An Unexpected Gift
This is a short story that happens after the fifth book in the Morgan Ranch Series. I really love this series. This was a great Christmas love story. The characters in the book are older, the parents of some of the other characters in the series. I really enjoyed seeing older widowed characters get the happily ever after. The characters are well developed and the pace is fast. Though it is part of a series this can be read as a stand-alone book. A great Christmas read.

This was a lovely compilation of four holiday romances by four different authors. Each brought their romance to life in a short novella and left you looking forward to more from each of them. With a style of their own each had a delightful romance to tell. A soldier returning home is given a chance at love with a new doctor in town. A widower learns that love can be found close to home in the form of a longtime friendship. A young woman whose life isn't going the way she wants it to finds love and hope while attending her brothers Christmas wedding. Finally we meet an event planner who meets someone with the same family issues she is struggling with and together they help each other resolve their problems and fall in love in the process. This was a great read, especially if you love romance during the holidays.

A very good anthology. It includes four short stories very well written and enjoyable. I have read two of the authors but I will be looking for books by the other two I had not previously read.

Great stories, great authors!

If you are a fan of Kate Pearce's Morgan Ranch series then you don't want to miss this book. In addition to a fantastic new Morgan Ranch story, you also get three more stories by great authors. So far, I've only read An Unexpected Gift by Kate Pearce and Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls by Donna Kauffman so my rating is based on those two stories.
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An Unexpected Gift (5 stars) by Kate Pearce is a standalone story set in the world of the Morgan Ranch series. You can easily read and enjoy this story on its own but I also highly recommend all of the books in the series.

An Unexpected Gift is about Billy Morgan, father of the four Morgan brothers. Billy's wife died many years ago and this Christmas season he finds himself attracted to his longtime friend, Bella, who is also widowed. She approaches Billy about holding a surprise wedding celebration for her son who recently eloped. While planning the party Billy and Bella work closely together and they are both surprised by the feelings they are having for each other.

This was a very sweet, but sexy, story about an older couple finding love again. There just aren't that many books I've run across that show that there is still life, love and sex after 50 and this is really a great one.

Fans of the Morgan Ranch series will be delighted to see several characters from those books make an appearance – including funny one where Billy and Bella are caught in bed together by Billy's son, Chase. 😊
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Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls (5 stars) is a very touching story that I've just learned is set in Donna Kauffman's Blue Hollow Falls series. I don't follow this author closely so I'm not familiar with the series but I can tell you that I really loved Christmas in Blue Hollow and that you don't need to have read any of the other stories to enjoy this one.

Moira Brogan is in Blue Hollow for her brother's wedding. She's recently had a few knocks to her self confidence and after the wedding she's telling her troubles to the hotel bartender, Sally, when a would-be lothario tries to make time with her. He doesn't want to take no for an answer so she about to hit him where it counts when another man comes to her rescue.

Hudson is friends with Moira's brother. He prepared the food for his wedding and her brother sent him to check on Moira. His sexy Aussie accent captivates Moira but she's also wary because of a recent breakup after being taken in by a sexy Irish accent.

My words aren't doing justice to this great story. It has lots of feels, a super sexy hero and a relationship-wary heroine who's had a bit of bad luck lately. I loved that Hudson lived in converted train cars. Ever since reading The Boxcar Children stories when I was young I've had a fascination with living in a train car. I enjoyed this story so much that now I have to checkout the other Blue Hollow Falls books.
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In conclusion, if you are a fan of any of the authors in this anthology I don't think you will be disappointed by their stories in this collection.

A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***

A quick read. This is an enjoyable romantic collection of stories taking place during the Christmas season. The one by Fern Michaels is the second tale that I've read. Meet cute, an adorable child, a dog, some misunderstandings all equal delightful entertainment.

