I was quite disheartened when I saw that one of the requirements of a reading challenge I’m doing this year was to read a book by an author that shares my first name. How many authors are there out there who write Christian Fiction with the name “Esther?” Not many—but thankfully, someone in a reader’s group I’m part of was able to connect me to an author in this collection, and I was excited to see the collection available for review soon afterward!

First up: I can’t say I loved the books in here. But what I can say is that despite this being outside my normal reading genres, I still enjoyed the stories.

Admittedly, there’s something about Christmas that tugs at all of our hearts. I don’t even really “celebrate” Christmas in the usual sense, but something about remembering how much the Lord loves us is quite humbling—and brings me joy. And thinking about others being humbled and loving those around them at a certain time in the year is fun to read about, too.

I think my two favorite books in this series were the middle ones, The Heart of Christmas and ’Tis the Season to be Daring. The former was sadness turned to joy and was sweet and somewhat poetical; the latter gave me a great number of chuckles through the first few chapters, even though I had to wonder how likely that particular plot would have been at the time. I loved the symbolism in The Heart of Christmas—and the description of the hearts being mended was so sweet! ’Tis the Season was a favorite mostly because I love the idea of someone wanting to be themselves (although I don’t agree with trying to thwart a parent’s plan quite like it was shown here, even though I would have sorely been tempted to do so if I was in the same situation!). Some parts of this book reminded me of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, too, which was lots of fun!

The other two books were enjoyable, although I struggled with the setting in Christmas at Falstone Castle some. The way characters from (what I view, anyway) two separate classes of society got along together didn’t quite ring true for me. But I did enjoy the diversity in characters here. The Christmas Dress was also not as much of a favorite as the two middle ones. It was sweet in its own way, but I didn’t connect with it as much. I did enjoy the sisterly relationship shown here, but in all, the story didn’t do a lot for me.

Am I glad I read this book? Yes. Would I read it again? Not likely. As someone who enjoys romance as a subplot in the story, this admittedly was not going to fully be my cup of tea genre-wise. I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t contain as much physical romance in it as I’ve seen before (and frankly, I was really thankful for that!), but it’s still not the kind of book I like to read a lot. So for those who do enjoy reading Christian romances, I’d recommend it—but if you’re looking for complex, challenging stories, I’d recommend you look elsewhere.

I requested a free review copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it. ( )

Oh, the joy of reading! This book was so much fun to read. Sometimes I get so bogged down in my reading list that I lose track of how much fun it is to read. This collection reminded me of the joy and contentment that come from reading a good book.

This collection of novella's feature some of my favorite author's. Particularly, my favorite character of all time. Sarah Eden was brilliant when she created the character of Adam, the Duke of Kielder. "Christmas at Falstone Castle" revealed some of Adams past and laid a basis for his cantankerous, ornery, snarky self. Seriously, I considered the story a heaven of words.

Anita Stansfield's story was sweet. It made me think of the joy of finding a home and people to love. The spirit of Christmas was present in the story. Self-sacrifice and acceptance of another make the season brighter.

I think I think I may have a little book crush on Charles from Esther Hatch's story. The characters were light and fun. They were on the daring side of Regency behavior. I couldn't wait to get back to the story whenever I had to take a break. I was a very unconventional story. I relished every moment of it.

Nell in "The Christmas Dress" was a wonderful character to read about. To continually look at the good part of life even when circumstances haven't treated you kindly is a gift. Her talents do not stop at being a seamstress. She breathes life back into a family in desperate need of cheer.

My take on this collection? Read it! You won't be sorry.

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. ( )

The lovely cover and the prospect of reading stories by some of my favorite authors drew me to this book. I don’t usually read Christmas stories in August, but I couldn’t resist the pull. The four novellas in this collection are the perfect length to devour one per evening.

I can always count on Sarah M. Eden for a great read, and Christmas at Falstone Castle is a fun glimpse at Adam and Persephone and their growing family. I was happy to see that he hadn’t lost his “personality” and that Persephone was still working on mellowing him.

The Heart of Christmas by Anita Stansfield was a sweet story about Addie who is hired to help Theo with his family. Addie wants to help the family heal and be happy together. This novella was a bit hard for me to get into, as it was mostly descriptive with little dialog, but I thought the part about the mending of the hearts was lovely.

Esther Hatch’s novella, ‘Tis the Season to Be Daring, was one of my favorites. With a fun premise, a lot of humor, and quite a big dash of romance, I chuckled and smiled my way through it. Elizabeth Davenport and Lord Hawthorne were charming and perfect for each other. I enjoyed Hatch’s sense of humor and fun.

The Christmas Dress by Joanna Barker is a charming tale of a seamstress, Nell Addington, who is reunited with a former friend, Jacob Hammond. As she helps his sister Alice select a dress to be made for Christmas, she also helps them learn how to celebrate the season.

I recommend this novella collection for those who enjoy clean, charming Christmas stories. They’re perfect for an evening’s read.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Covenant Communications/NetGalley. All opinions are my own. ( )