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    Everyone loves to tell fun, engaging, and imaginative stories. Go ahead and make a social story or...

In this collection you will find 12 short stories that are set during the 1800s in the frontier of our expanding country. As the name of the collection proclaims each story highlights a bride's journey to love and romance. This collection has a wide variety of stories and characters. While I thoroughly enjoyed each story, a couple of my favorites were: The Festive Bride by Diana Lesire Brandmeyer, The Nutcracker Bride by Margaret Brownley and The Christmas Tree Bride by Susan Page Davis.

What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than 12 novellas written by some of my favorite authors? Each author did a wonderful job of capturing the Spirit of Christmas in just 50 short pages. Every story drew me into the heart of the season. The blessing that God gave us in Jesus' birth is demonstrated beautifully. Love, forgiveness and redemption are the main focus of this collection. If you are looking for a good Christmas read, I recommend this collection. You can read one here and there or burn through the whole collection in a week like I did. Either way, you are sure to enjoy the festivity between the pages.

I received a free digital copy of The 12 Brides of Christmas from Barbour Publishing Inc. through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Jul 7, 2022  
Author Thomas H. McNeely visits my blog to discuss what it means to lose where we live in an emotional yet touching guest post. Read up on his coming of age/short stories fiction book PICTURES OF THE SHARK while you're there. Be sure to enter the giveaway for a chance to win an editorial critique of an excerpt from an unpublished short story or novel and/or an autographed copy of Pictures of the Shark.

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2022/07/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-pictures-of.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
A sudden snowfall in Houston reveals family secrets. A trip to Universal Studios to snap a picture of the shark from Jaws becomes a battle of wills between father and son. A midnight séance and the ghost of Janis Joplin conjure the mysteries of sex. A young boy’s pilgrimage to see Elvis Presley becomes a moment of transformation. A young woman discovers the responsibilities of talent and freedom.

Pictures of the Shark, by Houston native and Dobie Paisano award-winning author Thomas H. McNeely, traces a young man's coming of age and falling apart. From the rough and tumble of Houston's early seventies East End to the post-punk Texas bohemia of late eighties Austin, this novel in stories examines what happens when childhood trauma haunts adult lives.
     
My Sister's Bones
My Sister's Bones
Nuala Ellwood | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
4
7.2 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Predictable, what an anti-climax!
If I ever hear that another book is the "next Gone Girl" or the "next Girl On A Train", I'm going to rate it 0.

The genre has become predictable. There are three elements to look out for in these books:

1. Neurotic women are usually right
2. Nice men are psychopaths
3. The women won't be believed by authorities until the very end

And so goes this tale of two sisters, one who became a war correspondent suffering from post-traumatic stress, and the other an alcoholic - both abused as children. One's high functioning, the other is a deadbeat mother. In between are the stories of mysterious children appearing here, there and everywhere. And the women not being believed.

The writer attempts to make a difference by bringing in stories of the horrors of the Middle East, which was a nice change - but it seemed more like a tool to follow exactly the pattern. It seemed promising but it falls short.
  
TG
The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
By far one of my favorites by Ms Hahn. This is one of her classic ghost stories where someone, in this case Sophia, meets their tragic end and is unable to rest.

This novel read quickly, however, I feel there was a lot of build up to a short climax. It wasn’t necessarily bad, I had just hoped for more ghost interaction with Sophia. Once she is introduced, the novel seems to fly by. This could be because I was so enthralled with it. I would like to say the rather abrupt ending left me wanting more, but I felt content with the story as a whole. I only real issue I have with this novel is that I wasn’t sure it was over until I turned the page and there was no more text. Hahn is known for providing closure in her stories, but, for once, I wasn’t 100% sure it was over.
  
Disjointed Lives
Disjointed Lives
Morgan Sheppard | 2018 | Contemporary
10
9.0 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Disjointed Lives by Morgan Sheppard
Disjointed Lives is the first non-fantasy story from Morgan Sheppard. It is only a short story, based around two friends meeting for coffee, and one of them needing help. It does mention gas lighting and mental/emotional abuse, but without going into too much detail.

One of the things that is becoming clear is that Morgan Sheppard writes character based stories. The world building is very good, but what gives these stories the emotion behind them, is the characters. They are completely relate-able, with foibles and quirks that readers will recognise in themselves and those they know.

Whether you like fantasy or contemporary/women's fiction, I would definitely recommend this book, and others by this author.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!