Where Treetops Glisten

Review by Abi

When you're empty inside," Pastor Hughes said, "the best think you can do is give. Find a need, step outside of yourself, and give."

Excerpt:Where Treetops Glisten

Where Treetops Glisten is three novellas in one. All of them are about different family members in the Turner family. The settings vary from Lafayette, Indiana on a Christmas Eve in 1941, from to the Netherlands during the war. All of the stories are titled after Christmas songs of the WWII era.

I loved the premise of each story, but liked some more than others. The prologue, Winter Wonderland, was abrupt and rushed and I didn't connect with it at all. 

That being said, I still liked the connection between the stories in When Treetops Glisten. The entwining stories all would work as a stand-alone as well.

White Christmas, by Cara Putman, has a good storyline, but I found the repetitive "telling" in the story tedious at times. After initially telling the main character, Abigail Turner, is afraid to love there should've been more "showing" instead of repeating the fact over and over. I found it distracting and it made it hard for me to completely immerse myself in the story.

However, the author sure has a way with character development and made me care what happened to Abigail Turner. She has decided she will not ever fall in love again because the man she loved died in the war. After meeting a man, Jackson Lucas, she is smitten, but fights it. Jackson is a brooding sort of fellow, but Abigail is intrigued and wants to find out what is underneath his sad demeanor…and he slowly creeps into her heart. Neither one of them knows how to handle the feelings for each other, and I found myself rooting for both of them to find their way into each other's arms

I also wanted to slap them. The repetitive "refuse to fall in love" plot was tiring. I struggled to finish the story. That doesn't mean I didn't relate to the characters, it's just that it seemed kind of juvenile and…well, a bit more of a read for a teenager. 

White Christmas is a story of courage, growth and trust.

I’ll Be Home for Christmas, by Sarah Sundin, is my favorite novella of the three. I loved every character, the setting and the storyline. This story is a mix of so many things, most of all faith and love. A pilot in the war, Pete Turner, returns to his home of Lafayette Indiana after completing his tour of combat. Like many soldiers, he is emotionally and physically scarred and looks forward to a calm life back home.

One day, while walking down the main part of his small town, he encounters Linnie, a high-spirted child. Alone. With no parent in sight. Linnie informs him that he is going to be her new daddy. He searches for the child's home, assuming the worst of her mother. Upon meeting Linnie's mother, Grace Kessler, he realizes how worried and caring she is, and feels bad for thinking ill of her. Grace and Linnie change his world to a brighter place—until everything comes crashing down.

I adored Linnie, her antics and honesty shone through. Grace's love for her child, and the fact she is a working single parent in the 1940's is a wonderful twist. She is doing it on her own, with no need for a man…yet can she welcome Pete Turner completely into her heart when she discovers he lied to her?

It seems both characters are strong, independent and intelligent, but Linnie wants them to be together as a family. At times, things run smooth and I was certain they would end up together. Then a twist…and another twist. Oh my gosh, how I loved this story!

I’ll Be Home for Christmas is a  charming, believable and heart-wrenching story. I adored it.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, by Tricia Goyer, is a story about Meredith, the youngest of the Turner family. Intent on setting herself apart as baby of the family she joins the war effort as a nurse in Nieuwenhagen, Netherlands on the frontlines. While nursing the soldiers, including the enemy, she also nurses a broken heart of her own. Left alone by the man she loves, all she has left is his abrupt goodbye letter. She and David had a budding romance, full of promise, and she has no idea where he is or why he left…or why he had Nazi pamphlets in his room. Was she in love with a traitor?

She leaves everything in the hands of God, and tries her best to move on. Until she thinks she spots him on the outskirts of town.

The constant surprises, trials, and passion is a page turning phenomena. The characters are well-developed, and their stories are beautifully told.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas is a well written and beautiful story.

Publisher: Waterbrook Press

Page Count: 368

Purchase Link: Amazon

Book Rating:

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Disclosure of Material Connection in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: BloggingForBooks has provided me a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Where Treetops Glisten

A review by Spencer

by Tricia Goyer, Cara Putman, Sarah Sundin

“It’s amazing, don’t you think, that the holiday spirit can be so strong even in the midst of war?”

