A Christmas Carol Murder by Heather Redmond

When Charles Dickens, his fiance' and a few friends are out Christmas caroling a person falls to their death out of Mr. Screws's window right in front of them. Charles is not inclined to help Mr. Screws find out who may have killed his business partner Jacob Harley, but his fiance' thinks that he should. So Charles once again helps to solve a murder.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL MURDER started out fairly slow and I have to say I almost gave up on it. But I plodded on and it got more interesting for me and even entertaining! It was fun to match all of the names with the original book A CHRISTMAS CAROL. I loved the crime-solving aspect of the story. The mystery was interesting as was the investigation. The characters as well were interesting. I liked Mr. Screws even though he was a crusty, cranky sort of person! The Charles Dickens character was interesting and I felt bad for him when it seemed that things were not going to go his way with his fiance'. This is the 3rd book in the A DICKENS OF A CRIME series, I haven't read the first two books, but that wasn't needed to read this one.

**Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of the book for review. All opinions are my own**

The Gift That Is Ruby's Place by Holly Schindler

 

Things aren't right in Sullivan. Something has happened to the spirit of the town and the people that live there. Nobody can put their finger on what is going on, but there are no happy memories floating around this Christmas, no cheerful greetings. Geena knows something isn't right, but she has no idea how to fix it. It seems that all of the magic has left. Is there a way to recapture it, or will the town that was once so special to her fade away?

The 4th and final Ruby's Place! Each Christmas I've looked forward to returning to Ruby's Place just as the people of Sullivan look forward to returning there. Throughout the 4 books I have embraced the magical-ness of Ruby's and have enjoyed escaping to Sullivan and all of the interesting characters that inhabited it over the years. While I believe this book can stand on it's own, it was fun to catch up with characters we have met in other Ruby's books and see what life has handed them since the last time we read about them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am excited to see that all of the Ruby's Place books are now offered in a Christmas Collection. So you must go check it out! 

The Ruby's Place Christmas Collection

Check out my reviews of the other books in the collection:

Christmas at Ruby's

I Remember You

Sentimental Journey

Good-Bye Ruby's Place, may you live in the hearts of your readers for a long time to come!

A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller

 

This was such a good book! I loved the in-depth look at us being called the sheep of God's pasture. And the images of the Father as the Good Shepherd were heart-warming! 

Favorite Quotes:

"His ownership of me as a human being is legitimate-simply because it is He who brought me into being and now one is better able to understand or care for me." Pg. 5

"We live a most uncertain life. Any hour can bring disaster, danger, and distress from unknown quarters. Life is full of hazards. No one can tell what a day will produce in new trouble. We live either in a sense of anxiety, fear, and foreboding, or in a sense of quiet rest. Which is it?" Pg. 26

"In the Christian life it is of more than passing significance to observe that those who are often the most serene, most confident, and most able to cope with life's complexities are those who rise early each day to feed on God's Word. It is in the quiet, early hours of the morning that they are led beside the quiet, still waters where they imbibe the very life of Christ for the day." Pg. 40

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death." It does not say I die there, or stop there-but rather, "I walk through." Pg. 70

"So often it is the small, petty annoyances that ruin my repose...And so my behavior as a child of God degenerates to a most disgraceful sort of frustrated tirade." Pgs. 103, 104

"Often it is when we "get our heads together" with someone else who may not necessarily have the mind of Christ that we come away imbued with concepts that are not Christian." Pg. 107

"I realize that for the one who is truly in Christ's care, no difficulty can arise, no dilemma emerge, no seeming disaster descend on life without eventual good coming out of the chaos." Pg. 117

"Is my memory, in other people's minds, entwined with mercy and goodness, or would they rather forget me altogether? Do I deposit a blessing behind me, or am I a bane to others? Is my life a pleasure to people or a pain?" Pg. 121

There were oh so many more passages that I would have loved to quote because they spoke to me, but all I can say is, read the book! It's just 132 pages and it is so full of richness! 

Airborne by DiAnn Mills

FBI agent Heather Lawrence's life seems to be falling apart. Her husband wants a divorce to focus more on his career, the career that Heather helped him achieve! Now Heather is on a flight to Salzburg, hoping to renew her faith in God and gain perspective.

Dr. Chad Lawrence is rising in the scientific community. His work in other countries watching people die from horrific diseases with no cure has spurred him on to forsake all else, including his wife, in order to find a cure for the disease that one of his friends died of. Chad has no time for God, only science. He has no time for a wife, who is only holding him back. He has cut himself off from all feelings and has embraced his scientific world.

While flying to Salzburg passengers on Heather's flight begin to get sick and some even die! Someone has unleashed a deadly virus on the flight and now Chad is the main suspect. How can Heather ever trust him again when he has changed so much and he had the ability to create the deadly virus?

Apart from never wanting to fly in an airplane again I really enjoyed the excitement of this book! Of course being in the midst of a real-life pandemic made reading a book about the unleashing of a deadly virus a bit more scary than what is already happening around us. I liked how Heather was an independent woman, even though she was devastated by her husband's decision she was able to make plans for her future and move on. Chad was a bit difficult to stomach at first. But the further in the book that I got the more his reasoning came out and made more sense. An exciting read and one that I definitely recommend for those that like a good virus-related thriller.

The Promise of Hope by Julie Lessman

Emma and Sean have 3 beautiful children that they have adopted. But when Emma hears a couple of women gossiping about her she is once again thrown into sadness over not being able to carry a child. Will she allow the harsh comments of near strangers to steal her joy? Or will she turn to the One who has comforted and provided for her over and over with His perfect promise of hope?

I just love the O'Connor's! And I love these novellas that give us a glimpse of how far each couple has come in their relationship to each other, to their family and to God. Emma's faith is encouraging and I love how she clings to God's promises even though at first she is hurt beyond speaking. I love Charity! Ok, never ever did I think I would say that! Charity?! Really? I love her? YES! She is as feisty as ever, as manipulative as ever, but yet in Christ she is a new creation and her faith is unshakable. Her love for Emma goes above and beyond, even to the point of wanting to get some hair pullin' in! Which, by the way, had me wanting to line up with her and do some of that hair pullin' myself! I love the family love that the O'Connor's have for each other and several scenes brought tears to my eyes since family is near and dear to my heart. I love Sean and Emma's relationship, they adore each other and love passionately. I laughed, I cried and I sighed. A perfect read just in time for the Christmas season that will remind you of the One who gives each of us "the promise of hope."