Twelve Days: a contemporary romance short story

Jamie is as bubbly and good natured as ever and would cheer any Christmas celebration up. So now the guys are ready to celebrate Christmas.

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I love the way these three characters compliment each other perfectly. We are into the final countdown to Christmas. Twelve days to be exact. John is just happy to be in a relationship now and looking forward to spending Christmas together. Anyway, Adam gets to see his dad, but this is something David wanted to do and was a big moment for him.

But Isabelle manages to build in some very poignant moments for all characters, which had me once again reading with a lump in my throat and sighing out with fuzziness and happiness at the end. Her writing flows beautifully and you can read with such an ease of effort that you find yourself in your own little cinema in your head. No this sequel was a prefect way to almost round off the original book.

View all 4 comments. Dec 08, Gina rated it really liked it Shelves: This is a novella follow up to. Its Christmas time and the first one John and David will be spending together and the first one Jamie will spend without his mother. And while David has come along way from his former life, his is still struggling and probably always will be.

While it was wonderful to This is a novella follow up to. While it was wonderful to catch up on John, David and Jamie, I was again left a little emotionally unsatisfied. And I would say again, i appear to be the minority on this one. A good solid 4 star read. Dec 03, Tina rated it it was amazing Shelves: It's Christmas time and the first Christmas together for John and David. For both men these days bring up memories that are difficult for them to deal with. Jamie is also dealing with his first Christmas alone. David seems to be making more progress with things. He makes you think about the homeless men and women out on the streets, helps seeing them in a different l 4,5 stars This was a nice follow-up to one of the most unique stories I've ever read and I loved to see David, John and Jamie again.

He makes you think about the homeless men and women out on the streets, helps seeing them in a different light. I really enjoyed revisiting the bookstore and the guys. I'd love to hear more about Jamie, though. Mar 01, MLE rated it really liked it Shelves: A sweet addtion to the story. It's nice to see how everyone is handling Christmas, and to see that although there is progress. It's not smooth all smooth sailing, and the problems, and challenges they face have not magically gone away. I enjoy seeing a Christmas story that deals with how difficult the holidays can be for people.

Honest, and refreshingly mature. Dass er sein sicherer Hafen ist. Und ihm auch zu vertrauen. Selbst wenn David selbst es nicht tut. Und dann ist da noch Jamie, der seine Mutter schrecklich vermisst. Es wird ihm also nicht langweilig! Und die kurze Fortsetzung ist Isabelle Rowan wirklich gut gelungen. Jul 24, Anna D. John, David, and Jaime are unforgettable and so deserving of happiness that any glimpse of their lives after Margins is welcomed with open arms.

One negative thing that came up for me is that many times it feels like John and David play the role of father to Jaime…yet knowing that John and Jaime slept together continues to leave a bad taste. This short story or long seco 3. This short story or long second epilogue which is what it felt like was a good way for us to see a HEA in the making. It is a little refreshing that not everything is solved yet we can confidently believe that these characters will live a happy life together; that the relationships are the start of a family being formed.

We still see that David is struggling but is moving in the right direction, that even though he regresses and has difficulty with reconnecting with his son Adam, he is making the effort. His love life is moving away from the one-night-stand routine when he sets his sight on Brian — and it looks promising. Dec 02, Sadonna rated it really liked it Shelves: A Note in the Margin is one of my favorite books and I've been waiting for this follow up story, so I quickly downloaded it and read it.

This story takes place at Christmastime and David is having trouble as the day approaches. He's thinking about the times he spent with his son, but he cannot seem to bring himself to talk to Adam. John is worried about David and the fact that he is closing off again, but he knows he cannot force anything. I don't want to give anything else away because I truly A Note in the Margin is one of my favorite books and I've been waiting for this follow up story, so I quickly downloaded it and read it. I don't want to give anything else away because I truly believe that the impact of these stories shouldn't be hampered by a plot recap.

You just have to read the tales of these beautiful, flawed, human, heartbreaking characters for yourself. I truly hope we get to read more about John and David in the future. Nov 30, Vio rated it it was amazing Shelves: David and John will always have a special place in my heart A Note in the Margin was wonderful and this sequel does not disappoint.

I love how we get another insight into Davids world its not all roses and happy families there are challenges to overcome and David manages in his own quiet way to deal with his inner demons. He is slowly healing with the support of John who is always there waiting and loving. A Beautiful and poignant Christmas story that leaves you with hope for the future its not David and John will always have a special place in my heart A Note in the Margin was wonderful and this sequel does not disappoint. A Beautiful and poignant Christmas story that leaves you with hope for the future its not going to be easy but you know they will get there eventually.

