Authors: Fern Michaels; Cathy Lamb; Mary Carter; and, Terri DuLong

ISBN:  978-1-4201-0835-4

Click Here To Purchase Holiday Magic

Yes…it was July 4th weekend, but I was unbelievably lucky when I went to mailbox on Friday, because I got to spend July 4th having Christmas with four of the best female writers that have ever graced the shelves with their imaginative, fun, and romantic works.  Being released in October of this year, Holiday Magic is a book consisting of four fantastic stories (I have to say, I wish there were more) that range from heartwarming to hysterical; comforting to romantic.

The first is by Fern Michaels entitled, appropriately enough, Holiday Magic.  Fern brings us up to Telluride, Colorado to a ski shop called the Snow Zone.  Here, up in this beautiful, picturesque world of bright, white snow, and die-hard skiers who want to buy absolutely everything they can within minutes, works a young woman named Stephanie.  Stephanie is working overtime this Christmas season because she’s saving up for a down payment on her very own home.  She has struggled for so long to be able to provide a great life for her and her two daughters – after going through a literal nightmare with their father – and it’s finally starting to come together; gone is the misery and fear, and here to stay is the peace and happiness of this Christmas season.  Patrick, her boss, is a Hummer lovin’-man who seems to have no emotion for anything except the metal vehicles he drives.  Of course, what Stephanie doesn’t know, is that Patrick has had some hideously sad moments in his past that have made him turn into a rude, cold, obnoxious man in order to save himself from caring about anyone and ever having to deal with grief again.  This story…the love that comes out of the Telluride Mountains, is a true Christmas gift.

Our second author is Cathy Lamb.  Cathy takes readers in a very different direction in her story, A Very Merry Christmas.  In fact, we begin at a bar in Montana.  Now, this isn’t a regular bar – this is one of those places where rough men and strong females come together to protect their town, their lives, and each other.  Meredith is a tough Montana woman with a white streak in her hair, and a penchant for wearing very colorful cowboy hats.  On this one night, she has to deal with drunken morons who wish to hit on her and treat her completely unlike the lady she is.  As she takes matters into her own hands and “pops” the men square in the face, Logan Taylor appears in the bar and decides to aid her in throwing the men out.  Logan is a man who doesn’t believe that women should be treated badly and makes these men apologize, slightly angering Meredith, who believes that she can fend for herself just fine.  We are soon shown Meredith’s Bed & Breakfast in town, and the story of how she became the mother of her sister’s children is laid out before the reader.  This story is so heartfelt and enchanting, you’ll read it again and again.

Number three is from Mary Carter, with her hysterical tale – A Very Maui Christmas.  We are introduced to Tara Lane who is speaking to her sister Nadine.  The first chapter of this one will have you rolling on the floor, as Nadine explains to Tara that she can’t make the same mistake this Christmas as she did last year.  You see, Nadine has two small children and Tara had the nerve to issue a “bad” word in their presence, leaving the one-year-old singing the F-bomb to the tune of Jingle Bells all season.  Through some very strange events, like losing her head chef job, and getting bit by a reindeer (no, not kidding), Tara finds herself with a free Christmas trip to Maui.  Unfortunately, for her, her whole family decides to meet her there to surprise her.  It’s no wonder she takes the first possible exit and runs into the arms of Darren, the local handy-man, to have a fling and forget her tales of woe:  Too bad for Tara that a fling isn’t all that she finds with the handsome man.

Last, but never least, is Terri DuLong’s story entitled, A Cedar Key Christmas.  Now…I know we reviewers don’t have favorites, but I have to say that I’ve been a huge fan of the Cedar Key residents since I read Spinning Forward, which highlighted them all for the very first time.  In this great story, we are back in that wonderful town in Florida with Josie.  Josie is a single mom who spends most of her time running from job to job in order to support herself and her daughter, Orli.  Orli is a great kid who is really worried this Christmas season about a friend of hers.  Mr. Al is a local man who is a bit eccentric and, unfortunately, has not had the time or energy since most of his family members passed away, to clean up his property.  Some of the townspeople have gotten a bit angry about the mess, and Mr. Al’s nephew is coming to town to put his uncle in a home.  Orli is absolutely upset about this; she and her friends love Mr. Al and his dog, Pal, and they want to do whatever they can to make sure that Al can stay in Cedar Key in his own home.  Not to mention, Josie needs to find a way to make a better life for herself so that she can spend more time with her daughter.  This story is so full of love, caring, and a child’s uninhibited and peaceful look at the world, that I was truly touched.

All in all, guys and gals, you have to get this one as soon as it’s available in October.  Enjoy these four great female writers that will instill love, faith, hope, and humor into your holiday – and remind you that, above all, there should be peace on earth and goodwill to men, women, and children everywhere.  Merry (early) Christmas. J

 Click Here To Purchase Holiday Magic