MK McClintock

This is a collection of three shorter stories, all taking place in the 1800's in the Western US. There is a lot of snow, holiday food, and Christmas trees. They're all delightful, kind of like short, western-set Hallmark movies. One story features a father and daughter who have lost their wife/mother and are having a hard Christmas without her; one story features two sisters that move from the East Coast to the West to start a new life after losing their parents in a tragic accident; one story features an orphan and her caretaker coming out west on an orphan train. All of the stories have really wonderful endings. The stories were perfect choices for me to read in the morning with my coffee and I think I want to seek out more work by this author.

Oh, and sidenote: there is a coffee cake recipe at the end that sounds delicious!!

I would like to thank the author for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a review.… (mehr)

One theme shined through with this lovely short story collection...new beginnings. If it's one thing that we all start thinking about as the holidays and the end of a year approaches, it's new beginnings. And, for me, new beginnings mean hope which is another message that is very important at Christmas time.

In Christmas Mountain, Katherine finally comes to her sister's home out west, only after her sister has died. But she finally gets to meet her sister's family and it turns out to be a new beginning for her.

In Teton Christmas, two sisters move to Wyoming after their parents die. It's a different world for them, but they soon learn how magical a new life can be. There is a wonderful coffee cake recipe from this story at the end of the book, The Wycliffe Hotel's Famous Coffee Cake.

In Lily's Christmas Wish, orphans from New York are taken out west to Colorado to be placed with families. Lily is rescued from a potential hard fate and her and her teacher, Charlotte, learn what new beginnings really are.

The author has truly captured the world out west in the 19th century and mixed it with some festive Christmas stories from the era. This book of short stories is a perfect read for the holiday season.
… (mehr)