Where Treetops Glisten is a compilation of three novellas about the Turner family during the Second World War. The book, as well as each novella, is titled after timeless Christmas songs: White Christmas, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. The stories are interconnected without a glitch; revealing the tragedies and triumphs the family endures during the early 1940s. The novellas, though intertwined, serve well as stand-alones, each centering on a Turner sibling.

White Christmas, by Cara Putman, takes place in Lafayette, Indiana, on Christmas Eve, 1941. Abigail Turner, a vivacious college student, has a chance meeting with Jackson Lucas, a mysterious young man who rescues her from being hit by a car. An attraction is evident almost instantaneously, but Abigail has vowed to guard her heart, still aching from the loss of her fiancé who died in the war. After getting to know each other, Jackson reveals a legal issue weighs him down. Abigail invites him to speak to her father, a successful lawyer, who may be able to help. This results in a tangle of issues and emotions.

My thoughts on this story of finding the courage to love are mixed. The story is nostalgic, innocent, and charming. Abigail is likable, and Jackson, somewhat dreamy, yet it was difficult for me to become totally immersed in the story. It felt very “vanilla” and needed a little more punch, a little more spice, or a little more…something. This isn’t to say I wasn’t invested in Jackson’s dilemma, or Abigail’s struggle to protect her heart, I was. The feel of this novella is somewhat young, as if it were written more for a teen. That probably has to do with the nostalgic, more simplistic time of the 1940s.

White Christmas is a saccharine sweet story of love and courage.

I’ll Be Home for Christmas, by Sarah Sundin, is multi-layered with hope, faith, forgiveness, and peace. Lieutenant Pete Turner returns to 1943 Indiana, after his combat tour piloting a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter plane over Nazi-occupied Europe. He’s burdened with the ravages of war and hopes to gain some calm and quiet in his life. When he encounters Linnie, a lost little girl, on the snowy streets of Lafayette, the opposite of calm enters his world. After his search to find Linnie’s mother, Grace Kessler, his heart finds its smile. Grace is much different than he expected, and his burdens become lighter—for a little while, anyway. An unexpected time in the past finds its way back into Pete’s relationship with Grace, and everything gained could soon be lost.

I love this story of finding love! Grace Kessler is intelligent and fervent, and her relationship with her daughter, though wearisome, is incredibly touching. I like that Grace, though a widow struggling to keep things together for her daughter, isn’t portrayed as a weak woman in need of a rescuer. I also like that Pete has his own weaknesses and might need a rescuer of his own. I was totally absorbed in this triangle of a story. Grace, Pete, and little Linnie are complex characters with vibrant personalities. The secondary characters are colorful as well and add to the charm of this Christmastime tale.

I’ll Be Home for Christmas is a captivating, delightful treat that leaves me fully sated.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, by Tricia Goyer, shows that overcoming our fears, and trusting God, will see us through even our darkest hours. It opens during the winter of 1944, in Nieuwenhagen, Netherlands in the frontlines of the war. Meredith (Merry) Turner currently works at a makeshift hospital (formerly a schoolhouse) where she prays for and nurses injured American and German soldiers. Not only is this youngest sibling of the Turner family burdened with the ravages of war, but also the heartbreak from being lied to and abandoned by her former love, a music teacher named David. God works in mysterious ways, but can Merry find peace amidst so many injuries and death?

This story centers on Meredith, the youngest of the Turner siblings, and her search for truth and healing. In my opinion, it’s the most heartrending of the three. Meredith, David, and the secondary characters jump off the page, full of passion, grief, and even joy and tenderness. I became immersed in Meredith’s story—In her range of emotions, her strength, her weaknesses, and her longing for home. This story is a memorable one, and provides a rewarding closure.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas moved me to tears, and brought the trio of novellas full circle.

Overall, Where Treetops Glisten is a fulfilling holiday book, readying me for the approaching Christmas season. I love how the authors were inspired by the Christmas songs of the WWII era, capitalized references to God, and imparted a familiarity of days gone by that gives a wistful, realistic portrayal of life in the 1940s.

