Merry & Bright Blog Tour: a Christmas anthology review

I love Christmas. Actually, I should say I love the idea of Christmas. What I love is the build-up; the lights, the tree & decorations, the excitement, but I do feel like the whole event is way too commercialized and hyped. I absolutely love Christmas movies, books, & TV specials. I think I just like to see others having lovely Christmases. That being said, I especially love short Christmas stories.

I was provided with an e-copy of this book for review, but it did not sway my opinion at all. I would have read it either way.

 Sip your eggnog, linger under the mistletoe, and make a Christmas wish. Merry & Bright brings you six tales of Christmas cheer, featuring stories of budding romances, Southern charm, lost loves, heaps of humor, and lots of pie by authors Isabella Louise Anderson, Cindy Arora, Laura Chapman, Lauren Clark, Libby Mercer, and Nancy Scrofano. From sunny Los Angeles to the Rocky Mountains to the Deep South, Merry & Bright will take you on a heartwarming adventure you’ll love to visit again and again. Wrap yourself in holiday mirth and prepare to be swept off your feet.

Festive, right? The first story was A Very Dixie Christmas by Lauren Clark, and this may have been my favourite story of the bunch. It's about a mom, daughter, and their UPS man. I work for a courier company (not UPS), so I have a sweet spot for couriers, especially during Christmas. The UPS man delivers much more than gifts in this sweet story about a girl who questions her belief in Santa Claus. I loved all the characters, and would actually love to read a longer version of this story.

Christmas at Mulberry Inn by Cindy Arora made me want to spend the holidays in an inn far away, just not the way the characters do. It featured Saffron who is almost divorced and visiting her best friend, Taylor, who just happens to be Saffron's exes sister. Oh, and her ex is planning on spending Christmas there, too, with his new girl. Naturally, they decide to pretend that Saffron also has a new love interest, though the pretending may not be entirely necessary. This was a cute read with the potential to get real dramatic, but it didn't. It was sweet and hopeful, and if anyone can provide me with an inn in a small town, I'd appreciate it.

Ice Dating by Nancy Scrofano reminded me why I am so happy to be married and not have to worry about dating. Quinn and her friends decide to try ice dating, which is speed dating on skates. Sounds horrifying! I enjoyed reading about Quinn on her 'dates', as she was awkward, and funny, and perhaps a bit close-minded about the experience. With her failed dates behind her, Quinn heads for gelato where she has yet another awkward encounter with a man, Cameron, who works there. I liked this story, but I kind of thought the part where Quinn heads to her family's house & runs into her ex was out of place. I mean, I understand why because of what it led to, but it made me dislike Quinn a little bit. I think I was meant to feel bad for her, but I just didn't.

 Meet Me Under The Mistletoe by Isabella Louise Anderson was a perfectly sweet story, but I had a hard time with the insta-love connection. Perhaps it's just because I'm not a love at first sight believer. I loved the setting in this story, though, and the idea of spending the holidays at a cabin is dreamy. I'd actually love to read a book about Lexi, as she was an aspiring author in her twenties.

Libby Mercer's Secret Santa was a lot of fun! Abbie is gifted a treasure hunt by her secret Santa at work. Convinced that her Santa is her boss and that she'll find a promotion at the end of her hunt, Abbie sets out & ends up in different places reminding her of her ex. What she finds at the end of the hunt is even better than what she was expecting. I really enjoyed reading this one, and the idea of a Christmas treasure hunt is fantastic!

The story I found most emotional was Twelve Drummers Drumming by Laura Chapman. Tuck and Autumn are newlyweds and majorly excited to spend their first Christmas together as a family. It's hard to review this story without giving it away, but I loved it. It's the story that felt the most like an actual novel with a clear beginning, middle, and end. I really liked the characters, and the ending will make you swoon. Read it for all the feels.

This is a really great collection of Christmas stories, and I think it should definitely be added to any Christmas lovers wish list!

Please visit CLP Blog Tours for all the tour stops and author information!

A Single Breath by Lucy Clarke

Last week, I raved hard about Swimming at Night by Lucy Clarke, and today I'm here to rave about Lucy Clarke's newest novel A Single Breath. I loved Swimming at Night so much that I reached out to Simon and Schuster Canada and they graciously provided me with a copy of A Single Breath, so thank you Simon and Schuster Canada!

From Goodreads: Eva has only been married for eight months when her husband, Jackson, is swept to his death while fishing. Weighed down by confusion and sorrow, Eva decides to take leave of her midwifery practice in London and visit Jackson’s estranged family in Tasmania with the hope of grieving together.

Instead, she discovers that the man she loved so deeply is not the man she thought she knew. Jackson’s father and brother reveal a dark past, exposing the lies her marriage was built upon. As Eva struggles to come to terms with the depth of Jackson’s deception, she must also confront her growing attraction to Jackson’s brother, Saul, who offers her intimacy, passion, and answers to her most troubling questions.

Will Eva be able to move forward in life, or will she be caught up in a romance with Saul, haunted by her husband’s past? Threading together beautiful, wild settings and suspenseful twists, A Single Breath is a gripping tale of secrets, betrayal, and new beginnings.

My Thoughts: This book has rocketed Lucy Clarke right onto my auto-read list of authors. I loved this book so much, and think it will appeal to many different people. It explores the depths that people will go to to feel connected to those we love, even after their gone. You will become emotional invested in Eva.

My heart broke a few times for Eva throughout this story. After falling deeply in love and marrying the man of her dreams, she has to deal with his tragic death after less than a year of marriage. I'm getting married on July 5th, so this really made me emotional. I don't even want to imagine losing my almost husband before we're both old and gray! Considering what happened, I think Eva handled herself much better than I ever would.

Needing to know more about the man torn from her far too soon, Eva decides to go to Tasmania to visit Jackson's family; a family he has lost touch with. Her reception in Tasmania is not nearly what she imagined it would be, and she finds herself living in a shack down the beach from Jackson's seemingly moody, brother, Saul, unwilling to give up. Eva is thrown for another loop when she finds out that she's pregnant with Jackson's baby.

Part of the reason I loved this book so much was because of the characters. Not only Eva, but Saul and Callie, Eva's best friend. Saul was everything that Eva needed him to be, and more. He was her link to Jackson, even after he delivered the unexpected news about the man she thought she knew. I won't share Jackson's secrets because I don't want to spoil the book, but he definitely had his secrets. It made me wonder if we can ever really know someone entirely. Two people can be married for 50 years and still not know absolutely everything about each other. I think that's what makes relationships so great, but with the wrong kind of unknowns, can also be disastrous and lead to heartbreak.

Lucy Clarke knows how to help the reader paint a picture. The descriptions in this book made me want to a.) jump into a plane and head for Tasmania, and b.) learn to free dive. This is amazing because open bodies of water kind of freak me out, but Clarke describes scenery so beautifully. You will find yourself lost in this book.

If I haven't convinced you to read this book, then I clearly haven't done my job well, but trust me, you'll want to pick this up. It has romance, suspense, twists, and beautiful descriptions. The ending is unexpected and a twist may even make you gasp out loud. It's been a few days since I finished this book, but I still find myself thinking about it. I was happy with the ending, but I selfishly want more. I already can't wait for Lucy Clarke's next book.

5 out of 5 stars based on Goodreads rating system.