I thought this was a fantastic collection of novellas by some of my favorite authors. I'm very familiar with Ms. Michael's books as well as the connected series from Ms. Kauffman and Ms. Pearce. Priscilla Owens is new to me but after this sampling of her storytelling I will definitely be looking for more from her. While I enjoyed all these stories my favorite was Ms. Pearce's An Unexpected Gift, having read all of the Morgan Ranch books I was thrilled to see Billy find his own little piece of happy.

Overall each of these stories where wonderful and will absolutely help you get in the holiday mood. I highly recommend this book.

Kevin is back in his hometown for good. Kate and her daughter have moved to Cedar park after her divorce to start working at the Cedar park medical center as pediatric orthopedic doctor. When Kevin and Kate meet they are both attracted towards the other but some misunderstanding or other keeps them from exploring further.

Billy and Bella are childhood friends and have often crossed paths with each other, but never seen the other as anything more than friends. But it all changes when Billy comes to Bella’s aid when things get out of control with an angry employee, and later as he helps Bella plan a surprise wedding reception for her son.

Moira is at a bar enjoying a drink after her brothers wedding on Christmas Eve. But when she is cornered by a lothario who doesn’t understand the meaning of no, an Aussie chef with a to die for accent comes to her rescue.

Julia wants to build a life for herself in Chicago, and is focused on planning the best attended, highest earning Holiday Soirée gala. She is not going to let her attraction towards Ben, the best baseball player ever, who also happens to be the emcee at the event stop her. So what if he has different plans then her.

A season to celebrate is an anthology with 4 different stories but a common theme, Love. It’s a cute Christmas themed read, with fun characters and sweet stories.

I have only read one story so far, Christmas in Blu Hollow Falls by Donna Kauffman, but can't wait to read the other stories. I love Christmas anthologies, perfects for the busy season. Loved the beginning of the story, with barroom brawl. Moria is home for Christmas for her brother's wedding when she is rescued from the brawl by sexy aussie chef< Hudson. Moria is not looking for a relationship at this point of her life, but there is no denying the chemistry between the two.

Loved these characters, so perfect for each other. Great character development even in the short story. Love visiting Blue Hollow Falls. I highly recommend, can be read as a stand alone from her series.

This book has four short holiday stories in it. Perfect types to read during the holidays.

CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING by Fern Michaels
Kevin Matthews is finally coming back home to Cedar Park, Texas after 3 tours of duty in the military after hurting his leg. He's 32 and not sure what he wants to do, but in the meantime he will help out on his family's tree farm. Before he left, he had his whole life planned out but when his girlfriend Melissa broke things off, he joined the service.
Kate Stafford is a doctor, recently divorced and a single mother to Emma. They just relocated to Cedar Park, Texas. When taking Emma to her Sunday school classes, Kate bumps into Kevin and sparks fly. Of course everyone in town is trying to be a matchmaker between these two, even Emma! Some holiday magic is just what is needed to give Kevin and Kate their happy ending. This was a fun, sweet and romantic story.

AN UNEXPECTED GIFT by Kate Pearce
Widower Billy Morgan has had a tough time of things lately. Still feeling guilty over things from his past, Billy is trying make amends with his family and is wishing he was needed more. When his old friend, widow Bella Williams is in need of his help, Billy jumps right in and a new, different type of friendship is started. When Bella wants to throw a surprise party for her son and new daughter-in-law, she enlists Billy's help. As these two spend more time together, sparks start to fly. It takes some huge leaps of faith for these two people to jump into a relationship again but together they find a wonderful happy ending.

CHRISTMAS IN BLUE HOLLOW FALLS by Donna Kauffman
We finally get Moira Brogan's story! After her brother Seth's wedding to Pippa, Moira heads back to her hotel and ends up in the bar. When Max, a drunk, rich idiot starts to come on to her and starts to get a little physical, a handsome stranger comes to her rescue. Hudson Walker is her brother's friend and was actually the chef for their wedding. He recognized Moira as soon as she entered the bar but didn't make himself known until it looked like she was in danger. Having been attracted to Moira but knowing she was only in town for the wedding, Hudson didn't make any moves on her since she was one of his best friend's little sisters. Moira ends up going back to Hudson's place for the night after she bails him out of jail from his fight with Max. The next morning the two of them hit if off after her love of his cooking. They spend the day together being open and honest with each other and even though neither of them is looking for anything serious, sparks fly. It takes trust, a leap of faith, and getting over their past before Moira and Hudson can find their happy ending and boy do they end up finding it! I loved this story. My only complaint would be that it was too short! I love Moira and want more of her!

