I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Wishes for Christmas by Fern Michaels Published by Zebra on October 27th 2015
Pages: 384
Format: Physical ARC
Source: Publisher
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New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels brings together the beloved heroines from two celebrated series—the Sisterhood and the Godmothers—for a holiday to remember…This Christmas, instead of finding and punishing bad guys, all Maggie Spritzer wants is to bring a little more joy to the world—especially to a beloved teacher from her past. And as the Sisterhood unites to find her, they learn that no holiday treat is as fulfilling as giving to others…
Meanwhile, with a little help from the other Godmothers, Toots Loudenberry is preparing for Charleston’s annual holiday showcase of historic homes. But when the Godmothers sense trouble with one of the decorators, they must tackle a mystery and hope for a happy ending…
When Sisters and Godmothers unite, the result is a warm and wonderful holiday—with a special touch of magic…
Wishes for Christmas is a set of three Christmas cheer tales written by the prolific author Fern Michaels. In each tale we meet the cast of Fern’s various groups: The Godmothers, The Sisterhood and The Vigilantes.
In the first story, And The Angels Sing, Maggie reveals that she once knew a school teacher who was assaulted before disappearing. Since the day she found her teacher bruised and battered, Maggie has blamed herself for the woman’s disappearance. The Vigilantes decide that they will track down this lost teacher and bring her Christmas cheer, but the task is more difficult than they expected. Will the find this teacher before Christmas? Will Maggie find the closure and forgiveness she so desperately needs?
Our second novel, Naughty or Nice, is about a psychic named Sophie who picks up worrisome impressions from the mansion’s Christmas decorator. When Sophie finally tries to track down the decorator to ensure that she is alright she is missing. Sophie fears the worst and in the process of tracking down the woman, she discovers a family secret that makes this Christmas extra special.
Finally, in the third story named A Golden Tree we see an overlap of Fern’s worlds with The Sisterhood and The Godmothers coming together to solve a mystery. When the ladies meet at a posh hotel to solidify an alliance between Annie, Myra, Toots and Sophie they catch wind of something shady. Someone is stealing medications at the retirement home in town. The ladies must work together to find the culprit. Meanwhile, Holly and Gannon are dancing around one another and avoiding their obvious attraction.
I have never read any of Fern Michaels’ previous novels and so I found this series of stories a bit difficult to wade through. The characters all have a history which isn’t explained (nor would I expect it to be explained in this novel) and there are so many names that I was often confused. I felt lost for the first half of And The Angels Sing and Naughty or Nice mostly because I felt like I was dropped in the middle of a story with too much history missing to really appreciate the going-ons. A Golden Tree was a bit easier to follow since the characters were now familiar.
I don’t suggest this novel if you aren’t already a Fern Michaels fan because its far too difficult to follow along.
Although Fern’s writing is obviously masterful and eloquent, I honestly think that perhaps her series aren’t for me. I found the sugary goodness and over the top happy endings too much. I did find that the themes for Christmas held up with plenty of cheer, goodwill and selflessness at the heart of the stories which fits in with the Christmas season and the festive theme. Wishes For Christmas is a light-hearted, feel good set of stories meant for readers looking for humor and an easy read made to entertain and uplift rather than focus on real social issues.
In the end, I didn’t dislike this book, I just didn’t resonate with the characters or their motivations. I find that characters are a huge part of the novels for me and the missing history only made it more difficult for me to really feel any sort of connection. Wishes For Christmas was more of a “meh” novel for me because although it features exceptional writing, I tend to enjoy darker, more serious literature and this is not meant to appeal to that kind of audience. I see nothing wrong with this novel and my rating is based solely on my own preferences. I definitely recommend this to someone who enjoys lighter, fun novels.
This book will definitely appeal to readers who enjoy happy endings, aging women who don’t let their age slow them down and general feel good endings. Fortunately, Fern’s writing makes this book pleasant and festive even if you haven’t read any of her series. I really don’t suggest reading this if you haven’t sampled Fern’s work before. though, and suggest selecting a novel closer to the beginning of her series.
About Fern Michaels
Fern Michaels isn’t a person. I’m not sure she’s an entity either since an entity is something with separate existence. Fern Michaels® is what I DO. Me, Mary Ruth Kuczkir. Growing up in Hastings, Pennsylvania, I was called Ruth. I became Mary when I entered the business world where first names were the order of the day. To this day, family and friends call me Dink, a name my father gave me when I was born because according to him I was ‘a dinky little thing’ weighing in at four and a half pounds. However, I answer to Fern since people are more comfortable with a name they can pronounce.
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