Book Review-Nicked by the Mistletoe

Nicked by the Mistletoe is a romantic novella written by Ellie Hartwood. This is book ten in the Letters to Mrs. Claus series, but all of the books do standalone and are written by different authors.

Summary: Single mother Tessa’s life hasn’t gone exactly the way she would have liked, but she’s making the best of it. She has returned home to help her grandmother run the family cafe during its busiest season-Christmas.

But she isn’t the only one who has returned home.

Her old friend Nick is also back in town renovating and restoring the old inn.

Can a rekindled friendship lead to something more?

My Thoughts: I liked this story. It is well-written, the characters are likable, and there is a well-developed backstory which is really nice to find in a shorter book.

I enjoyed the overarching theme of restoration throughout the book as well.

This is a sweet and enjoyable story, and would make a wonderful holiday read.

I would like to thank Ellie for including me on her ARC team in exchange for receiving a free digital copy of this book. Thank you!

Book Review-A Winter of Sweet Secrets

A Winter of Sweet Secrets is a romance novel written by Heidi McCahan.

Summary: Jovi is headed home to Alaska to help save the family candy business.

It’s been in the family for generations, and she’s not about to let it go to the highest bidder.

But things are more complicated than they seem.

Jovi can’t find her grandmother’s recipe-the one she is sure will revitalize the company. And the more she looks, the more unanswered questions she finds.

What is the secret her grandmother has been hiding all these years? Do the candy recipes actually belong to their family, or will Jovi’s digging into the past destroy not only their company, but her budding relationship with single dad Burke Solomon?

My Thoughts: This book was OK. I liked the relationship Jovi develops with Burke’s daughter-there were some cute moments there.

I also liked that the book took place in Alaska. It was really interesting to read a book set in such a different atmosphere.

It was kind of a sad book though. Broken relationships, betrayals, tragedies, and misunderstandings.

There is a romance, but I would say it’s more about family relationships than anything else. If you are looking for a light romance, it’s there, but kind of covered up by a lot of complicated relationship issues.

Overall, it was fine, but I would say it was more of a one-time read for me.

I would like to thank Harlequin-Romance for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you!

Pinterest Thursday-BBQ Pork Tenderloin

OK, I have to say I really enjoyed eating this one.

I didn’t have a skillet, so I did not do the searing. I think it would have been juicier if I had been able to do that part, but it was still really tasty.

I paired this with baked potatoes and green beans, and it felt like I went out to a fancy restaurant for dinner!

Yum.

pin and picture found here

This is a very easy recipe, and I really liked it!

That’s it for today.

Have a great one!

Christmas Card Day 9!

Today is day nine of my Christmas card series!

I have three simple snowflake designs to share with you today.

Two of these I made during National Card Making Day, and the third is pretty much the same as the second, I just experimented with having the snowflake hanging off the panel.

Here are my cards:

I liked the second one best and made eight more of that design.

Supplies: Patterned Paper: Vicki Boutin; Stamp: Savvy Stamps (typewriter font Merry Christmas), Hero Arts (scripty Merry Christmas); Dies: Lawn Fawn (stitched rectangle), Scrapbook.com (snowflakes), Hello Bluebird (scallop); Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

I used the following from CutCardStock.com: Basis Blue, Lessebo Arctic Blue, DCS Patriot Blue, DCS Silver Glitter, 130 lb. Cougar White (for my card bases), and Tombow Mono Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue.

That’s it for today.

Have a great one!

Layout-Is It Soccer

Today I am sharing a layout I made!

Supplies: Gray Card Stock: American Crafts; Patterned Paper: Studio Calico; Die Cut Letters: Scrapbook.com; Black Letter Stickers: Bella Blvd.; Puffy Stickers: Elle’s Studio; Wood Veneer, Star Paper Cut Outs (used for layering): February 2015 Studio Calico On The Grid Class kit

That’s it for today-have a great one!