Melody Carlson

All Emma Daley wants this holiday season is a white Christmas. But the young teacher and struggling musician sure can't find that in sunny Arizona. Luckily, there's someone living in a perfect mountain home in the Colorado Rockies looking to make a vacation trade this year. Tyler Prescott is an in-demand songwriter and talented musician who put his own singing career on hold to write songs for celebrity acts to perform. When his mother convinces him to do a vacation trade for Christmas, he never imagined one of the houseguests would be so sweet--or so strikingly pretty. Naturally, he decides to stick around, and, to get better acquainted, he poses as the house's caretaker. But when Emma's friend Gillian discovers his true identity and sets her sights on him, things get . . . messy. Fan favorite Melody Carlson is back with another delightful Christmas tale to warm your heart on those cold winter evenings.

The Christmas Swap

Heaven Adore

From what I’ve seen, Melody Carlson gets a lot of praise for her books, and thus, I’ve been interested in reading some of her books for quite some time. Since we’re in the Christmas season, I decided to read “The Christmas Swap,” with high hopes of it being amazing. The truth? To me, it was horrible.

I liked the idea of the synopsis (though it wasn’t as music induced as I assumed it would be, based on the description). It was quite clever, but I don’t really like how everything came to play.
For starters, the story is predictable. I was able to guess most of what would happen after reading chapter 3, which was no fun. I was happy I guessed right but frustrated that I basically already knew the story. Then, aside from Emma and Grant, the characters weren’t that good.

Gillian, Emma’s best friend was absolutely annoying. She always criticized everything about Emma, and she was just a pest. Harris, a guy that Gillian liked who tagged along for the vacation, was obsessed with trying to get to know Emma because he liked her. Gillian’s mom was too much of a complainer, and her dad just wasn’t very developed. Ugh, and don’t even get me started about Tyler. 🙄

One thing that bugged me was how Tyler stayed where he lived so that he could get to know Emma more because his mom wanted him to get married so badly. From overhearing a conversation between her and Gillian with her family, he thought that she would be “the one.” And he lied over and over to his mother about why he delayed going their vacation house for the week instead of telling her the truth. I know that it was because previous relationships hadn’t worked in the past, but he mentioned how his mom would be excited. For some reason, that frustrated me so much.

Something else that frustrated me was the occasional cheap prayers like Tyler saying, “I pray this will work,” regarding getting close to Emma. This book isn’t considered Christian, but just “wholesome,” so I felt it wasn’t necessary because there was no indication of the characters being per se “religious.” Plus, it didn’t add to the story in anyway. It almost seemed as if Carlson felt the need to add it since she’s a Christian, but I won’t jump to any conclusions regarding that.

To be honest, the whole book itself felt kind of stale. The writing was somewhat dry and there weren’t any scenes where you’re like, “Oh, I love that!” The best thing you could get was Grant’s humor, which probably was only the best part of the book.

I’m sure some people enjoyed this book; however, this just wasn’t my cup of tea. I’m not too keen on reading another one of her books now, but who knows, I might one day.

Christmas Valley is turned upside down when an unconventional couple arrive in town ready to deliver a baby in this charming Christmas novella.

The Christmas Bus

Debbie

After years abroad, Garrison Brown returns home to Vancouver to build a new life. When his beloved grandmother passes away a few weeks before Christmas, Garrison goes to her house to sort out her belongings, including six cats who need new homes. While Garrison hopes to dispense with the task quickly, his grandmother's instructions don't allow for speed. She has left Garrison with some challenging requirements for the future homes of her furry friends--plus a sizeable monetary gift for the new owners. Garrison's job is to match the cats with the right owners without disclosing the surprise gift. Along the way, he may just meet someone who can make him stay. Humorous and heartwarming, this latest Christmas story from bestselling author Melody Carlson is the perfect gift for pet lovers and anyone in whose heart Christmas holds a special place.

The Christmas Swap

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