Book Review - The Christmas Inn by Pamela Kelley

 

Thanks to Net Galley, the Author and Publisher for the ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this book in exchange for my honest review. Book description from Net Galley below:

Explore this delightfully cozy and joyful novel of second chances at the most wonderful time of the year, from USA Today bestselling author Pamela Kelley.

A feel-good novel as delightful and comforting as a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter’s night, The Christmas Inn is bestselling author Pamela Kelley’s most heartwarming and magical book yet.

Riley Sanders didn’t plan on losing her job as a content marketing manager right before Christmas. When she calls her sister Amy to vent, she learns that their mother has broken her leg and could really use some help at the inn. Riley decides to head home to the inn, nestled along the shores of Cape Cod, in time for the Christmas rush. She is happy to help and needs something to distract her as mistletoe is hung and snowflakes begin to fall.

When she gets there, she not only finds delicious cookies and a crackling fire to lift her spirits, but also the sense of family she’s been missing all along. There’s Franny, a woman who has just lost her sister and has four unopened letters from her that she plans to use to open her up to new experiences on the Cape. And there’s Aidan, her high school sweetheart, now a widower, who is staying at the inn with his nine year-old son, Luke. What begins as a quick stay over the holidays to help her mom turns into something that means much more—a second chance at romance, a deeper sense of found family, and all the joy and wonder that comes with Christmastime on Cape Cod.

My thoughts on the book:  Yes this book is very reminiscent of a typical Hallmark  movie type theme.  And in fact that Author makes mention of (Hallmark) several times through out the book in describing the setting and scenes in the book itself.

What I liked about the book:  The characters were fun and believable and easy to relate to.

The author was very descriptive of the characters, the settings, the food, etc...this was both a plus and minus for me.  I like having good descriptions of things but sometimes felt she went a little overboard on the descriptions or they were repeated a lot throughout the story.

Besides the "romance" aspect of the story there were also plot lines for the other characters besides the main character (Riley).  

It was light hearted, fun and easy to read.  No explicit sex scenes (which for me is a plus as I don't think they are necessary for a book to be good), no foul language either (also a plus for me).  - It's the kind of book you can read from start to finish in a day or put down and pick up a few days later and get right back into the story.  

What I didn't like about it:  Again I did feel some of the details were repeated over and over such as the (wine/cheese) which is mentioned a lot in the book. I almost thought that the people drank way to much wine and ate way to much food to be normal.  But that's just a minor "picky" detail about the book that you could easily overlook.

Over all for this kind of genre of book I would give it a 4 star rating. It was a nice, pleasant book set at Christmas time and fun to read.  So I would recommend the book to anyone wanting to just sit down with a cup of tea, coffee or even a glass of wine and enjoy a relaxing time reading.

Take me out to the Ballgame

 Back again...2 posts in one week (well technically this is the start of a new week)  it's a record for me lately!

This post is about another event that was part of the Crime Watch Chief for a Day - See previous post.

All the Chiefs and Chiefs for a Day and their families got to attend the baseball game between the Walla Walla Sweets and the Corvalis Knights on July 14th.

I haven't been to a baseball game in a very long time so was excited about the chance to attend one. - The only bad thing was that it was very HOT out that night.  However we were in the shade in the stands and a breeze was blowing so it turned out to be halfway pleasant to watch.

These pictures were taken with my Cell Phone so the quality isn't the greatest.

                                                Old Glory

                               Sweet Lou the team mascot.

Yes, it's an Onion (Walla Walla Sweet Onions) you have have heard of them.  Best sweet onions in the world (IMO).

One of the sponsors at the stadium - Just wanted something that said, Walla Walla so that worked.

                   The scoreboard prior to the start of the game. 

                               The Crime Watch banner

                          Izak and Rocky in the white uniforms.  Each kid and their chief were introduced to the crowd.

Izak and Rocky in their seats (right behind home plate). 

               A couple of action shots, batting and pitching.

One of the little games they played during breaks in the game.  Here the 2 people are twisting around a bat and then trying to run afterwards.  It was pretty comical to watch.

Don't know this lady but I wanted to show the baseball bat drink holders that were available from the Beer Garden. - I can't stand the smell of beer so I've never even tried it.

Jojo got to got get her face painted (she chose mermaid) and also got a animal balloon.  She enjoyed herself at the game.  After the game was over kids were allowed to run around the bases.  I didn't pictures of that though.

Oh yeah,  the Sweets won the game 3-1! All in all a really fun time.

Crime Watch Chief for a Day

 Recently I attended a special ceremony presented by the local Crime Watch program called, Chief for a Day.

The program recognizes "special needs" children and are partnered with a member of local law enforcement agencies and get to participate in a number of events.  They receive a uniform, a badge, and get sworn in as a, Chief for a Day.  You can view more photos of this event HERE

My great-nephew was one of the kids nominated (by his Aunt Shelby) and chosen for this years event.

