Holiday Reads

‘Tis the Season to Curl Up With a Great Book!

HolidayReads1222
December 2022 Issue
by Elizabeth Skenes Millen

 

HolidayReads1222 ChristmasSpiritsThe Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street
by Karen White

“Karen White is a favorite of mine and she hit the magical mark with this one!”

Whether you’ve been involved in Author Karen White’s Tradd Street series or not, this Christmas page-turner has it all—ghosts, history, intrigue, wit, romance and adventure. This is a fun read that will add joy, mystery and a few spine-tingling moments to your holidays, sending you to bed early to get in a few minutes—wink, wink—of reading prior to nodding off!

Synopsis: Two years after The Guests on South Battery became a New York Times hardcover bestseller, the quirky, doughnut-loving, schedule-obsessed heroine Melanie Trenholm returns. Finally married to true-crime bestselling author Jack Trenholm, they are living in Melanie’s historic Charleston home with their 18-month old twins and Jack’s 15-year-old daughter. But domestic bliss can’t last for long. A new passel of spirits have also taken up residence at 55 Tradd Street, and they need Melanie’s help to right old wrongs and solve a mystery.

Masterfully blending women’s fiction, romance, mystery and historical fiction, The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street finds Melanie once again forced to confront the hidden secrets of her city and its residents who came before. And it’s also her first installment in the series centered around Charleston during the American Revolution. Author Karen White, a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, was inspired to explore this time period by the recent discovery that she had several ancestors in the Carolinas (including Charleston) who fought during the Revolution: a fascinating, thrilling and terrifying time to be alive in the colonies.

In The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street, Melanie Trenholm should be anticipating the holidays with nothing but joy. But then she discovers that a longlost Revolutionary War treasure may be somewhere on her property. A gift from the French King—brought to Charleston by the Marquis de Lafayette himself to help finance the Colonial war effort—it’s whispered that many have already killed, and died to possess the treasure. When it resurfaces in present day, someone will once again stop at nothing to possess it...even if that means destroying everything Melanie holds dear.



HolidayReads1222 SantaSuitThe Santa Suit

by Mary Kay Andrews

“I love this book; it made me feel good, and I smiled all the way through it.”

If you are looking for a holiday-themed book that is as cozy as a sweet cup of coffee and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, The Santa Suit is the holiday read for you. Filled with classic small town hospitality—and gossip—this novella wins your heart, loyalty and curiosity before you turn from the first page. Honoring days gone by, yet fully living in the present, the heroine of this book is someone almost all of us can relate to. She is upset—by a man, of course—and acts out on a whim! Can you imagine? If you want a book that feels like a friend just showed up to untangle the strings of lights for your tree, then you will fall obsessively in love with The Santa Suit.

Synopsis: When newly-divorced Ivy Perkins buys an old farm-house sight unseen, she is definitely looking for a change in her life. The Four Roses, as the farmhouse is called, is a labor of love—but Ivy didn’t bargain on just how much labor.

Among the left possessions Ivy finds a Santa suit—beautifully made and decades old. In the pocket of the suit she finds a note: it’s from a little girl who has one Christmas wish, and that is for her father to return home from the war. The note sets Ivy off on a mission only to discover she might find more than she ever thought possible: a welcoming town, a family reunited, a mystery solved and a second chance at love. You will delight as you turn every page to see if the magic of the holidays can really come true.



HolidayReads1222 LowcountryChristmasA Lowcountry Christmas

by Mary Alice Monroe

“Mary Alice Monroe is so authentic in her storytelling. Everyone should read this book due to its relevance of the many stresses people deal with in today’s times and the hope of overcoming them.”

Combine the backdrop of Lowcountry Christmastime, a close knit family, a Marine coming home from deployment and a dog and you’ve got a story. Add Author Mary Alice Monroe to the mix and you have a story that will deeply imbed itself into your heart and soul. In A Lowcountry Christmas, Mary Alice makes us, the readers, part of the family as we connect with lovable characters who struggle through the holidays like so many do. This is a story of love, connection, healing and hope.

Synopsis: A wounded warrior and his younger brother discover the true meaning of Christmas in this timeless story of family bonds. As far as 10-year-old Miller McClellan is concerned, it’s the worst Christmas ever. His father’s shrimp boat is docked, his mother is working two jobs, and with finances strained, Miller is told they can’t afford the dog he desperately wants. “Your brother’s return from war is our family’s gift,” his parents tell him. But when Taylor returns with PTSD, family strains darken the holidays.

Then Taylor’s service dog arrives—a large black Labrador/Great Dane named Thor. His brother even got the dog! When Miller goes out on Christmas Eve with his father’s axe, determined to get his family the tree they can’t afford, he takes the dog for company—but accidentally winds up lost in the wild forest. The splintered family must come together to rediscover their strengths, family bond and the true meaning of Christmas.

 

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