Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber

Merry and Bright

by Debbie Macomber

 ☆☆☆☆☆

I always enjoy reading a Debbie Macomber

book. She is full of happiness and you can feel

it in every word she writes. Even if its a sad

part of the story. You can feel the inspiration

lifting the characters and situations up to find

their happiness.

Merry and Bright is a short but sweet love story

with a fun twist. Merry and Mary meet up with

Jay and Jayson who may or may not be so Bright.

 

If you passed by this one because it has a

Christmas cover, never fear. The romance,

relationships and life lessons are a much

bigger part of the story than the time of year.

 

Merry and Bright is a story to be enjoyed

all the year round.

 

Review by Lisa Hutson



Susan's Review of Lauren Willig's The English Wife

From the New York Times bestselling author, Lauren Willig, comes this scandalous New York Gilded Age novel full of family secrets, affairs, and even murder.

Annabelle and Bayard Van Duyvil live a charmed life: he’s the scion of an old Knickerbocker family, she grew up in a Tudor manor in England, they had a whirlwind romance in London, they have three year old twins on whom they dote, and he’s recreated her family home on the banks of the Hudson and renamed it Illyria. Yes, there are rumors that she’s having an affair with the architect, but rumors are rumors and people will gossip. But then Bayard is found dead with a knife in his chest on the night of their Twelfth Night Ball, Annabelle goes missing, presumed drowned, and the papers go mad. Bay’s sister, Janie, forms an unlikely alliance with a reporter to uncover the truth, convinced that Bay would never have killed his wife, that it must be a third party, but the more she learns about her brother and his wife, the more everything she thought she knew about them starts to unravel. Who were her brother and his wife, really? And why did her brother die with the name George on his lips?

The English Wife is the perfect read for a cold, stormy winter evening. Lauren Willig effortlessly blends the elements of suspense, intrigue and romance throughout the novel. I enjoyed the characters, the references to Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and the author’s subtle commentary on the social standards of the day.

The first chapter in this mysterious, gothic drama draws the reader into the story immediately. The novel’s hero, Bay Van Duyvil, is murdered and his wife, Annabelle is presumed dead. The murders take place during a Twelfth Night masked ball at the couple’s home located on the banks of the Hudson River. Bay and Annabelle were murdered while their guests were dancing and drinking champagne.

The dual narrative technique enables the author to bring the characters of Bay and Annabelle Van Duyvil to life. Understanding the couple’s romance is important to the plot and each chapter devoted to them adds depth to the intriguing storyline. I adored Bay and Annabelle and their devotion to each other. Janie Van Duyvil’s desire for the truth about her brother’s murder moves the present day storyline forward.

Janie forges a secret alliance with reporter James Burke to see past the scandal and piece together what happened to her brother. This act of courage drew me into the story as the aristocracy did not socialize outside of their social class. I enjoyed that Janie remained steadfast in her pursuit of the truth despite the disapproval from her domineering mother. As Burke uncovers secrets from the past, Janie starts to unravel her brother and sister-in-law’s complicated history. Janie’s self -confidence grows during the novel and I love that she was able to finally stand up to her mother.

The pacing of The English Wife is superb. The last few chapters of this classic gothic whodunit are filled with suspense and intrigue as each character and their truth is unmasked. The tension in these plot driven chapters was heightened because the main characters were snowed in at Bay and Annabelle’s empty gothic style home during a blizzard. It’s freezing inside the home because there is no coal and the main characters—all of the murder suspects—are forced to spend time together in one small room. Burke arrives with surprising new information about one of the suspects….this information changes the course of the story. These chapters kept me guessing and reading past my bedtime! The conclusion is fabulous! I must admit I did not see the big reveal---I had someone else pegged as the murderer.

If you are looking for a classic gothic novel with fabulous characters, suspense and romance—pick up a copy of Lauren Willig’s the English Wife.

Reviewed by Susan Gorman
ARC from Publisher

Graphic from Sharlene Martin Moore

      

Movie Review - The Christmas Train - by David Baldacci

The Christmas Train

by David Baldacci

Audio Version & Movie Review

☆☆☆☆☆

 

A few years ago, I listened to the audio version of

The Christmas Train. Tim Matheson did a great job

on the narration. His voice is rather familiar and was

a good choice for the fun and romantic story.

This year, Hallmark channel introduced

The Christmas Train in movie form.

And very well done indeed. Perfect casting.

The characters are so varied and distinct.

Which makes the casting very important.

 

 

The Christmas Train is the story of a group of people

taking the Christmas Train across the country. 

There is a mystery. I should say there are several 

mysterious parts of the story. Then there is the 

romance. Ahh, the romance. 

Turns out, everyone on the train is a romantic. 

 

 

 You will not miss anything no matter which you do

first. Audio or movie. But I recommend both of them.

Lighthearted and full of generous spirit and kindness.

 

 

I got my audio copy from Audible.com

Review by Lisa Hutson