Christina Coryell

I have lived in various small towns all of my life, and there are some things that are universal in said small towns. With Written in the Stars, Ms. Coryell does an excellent job of making that backroads, small town feel come to life and become so very real. She vividly captures that life and that atmosphere. She doesn’t tell us what small town life is like, but aptly demonstrates it, shows it with each word of her book, each place you visit, each situation that arises. My skin almost felt gritty with dust as Brooke arrived in Hope Canyon and saw her grandmother’s home in so many years. The author’s words do so much more than describe, they transport you there.

Not only does Ms. Coryell take you to Hope Canyon, she really takes you on a journey with these characters and I love it when an author accomplishes that feat. You feel the ghosts of the past that these people must face in more ways than one and can identify with many of their internal struggles. I saw Holly’s and Brooke’s friendship as God providing us with what we need, even the people we need, in an unexpected way. Through their trek together, they discover things about themselves and about each other as well as see some truths they’ve been missing. I loved seeing them begin to go from trying to go it all alone to starting to let walls come down with the burden of secrets being shared and steps to move forward being taken.

I must admit that the book brought about some very mixed emotions in me. There were situations that made me ache for the characters and wish that maybe different choices had been made or that, at least, maybe things could be made right from this point on. Thankfully, there is hope of that presented in the book. There is a particular ghost of the past for Holly and Hunter that really frustrated me; someone who should have wanted the best for both of them, but instead seemed only to selfishly think of himself. There’s a lot left to the story so maybe more will come out that will help me understand that situation better in the second book, but as of now, it just frustrates me that someone would toy with someone else’s life for so long. Honestly, I think I’ll know more about my feelings concerning some situations and characters after I get my hands on the second book in the series.

My biggest “complaint” (if you can even call it that) is where the book ended. While it’s not a complete cliffhanger type ending, there’s definitely a lot more to the journey. It sort of feels like we’re really getting somewhere and seeing some hopeful things happen and then the book ends. And while I am grateful for the hopeful happenings, I am also more than ready to continue the journey. I want to know more. I feel like we were just beginning to scratch the surface of these characters and their stories and just really starting to get down to the deeper layers at the end of this book. Life is ongoing and not all cut and dry and perfect and I get that, but I really prefer for the books I read to have more solid endings. I like to leave a book feeling like, even though things may not be perfect, my friends, the characters, are on pretty solid ground. I’ve read another series by this author and she epilogued that series in a way that I loved and that left me with a smile for days, so I am optimistic that the second book, Written in the Dust (which will be coming out October 3rd) will follow through and have a more solid ending.

Settle in for a trip to a small town with its quirks, joys, griefs, the good, and the bad with Written in the Stars and let’s get ready to see where this journey will take us.… (altro)

Somehow, books by Angela Ruth Strong always end up on my favorites list. Granted, Finding Love on the Oregon Coast is a compilation of 4 novellas, three by other authors, but these all had such a strong story line tie-in.

One bride-to-be makes it minutes from the altar,only to realize that the man she is marrying isn't the person she needs. The reader is then whisked into the stories of her three bridesmaids, who one-by-one,find the man of their dreams when they let go of their own understanding and let God.

Finally, the reader returns to the runaway bride. Having read other romance novels by Angela Ruth Strong, I was nevertheless surprised to see that this one would include Dave Lake, another brother of a family of single men about whom Strong has been writing. The book was already good,but that really amped up my interest! Strong has a unique writing style that includes romance, angst, faith, and humor. My reading soul comes away from her books fully sated. Too bad there can't be about 20 Lake brothers!!… (altro)

In the first of eight great stories we find MISTLETOE IN MONTANA by BELLE CALHOUNE. It is a cute story about Brianna who comes back home after a disastrous marriage. She finds out the ranch she grew up is being sold to an old boyfriend named Luke. I enjoyed the interaction between Brianna and her father. Is it possible to start a new life at the place you left behind? It has a great spirit of family and forgiveness. The interaction between Luke and Brianna was a bit predictable, but overall a nice feel good story .