HOLIDAY HOMERUN by Priscilla Oliveras
Julia Louisa Fernandez wants to live in Chicago, IL, not in Puerto Rico. She finally gets her big chance at catering a big gala and she is hoping that afterwards, the head of the gala will offer her a permanent position. Unfortunately, the guest star of the gala is none other than former pro baseball player Ben Thomas. Too bad all ball players are had egos so big they could barely fit in the room, but Julia was determined to see this gala through. Ben on the other hand was determined to see Julia. He was intrigued by her. As these two spent more time together, Julia realizes that Ben is not like most ball player. As the gala day draws closer, so do Ben and Julia. He really wants her to stay in Chicago and decides to try and help it along. Too bad best thought out ideas are not always what is best. In the end these two do get their happy ending though.

This read should make you want to snuggle up in holiday pajamas, with a cup if hot chocolate and spend sometime in a holiday world. I really enjoyed each story and how it fit one into the next story. An easy way to jump start a holiday season with a holiday complilation from some good writers.

Look, I’m going to be 100% honest with you. I completely picked this up for Priscilla Oliveras’ story, because all the other authors are completely new to me. Also, while the cover is cute, it’s usually indicative of the kind of romance I don’t particularly enjoy, so I had pretty low expectations going in. Luckily, most of the stories were quite good and I got to add a few new authors to my TBR!

“Before I left, I was just going through the motions, living from one day to the next, not fully realizing what I had and what I could do with my life. Now I understand how important it is to be grounded. Be a part of something. The loyalty. The love. The unwavering attention you give to each other. Everyone needs to learn to love just a little more and learn to accept it.”


“A Christmas Homecoming” – Fern Michaels – ★★

This was a not great start to the anthology. On the surface, it sounds good. Kevin is returning home to his family and their Christmas tree farm after six years in the military, and Kate and her young daughter have just moved to town after she accepted a position at the local hospital. From their initial meeting at church to a tree delivery, there’s definite interest between the two of them and this honestly should’ve been a slam dunk. Unfortunately, the entire story revolved around judgey misconceptions – View Spoiler » There was actually a large chunk of the story from Kevin’s mom’s POV, which felt like an odd choice in such a short story. There were a couple of other turns of phrases that struck me wrong (some nasty fatphobia right in the beginning that nearly had me throw out the whole anthology, plus a weird remark about PC police not letting kids cut out paper stars?), plus Kate’s kid was an absolute plot moppet. This was the first thing I’ve read by this author, and I think it’ll also be the last!

“Everything he’d had and lost, everything he’d ever wanted to achieve with the blessing of this second chance now made sense. Bella made sense of it. Coming home to his old friend completed a circle he hadn’t even been aware he was traveling.”


“An Unexpected Gift” – Kate Pearce – ★★★★

This story itself is, like the title says, an unexpected gift! It’s the usual story of two people from a small town who’ve known each other since kindergarten – the only difference is, kindergarten was fifty years ago! Both Billy and Bella have been married before, and both have grown children who have apparently gotten their HEAs. This is set in an existing series (the Morgan Ranch series), and while I definitely felt like I was missing out on some things (there are a LOT of characters), I don’t think it affected the main romance. At heart, this is a sort of second chance romance, in the sense that this is the second “big love” in both their lives. I appreciated the older hero and heroine and the gentle humor. Overall, heartwarming, and I’ve added the first in the series to my TBR! (A sidenote: though the rest of the stories in this anthology don’t involve sexual content beyond kisses, this one has several sex scenes)

“I’m a pretty goal-oriented person. I like to make plans, and stick to those plans. But, I guess I came to a turning point, and for the first time ever, I finally made a few bold, completely unplanned choices. The end result of which was a complete train wreck.” Her smile widened. “You, on the other hand, wander the globe on a whim, and end up making the wrecked train into an amazing home.”


“Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls” – Donna Kauffman – ★★★★

In Blue Hollow Falls for the Christmas wedding of her brother to a famous Irish folk singer, Moira’s hiding out a hotel bar drowning her sorrows in soda when she’s propositioned – and then assaulted – by a slimy guy. Luckily Hudson – the wedding caterer and her brother’s good friend – is there and steps in to help rescue her, and then brings her back to his place (a renovated train carriage, no less). Moira is recovering from a relationship gone wrong and failing the California bar exam. Normally Moira’s quite staid – she has plans upon plans – but recently she’s tried to do some things spontaneously and it backfired spectacularly. So she’s enchanted by Hudson, who’s spent his time wandering around the globe and having adventure after adventure, and has currently been the chef of her brother’s restaurant for a year. It’s got laugh-out-loud touches of humor and also a philosophical discussion of how to approach life – Moira’s goal-oriented control freak versus Hudson’s go-with-the-flow. I also loved the descriptions of Moira’s crazy Irish family, and deeply identified with her conflict over loving them and wanting to be near them, but not quite too near. This is part of the aptly named “Blue Hollow Falls” series, and I will definitely be picking up the first book!

“Sometimes, a move away from the place where we’re the most comfortable allows for the best kind of growth.”


“Holiday Home Run” – Priscilla Oliveras – ★★★★

Saving the best for last! Julia is an event planner and the cousin of the sisters from the Matched to Perfection series. She grew up in Puerto Rico helping her mom run her catering company and dealing with her baseball-obsessed brothers. While she loves her family, she, too, feels suffocated by their expectations that she take over the family business, so she’s looking at making the move to Chicago. The linchpin of her plan is pulling off the best holiday soiree fundraiser for the Chicago Youth Association that the town has ever seen in the hopes of landing a permanent job there. If only the fundraiser didn’t come with a certain handsome retired baseball player involved…

At first, Ben is seemingly only interested in Julia because she doesn’t seem as starstruck around him. Gradually, though, as they work together on the fundraiser, the spark turns into something more. Julia, however, has zero interest in dating an athlete after spending her whole life submerged in baseball, even if Ben is kind, compassionate, a good listener, and did I mention handsome? The big problem, though, is that Ben doesn’t understand why she wants to move away from her family, when he’s so desperately missing the family he found in his baseball team. Watching the two of them work it out was so sweet and at times heart wrenching. I also loved the touches of Puerto Rican holiday traditions, though I did finish the story hungry for pernil and arroz con gandules!

Another great story from Ms. Oliveras, and I’m so looking forward to Lilí’s book next month!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I seriously don’t know how I got lucky enough to get another holiday anthology ARC. I’m sure not complaining though. First, I got to read Santa’s on His Way last month. Now I get to read this one, with some new-to-me authors and some old favorites. On top of that, this book has an amazing cover that really got me into the Christmas spirit. I love it!

A Christmas Homecoming
by Fern Michaels

Believe it or not, I’ve never read a Fern Michaels book. I don’t know if you find that odd, but I sure do. With as many books as she has under her belt and with how many books I read you’d think I would have crossed paths with her writing before now. While this story piqued my interest in her storytelling, I’m not sure exactly how I feel about her writing. It’s hard to tell from such a short story. While I definitely felt the spark between Kate and Kevin, all while things were kept G-rated to boot, there were other issues I had. I know, I know, not everyone is such a stickler for how accurately military matters are presented in such stories. But I am. It was nothing drastically wrong, but enough that it stuck in my craw. I also felt a bit like the author didn’t give nurses the respect they deserve. Again, nothing overt…just enough to annoy me. Overall, this is a really sweet story that really lets the reader fill in the blanks to their own liking. I’ll most likely look into reading more of her work now that I’ve had my introduction. ~3 stars (G)

