Making Spirits Bright

Starred review from August 29, 2011
This swoon-worthy collection of novellas hits the holiday sweet spot. In Michaels’s title story, singleton Melanie McLaughlin dreams of adopting far more than she frets about her empty love life, but everything comes together when she’s offered two children orphaned by a terrible car crash and twinkle-eyed Bryce Landry steals her heart along with his offer to give the kids “the best Christmas ever.” Elizabeth Bass cooks up a tear-jerker in “Runaway Christmas” as spunky Texas teen Erica, trying to get back on track after her mother’s death, decides to spend Christmas with a family friend in Brooklyn. Rosalind Noonan’s “Home for Christmas,” a tale of a single mother falling for a wounded soldier returning from Afghanistan, is sure to tug the heartstrings. Nan Rossiter’s “Christmas on Cape Cod” delivers a dog-lover’s dream. Readers will gladly steal a few moments from gift-wrapping to savor these holiday treats.

October 1, 2011

Angela Steinhart tries to warn the security team at Timberwoods Mall about her vision of a holiday explosion. Estranged from her wealthy family because of her gift, Angela is lonely and susceptible to the attentions of a disgruntled mall employee who may be behind her terrifying dreams. A somewhat bizarre holiday entry from the prolific and usually reliable Michaels.

Children feature prominently in four feel-good novellas in Making Spirits Bright by Michaels, Elizabeth Bass, Rosalind Noonan, and Nan Rossiter.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.