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Peace & Goodwill by Lee StraussMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received to Review
Genre: Christmas Novella
Release Date: Kindle edition on November 17, 2014
Book Description: Peace & Goodwill is set in The Minstrel Series world, but can be read alone.
Belle gets the best
Christmas present ever, a man in uniform! Ian is a soldier home on leave.
Neither of them have any idea how good it will feel to fall in love or how hard
it will be to say good-bye. Anna is spending the holidays alone again with only
her faithful dog Angel to keep her company. She can’t afford to pay the rent
and her landlord is threatening to kick her out. At least she’s finished with
her chemo treatments. She can be thankful for that. Plus, there’s Rhys, the
handsome visitor with kind eyes. One fateful, cold and snowy night a chance
encounter changes everything. Love is lost. Love is found. Life will never be
the same.
Peace &
Goodwill, a Christmas novella in The Minstrel Series, grabs the heartstrings
and pulls hard.
My thoughts: Two different stories are told in this novella. The chapters alternate between Belle and Anna's perspectives. Both stories are told as the Christmas holiday approaches. Both characters look forward to a lonely holiday without someone to share it with.
Belle's mother died three years earlier and she doesn't want to be a burden on anyone's family holiday celebrations. Her life takes a turn for the better when a soldier on leave stops by the used bookstore she works at to purchase a book. There is attractions from the first meeting and a sweet love story is told.
Anna has her dog as her only companion. She is dying of cancer. She faces eviction from her apartment because she is too sick to work and pay the rent. She survives off of the love of her dog and the charity of other's.
I kept looking for when the lives of the two characters would intersect. I was completely taken by surprise on how the stories came together. Wow!
This book takes a look at the Christmas season. It made me think more about the people around me and how it is not a holiday that many people look forward to. The title "Peace and Goodwill" takes on a different meaning when you think about the stories portrayed.
This novella is well written and conveys many emotions.
About the Author: Lee Strauss writes romantic mixed genres set in the past,
present and future for YA and adult readers. She also writes light and fun
stuff as Elle Strauss. She divides
her time between BC, Canada and Dresden, Germany, and enjoys drinking coffee
and eating chocolate in both places. Find out more at www.ellestraussbooks.com.Tour Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Bonus for people who pre-order the book. Lee is giving away an original Christmas song with every pre-order. (There's one in the book, I'm wondering if it's the one she's giving away). Pre-order your copy and then use the link to a form below to get your copy of the song.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ksON902RtFDmczGUCEBerwWyW7NxMMNKl9rWAHhhDio/viewform?c=0&w=1
I love a feel-good holiday story! This one sounds great--thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI love good feeling stories as well!
ReplyDeleteThank for the feature - and the sweet review!
ReplyDelete