Review: Deck the Hearts

Deck the Hearts by Rachelle Ayala
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Deck the Hearts takes us to Christmas Creek where we find Holly decorating a mansion for the Christmas gala. The woman who owned the mansion has passed away and willed it to her nephew, Gordon. When it comes to Christmas, Gordon could be described as the grinch. What will be the outcome when Gordon shows up in Christmas Creek?

I enjoyed this short story. I totally identify with Holly. As a matter of fact, though it is September, I had on my Christmas jammies, Christmas lights up and on, I made sugar cookies with hot chocolate and settled in my Christmas blanket to listen to it on Audible. My other half, however, identifies with grinch, (especially if it is not December). Grumpy, grumpy. A plate of cookies kept him from complaining too much. I settled in and was enjoying myself while he was playing Sheltered on Steam. All of a sudden he tells me to stop the story. I start to get slightly huffy, after all it is around 2 hours to read. He stops me again, (must be playing the game that has him so brave - haha), and then tells me he needs to use the bathroom so don't resume until he gets back. Well, that certainly shut my mouth. He not only was listening, he was invested in the story! That is big news as when he is gaming I could dance naked with the seven dwarfs and he would just ask for the plate of cookies. That was the moment I knew it just wasn't my love of all things Christmas but the story was really good. So take it from the gamer guy and read this story. He actually said to listen to it but I'll leave that up to you.

We listened to this on Audible. The narrator, Kate Marcin, was awesome. She is a favorite narrator of mine. I especially love hearing her sing snatches of the Christmas Carols mentioned in the story.

Another winner from author, Rachelle Ayala. Ms Ayala can really write a story! She researches enough to have them realistic yet still take you away. Her words draws you into the story and by the end, you feel like the characters are friends or family. If you haven't read anything by her, take a chance.

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Review: A Pet For Christmas

A Pet For Christmas by Rachelle Ayala
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love this series! This is the second book of three. In the first we met Kelly and her daughter Bree. Bree asks Santa for a father and we are introduced to Tyler, a veteran with deep issues. In this book Tyler has gone to Afghanistan. Kelly is pregnant and Bree has decided to ask Santa for a dog. That is the easy and brief description. There is way more going on in this heart wrenching story but I would rather let you discover it on your own. I love Bree. She is adorable and has an unshakable belief that everything will be fine. As with real life, the deepest believers are small children. We could learn something there. I like Tyler but Kelly I haven't ever been a fan of. I know too many people like her. The characters are realistic. You may or may not like them but will probably recognize them. In my opinion, they make a good couple. They can balance each other and each has something to learn from the other.

I would recommend this book to romance readers who want a deeply intelligent story to go with the romance. This book,in my opinion, is a clean read. It does deal with mature issues. In my opinion Rachelle Ayala is not an author who shies away from contemporary issues. Instead she researches them and then puts them on display in a very real way.



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