Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9780373835478
ISBN number: 0373835477
Label: Harlequin
Manufacturer: Harlequin
Quantity: 3
Page Count: 384
Printing Date: November 01, 2003
Publishing house: Harlequin
Sale Popularity Level: 149166
Studio: Harlequin
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Brief Book Summary:
Cozy up with three brand-new festive tales guaranteed to keep you warm all winter long! The MacKenzies: Lily
by extended New York Times bestselling author Ana Leigh
Just when Lily MacKenzie had given up hope of ever being married, she met Grady Delaney and his three matchmaking children! And soon Grady discovered that it wasn't just his children who wanted her to be part of their family . . .
A Time for Angels
by USA TODAY bestselling author Carolyn Davidson
Though Honey Bell Morris claimed she was simply caring for the old man she'd found lost in a snowstorm, Zachary Bennett was sure she was after his grandfather's money. But Honey Bell had a nurturing warmth that could melt even the most hardened of hearts.
The Long Journey Home
by talented newcomer Kate Bridges
After two years of being thought dead, lawman Logan Sutcliffe had finally made it home -- only to discover that the wife he'd left behind on their wedding night was engaged to another man!
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Rated by buyers 
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Since the back cover description is already given on this page, I'll skip straight to my review:
Ana Leigh has a lot of fans, but I'm afraid that I'm not one of them. I didn't find THE MACKENZIES: LILY all that great. In fact, I never even finished it. I felt that the heroine was a bit of a nosy shrew, constantly sticking her nose in where it didn't belong and presuming a lot of things that weren't even true. And the hero was a bit of a stuffed shirt. He was so proud that he got quite irritating after a while. I just couldn't really like either of them, so I didn't really care whether they got together or not. Two stars.
I was hoping for a good read from Carolyn Davidson's A TIME FOR ANGELS, as I'd really enjoyed her story "Stormwalker's Woman" from Harlequin's "One Starry Christmas" collection. But I'm afraid that a very annoying hero ruined this story. He was so quick to leap to conclusions without even trying to find out if they were true or not. He just came across as a man with a rod shoved up his...nether regions. And, as another reviewer has stated, the heroine's reasons for refusing the hero were very contrived, even for a romance novel. A shame, as this author has done it better. Two stars.
Kate Bridges' story THE LONG JOURNEY HOME had so much potential, but the delivery left a lot to be desired. First off, it stretched the bounds of believability quite a bit that the heroine took so long to recognize the hero. Even if I believed that my husband was dead, even if it had been two years since I'd last seen him, even if half of his face was scared and he had a beard, I'd still recognize him instantly. It just didn't ring true with me that the heroine didn't recognize him for such a long time. It wasn't like she'd been forced to marry him, it was a love match. Wouldn't she recognize the man that she loved, no matter what the circumstances?
But that wasn't the only problem with this story. After their initial meeting, there was hardly any interaction between the hero and the heroine. This was a situation fraught with tension (considering that the heroine was engaged to someone else), yet the author seemed to shy away from exploring that tension. And the character development was somewhat lacking, as well. I just didn't feel like I knew the characters. I didn't really feel their pain at being seperated. I think this book might have been better if it had been developed into a full-length novel. But the way it is here, it isn't an engrossing read. Two stars.
Most anthologies are a hit-or-miss proposition. Unfotunately, this collection was a miss. There are far better Christmas romance out there. See my list "Christmas romance books worth buying" for a list of my favorites. Skip FRONTIER CHRISTMAS, unless you're a fan of Ana Leigh and want to complete your "Mackenzies" collection.
Rated by buyers -
"Frontier Christmas" is a collection of three romances set in the late 1800's around Christmas time.
In "The MacKenzies: Lily" by Ana Leigh, Lily is a Harvey Girl in New Mexico. Lily has enjoyed her job but her Harvey House is about to close and she's ready to move back home. While she's happy to be going home, she is worried about the children of Sheriff Grady Delaney. Grady is a single father and Lily is convinced he is neglecting his children. The two are constantly fighting and Grady can't wait until she leaves. But when Grady is hurt and Lily nurses him back to health, he realizes he doesn't want her to leave after all.
This was a delightful romance. Lily is a strong heroine and Grady is a loving father, despite what Lilly thinks. His children are delightful with more than a few tricks up their sleeves. Ana Leigh does a good job of weaving history into the story. The ending drags on a bit, but it's a good story overall.
In "A Time for Angels" by Carolyn Davidson, Honey Bell Morris is struggling to raise her five-year-old sister, Hope, after their parents die in an accident. Money is tight and Honey worries that soon there won't be enough money to pay their bills. Still, when Joseph Bennett gets lost during a snowstorm, Honey doesn't hesitate to give the elderly man shelter and food. Joseph is very grateful and eager to reward Honey, but his grandson Zachary is afraid that Honey is after Joseph's money. But soon his feelings of suspicion turn into other feelings.
