THROUGH THE EVIL DAYS (Julia Spencer-Fleming)

Julia Spencer-Fleming knows how to set up a plot and how to keep her readers on he edge of their chairs!  Millers Falls, NY police chief Russ Van Allstyne and Rev. Clare Fergusson are now married and expecting a child, an event that is causing friction between the two. 

When the home of an ex-FBI agent is torched and their 8-year-old foster child, a recent liver transplant recipient, disappears, the Millers Falls PD is focused on finding the child before her body rejects the liver.  Russ and Clare begin their delayed honeymoon in a remote cabin during an ice storm despite the current situation and, of course, the action ends up revolving around the lake where the cabin is located.  If you are looking for an action-packed, non-stop mystery complete with appealing characters dealing with real-life emotional angst as well as some pretty dicey and dangerous situations, check out this series.  I've read the first and this one and each one was very satisfying, not to mention exciting!

PORTRAIT OF A MARRIAGE (Pearl Buck)

LIGHT ON SNOW (Anita Shreve)

A young girl and her widowed father are out snowshoeing in the New Hampshire woods near dusk when they hear a cry in the woods.  Following the sound, they discover a newborn baby wrapped in a sleeping bag, abandoned by persons unknown.  Twelve-year-old Nicky, the daughter, is anxious to keep the baby, but naturally, her father contacts the authorities immediately.  Nicky feels that the baby might help to assuage some of their grief over the loss of her mother and baby sister 2 years before, an event the precipitated their move from New York City to New Hampshire. Two weeks after their discovery a college-age woman who has recently given birth arrives at the family's cabin during a blizzard.

Shreve has created a complex story in a deceptively simple package, examining grief and the complexities of parent-child relationships.  The novel has a calm, almost relaxing feel, like a snowy wood.  I haven't read any of Shreve's other novels, but I probably will.

ALASKAN HOLIDAY (Debbie Macomber)

I don't ordinarily read Debbie Macomber.  In fact, my only experience has been with her Blossom Street novels, which I enjoyed very much.  I picked up Alaskan Holiday because it was Christmas time and the idea of reading a nice holiday romance appealed to me.  It didn't turn out to be a Christmas romance, though.

Chef Josie Avery accepted a seasonal job cooking things like roast venison and caribou stew for a lodge in remote Ponder, Alaska while waiting for her real career, assistant to one of the country's top chefs, in a new Seattle restaurant. At season's end, Josie is anxious to get back to her real life, her career, and her mother in Seattle, but she is blindsided by an awkward proposal of marriage from Palmer Saxon.  Josie has strong feelings for Palmer, a swordsmith and native of Ponder, but she feels that her commitment to her new job comes first, so she plans to leave on the last ferry before the harbor is iced in for the winter.  Of course, this being a romance, she misses the boat, literally.  And so the story continues.

I can't say that I loved this novel, but that isn't a reflection on Macomber's talent as a writer.  I simply prefer a different type of romance, or women's fiction with a romantic element.  Also, I was disappointed that it wasn't a Christmas story!  If you enjoy a good romance I would not rule this one out.

AMANDA'S WEDDING (Jenny Colgan)

When Jenny Colgan was starting out as an author her focus was on chick lit.  She has since evolved into an imaginative and endearing author, creating characters that grow and work their way into your heart.  Amanda's Wedding, one of her earlier novels, was kind of a throwback for me to the days when I was a big chick-lit fan, but I feel like I've kind of outgrown it and moved on the women's fiction.  The plot revolves around three childhood friends, one of whom abandoned the other 2 when her family moved into a more elite social group.

Melanie has recently reunited with the boyfriend that had left her without a word to seek his fortune in America, much to the consternation of Melanie's best friend, Fran.  When old nemesis Amanda announces that she is marrying Fraser, an authentic Scottish Laird (and an old crush of Melanie's), Mel and Fran set out to sabotage the wedding with the help of Fraser's brother, Angus.  Along the way, new relationships form and old crushes crash and burn in typical chick-lit fashion.

Amanda's Wedding is being re-issued due to Colgan's incredible popularity.  I certainly won't tell you not to read it because it is a very enjoyable (and a bit bawdy) romp back to 2000.  Just keep in mind that Colgan has evolved into a very different author over the years, so what she is writing now is very different. 

THE CHRISTMAS STOCKING AND OTHER STORIES (Katie Fforde)

This charming collection of Christmas stories is the perfect way to prepare for Christmas.  Of course they're love stories, and of course, they have happy endings, but what can be better for the Christmas season?  Katie's fans will NOT be disappointed in any of these.  I hated to reach the end!

NAMED OF THE THE DRAGON (Susanna Kearsley)

One of the things I love most about Kearsley is her ability to create an all-encompassing sense of place, an atmosphere that draws the reader in so completely that it is only with great reluctance that you can move on to another novel.  She has certainly done that in Named of the Dragon!  Literary agent Lyn Ravenshaw and her self-involved author-client Bridget Cooper are spending Christmas in the little Welsh Village of Angle, visiting with celebrated author James Swift  and his brother Christopher, who are in residence at their uncle's property for the holidays.  Lyn hopes to sign Bridget's lover, James, as a client, but her firm has a bigger goal:  they have offered her a directorship if she can snag reclusive playwright Gareth Gwyn Morgan, who also lives in Angle, as a client.

Five years ago Lyn lost her son at birth, just a few months after the death of her husband.  Since then she has been plagued by nightmares, unable to recover from the death of her baby.  In Angle, she ,meets Elen, a young widowed mother who rents one of the adjoining houses.  Elen is generally thought to be unbalanced due to her alleged communication with Merlin and her fear that her son, Stevie, will be taken from her by the dragon who frequently enters his room when Elen is not vigilant.  She inexplicably chooses Lyn, who has been avoiding contact with children since her son's death, as her son's protector.

This novel has it all: a charming village, cheerful, efficient employees, a moody, yet appealing  playwright, other-worldly intrigue, a cute dog, a hint of possible romance, and a surprise reveal at the end.  as with all of Susanna Kearsley's novel, I highly recommend this one!