to feature A Louisiana Christmas to Remember. I really enjoy novella collections by multiple authors. What about you? Hosted at Reading is my Superpower.
By Betsy St. Amant; Morgan Tarpley Smith; Lenora Worth
Pub Date Sep 01 2023
FIRST LINE(S)
Three weeks before Christmas
Moreau, Louisiana
Mattie Hayes froze, her fingers warm around a latte, and stared at the flurries of white outside the window of Le Petit French Press coffee shop, the sight briefly restoring faith to her disheartened state of mind.
ABOUT THE BOOK
A Rare Snowfall Leads to a Christmas to Remember
Three heartwarming, interconnected stories of faith, love, and restoration, brought to you by three Louisiana-native authors. Will a rare snowy Louisiana Christmas bring restoration and hope to the hometown and hearts of three women from the town’s founding family?
In A Louisiana Snow by Morgan Tarpley Smith, meet Mattie: A passionate visionary who learns to forgive and finds love in unexpected places…
In Restoring Christmas by Betsy St. Amant, meet Jolene: An artist and prodigal daughter who discovers love exists in the very place she once called home…
In A Christmas Reunion by Lenora Worth, meet Adale: A beautiful widow who finally dares to love again…
And don’t forget Granny, whose feisty spirit, blunt dialogue, and quirky ways play an important and endearing role.
The crisp fragrance of pine trees and the warm spice of fresh cookies aren’t the only blessings that Christmas brings, and no one knows more about happy homecomings than three couples who are celebrating the greatest gift of all . . .
BUGGIES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES * Shelley Shepard Gray Called home by family, John Miller and Ellie Coblentz are each looking for a way north from Pinecraft, Florida. With few options, they decide sharing the burden of travel must be the Lord’s plan for them. But can this bumpy, bad-weather journey home help them find their way into each other’s hearts, too?
STAR OF WONDER * Charlotte Hubbard When Raymond Overholt comes to Promise Lodge, hoping to sell the barnboard signs he’s painted with stars and Christmas messages, spirited young Mennonite Lizzie Zehr is intrigued. But any courtship between them will face fierce opposition from the bishop of Raymond’s Old Order community—unless someone can convince him that at the heart of faith lies love . . .
STARLIGHT EVERLASTING * Rosalind Lauer Newlyweds Rachel and Luke Coblentz can’t wait to celebrate their first Christmas together after years of courtship. But when Luke’s factory job threatens to keep them apart—from each other and their dream of a family—it will take faith to believe in the gift of a truly joyful ending . . .
My Thoughts
Such beautiful writing here. Seasonal stories covering Thanksgiving and Christmas. The common theme in each story is a star, whether it may be a decoration, Christmas star cookies, stars in the sky or a lit-up star in a Christmas play. I have read books by all of the authors and enjoyed them.
Charlotte Hubbard’s collection piece is part of the Promise Lodge series which I enjoy very much. Each story has Amish couples going through some troubles but in the end it’s sorted. These couples are trying to go home for the holidays, but we end up seeing home is wherever you are with family and friends.
Filled with hope, love, faith and encouragement, the perfect book for whenever you need a pick me up no matter the time of year.
Pub Date 27 Sep 2022 I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
The Authors
About the Author
Shelley Shepard Gray is the two-time Holt Medallion Award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over one hundred novels. Her novels have been translated into multiple languages and highlighted in the Philadelphia Enquirer, The Washington Post, Time Magazine, NPR and USA Today, among othera. An active member of her church and the mother of two young adults, Shelley lives with her husband in Colorado and writes full time. Please visit her online at ShelleyShepardGray.com.
Charlotte Hubbard is the highly acclaimed author of Amish romances celebrating simpler times and a faith-based lifestyle. A longtime Missourian, she draws upon her experiences in Jamesport, the largest Old Order Amish community west of the Mississippi, to create strong, inspiring characters and uplifting stories. Faith and family, farming and food preservation are hallmarks of her lifestyle, and the foundation of all her Amish romance series. She’s a deacon, a dedicated church musician and choir member, and when she’s not writing, she loves to try new recipes, crochet, and sew. Charlotte now lives in Nebraska with her husband and their border collie. You can learn more about Charlotte and her novels at CharlotteHubbard.com. Rosalind Lauer is the author of the Joyful River Series, Lancaster Crossing series, and Seasons of Lancaster series. She grew up in a large family in Maryland and began visiting Lancaster County’s Amish community as a child. Lauer attended Wagner College in New York City and worked as an editor for Simon & Schuster and Harlequin Books. She now lives with her family in Oregon, where she writes in the shade of some towering two-hundred-year-old Douglas fir trees. Readers can find her on Facebook at facebook.com/GoodOldFashionedBooks. –This text refers to the paperback edition.
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