Book Bonus (in the back of the book):

          ·      Cookie Exchange: Four Christmas cookie recipes.

          ·      Readers Guide: Questions for book clubs and personal introspection.

          ·      A Chat With Authors: Revealing a behind the scenes of this collaboration.

          ·      About the Authors: Photos, bios, social media pages, and websites.

Publisher: Waterbrook Press

Page Count: 368

Purchase Link: Amazon

Book Rating:

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Disclosure of Material Connection in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: BloggingForBooks has provided me a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

The Tidewater Sisters

Review by Abi

The past must be let go before the future can be grasped.~ Quote from The Tidewater Sisters

 I adore the imagery in The Tidewater Sisters. Lisa Wingate creates a world of memories, new experiences and growth—and I savor it like a biscuit full of drippings from Ma-maw's iron skillet.

This land bears the tree castles of childhood dreams, the blood of skinned knees, the imprints of bodies gazing at stars, the sweat of summer days, the tears of broken hearts, the fairy dust of first love. (Excerpt: The Tidewater Sisters)

Isn't that beautiful?

That being said, here's what else I like about this book. Tandi Jo, the main character, finds her backbone! Though painful, she confronts her conniving older sister, Gina—and refuses to back down.

Gina's despicable behavior in the first book, The Prayer Box, left me open mouthed. I was happy to see her disappear from Tandi Jo's life—yet wondered where she would turn up next.

Well, in The Tidewater Sisters, Gina wreaks havoc days before Tandi Jo's wedding. Gina's ever-present- self-centered-crooked-selfish-antics chomp into Tandi Jo's happiness. (Yes, I have a strong dislike for Gina.)

Tandi Jo has a limit, and Gina reaches it. This is where Tandi Jo's growth sprinkles…trickles…then torrents into a raging storm. Reining back anger and revenge, she waits for the perfect moment to confront Gina. I was on pins and needles when she did.

In the process of trying to right the wrongs, Tandi Jo unearths more than she bargained for. Gina divulges long kept secrets …including why she kept them. Though Gina is still unlikeable, I ache for a better relationship between the sisters. And maybe…just maybe, it is a possibility. 

This novella ties up loose ends, braiding tiny ribbons of understanding through old memories.

 Lisa Wingate spins a great story, and though this novella doesn't allow the development of the secondary characters, I can't wait to learn more about them in her next full length book, The Story Keeper.

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Page Count: 127

Purchase Link: Amazon

Book Rating: 

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The Tidewater Sisters

A review by Spencer 

by Lisa Wingate

“I am thankful for this life in which ashes become second chances.” ~The Tidewater Sisters

The Tidewater Sisters, by Lisa Wingate, is the postlude to The Prayer Box.

This story centers on Tandi Jo, a captivating character, first introduced in The Sea Glass Sisters (the prelude) and then in The Prayer Box. After being served papers for fraud, Tandi returns to the North Carolina Tidewater, a place that holds many painful childhood memories, to get the legal mess settled before her upcoming wedding.

I was delighted to be re-introduced to Gina, Tandi Jo’s less than charming sister. Like a hurricane slamming the Outer Banks, she stormed her way in and out of The Prayer Box, leaving me yearning to know more about her. I also learned more about Tandi Jo. She is more confident in this tale, facing her fears and standing on steadier feet. I feared and cheered for her.

The sisterly bond is already paper-thin. Will the turbulence of the past tear them apart for good?

Though this is a short novella, it’s chock full of interesting tidbits and shocking revelations.  It can be read as a stand-alone, but I recommend reading the first two tales in the series for a more full-bodied flavor.

The Story Keeper, book 2 in the series, will be released in September. I can't wait! I’ve yet to experience a book by Ms. Wingate that I didn’t absolutely love.

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Page Count: 127

Purchase Link: Amazon

Book Rating: 

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Disclosure of Material Connection in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: NetGalley has provided me a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Appalachian Serenade

A review by Spencer

by Sarah Loudin Thomas

 It tasted like childhood. Like the days when she still imagined anything was possible—a happy marriage, children, a long life filled with love and laughter. ~Appalachian Serenade 

WWII has ended, and Delilah Morrissey, a childless widow, has a difficult time living on her own in Chicago. Her job has been phased out due to the flood of returning soldiers, so an offer from her sister Charlotte, inviting her to come back home to Wise, West Virginia to stay with her and her family, provides a huge sense of relief.  Once there, she realizes her sister’s small home is cramped and her presence is causing problems with Charlotte’s husband. She longs for a job so she can make it on her own.

