December - Christmas: Santa Claus is coming to town!

Here I am! After a long while, I'm back with some ideas about the books I read this month! For the first time I'm on track with my Goodreads Reading Challenge and it feels good! That's all due to the Christmas themed books I read the past two weeks. I'll put them all below and I'll give a short review (really short). Can't say I disliked one of these books because they were all full of love and the Christmas spirit. That's why I will only read one more Christmas themed book after the one I'm reading now. I wouldn't want to become tired of Jingle Bells and Candy Canes... 


Spirits of Christmas by Nicky Wells
For my review on this book, just check the one below. I loved this book! It made me want to read the original "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. This is certainly a must read! Hot chocolate and cookies are needed while you read this "cozy" story! 


Be mine for Christmas by Alicia and Roy Street
This short story was really a nice read. I loved the fact is was so short but despite its shortness was able to tell a beautifull story where you really get to know the two main characters, Ellie and Reece. When Ellie struggles to find a good job and Reece offers her one at his Christmas tree farm, she doesn't know this new boss will turn out to be the man of her life. Slowly the two start to like each other and realise they don't want to go on without the other one after Christmas!


Miss Kane's Christmas by Caroline Mickelson
When I started reading this book, I didn't really know whether I would like a book about a real Santa Claus and his family. I love Christmas, but to say I believe in Christmas... That's one bridge too far. After reading a chapter however I liked this book a lot and couldn't put it down... It also is a short story, but I didn't mind it at all. There were no unnecessary parts in this book. I loved reading this one and the cover is so simple but cute! 


Jingle This by Stephanie Rowe
My God, I hated the cover on this book! It's not ugly, but it doesn't give you the impression there's a good story behind it. It looked cheap to me and I didn't have high expectations on this one. Again I was mistaken and loved this book once I started reading it. The story developed well and I liked the characters in it (the good ones that is). 


Bah, humbug! by Heather Horrocks
When I read the covertext of this book, I didn't know whether it would be a read I'd like. I tried the book anyway and look at it now! It's on my "Favorites" shelve on Goodreads which means I liked it more than a lot! In this book we meet Lexie and Kyle. Lexie is extravert, loving, caring and a mother. Kyle is introvert, doesn't know how to show love to the people around him, suffers a writer's block and feels all alone (maybe because he is all allone). When these two meet each other they don't like the other one a lot. They have a big fight over a snowman, but after that they become good friends and realise they could use someone in their life to love! 

Mistletoe and Magic 
Insanity Claus by Carolyn Hughey
The first little story in this book was really adorable. We meet Mallory who owns a Christmas shop with her sister. She's a widow with two teenage daughters, struggling to have a good relationship with her eldest. Not knowing what to do when she meets the handsome stranger A.J. Miller, she pushes him away. Luckily for her he knows she wants him as badly as he wants her, but she's afraid her eldest daughter will disapprove a new relationship after the death of her father. A.J. tries his best to win the daughters for him too and shows Mallory they can have a happily ever after together.

The gift of Magic by Gina Ardito
I'm still busy reading this book, but it's a good one so far. In this story we meet Polina, a girl with a difficult childhood. When she's 28 y.o. her mother dies and wants her to put her ashes in the family grave... in Poland... Polina hates the idea of going to Krakow! It represents everything her mother stood for, everything she hated in het mother. Magic, the idea of romance, love,... What Polina didn't expect was that she would find the magic and romance over there for herself... Maybe it's even love... But will she admit that??

Voila, now you have an idea of what I've been reading this month so far. I loved all these little books! Again, I can't let you go without a Christmas song! Enjoy! Greatings from Santa Claus and me! 

Review "Spirits of Christmas"

Some information

Title: Spirits of Christmas

Author: Nicky Wells

Pages: 126

Published: October 2013

Publisher: Createspace

My scource: the author (thank you!)

My score on Goodreads: 5 stars

Covertext

Spirits of Christmas: A Rock’n’Roll Christmas Carol

At one time, up-and-coming rock singer Jude had it all: a great band, a platinum record, a loving girlfriend. This Christmas, however, he is well down the road towards spontaneous self-destruction. 