Here are a few picture that I took at the first event.

Obviously I did not take this photo as I'm actually in it.  Front Row:

Jeff - Izak's dad and Krissy Izaks mom.

Back: Me, Lukas Izak's brother, Shelby his Aunt, Izak, Fire Chief, Rocky Eastman and Vivian, Izak's grandmother.

      Krissy and Izak - He has Spina Bifida and is in a wheelchair.

Pictures of Izak and Chief Rocky Eastman and also Dead Pool character.

Swearing in Ceremony - Judge Hedine

                     Izak and his certificate as Chief for a Day

Book Review - A Wish For Christmas by Courtney Cole

 It's been a while since I've done a book review and in fact even taken the time to read a book. I received an, Uncorrected E-Proof copy of this book from Net Galley back in 2023.  I started reading the book and then somehow life happened and I didn't get around to finishing it until this year.  That's not to say this was not a good book.

Here is the description from Net Galley:

In this heartwarming story from New York Times bestselling author Courtney Cole, an unhappily married couple makes a wish on an enchanted snow globe that they had never met, but when they wake up the next day in separate lives, the magic of Christmas helps them to realize that some love is just meant to be. 

Two weeks ’til Christmas…

Noel Blake is not in a great place. After several years of marriage, she and her husband Jonah are quietly drifting apart. The only time they really talk at all anymore is when they walk their dog, Elliott. And even then it usually ends in bickering.

When, one snowy day, Elliott manages to slip his leash, they find him blocks away in the care of a mysterious old man who asks them to make a wish on an old snow globe. Eager to get their dog safely home, they agree to his strange request. Neither one realizes that the wish they’re about to make will change the course of their lives... possibly forever.

When Noel and Jonah wake up the next morning, they’re in separate beds, separate apartments, separate lives. But are they any happier? As they live the existences they’d always wished for, both feel that something very important is missing. And when a chance encounter brings the pair back together, they find they have a spark of something very special.

Will they be able to find their way back to each other before it’s too late, or does the Christmas Magic have another fate in store?

Here are my thoughts on the book now that I've finished it and even reread the beginning of the book.

First of what caught my attention was the description of the story. It's a romance novel, set at Christmas and who doesn't like a Christmas story? - I chose to start reading where I had left off this month and finally got hooked on the story. The weird part was that since it had been so long since I had started the book I had forgotten what the beginning of the story was like so I went back over that this morning before starting my review.

The book starts out in the first chapter being told in the 3rd person perspective.  After Chapter 1 the author switches to 1st person narrative going back and forth throughout the remainder of the book between the main female character and the main male character of the story. It also contains a very large dog that is a main part of the story plot for those animal lovers out there. 

This book was super easy to read even though it took me a while to finish the story.  Once I started reading it again I read through it rather quickly and thoroughly enjoyed the book.

What I liked about it,  The characters were interesting and believable. The plot was fun and made you want to keep reading to find out how everything would turn out.  Another thing that I really enjoyed was that it did not contain a bunch of foul language or explicit sex scenes.(That's just not my thing.)  It was a good, clean romance story and none of that other stuff was needed to make the story fun to read. There were a few places in the story that I personally thought were perhaps a touch far fetched or over the top but that is just my opinion.

Would I recommend this book and this author,  Yes 100% if you are looking for a fun, lighthearted story with romance & intrigue as well.

I would read her work again and am just sorry it took me so long to read it and give my review.  I've missed reading and plan to do more.

4th of July 2024

Hello and thanks for stopping by.

I hope you are all enjoying summer. - We had a very nice and relaxing 4th of July here.  Didn't go anywhere but still had a nice day.

We had a dinner here at our house and food was prepared by me and by Adam/Greta (Adam grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and corn on the cob.) 

I made some salads ( BBQ macaroni salad, a Southwest Coleslaw - Store mix on that one and Strawberry Fluff -so yummy!)

After dinner we relaxed and waited for it to get dark enough to set off our fireworks and of course watch the neighborhood fireworks as well.

                         Jojo looked cute in her new outfit.

Grandma had to get a picture with her just like I use to do with her big sister, Jupiter (Coleen).

Here is another cute shot of Jojo

                         Some of the yummy food we had.

Candid shot of Anna eating her hotdog.  I always seem to catch people at odd moments.

                               Jupiter decided to make a funny face 

           Not sure what Mike was doing when I snapped this one.

Adam and Greta in the kitchen finishing up the food prep before we ate.

Now the fireworks...

The older girls started out with small smoke bombs and those little things you throw that make a popping sound.

These were some of the fountain shots that Adam set off.

These shots were some of the big stuff neighbors around us were setting off.

Se

This is the first year I think that I've gotten decent pictures of them so I shared a bunch.

Happened to catch our cat, Maky in the window trying to paw the fireworks.

A few more of our stuff that Adam set off.

That's it for this years celebration.  Happy Birthday America!!!