View all 23 comments. Jul 24, Jerry rated it it was amazing Shelves: Very nice Christmas story for the continuation of A Note in the Margin. Dec 01, L-D rated it liked it Shelves: But for me it was just too short. I felt that it was leading somewhere, but never really came through for me. Two topics in particular made me feel a little cheated: We get a taste of Jamie's interest in the first book and I thought this book would tell the story of their love.

I was hoping that we would watch David and Adam's relatio 3. I was hoping that we would watch David and Adam's relationship grow and blossom. Again, there are some steps, but not until the very end. I think this could have been a real full-length novel with a fully developed story of Jaime and Brian or a fully developed story of Adam and David, or what the heck - why not both stories?

To me, I felt like David didn't make any progress from the last book. Ich habe schon "Eine Randbemerkung" geliebt und auch diese kleine Fortsetzung rund um John, David und Jamie bekommt von mir volle Punktzahl.

Dec 01, Emma Sea rated it it was ok Shelves: While I really liked the original Note in the Margin, this didn't work for me. I needed a stronger hook to get me emotionally involved. As always, Melbourne is beautifully evoked. Dec 21, Shirley Frances rated it really liked it Shelves: Great follow up to the story.

Again, I enjoyed David's and John's journey and their relationship. Feb 18, Kassa rated it liked it. I thought it was cheesy-fun, it had a tiny mystery for Hannah to solve, though no one was hurt or killed for this one, and a sweet pun unintended ending.

I actually liked it more than I anticipated There were four novellas in this Christmas-themed-romance collection, but I only read Twelve Desserts of Christmas by Joanne Fluke. I actually liked it more than I anticipated when I first started, except for one minor detail: Not what I expected I should have known that as these were romances there would be more detail than I wanted to read. I read the book because a cozy mystery author I had read had a story in the compilation. It was the only one of the four stories that I enjoyed.

I skipped the graphic sections, but will not be rereading this book. Jul 24, Meg rated it it was amazing Shelves: This was such a great book! This included 4 different works by 4 different authors and I couldn't have enjoyed it more. Each read was great and super interesting. They were all different and had great variety. Joanne Fluke gave me an interesting read, as it was not the typical Hannah Swenson novel. Great Christmas book and I plan to read this again as it introduced me to some new authors. Aug 01, Jacquellyn rated it really liked it. These stories kinda hit the spot. Short and to the point.

Not tons of background, but enough to be believable and realistic. Sometimes the pages and pages and chapters of endless chatter can get overwhelming. Plus there's also something about reading Christmas storylines in the summer that make me happy: Dec 23, Debra rated it liked it. I really enjoyed two of the stories, the other two I did not read. I am going to have to start reading more by Fern Michaels - she is really good!

Joanna Fluke is already one of my favorites and this did not disappoint.

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Nov 28, Judi rated it it was amazing. I bought this book for the Joanne Fluke story but I read the other three stories and fell in love with all three writers Jan 22, Lacey rated it really liked it Shelves: I was pleasantly surprised by all of the authors in this book compilation. Wouldn't mind reading the other authors on their own too. Jan 31, Val rated it it was ok.

Cute story but what was the point? Dec 23, Andrea O'Brien rated it liked it. He is so awkward and goofy that it came across as comical and not creepy. Amy was likewise adorable but Gus stole the show for me in this one. I really enjoyed this novella by Fern Michaels. I find that her Christmas stories are either hit or miss, they either fall flat or are bursting with life and character. This one was a hit for me.

Twelve Days by Steven Barnes

I laughed and just generally enjoyed the two congruent love stories that unfolded. I liked the two characters, Mack and Katie, the author put in lots of interior monologue so that I felt comfortable with the characters — like I actually got a sense of who they are. Katie, a young widow, had a lot of emotional baggage and Mack, a veteran, had his fair share too.

It was nice to see the characters lean on one another to work through their issues. The story progressed at a good pace without being frustrating and overly dramatic. Despite this being the third story of its kind in less than two weeks I still enjoyed it. That is my only complaint though, otherwise I really liked it.

Two young teachers have to stay at a boarding school over Christmas break taking care of the students who do not go home for the vacation. The romance was budding prior to the school being emptied out so there was already a foundation for the relationship, something I appreciate, and the addition of the 6 children was fun even when the students started to cause problems for them. But I felt disconnected from the two protagonists, Julie and Matt. Anyway, the story was cute and wrapped up nicely but just didn't grab me.

Because the plot was simple more time could be spent on the characters and their relationship. Natalie and Jake work in the same office. Natalie has had a crush on Jake for a long time but has been too shy to say anything. So she creates an internet profile to hide behind as she gets to know him. It was a lot of fun to watch Natalie come out of her shell while Jake goes a little nutty trying to find his secret admirer.

