But before we start down that road...I just want to say if you haven't read the first two books in Rhys Ford's 'Half Moon Bay' series than I strongly recommend reading them before starting this story. 

'Tutus and Tinsel' is a holiday slice of life with Deacon, Lang and their now daughter, Zig. I really enjoyed 'Fish Stick Fridays', the first book in this series where we got to see Deacon and Lang meet and watch their relationship turn into a partnership and while we got more Deacon and Lang in 'Hanging the Stars' this was actually Lang's brother West and Angel's story. 

While Zig (Deacon's niece) may be the star of this one...everyone gets a to shine a bit as we get a peek at Lang and Deacon in their new roles as fathers raising Zig and doing their best to help her find her place in the world and to create the type of holiday that neither Deacon or Zig has ever experienced in their lives because Christmas is a time for family and traditions something that's been in short supply for both of them during their lives. 

When Zig gets a school assignment that requires her to write about Christmas's and their traditions from her past the result is that Zig and her dads decide that they need to figure out a few traditions of their own.

Having read the first books in this series made this story such a perfect holiday story for this story and these characters. I loved seeming Deacon and Lang together and so happy and to have created such a wonderful family with Zig and extending it to include Angel, West (Lang's brother) and Roman (Angel's younger brother). 

As Deacon, Lang and Zig work through a list of holiday traditions that they might want to make a part of their lives, I found myself reflecting on my own family's traditions things like the gift of Christmas Eve pajamas that I started with my son on his first Christmas to the cookies that my mom made every year and before that to the the white plastic reindeer that my grandmother gave me when I was little more than a baby and that still has a place of honor on my Christmas tree to this day...these are all traditions and at the heart of it our traditions are just another way of making memories that we  can store in our minds and our hearts long after the holiday has gone. 

'Tutus and Tinsel' is a really sweet reminder that holidays like life can be as good or as bad as we make them. Zoe and Deacon didn't get the Currier and Ives Christmas but with the love and help of Lang, someone whom they loved and who loved them back what they could have was a holiday that gave them the happy times that would become happy memories.

Definitely recommended to warm your heart, make you smile and maybe leave you remembering those you love and the traditions that help shape your holiday. 

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A copy of 'Tutus and Tinsel' was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I freely admit that although I was looking forward to this one. I really didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as the previous books about Jack and Riley…well, I was wrong. I love Connor and River and quickly came to realize that comparing them to Jack and Riley, which I think I was doing in my mind, was like comparing apples and oranges.

Connor’s been lucky, and he knows it. Growing up with the kind of warm, supportive and loving family that some can only dream of…others like his friend River.

River doesn’t have a family and once he’s done with college his one safety net will be gone but he’s convinced himself that he’ll be ok. It’s how his whole life has been, and he knows how to do this. But when Connor finds him drunk, alone and shouting on the roof of the campus admin building things are about to change. When Connor basically decides that River’s coming home with him for the holidays, every thing’s going to change for both of them.

Texas #9 is as always about the ‘Campbell-Hayes’ family but it’s the next generation of the ‘Campbell-Hayes’ clan. At 22 years of age Connor and his friend River are both finishing their studies and getting ready to go out into he world. River knows what he wants to do…he’s going to spend a year working as a volunteer in Kenya helping to assist with protecting their resources and assisting with fair distribution before returning to the states and settling into a job. Connor on the other hands has a life mapped out that he’s come to realize isn’t quite what he wants… he’s going to work at CH with his dad, Riley and his sister Hayley…now if he could just work up the courage to tell his dad’s that this isn’t what he wants for the rest of his life.

As River and Connor maneuver their way through the holidays with the loud, gregarious and loving Campbell-Hayes family.  They also have to work their way through changing and growing emotions as their friendship becomes something more.

Just like with Riley and Jack, I really can’t decide who I liked better in this story I went back and forth between these two men for varying reasons. I loved Connor and his big generous heart and even though like River there were times that I probably would have wanted to punch him. I loved that Connor wasn’t the type to just give up and walk away. He was willing to get in River’s face with his worries and concerns and when River tried to walk away Connor followed, letting River know that he wasn’t alone and there was someone who really and truly cared. I loved River’s strength no matter what life threw at him he kept going, kept trying and working to have something better for himself.

