Review & Giveaway - - The Asheville Christmas Tradition

The Asheville Christmas Tradition

by Hope Holloway and Cecelia Scott

Carolina Christmas - Book 4

Publisher: Hope Holloway and Cecelia Scott

Release Date: November 1, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

It’s the most wonderful time of the year in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, but the Chambers sisters are discovering that even the happiest season has its share of surprises. Noelle, newly married to Jace and managing her own cozy art gallery, is on a mission to perfect the town’s annual Christmas tree lighting. But between stepmom duties, dreams of growing her family, and strong-willed townsfolk resisting her festive plans, Noelle’s Christmas spirit is put to the test.

Meanwhile, Angie’s working at the iconic Biltmore House, where an intriguing new curator has her second guessing both her career and her heart. And their fun-loving stepcousin Hannah is struggling with the fact that her long-term relationship has fizzled out. Will a chance meeting with a former pro hockey player who now owns the Christmas tree farm have her skating her way into a whole new life?

Once again, Christmas brings challenges and change, happiness and heartbreak, and the power of unbreakable family bonds. Join these strong, funny, and loving women as they celebrate old traditions and create a few new ones along the way.

PJ's Thoughts:

Family. Faith. Heart. Humor. Hope. Love. These are the cornerstones of The Asheville Christmas Tradition, book four in the Carolina Christmas series co-written by women's fiction authors Hope Holloway and Cecelia Scott. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series, and this book. It's been a heart-tugging and heartwarming journey. There were tears but also smiles, sighs, and more than a little laughter along the way. It's my recommendation that the books be read in order.  

Scott and Holloway seamlessly blend their writing skills in this book. I would not be able to tell you which author wrote which words. They all flow together as if written in one voice. The characters are complex, interesting, and fully developed, creating bonds among the full cast of fictional characters as well as with me, the reader. I feel like I've come to know them, flaws, quirks, and all. They have realistic - and relatable - issues. They overcome challenges any of us might face. They have complicated family relationships, not always seeing eye to eye, but that family bond is strong and unbreakable. I love the support given and received among the women in this book, the lessons imparted and learned, and not only within the family. And I love the men in their lives, the committed partners who both give and receive the love, respect, and support we all should be fortunate enough to find. 

There are also romantic elements within this book that offer insight into various characters. A long-term relationship ends, an unexpected one begins, a married couple face a difficult decision, a sweet tradition offers comfort to a widow, and all three sisters - and their partners - look forward to the future with hope, joy, and love in their hearts. 

I would also like to mention the setting of the books in the Carolina Christmas series: Asheville, North Carolina. Most, if not all, of you are aware of the devastation heaped upon Asheville and the rest of Western North Carolina by Hurricane Helene. Scott and Holloway bring the beauty and unique vibe of Asheville to life in these books, all written before the storm. It's an area I love and know well, having lived within two hours of Asheville for more than twenty years. Mountain people are strong, they are resilient, and they will persevere. Of that, I have no doubt. It may take a while but they will rebuild their lives and their towns. In the meantime, they need help. Scott and Holloway have pledged to help that effort by donating a portion of the proceeds from sales of the Carolina Christmas series (all four books - all formats) to Samaritan's Purse, an organization doing critical work on the ground in Western North Carolina. To help them in this mission, I have purchased a set of the four Carolina Christmas books in print format.

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, November 10 will receive the set of books: The Asheville Christmas Cabin, The Asheville Christmas Gift, The Asheville Christmas Wedding, and The Asheville Christmas Tradition. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

Review - - The Asheville Christmas Wedding

The Asheville Christmas Wedding

by Hope Holloway and Cecelia Scott

Carolina Christmas - Book 3

Publisher: Hope Holloway and Cecelia Scott

Release Date: December 1, 2023

Reviewed by PJ

With a grand and glorious wedding planned for the end of the year, the family faces a new and daunting challenge and the possibility of losing their beloved cabin. Angie rallies everyone for her mission, but meets so many unexpected roadblocks.

As the holidays come to a close, each of the sisters stands at the precipice of a new life. Noelle has fallen in love, but the cost might be more than she’s willing to pay. Eve has an idea that is wild and wonderful, but she’s put her fate in the hands of a complete stranger. And Angie can’t start her new life without somewhere to live, so she is moving heaven and earth to find the proof they need to keep the cabin.

Can one Christmas in Asheville change everything? Join these strong, funny, and loving women as the holiday spirit lifts them as high as the Blue Ridge Mountains and promises a whole new life ahead.

