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Reviews for Flames of Gold
Reviews
Leanne Burroughs, Amber Dawn Bell,
Amy Blizzard, Patty Howell, and Judith Leigh
Rating: 3 Cups
A New Tradition, by Leanne Burroughs
Abigail is an advocate of women’s rights and the only daughter of
her parents. Their fondest wish is to see her married, but she will
not marry someone who does not consider her an equal. Morgan has
graduated from law school but does not know if that is how he wants
to spend the rest of his life. He is happy as a bachelor and cannot
imagine himself married. While helping a sick friend by waiting
tables at a restaurant, Abigail sees a very handsome man with
mischievous eyes. She soon meets him again with a family friend and
a romance blossoms until Morgan disappears without word. They meet
again by chance and the attraction is still strong. This is a nice
tale. The settings of Saratoga in the summer and New York in the
winter fit the story perfectly.
The Snowflake Ball, by Amy Blizzard
Chloe is not a Christmas person and working as a doctor in a busy ER
does not help. This year they conned her into playing Mrs. Claus.
Woody is a fireman from a family of Christmas fanatics. He is
determined to make the beautiful ER doctor treating his cut a fan
also. An ER doctor with an aversion to Christmas finds love and her
Christmas spirit in a handsome fireman.
This is an inspirational and touching
love story. The two main characters are very likeable and
sympathetic. The hospital setting is very appropriate to the story
and the plot is entertaining and flows well.
Chance for a Merry Christmas, by Judith
Leigh
Sue has just lost her mother and is going to spend the holidays in
Mistletoe with her best friend Kacey who always cheers her up.
Chance is in the Air Force and was wounded in Iraq. Home in
Mistletoe, he is happy to be among friends and family, but never
dreamed that he would fall in love. A wounded soldier and a
grieving woman meet and fall in love in a Christmasy town called
Mistletoe. They must overcome fear of Chance’s job to have a future
together.
This is a very inspiring story set in a
small town with a Christmas theme. I loved the townspeople and the
town. Their love story is very romantic.
A Christmas Flame, by Amber Dawn Bell
Angel is a widow. She lost her husband and newborn child in a fire
three years ago and has become a virtual recluse. Jacob feels
guilty because he could not save Angel’s family. He also still feels
the guilt from not being able to save his sister when he was twelve.
his fireman bears scars on the inside as well as the outside. Three
years ago, Angel lost her family in a terrible fire caused by
Christmas lights on a dry tree. The fireman who tried to save them
all has been haunted by her grief ever since and waits for the day
she begins to live again.
This is a sweet story of love lost and
found. Both characters have had great loss in their lives and need
each other to heal. The little child Elizabeth adds a wonderful
touch and I enjoyed reading about Angel and her struggle to learn to
live and love again.
Entertaining Angels, by Patty Howell
Gwen is a graphic artist with a strong faith in God. She has strong
family values and is always willing to help those in need. Branson
is an FBI agent with a con man for a brother. Branson’s relocation
in the Witness Protection Program leads him to his soul mate. A
homeless child and the Christmas season bring a couple together.
This is a tear jerker of a story with
very appealing characters and an inspirational message. I loved the
little girl and Branson and Gwen make a wonderful couple. The
religious message is a little heavy at times, but it is a very good
story.
This is a nice collection of short
stories with a Christmas theme. The characters are all pretty well
developed and the settings range from turn of the century New York
to the present. The stories also carry an inspirational theme for
the most part and this fits in with the seasonal theme. This is a
welcome addition to the usual story collections of the Christmas
season.
Maura, Coffee Time Romance
Flames of Gold, is an amazing,
heart-warming romance anthology that should be stuffed in every
woman’s stocking this year! It was perfect, kind of like the way hot
chocolate feels when you come in from the cold. Every author brings
something warm and inviting to the story you’re reading at the time.
There may have been hardships in the character’s pasts, but with a
little hope, love, and faith, anything can happen. Hearts that have
been hardened against love, will blossom and accept true happiness.
A New Tradition by Leanne Burroughs is a historical Christmas tale,
with a love at first sight romance. Abigail at one time loved
Morgan, then was infuriated that he just left her in Saratoga
Springs without so much as a goodbye, loved him again when he saved
her life from a wayward carriage, hated him again when she thought
he had a mistress…. And then she loved him again. Oh and don’t
forget the peppermint pig! I loved Ms. Burroughs ideas of how life
used to be; she paints the perfect picture of simple times and
honest to goodness true love.
The Snowflake Ball by Amy Blizzard is a real tear jerker! This is
the story of Chloe and Woody, an ER Doctor without any Christmas
spirit and a Fireman that lives to celebrate and spread Christmas
cheer. Chloe sees Christmas as the day of her brother’s death, and
does not really acknowledge the holiday. It is not until she meets
Woody in the ER, turns him down for a date, then sees how wonderful
of a man he is, that she realizes that the world does not have to
stop, and she can still enjoy the magic of Christmas. Ms. Blizzard
had me from the get-go with her lively characters and I enjoyed
every moment!
Entertaining Angels by Patty Howell made me fall in love with her
writing style, she writes with her emotions and I love that! Ms.
Howell makes you cry, but in a good way. In this short story, Gwen
finds out that the man she is currently seeing is in the witness
protection program, but he does have a very handsome brother that
comes to her rescue on that snowy winter night. Branson knew there
was something special about Gwen from the moment she laid into him
about why he was picking her up from work and not Danson. In the
mix, they come across a child that is alone and much too young to be
on the streets by herself, this little girl brings joy, love, and
hope to Gwen and Branson. She is also taught there is a God, and if
she believed with all her heart, good things would happen and her
daddy would get well from the accident. While in Gwen and Branson’s
care, the little girl Nicky, brings their feelings to light.
Chance for a Merry Christmas by Judith Leigh is a story about loss
and love that hits close to home. I think Ms. Leigh has done an
impeccable job with this story because with love sometimes comes the
fear of the unknown. Sue had just lost her mother, and was not ready
to lose someone else she loved so soon. Chance said that being out
of the Air Force was not an option so now what could these two do to
be together? Let me tell you, distance can make the heart grow
fonder, and would it really be so bad to be a military wife? Sue has
to make that jump, is her love for the man she has only known a
short time, enough to make her throw caution to the wind? Ms. Leigh
is just begging you gals to find a military man that is sensitive
and caring with this one!
A Christmas Flame by Amber Dawn Bell is a story you’ll have to have
a box of tissues nearby for. Angel blamed herself for the death of
her husband and baby daughter 3 years ago because she had to be
stubborn and leave the tree lights on, on Christmas Eve. Jacob was
the fireman on duty that night, and he couldn’t save them. He lived
with that guilt every day, and he had finally had enough, he had to
deal with the pain. After running into Angel, there was no turning
back. He had to tell her everything, how he felt, how badly he
wished he could save her family, and he also had to get off his
chest the horrors of his past. He should have been the one to die
when he was 12 years old, not his sister and his family made sure he
knew that. Time and a little girl, healed his wounds and now he was
off to hopefully fill the void and pain within Angel. Ms. Bell pours
passion into each and every word of this short story. It made a
perfect ending to an amazing anthology!
5 Hearts Without a Doubt!!
Crystal, Book Reviews by Crystal
More reviews online at:
http://www.crystalreviews.com/authors/h/highlandpress-flamesof%20gold.htm
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