Delilah’s innate ability to sense the townsfolk’s wants and needs lands her an unexpected, exciting opportunity to work at Thorntons’ store. She frequented the store when she was a youngster, particularly fond of their caramel cream candies. When Robert, the storeowner, offers her a few pieces of her beloved treat, a seed of belonging is planted, and a wonderful friendship blooms.

Appalachian Serenade is a prequel novella of the Appalachian Blessings series, by Sarah Loudin Thomas. This is Ms. Thomas’ first publication, and I’m eagerly awaiting her first Novel, Miracle in a Dry Season.

I’m excited about this series. At first glance, Appalachian Serenade’s cover art is gorgeous and telling, (although I wonder why one of the woman's arms is white and the other appears to be black. Heh.) The cover shows a woman in a country-style dress, carrying a suitcase. Perfect! Because it demonstrates what the story is about, a young widow escaping her dreadful past and returning home to a new life in her rural town.

For a light novella, the story is heavy in depth and brimming with interesting, memorable characters. I love the awkwardness of Robert, the uncertainty of Delilah, the impetuous behavior of Suzanne (Delilah’s new friend) and the diverse, charming, and fickle townsfolk. I enjoyed the original twists and story progression. The author’s fluid writing style is easy to read and difficult to put down. I can’t wait to sink into more Appalachian Blessings tales.

Book Rating:

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Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

Page count: 115

Purchase link: Amazon

Next in the series, Miracle in a Dry Season, releases August 2014.

Appalachian Serenade

Review by Abi

By: Sarah Loudin Thomas

You need a man who will challenge you, who will encourage you to be better than you are. A man who compliments you a d loves on you is a good thing, but the real prize is a man who tells you when you're wrong and when you're taking the easy way out.~ Quote from Appalachian Serenade

It's easy enough to read the blurb about this book, so I wont reiterate what it's about. I focus on the reasons why I like a book, and I certainly liked Appalachian Serenade. 

First of all, let me say a few words about the author, Sarah Loudin Thomas. She obviously has writing chops. Her words paint a picture in my mind. I could envision the little town of Wise, West Virginia and all who resided there. I chuckled while reading about the bumpy and somewhat awkward ride behind a donkey named Pauline. (Loved that part!) The main character, Delilah, is well developed. The dry goods store, where much of the story takes place, was well described and took  me right into the aisles filled with everything from buttons to farming supplies. The southern charm peppered between the pages seasons each page, and made this story melt into my heart like butter on a hot sweet potato.  All in all, the plot and development was well rounded, despite the novella length.

The attraction between the main character, Delilah Morrissey, and Wise's general store owner, Robert Thorton, is apparent from the first time they met. Despite the attraction percolating like a pot over a wood stove, they ignore their hearts and focus on business...and how Robert wants her to be a part of it. So, he hires her. 

Let's skip ahead a bit. The relationship matures, yet Robert remains steadfast in the belief that he simply doesn't need or want marriage--though he knows full well it's only because he's lost hope. He struggles daily with the truth of why he shouldn't marry, and struggles with his faith as well. 

Delilah, widowed and longing for what she never had--a happy marriage filled with a houseful of children, is torn between the developing relationship and her wary heart.

There are issues that need to be addressed, and both are waiting for the other to take the first step. (I swear, I wanted to trap them in a room and force them to face their feelings and work through their problems!)

However, in her own way, the author, Sarah Loudin Thomas, brought closure in the simmering relationship between Delilah and Robert. All the while, this writer succeeded in showing how prayers are answered…just not in the way one might expect.

I love many things about this book: The southern atmosphere, the strong characters, and most of all, how faith is a strong part in the story without being preachy. 




Book Rating: 

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Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

Page count: 115

Purchase link: Amazon