PJ's Thoughts:

This is the heartwarming, uplifting series I needed this Christmas. As preparations continue for Aunt Bitsy's wedding in book three, The Asheville Christmas Wedding, the family is thrown into chaos by unexpected events. Futures are threatened, relationships are tested, and life-changing decisions loom. New beginnings await all three triplets...if they have the courage and the faith to take those first steps.

Holloway and Scott flawlessly guide their characters with love, compassion, and more than a little humor in this third book of their Carolina Christmas series. They have a way of drawing me into their world and into this family. I'm emotionally connected to the characters, absolutely certain they're all enjoying their lives, celebrating the love and strength of their family, their relationships, and the possibilities that await. No, I haven't lost touch with reality. Yes, I do know these are fictional characters but the layers, intricate details, and nuances these two authors bring to them, plus the challenges life places in their paths, make them seem very, very real.

The Asheville Christmas Wedding ties up many of the threads begun in book one while leaving the door open for future stories for these characters. I was so happy to read that the authors plan to continue the series with more stories for the Chambers sisters next fall. Book four, The Asheville Christmas Tradition is scheduled to be published November 1, 2024 and already available for preorder.

The Carolina Christmas series is one I strongly advise readers to read in order. The books are: The Asheville Christmas Cabin, The Asheville Christmas Gift, and The Asheville Christmas Wedding. Why not give yourself a gift and get all three, or download them from Kindle Unlimited if you're a KU subscriber. I'll just be over here on my sofa with a cup of hot cocoa reading them all over again. 

Review - - The Asheville Christmas Cabin

The Asheville Christmas Cabin

by Hope Holloway and Cecelia Scott

Carolina Christmas - Book 1

Publisher: Hope Holloway and Cecelia Scott

Release Date: October 27, 2023

Reviewed by PJ

The first of a charming, heartwarming holiday trilogy that will whisk you away to a dreamy winter in the mountains. With sweet romance, strong family bonds, and an uplifting story of hope and joy, this is the perfect Christmas collaboration between two beloved women’s fiction authors!

When the Chambers sisters receive an invitation from their jet-setting aunt to spend the entire month of December at the family’s cabin in Asheville, North Carolina, they have one question -- why? The retreat, tucked into the Blue Ridge Mountains, may be the site of many happy childhood holidays and summers spent enjoying the beauty of the area and each other…but it also holds sad memories. The sisters, and their aunt, have spent twenty-five years avoiding the cabin and renting it to strangers. Why would Aunt Elizabeth want her “dearest darling” nieces to put their busy lives in three different states on hold and spend a month in the mountains?

Eve, Angie, and Noelle, triplets born on Christmas Day, owe their very lives to their aunt, and they agree they must go. Once there, not only do they learn to let go of the past and embrace a bright future, they all start to see their lives in a new way.

Big city girl Noelle comes face-to-face with her first love...and feelings for this single dad are strong, tempting her with a small town lifestyle that she never imagined she’d embrace. Eve, a stressed-out mother of three, revels in the change of scenery and begins to learn the art of letting go of complete control. And when Angie’s rocky marriage truly cracks, she finds a new kind of joy with a connection to the past and a reconnection with her daughter.

Can one Christmas in Asheville change everything? Join these strong, funny, and loving women as the holiday spirit lifts them as high as the Blue Ridge Mountains, and promises a whole new life ahead.

PJ's Thoughts:

Individually, Hope Holloway and Cecelia Scott have penned some of my favorite series of the past few years. Together, these two authors have merged their talents to mix up heart-tugging holiday magic in a new trilogy that is not to be missed. 

Set in Asheville, North Carolina (these mountains are a character all on their own), Holloway and Scott have created a cast of multi-generation characters who engaged my interest and emotions, immersing me in the ups and downs of their lives, relationships, fears, and dreams with plenty of laughter, and a few other emotions, along the way. The steam is low but the emotion is soul deep as relationships are tested, long-held beliefs are challenged, new opportunities are presented, and romance is on the horizon if certain characters have the courage to take the leap. I'm all-in and eager to take this three-book journey with Eve, Angie, Noelle and the rest. As the triplets approach their 40th birthday, they all find themselves at a crossroads in their lives. I'm eager to discover which paths they choose, where those decisions take them...and if six-year-old Sawyer ever finds that elusive bear. 

The Asheville Christmas Cabin (27 Oct. 2023) is going straight to my keeper shelf (where I'm sure it will be revisited) and I've already marked my book calendar for the next two installments: The Asheville Christmas Gift (10 Nov. 2023) and The Asheville Christmas Wedding (1 Dec. 2023).