Unwitting at first, Jude has progressively alienated his band and driven away the love of his life. Tonight, the night before Christmas Eve, he has broken the final taboo during a disastrous gig. Yet Jude doesn’t see how badly his life has derailed, not until a ghostly procession of legends passes through his bedroom with a series of vivid and powerful wake-up calls.

Will the Spirits help Jude put the friendship, love, and rock music back into his Christmas?

Spirits of Christmas is a modern-day rock’n’roll adaption of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. This novella will enchant romance readers, rock lovers, fans of ghost stories, and everybody who adores the festive season.

My review

I have to admit something... I've never read "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. I know, I should be ashamed of myself... Well, I can say that after reading this adaptation I probably will pick up the original book one day. I liked this new and fresh version a lot! Nicky Wells was able to create a beautiful short story where you get to know the character soooo well and you really are curious about what will happen to him next. A real Christmas lover like I am, has to read this book. You will be in the festive spirit right away. 

After deciding I would read some Christmas themed books this month, I chose this one as my first and I don't regret it. I started singing Christmas songs, drinking hot chocolate and buying Christmas presents without hesitation (I mean it :p I only need a tree to put the presents under now). Nicky writes in a way you really feel the cold air around you (even when you're reading inside), where you're almost able to see the christmas tree in Jude's house, you feel his anger and frustration. You even feel Jude's regret after he has pushed all his loved ones away a few days before Christmas...

Talking about Jude... Jude is our main character. A young, once successful singer-songwriter with a little band, called "The Blood Roses". Once succesfull... Jude is unfortunately ruining his career by being a hateful person. He wants all the success for himself and doesn't want to share it with someone else in his band. His girlfriend also suffers his explosive character and his anger. Nobody wants to live a life near Jude anymore. He has ruined it all but believes he doesn't need anyone anyway. If they don't like him and support him, that's up to them. He's able to do it all by himself and to live his life alone. 

Just while Jude is thinking this a spirit apears. Here it all starts. Jude meets three spirits, one who shows him his past, one who shows the present and just guess what the third one shows him. The ghosts don't do this without purpose. They want Jude to learn a lesson. To see how he is with people, how they once loved him but started to dislike him more and more. It's important Jude learns his lesson... Otherwise he WILL be alone for the rest of his life, just like he wanted...

I really loved this story and recommend it to every reader, but especially to everybody who loves Christmas. Just take some hot chocolate, a cookie, a blanket and curl up with this book. You won't regret it! 

In fact this would be the best time to get it! Enjoy the promo in honour of St. Nikolaus. Buy yourself a little present! 

About the author

Hi! I’m Nicky Wells, your ultimate rock chick author. My books offer glitzy, glamorous contemporary romance with a rock theme ~ imagine Bridget Jones ROCKS Notting Hill! If you’ve ever had a crush on any kind of celebrity ~ rock, pop, movie or other ~ you’ll connect with my heroes and my leading ladies!

Like my first leading lady, Sophie, I love listening to rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters. When I’m not writing, I’m a wife, mother, occasional knitter, and regular contributor to The Midweek Drive show on Lincoln’s Siren 107.3 FM. Rock on!

Because this book really ROCKS and because Christmas music also Rocks, I wanted to give you this little song to end with! I chose this one because of the title. ;) 

December - Christmas is coming!

I'm so excited about next month! For the first time in my life I'm planning on reading only books about a certain topic. Because I'm a sucker for Christmas, it wasn't hard to find the topic for next month! I decided to read 4 books about Christmas and I'm looking forward to it! It was hard to choose only 4 books for my challenge, but at long last I found these wonderful books!

I love every single day of the year, but I love Christmas just a little more. Maybe I even love the period just before Christmas the most! It's the time of waiting, looking forward to, cosiness, beautiful things in the shops, hot chocolate, ... All the things I need in my life collected at one moment. As a teacher I'm so lucky I have two weeks off during this wonderful period! I'm looking forward to it and will decorate my classroom too in the weeks before this holiday. 

If you have other tips for Christmas themed books (I prefer the ones with lots of love in them), you may certainly let me know! ;)

Eline

I cannot let you go without a Christmas song!