People are so much more than the sum of their past and River truly personifies this…it’s not our past that defines us but where we go and how we get there that shows the world the measure of who we are. River was strong and resilient. He may not have always done the right thing, but he never gave up and he didn’t let himself be defined by a past that for him only held pain and disappointment.

My only niggle in this story was the ending there’s a bit of a time jump between the last chapter and the epilogue and between that time jump and the brief amount of time covered by the epilogue I was a tiny…and I do mean tiny bit disappointed. I would have liked a bit more about Connor and River’s life…not enough to bore me to tears or anything but just a little bit more than what was there and maybe that’s just me being greedy. I can own that. Despite this little niggle of mine, I truly loved this story and the feelz…so many wonderful feelz!!!

‘Home for Christmas’ is about two men with very different backgrounds coming together and realizing that the past may have helped shape them but it’s the present and the future that will define who they are and what they want and it’s about opening your heart, finding love and hope during the holidays it’s about how the family you make and the family you are given can become one to create the family you love and the one that loves you.

If you love R.J. Scott’s series ‘Texas’ than you won’t want to miss this one! Definitely recommended!

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A copy of ‘Home for Christmas’ was graciously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

At only 24 pages ‘The Night Sky Festival’ is probably one of the shortest stories in this anthology but for me it was definitely one of the most adorably delightful. Zach has packed up his gear and headed to the Mojave Desert for the holidays. Ever since his husband file for a divorce the day before Christmas it’s become his least favorite time of year. So going on a photo assignment seems as good a way to spend the holiday as any.

What Zach begins to discover is that Baker isn’t just any small town it’s one that celebrates ‘The Night Sky Festival’ instead Christmas and it also seems to be a place where the locals are more than happy to take Zach in and make him a part of their celebration.

Seeing Zach’s encounter with each of the three men who touch his life during his visit to Baker and bring a fresh perspective to his life…from the cute, vivacious cashier to the burly, sexy single father and finally the sexy, fun-loving cop who loves his board games…is charming, amusing and just generally delightful.

The story moved at a really good pace and given the author made good use of every word used. With only 24 pages there wasn’t enough time for long drawn out descriptions or unnecessary window dressing and there wasn’t any.

While this one only got 3 stars from me, I have to admit I think it’s more a statement of how much I liked this story and how strongly I felt that the author could have…maybe should have given us more. I smiled and laughed with amusement from start to finish on this one but at the same time I also felt like I needed and just kept wanting more and I think what I especially needed was an epilogue one that wrapped things up a bit more for me than what was there.

There also wasn’t any sex but come on we’ve got our MC meeting 3 new guys and attending a local festival all in 24 pages…honestly having the Zach hook up with any of these men would have been stretching things for me…maybe, a follow-up story…one day soon could happen.

However, if you’re looking for a short, quick holiday story that’s fun and funny and will leave you smiling ‘The Night Sky Festival’ easily fills those requirements.

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A copy of ‘The Night Sky Festival’ was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say these dragons are not like the rest...

I love dragons...we all know Karen loves dragons so when I saw this one...well, my little dragon brain said...Ooooohhhh!!!! What's this...dragons...me wants! Plus Jaime Samms... an author that writes a damn fine story. So, yep, I was all in before I even read the story and oh yeah, before I forget it's set in northern Ontario!!! And ironically that's where I was when I read this one.

So let's start with Sunny. He's not a dragon, just a mere mortal like the rest of us and although it's been a year since his parent's died...he's having a hard time dealing with things. It's with his sister's help that he moves to northern Ontario hoping that being with nature and away from all the pitying looks of the people he knows back in the concrete jungle will allow him to begin to heal from the loss of those he loves most.

I liked Sunny. He was grieving but his character wasn't whiny or annoying and I guess having lost my own parents I understood his feelings. While most of this story is between Sunny and Emile (he's our dragon...or at least the main one). 

Emile was probably the most unique dragon, I've encountered in a while...actually let me clarify...not just Emile but the dragons in this story in general are unusual and not presented in quite the same way as dragons are generally presented to us...not so much so that I was left thinking...'What the hell? These are not dragons...nope if was more of a 'well this is an interesting take on dragons and magic in general...me likey! 

