Book Review: A Cross-Country Christmas

A Cross-Country Christmas is a sweet holiday romance. Courtney Walsh creates believable characters with conflicted pasts. It was easy to put myself in the main character's shoes because many of her hang-ups felt familiar. I especially related to her efforts to safeguard her heart by only approaching men she'd never consider. Years of unrequited interest led to self-protection mode. So if you're in the mood for a forced proximity, love-hate-love progression, give this seasonal tale a try.

Lauren Richmond rarely goes home for the holidays. Her family of origin doesn't inspire warm fuzzies. When her brother, Spencer, begs her to come home for the birth of his first child, she cannot avoid accepting a ride home with Spencer's best friend, Will Sinclair. This is the same Will Sinclair she pined for endlessly until he broke her heart in college. Or is he the same Will Sinclair? For some reason, Will keeps drawing out the trip, and Lauren can't decide if he deserves a second chance or not.

I expect marvelous stories from Courtney Walsh. This book is well-written and expertly paced. Even though it is a romance, and the reader can bank on a happy ending, Lauren keeps you guessing which way she'll land. I noted, too, that the book has garnered over 23,000 ratings on Goodreads. Now, that's a popular Christmas story. Although I'm eager to read the sequel, A Cross-Country Wedding, I think I'll jump first to her other holiday tale, Christmas With a Crank, before the holidays evaporate. I'd say I'm having more luck than usual in finding worthwhile Christmas stories.

Book Review: Some Like It Scot

I thoroughly enjoyed Pepper Basham's contemporary rom-coms with a nod to Great Britain (Authentically, Izzy and Positively, Penelope). In Some Like It Scot, we follow an American on adventures in Scotland. I'd love to visit the Appalachian Mountains here and compare them to the Scottish landscape. Basham's book identifies similarities between these two, but my eye has yet to verify. This would make an excellent book club activity. I can just imagine joining a group of women reading this book, then travelling cross-country and internationally following the steps in this book. Hey, I'd even enjoy an Edwardian Experience (that's got to be better than the Victorian Slum House experience I watched once in a PBS documentary).

Katie Campbell has made a name and a following through her "misadventures" in travel. This provides great fodder for the comedy portions of the novel. The romance blossoms in her attraction to a brusque and burly Scot. Don't let the rom-com genre fool you. As lighthearted as this book is, it also carries great depth, tackling subjects like grief, abandonment, faith, family, and home. We all long for a sense of belonging. Every family faces its own baggage.

I always enjoy a peek into the process. In the author's note, Pepper Basham explains that one month into the writing, her own brother died. Although I've yet to experience sibling loss, I have watched my husband bear the burden of his brother's suicide. Everyone grieves differently. And sometimes grief complicates relationships. I felt great empathy for Katie's insecurities and her plight. The dialogue was delightful, and the descriptions made me want to jump on a plane. If you're looking for an uplifting read, pick up Some Like it Scot. Come for the colorful characters, bask in the witty banter, and stay for the satisfying resolution. Now, I anxiously await a chance to read Sense and Suitability and the future release of A Brewed Awakening. Clever titles, sure to fulfill any itch for clean rom-coms.

Book Review: Everything's Coming Up Rosie

In August, I highlighted 5 Christian authors. I recommended Courtney Walsh in that mid-month mention post. Walsh is an Illinois writer from my old neck of the woods. She wrote my favorite read of 2023, The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley. Her newest book, Everything's Coming Up Rosie, prompted similar affection and reflection.

Rosie Waterman battles disappointment as her dreams of Broadway stardom seem to flounder. Her friends are all making strides (getting married, having a baby, starting a business). In desperation, she fires off tons of resumes and knee-jerk responds to the first offer. Now she's headed to Door County, Wisconsin, to direct Cinderella. But what she finds in Door County isn't what she expected. As obstacles mount, she digs in and tries to do the best she can. Perhaps her dream won't take shape the way she anticipated.

Rosie is delightful! While not as quirky as Isadora (in my favorite Walsh novel), she has spunk and verve. Her swoon-worthy love interest, Booker, keeps things hopping. Can the elderly players in this retirement center production teach Rosie to face former demons, pivot into a new plan, and chase what really matters to her? Like the happy life novel, this book drives home messages I need to contemplate. What do I do when my dreams don't turn out as I'd imagined? Can I embrace the reality that the hard makes the good taste sweeter? I'm knee-deep in hard! My dreams are on hold while I wade through these problems. This book offers the perfect blend of distraction and inspiration. I want to face life like Rosie, opening up to the pain and carving a path to new purpose.  

Book Review: A Christmas Spark

I think I read more Christmas books this past December than I usually read during the holidays. Perhaps it was an escapist venture. I don't know. A Christmas Spark, by Cindy Steel, is a clean novella, perfect for an evening by the fire, maybe even while vacationing at a cabin somewhere. Of course, I don't have that option, but the tale whittled away my treadmill time for a few days, anyway.

A Christmas Spark follows a typical rom-com plot line. Penny is heading to her sister-in-law's family cabin to hunker down and meet a writing deadline. When she arrives, she finds she will not be alone. Her brother's best friend, Chase, is already occupying the cabin and the blizzard conditions mean neither will be going anywhere. While he's drop-dead gorgeous, he will not let go of her middle school nickname, Blister. Back then, Penny was interested in Chase. That is, until she overheard Chase dis her to his friends, saying his dog is hotter than Penny. 

I could totally relate to this part of the story line. Penny, cut by the offhanded comment, has carried it around with her in her heart for years. When I was around ten, I had a crush on a boy at church. I passed him a note to say I liked him. He wrote back on the outside of the note (which everyone read as it travelled down the row), "The first time I saw you was on the front of a Mack truck." Of course, a bulldog is on the front of a Mack truck, I learned. That comment has never faded in my psyche. This line from the book resonated: "Now, I'm left wondering who has cracks in their foundation from a thoughtless comment made by me?"

The questions are simple. Can Penny forgive Chase and start again when he continues his playful banter? Will he ever let go of her pimple-reference nick-name? Will their honesty clear the air or merely open her up to further teasing? Alone in a cold, secluded cabin, Penny may just have to rely on Chase for warmth. This was a sweet, easy read that is perfect for any cold weather month.