"A Time for Angels" was my favorite story in the book. It's a feel good, Cinderella type story and the Christmas setting adds to the magic. The sparks flying between Honey and Zachary are very real and believable. Hope is also very believable, a five-year-old who has already experienced too much sadness and loss, who wants to believe in Santa Claus and Angels, but isn't quite sure if they exist. It's not a perfect story; Honey's reason for not wanting to marry Zach is contrived, even by romance novel standards. Still, I really enjoyed it.
In "The Long Journey Home" by Kate Bridges, Mountie Logan Sutcliffe disappeared on his wedding night two years ago and everyone is convinced that he is dead. Logan finally makes it back home only to find out that his wife, Melodie, is engaged to another man. Now Melodie has to decided whether or not to stay married to Logan and worry about him every time he does his job or to get married to much older but safer Donald Dawson. Will Melodie follow her head or her heart?
This was my least favorite story in the collection. I think the length of the story hurt it. I never felt anything for the characters. It would have been much better as a full length novel that spent more time on what happened to both Melodie and Logan in the two years he was gone. The romance between Donald and Melodie was never believable so there was no real conflict in the story. It was a good idea for a novel that never quite worked in novella form
All in all, "Frontier Christmas" was a collection of heartwarming stories and a perfect read for this time of year.
Rated by buyers 
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I purchased this book for Ana Leigh's final story (Lily) in the MacKenzie's series. I enjoyed Grady & Lily's story. There wasn't much to it but it was enjoyable & gave a nice ending to this series. Lily (Cleve & Adee's daughter) had left the Triple M & was working as a Harvey girl in New Mexico in hopes of finding love. Grady is the town sheriff who is raising 3 kids on his own. Lily quickly formed a bond with the children & it didn't take long for her to realize that she loved Grady as well. Be sure you don't miss the rest of the MacKenzie series. This is the best series that I've ever read. I would sure like to be a part of that family. They are the meaning of "family".
Up subsequent was A Time For Angels by Carolyn Davidson. I thought the book was good but not great. I didn't feel the characters had much personality & I couldn't understand how Honey could fall in love with Zachary in basically a matter of hours of re-meeting him. She had met this man 6 months prior when she went to the bank where Zachary was the president & he basically insulted her by suggesting that if she would have sex with him he would give her a loan to pay off her house. With Honey being the pure, innocent person that she was I just couldn't understand how she could fall in love with him after just 1 dinner together. Aside from that this book does have a good storyline. It's not a story I would highly recommend.
The last story in this book is The Long Journey Home by Kate Bridges. I thought the story line for this book was awesome. After just saying their vows Logan is called away to duty before he & Melodie even have a chance to consummate their marriage. Logan doesn't return that night as he has promised & is later pronounced dead. After 2 years Melodie has agreed to marry another man & all of a sudden Logan reappears. Can he capture Melodie's heart once again? I really enjoyed this story.
Overall I would recommend this book for women that like short stories but don't necessarily need the hot & steamy scenes. If that's what you enjoy you won't find much here.
Rated by buyers -
What better way to get into the spirit of the holidays then to curl up with this truly outstanding trilogy.
First up is LILY by award winning author Ana Leigh. A continuation of her Mackenzie saga, Lily is Cleve and Adee's daughter who has struck out on her own as a Harvey girl. Losing her heart to three motherless children has put Lily in a terrible predicament, it seems she is about to lose it also to their handsome father, Sheriff Grady Delaney.
A TIME FOR ANGELS is Carolyn Davidson's contribution. Poor but proud Honoria "Honey" Morris is about to lose her farm, and Christmas is looking very bleak for her and her little sister. Until one snowy night before the holiday, an old man, lost and almost half frozen stumbles onto their property, and into their hearts. Much to the dismay of his hard hearted grandson, skeptical banker Zachary Bennett, the Morris girls have found a temporary home caring for his lonely grandfather. But Honey's warm nurturing seems to be finding a way to thaw out the ice in Zachary also.
The last in this Christmas collection is by Kate Bridges. THE LONG JOURNEY HOME is a story of a true Christmas miracle for widowed Melody Sutcliffe. Her husband, Mountie Logan Sutcliffe has returned from the dead, and will do anything to win his true love back!
Who can resist these wonderful, gifted authors? Grab a copy of FRONTIER CHRISTMAS, a warm cup of cocoa, and curl up under the tree for a truly magical Christmas read!
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