While magic is probably the part of fantasy that has the widest range of interpretation I really liked how it was dealt with in this one and most of all the fact that for me it was shown with two different aspects there was the magic that belonged to one side of the fold (other stories call this the veil or the fade...it's basically the barrier between the world of the mundane...humans and the world that contains the creatures of magic) and then there's the magic as it manifest on the other side of the fold. 

'Sunshine in the Dragon's Heart' is about what happens when the barrier between the two worlds is crossed and the magic from the world of fantasy meets the magic from the world of man. 

I admit that in part how easily I was drawn into this story was because...dragons!!! they're a favorite of mine so of course I wanted to read the story, but I can also say with a certainty that just because there were dragons didn't mean the story being good was guaranteed. Sad to say I've read some not so great dragon stories, but this one isn't one of them. While I was admittedly a bit confused at the beginning I just had face and continued to read and sure enough as I read things fell into place for me and my tiny bit of confusion over a couple of things was easily sorted out and I was left having read a very enjoyable story about a man, a dragon and the magic of love.

So maybe, this wasn't quite a 5 star read but still a very enjoyable and different story that I would recommend to anyone looking for a story that's different and has dragons, magic and love...one really large salamander named Glimmerglass, brownies, sprites, dryads and one really awesome sister.

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An ARC of 'Sunshine in the Dragon's Heart' was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Dragons!!! So many dragons!!!

I've actually been letting this one simmer in my mind for a couple of days now because... words...I was really hoping to find the words to explain how freakin' much I loved this book...hell, this whole damned series. 

I can honestly say this is one of the most unique and enjoyable series that I've ever read. Up until this final book I've both read and listened to the audio for all of the books in this series but time being what it is sometimes I had to make  choice and I decided that as much as I enjoy reading the books Michael Lesley's narration of these books has been such a treat and simply so delightful that I decided I was going to wait until he could read this last story to me and just let it all be a surprise and I'm so glad I did  this.

I think I've likened these stories to fairy tales before with their kings, princes, magicians, dragons, unicorns and other mystical creatures...but, I will also say this is not a fairy tale for the children or at least not until they're of age, ok?

One of the things I've loved the most about this series is that none of these stories are short which I know may seen like a strange thing, but what that's meant for me is that the author has taken the time to create the magic that's only ever found in a story that takes the time to paint a picture that draws the reader in allowing them to forget that their world isn't the one contained within the pages of that story. Allowing them to see everything in their mind's eye. To imagine what being somewhere maybe even someone else is like...just for a little while...to escape and that's not a bad thing for me it's just another way to exercise my imagination to use the words given to me by an author and see if I can create the world they're trying to show me. 

As for the audio series one of my favorite things has been Michael Lesley and the amazing job that he's did with the narration and simply the fact that each one of these stories has been narrated by the same talented narrator...when it comes to listening to a series on audio, especially one that contains the same main characters from story to story and having the continuity of the same narrator providing the same voice for those characters from story to story is nothing short of 

'Tales From Verania' has been a wonderful adventure to go on with Sam and Knight Delicious Face (otherwise knows as Ryan Foxhart), Prince Justin, Gary, Tiggy, Kevin and all the other dragons!!! But with 'A Wish Upon the Stars' the final confrontation between out rag tag collection of heroes and the villains who have dogged their heels is looming and the question will no longer be if, but when will it happen.

I'm not going to talk about the actual story here because one...I refuse to spoil the epic awesomeness of this for anyone and I think the best explanation that anyone could give for this series is to simply say...Read it! Listen to the audio!!! Make it a part of your life!!! Because it's epic & awesome!!!  and yes, I might be borrowing from another story by this author...but that's only because it's whispering in my ears right now...but we'll talk about that another time, ok?

For now it's all about the epic awesomeness of Verania and it's colorful characters...seriously, it's a great place to visit and one I highly recommend... especially on audio, it's the chance to revisit the magic of childhood and fairy tales in the world of adulthood. 

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An audio book of 'A Wish Upon the Stars' was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.