Natalie is adorable from her strong sense of social responsibility to her nervous stutter she is a character I felt instantly bonded with. Jake is a man that most girls would fall for; tall, handsome, and charming he seems too good to be true even with the flaws that Jump tries to give him i. Probably my favourite from this set of stories. A collection of Christmas themed short stories. Nov 14, Kim rated it did not like it. The two are hoping to make the holidays fun for the kids while also trying to have alone time when the kids are put to bed. Since the lunch lady ran out of time to make desserts before she left for the holidays, all that they have is Jell-O.

The girls all seem so sure that Matt is going to ask Julie to marry him.

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Hannah, who is by the Academy nearly every day to deliver desserts, gets suspicious when Matt and Julie both relay to her the boys have been very needy. The main character, Julie Jansen I think , is caring and patient with the kids. Other than these things, Julie has no memorable qualities and is easily forgettable. The writing in this book was poor. The conversations and thoughts of the characters felt very fake to the point of feeling as if it were written by a child or tween the writing style seemed suitable for that age group.

There were times when Julie reminded him of a wayward elf. This is just one of the many examples of what made the writing so awkward in this story. It made it unorganized and confusing to read. The story just felt rushed and sloppy. Jan 02, Phyllis Barlow rated it liked it. I usually don't like novellas because the individual stories are too short to do any real plot development.

I like a book I can dig into. I read this one because I like Fern Michaels and I have been wanting to read Joanne Fluke and thought this would be a good way to find out if I was interested in reading any other of her books. I will comment on each story individually. The Christmas Stocking by Fern Michaels: I hate it when people complain that a fiction novel is "unrealistic. It's not supposed to be realistic. However, this one strained credibility.

You have two people who own their own firms his is architectural, hers is marketing. They take off two months to go home and help their parents with Christmas tree farm him and selling Christmas trees for charity her. Now I don't know about architecture, but I know that in marketing taking off two months right before the Christmas season would be insanity. Especially when you are the boss and just expecting your employees to run the company without any communication during that time. I liked the way Amy dealt with her mother and refused to do it all without her help and I liked the Gus Moss dealt with his father.

That he did the work needed with no complaint and allowed his father to see that he was sincere in his efforts. The other thing that I found hard to believe spoiler here is that even though they fell in love and married there was no discussion on who would live where, or how their businesses would be impacted. Gus just says, "Start thinking about a move to the Golden State Aside from that, it was a good story and perfect for the Christmas season.

This was a nice story, but way too graphic for my tastes.

I just do not like reading detailed sex scenes and I had to skip over those. This was a very cute story, and love, love, love all the recipes. I will definitely read more of her books. Twelve Days by Shirley Jump: I liked this story. I was glad Natalie stood firm on her principles and really did her best to help the children at the shelter.

An unrealistic ending to be sure, but a good one. It made me think of the romantic Christmas movies made back in the forties. So, my opinion is, if you like romance and happy endings with a few laughs and good recipes, this is the book for you. Dec 13, Cindy rated it really liked it Shelves: Fern Michaels - 3 stars. They're not having auditory hallucinations, because the dog hears her too. I could MAYBE have accepted this if it were in a paranormal, but this is supposed to be a regular story!

If y 4 contemporary Christmas stories from authors I've never heard of before. If you ignore these brief moments of weirdness, then you can enjoy this story. The dialogue can be a little stiff. There is no sex. Beverly Barton - 4 stars. I just thought this story was done so much better. I felt the couple actually became friends first before ripping each other's clothes off. This story does have protected sex.

Joanne Fluke 3 stars - Cute story about 2 teachers at a boarding school who stay over the holidays to babysit 6 kids whose parents couldn't be bothered with them. As a bonus, you get a lot of dessert recipes nice if you like baking! No sex kids around! Shirley Jump 5 stars. Shy girl who stutters, falls for one of her co-workers he's hot of course ;. They draw each other's name for the office secret Santa. They are of course clueless about the identity of their gift givers.

All's well that ends well though. I'm amazed at the number of people who buy anthologies for one author, but won't read the other stories. I say, I bought the whole book - I'm reading it all!

10 Best Christmas Romance Novels

Roberts also writes a series In Death under the pen name JD Robb, which takes place more than 40 years in the future, featuring murder cop Eve Dallas and con-turned-billionaire Roarke. Another departure from traditional Christmas fare, this novel kept me turning the page to watch Eve Dallas catch the bad guy, all while grumping about holiday shopping for too many friends. Solving a murder and finding thoughtful gifts? You can find her online at annebrowningwalker. To subscribe, click here.

Simply close and relaunch your preferred browser to log-in. If you have questions or need assistance setting up your account please email pw pubservice. New York Rights Fair. Anthologies There are hundreds of Christmas romances out there for your perusal. The Best Books of Books of the Week. Stay ahead with Tip Sheet! Parts of this site are only available to paying PW subscribers. Thank you for visiting Publishers Weekly.

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