MATCH MADE FOR CHRISTMAS by DEBRA LYNN COLLINS was very well written. Sierra has just been dumped via text message. What a horrible way to tell someone you want to break up with them. She is heartbroken , but keeps herself busy working at the boutique in the mall . Corbin is the security guard for the mall and has a secret crush on her. I loved the sneaky but thoughtful scheme Sierra's friends cooked up to find her a man for Christmas. Who is her secret admirer? Did her friend's scheme work? The story is filled with love, and friendship. I appreciate how the author showed the characters spending time praying and asking for guidance from God. It is a well written story that made me smile.

MERRY KISSES by VALERIE COMER is a story about Sonya that has always been raised to believe that Santa was a silly thing and the true meaning of Christmas was being lost among all the commercialism. She works at a toy store and is forbidden to say Merry Christmas to customers. I loved the beautiful story that shared the struggles that people have about celebrating Christmas a certain way. The author truly write a faith filled story that captures the heart of Christmas. Heath is a great character who has a heart filled with God's love. His faith was genuine and I loved how he used being Santa to reach out to children and make them feel loved and appreciated. The story will make you cry at times and give you hope at others. It is a story that explains the true meaning of Christmas by the beautiful words of an exceptional author.

UNWRAPPED by CHRISTINA CORYELL is a great story about Trina who decides to go to her roommates family home for Christmas. I enjoyed the traditions the author shared that made the holidays so special for the family. Charlie is a great character who is not afraid to share his faith and love for his family and church. Will Trina and Charlie find happiness? its a nice story with a great message of family and finding love when you don't expect it.

AN INFORMAL CHRISTMAS by HEATHER GRAY is set at a hospital where we see the two main characters dealing with sick children. Riley and Zach do not get along well , but soon that could change. The story is about two people who have a stressful job and try to learn to work together to help children that need them. The author has dynamic characters that make the story come to life.

OPERATION MISTLETOE by ELIZABETH MADDREY is a superb story of two people who have different views on Christmas. Tori is not a happy camper when her editor assigns her a story about Gabe. they were once acquainted in college and she secretly had a crush on him. She must now put her feelings aside and write about Gabe and his silly notion of of over the top celebration of Christmas. Will Tori change her mind about Christmas? will she discover the true meaning and find peace? the book is very inspiring and the message of the true meaning of Christmas and letting go of the past. I loved how the character's interacted and the patience that Gabe showed as he shared his faith and joy of Christmas. This is a book you don't want to miss.

A BOND FOR THE HOLIDAY'S by LEE TOBIN MCCLAIN is a little different type of Christmas story. It doesn't start off with a happy feel good theme. the book is centered around a family secret that is revealed. The family is devastated by the secret and has to deal with a deep rooted secret that will cause bitterness. i loved the story because it has a deep meaning of God's love and how that love changes even the bitter and unforgiving heart. It is very well written with a story that is riveting and gives us raw emotions. this is one story not to miss.

A (kinda) COUNTRY CHRISTMAS by KRISTA PHILLIPS is a fun and great story to read. How would you like to be raised by parents who played Mr. and Mrs. Claus? What if your parents also ran a Christmas shop every single day for three hundred sixty-five days? The story will bring a smile and a great feeling of the Christmas spirit in this enchanting story.
I received a copy of this book from The BookClub Network for an honest review… (altro)

A quirky romance--Camdyn's penchant for clumsiness was cute and endearing. I liked the underlying message to find your roots, to allow those who love you to be your family, to find a home, and to be open to letting others into your life.

It did bother me that a number of characters had the same first name. I wouldn't have minded if it was family members carrying down the same name but I didn't see the need for Cole's father and the guess as to CW Oliver's real name to be the same or The wife of one character and a waitress at a restaurant out of town to share the same first name. (These are just two examples.)… (altro)