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Home For Christmas / Tumbleweed Christmas / The Wise Virgin (2000)

by Heather Graham(Favorite Author)

3.72 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1921505869 (ISBN13: 9781921505867)

languge

English

genre

Romance

review 1: A collection of historical Christmas stories.Heather Graham's Home for Christmas tells the tale of a Southern lady and the Yankee captain who commandeers her home. Much of this story is told in flashback. The writing is sound, and the plotting is good. Travis makes a dashing hero, and Isabelle is a strong woman, but her fierce insistence on drawing such a firm line between the North and South does grow wearisome. Three stars.The Wise Virgin by Jo Beverley is a twist on the long-feuding families theme. Edmund de Grave kidnaps the virgin Mary from the annual Christmas play, but discovers that Joan Montelan is no shrinking violet. Ms. Beverley's characters are clever and resourceful. Joan in particular is a refreshing heroine, especially for a historical--she's outspok... moreen and straightforward, and Edmund finds he can't resist her although resist her he must. I enjoyed this story very much and do plan to read more of Ms. Beverley's work. Four and a half stars.Candace Camp's Tumbleweed Christmas pairs a widowed Melinda Ballard with rancher Daniel MacKenzie. Melinda is also a terrific heroine--smart and determined, she doesn't let Daniel's gruff ways distract her from doing her job and more. A lovely read. Four stars.
review 2: This anthology was a good choice for me while I was busy with cooking and other tasks over Christmas. It gave me the opportunity to read a few short stories quickly in between doing other things when I didn't have time for a longer book. The stories were sweet and I enjoyed the anthology. I liked the stories by Graham and Camp better than the one by Beverley. I read the Beverley story in a different anthology, and while it was the novella I liked best in that book that I only rated two stars, I didn't enjoy it as much as the others in this book. Overall, this book is a good light read.The first story in the book is Home For Christmas by Heather Graham. Graham's contribution was my favorite part of the book. Most of the story is told in flashbacks, which keeps the short story from feeling like it is moving too fast. Captain Travis Aylwin is the commander of the regiment that confiscates Isabelle Hinton's home for its headquarters during the Civil War. Isabelle considers Travis her enemy, but she is unable to resist the desire she unwillingly comes to feel for him. Travis always treats her with respect, and quickly comes to love Isabelle, but she will not admit her deep feelings for him. As the war draws near its end, Isabelle will have to decide whether to follow her heart at Christmas time. This was a very sweet story, although the heroine's determination to resist her feelings for the loving hero became tedious. In The Wise Virgin, Edmund de Grave intends to kidnap his enemy's daughter because she and his brother are in love and want to marry. Edmund mistakenly kidnaps her cousin, Joan Montelan, instead. Joan is quickly fascinated by this warrior who has captured her, but the hatred between her family and his makes a relationship impossible. As the two begin to feel deeply for one another, Joan tries to convince Edmund to find a way to end the feud. In this story, the hero and heroine never fully consumate their relationship. This medieval story was my least favorite of the three.Tumbleweed Christmas finds widow Melinda Ballard living in dire financial straits in the 1890's in the Texas Panhandle. In order to provide for her son, she takes a job as cook/housekeeper for rancher, Danial MacKenzie. Daniel is a dour, unfriendly man who appears to have no use for others, especially women and children. As Melinda gets to know him and learns of his tragic past, her heart softens toward Daniel and she overlooks his surliness. Melinda soon comes to love this man but she believes that nothing can come of her feelings. Daniel's tough shell is soon pierced by Melinda, but he is determind not to marry again. As the desire they feel for one another becomes stronger, Daniel must decide if he is willing to risk his heart again.This was another sweet Christmas story, and I liked it almost as much as Home for Christmas. This was an enjoyable anthology. The novellas were entertaining and didn't feel as underdeveloped as many of the other short stories I have read. I would give Home for Christmas and Tumbleweed Christmas both four stars, and The Wise Virgin three stars. It was nice to be able to read for a small amount of time and finish a complete story. less

Download links for: Home For Christmas / Tumbleweed Christmas / The Wise Virgin

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