A Small Town Christmas - by Nan Reinhardt

Book Title: A Small Town Christmas (E-book)

Author: Nan Reinhardt

Genre: Romance

Main Character: Samantha "Sam" Hayes, Conor Flaherty, Alannah "Ali" Flaherty

Story Setting: Four Irish Brothers Winery, River's Edge

Story Summary:  Winemaker and single father Conor Flaherty is determined to make this Christmas holiday special for his daughter even though his family’s winery, Four Irish Brothers, is facing some challenges. High-octane Chicago attorney Samantha Hayes is looking forward to some delicious food, fine wine, small town charm, and a break from her hectic big city life when she agrees to do a favor for her boss and help his younger brother with a lawsuit that’s been slapped on his family’s historic winery in River’s Edge. She’s not expecting that her sexy new client will have a smile that will melt her heart and remind her that there’s more to life than work. Sam falls hard for Conor, his daughter and the small, friendly town, but can she trust her instincts and risk her heart? Sam hasn’t seen a lot of happy-ever-afters in her life, but Conor and the magic of Christmas make her want to believe.

Review: I really enjoyed this clean, romance about a big-city Attorney hired to work for a smalltown winemaker.  She doesn't ever seem to have time for love, as her career takes prescedence over anything else in her life.  Conor's been in a funk since his wife and soul-mate, Emmy, passed away.  They meet and though Sam is attracted to Conor, she fights her feelings, a lot.  It was very Hallmark and very cutesy.  I definitely recommend it. 

Love in the Margins - by Hazel Bellweather

Book Title:  Love in the Margins: A Single Mom Heartwarming Small Town Clean Romance (E-Book)
Author:  Hazel Bellweather
Genre:  Romance
Main Character:  Emily Carter, Mark Dawson
Story Setting:  Hearthstand, USA
Story Summary:  For the past ten years, Emily Carter’s life has centered on two things: the quiet aisles of the Hearthstand Library and her bright, curious son, Leo. As a single mother, she’s mastered the art of protecting, planning, and putting her own dreams on hold. Her happily-ever-after? Long shelved. That changes the moment Mark Dawson walks into town.
Review:  The book is a squeaky-clean romance between a librarian and a school principle.  It takes place in Hearthstand, and over the course of a few months, ending in the Winter and Christmas season.  I enjoyed it, but I do think the style of writing was a little bit odd.  Every so often, I'd have to re-read a sentence to try and understand what was going on.  Sometimes, the author would write what a character was thinking, without quotes or italics.  So, the next sentence when they weren't thinking, was sometimes jumbled into the thought.  It made for a confusing read, but after re-reading a sentence, it was ok. 

 

Margaret "Betty Jean" Agnes Ross Arcala

Margaret Agnes Arcala (Ross), also known as Betty Jean, better known as "Aunt Betty" to my dad's generation and mine was born in Akron, Ohio.  Her mother passed away when she was little, and she was separated from her siblings, living with her aunt Agnes Woyner, while her siblings lived with her other aunt Amelia "Mollie" Blell (Woyner).  

Aunt Berry was like a surrogate grandmother for us California kids, while our real grandma Lenore lived in Michigan.

Here's a wonderful picture of my great-Aunt Betty with Santa Claus.  How precious.

The Foundling: A Novel - by Ann Leary

 

Book Title:  The Foundling: A Novel

Author:  Ann Leary
Genre:  Historic, Fiction
Main Character:  Mary, Lillian, Dr. Vogel
Story Setting:  Pennsylvania, Nettleton State Village for the Feebleminded Women of Childbearing Age 

Story Summary:  
Mary Engle works for Dr. Vogel of the Nettleton State Village for the Feebleminded Women of Childbearing age.  She recognizes one of the residents as Lillian, a person she was raised at an orphanage with.  She knows Lillian is not feebleminded.  She wants to help Lillian escape the asylum.

Review:  I really enjoyed this book.  Though a work of fiction, it was based off true events according to the author whose grandmother worked for a similar asylum during the 1920s.  

The book does NOT take place during Christmas time.  It is NOT a Christmas book, but toward the end of the book, it is Winter and Christmastime.  The book is riveting, a suspense, a thriller, and dramatic.  I recommend it to anyone who likes historic fiction.  Note, the wording for mentally challenged or disabled people is crass and outdated, reminiscient of the time before diagnostic names were used to categorize and identify mental disorders and challenges.  

I suggest this book to anyone who is curious about the way the mentally challenged were treated, or even the normal were treated before certain laws were implemented.  This book showcases racism, misogyny, and how people treated people back then.