An Unexpected Gift
by Kate Pearce

I just adore this author and her Morgan Ranch series. Although you don’t have to have read that series to enjoy this short story, I recommend you do because they’re all amazing reads. Other than getting to revisit some of my favorite characters, I enjoyed that this story is about an older couple. When I say older I mean early 50’s. But let’s face it, most contemporary romance deals with the 40 and under crowd. So it was wonderful to read about a patriarch and matriarch of two different families finding their second chance at love and have sexual feelings to go along with that love. ~5 stars (R)

Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls
by Donna Kauffman

Although I haven’t read this author’s Blue Hollow Falls series, obviously this story ties into those books. I didn’t feel lost in the story or like I was missing anything by not having read them yet though. The chemistry between Hudson and Moira is great and I was rooting for them through the whole thing. The beginning scenes in the bar were phenomenal and truly had my stomach in knots and anger welling up inside of me. The dialogue in this one was as mixed bag for me. This story is extremely dialogue heavy. At some times, I found that to be a good thing. At other times, it was a bit overwhelming. All in all, this was a really interesting and solid story. ~3.5 stars (PG)

Holiday Home Run
by Priscilla Oliveras

Now this is a new-to-me author I actually never heard of, and I loved her! I can’t wait to get my hands on more of her work. The chemistry is amazing even while keeping this story totally PG. Even though I could tell some of the more peripheral characters must be in this author’s other books, this was a complete story and I didn’t feel as though I was missing anything by having not yet read the other books. This story has a sprinkle of sports, it dabbles in the holidays, and it highlights some wonderful cultural celebrations. I was duly impressed. ~4 stars (PG)

This is a collection of short stories by four independently well-known authors. Each is connected to Christmas. Two of the authors I already read so I am bias by their stories. The other two, I enjoyed just as much. I will be reading more of their work.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that An Unexpected Gift by Kate Pearce was about two people around the age of 50. I was refreshing to read about older people falling in love again. Thank you for allowing those of us that are 50+ to relate to the main characters in a love story.

The stories are just the right length to be able to read them individually when you have time during the holidays. Of course, you are still free to binge read if you desire.


I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Season to Celebrate by Fern Michaels; Kate Pearce; Donna Kauffman; Priscilla Oliveras
This is such a great box set with some cute and feel good stories. This box sets total about 305 pages with four different stories by different authors. This is a great way to get a 'taste' of authors you might not have read before and also to get you a great quick story to get you romance fix for the day.
Overall loved each story and would recommend this book. Here is a copy of the stories you are getting with a blurb from each:

CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING * Fern Michaels
Former Air Force Pararescueman Kevin Matthews is back home in Texas, working at his family’s Christmas tree farm while deciding his next move. Or maybe he won’t move at all, if sparks keep flying with the town’s new surgeon, Kate Stafford . . .

AN UNEXPECTED GIFT * Kate Pearce
Widower Billy Morgan wishes his grown children still needed him. Good thing his longtime friend, Bella, does. She’s planning her son’s Christmas wedding and Billy is happy to help. Along the way they just might discover their own occasion to celebrate . . .

CHRISTMAS IN BLUE HOLLOW FALLS * Donna Kauffman
Attorney Moira Brogan expects her brother’s Christmas wedding to be a peaceful affair. She doesn’t expect to be cornered by an unwanted lothario, rescued by a gorgeous Aussie chef—or be swept off her feet by said chef. Nursing a broken heart, the last thing she wants is a new romance. But Hudson Walker has other ideas . . .

HOLIDAY HOMERUN * Priscilla Oliveras
Event planner Julia Louisa Fernandez dreams of a life in Chicago. But her family in Puerto Rico expects her to take over the catering business. Former pro baseball player Ben Thomas knows what that’s like—and when they meet, he might be the one to inspire a winning strategy, just in time for the holidays . .

A lovely light read for the holidays :) The best of the three books is clearly Kate Pearce's An Unexpected Gift. She takes us back to the Morgan Ranch and Billy finally gets his HEA :) Favorite characters from previous stories make an appearance. The other two stories are ok. Fern Michaels story is very sweet- almost too sweet and Donna Kaufman (who I normally love) has interesting characters but a concerning senario in light of today's metoo environment. I still liked the story but felt the initial start a bit contrived in a damsel in distress way. All in all a light read that will make you smile :)

So for whatever reason, I just started reading the book without reading the preview and didn’t realize it was a collection of short stories. I was really settling in for a nice holiday read. And was disappointed when the first story ended. I probably didn’t give the second story much of a chance as I was still in the Fern Michaels mood. I think partly the issue was reading an ARC on a kindle that doesn’t show the other authors listed in the cover . Once the published book is released, the expectation and anticipation for a collection of short stories will be more evident.

This is a delightful book with four Christmas novellas by great authors. I especially liked the story by Fern Michaels and Donna Kauffman, both authors I have read and enjoyed before. It is always nice to check out new authors and after reading Kate Pearce and Pricilla Oliveras stories I will be checking into other books they have written. This is a quick read of heartwarming Christmas stories filled with romance, fun, laughter, second chances, and of course love!

A Season to Celebrate is a compilation of Christmas stories by four different authors. The first story, A Christmas Homecoming by Fern Michael's was definitely my favorite. The fun revolves around Kevin Matthews, retired military who returns home to join the family at Christmas. And they just so happen to own a Christmas tree farm! Kate Stafford, the new orthopedic surgeon in town is looking for a fresh start with her young daughter. The feel of Christmas and the excitement of a new romance makes this a must read!
An Unexpected Gift by Kate Pierce was different in that the story revolved around two older people. I really enjoyed the storyline but could have done without the sex. It got to a point where I forgot it was a Christmas story. Every paragraph was how the characters just wanted to tear each other's clothes off. Throwing in a Christmas wedding and some wonderful food doesn't make up for all the sex....
Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls by Donna Kauffman takes us to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains at Christmas. This book came in second as a favorite! From the opening involving a bar fight where a maid of honor and a hunky Aussie chef meet the story just continues to get better. If there was a little less of the characters thinking and more of the story actually happening it would be nice.
Finally we finish the book with Holiday Homerun by Priscilla Oliveras. This was really a different look at Christmas for me. Julia has left her family in Puerto Rico to brave the winter in Chicago. Why? To get away from her baseball loving family and start a new career. So, of course, she falls for a hunky baseball player despite her best efforts. I learned quite a bit about Christmas traditions in Puerto Rico! This is a sweet story and I loved how all the elements of Christmas was involved.

I was going to review each of these stories separately but to be honest they would all have the same review. They are 4 stars. The characters are all wonderful to read about. The romances are sweet.

The stories are short and quick reads. And are great to have around to pick up when you want to put yourself into the Christmas spirit or take a break from the Christmas craziness.

Donna Kauffman is one of my favorites and having read the other books set in Blue Hollow this one was of course my favorite of all.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderful diverse collection of short stories.

I was drawn to this anthology as I've love Priscilla Oliveras' Matched to Perfection series and the Fernandez sister's cousin Julia is the main character in Holiday Homerun. She and Ben have wonderful chemistry. I enjoyed seeing both of them grow as they struggled to be who they needed to be inspite of family expectations. It was great seeing a couple from different backgrounds able to come together for love.

The other story that stood out for me was Kate Pierce's An Unexpected Gift. I haven't read the series so I didn't know all the back story but the author did a great job of providing a solid foundation for the characters. I enjoyed that the author showed older mature characters Billy and Bella as having a full life, regrets and all. That they could still grow and find love in their 50s.

I received an advance reader copy via Netgalley.