So, Is There More to Mistletoe Than Smooches?

The cursor blinked as the clock rolled over to midnight. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe, but the air wouldn’t come.  Let’s face it. That’s probably why the words didn’t come, either.

And I was just working on the stupid title to the blog post.

After another few minutes and I still couldn’t think.  My chest was tighter than ever.  And after three weeks of coughing and misery, I’d had it.  It felt like if I didn’t get medical help, it might be too late to get myself to it.

So, I packed up everything, paid for food I couldn’t eat, and bolted out of Denny’s and drove to the ER.  It took a couple of minutes for me to have the strength to walk in. That’s kind of scary, okay?  Just sayin’.

The wait for triage was deceptively short.

However, when I tried to follow the gal to the room, I had to lean against a wall.  The next thing I knew, I was in a wheelchair–one meant for skinnier people than me. Watching me get out must have been funny. Just sayin’.

First, I tried sitting away from everyone else, but the triage nurse didn’t like that she couldn’t hear me coughing.  She thought I hadn’t been for the first hour I waited.  She’s so cute.  Worst coughing I’ve had yet.

Those reviews taunted me.  I realized that I should be trying to write something about the books.  So… I started to pull out my laptop.  Nope. I was informed that I needed to put that thing away and concentrate on breathing.

About then, I just wanted some of the mistletoe tea I’d read about.

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So, Is There More to Mistletoe Than Smooches?

I read two books by Stacy Weeks this week.  First:

Mistletoe Melody

What’s to love:  The story offers a glimpse into less-familiar subcultures (courting families), medical ailments (Multiple Sclerosis & juvenile strokes), and even uses for mistletoe.

Yes, there are more uses than smooches. (Sorry, Pepper Basham).

In fact, thanks to these books, I have mistletoe tea on the way to my house. #betterbetasty

The characters are realistic and relatable. You care what happens to them. Misunderstandings are reasonable instead of manufactured or over-the-top.

What wasn’t my fave:  Part of the author’s style is to give background on things by explaining them–info-dumping. It does pull you out of the story for things that for the most part don’t need to be explained.  Most can be shown easily enough.  Still, I wasn’t sorry I read it, so it wasn’t too bad.

Otherwise, I loved the author’s writing style

Available on Kindle Unlimited (that’s how I read it), Mistletoe Melody offers a sweet, heartwarming story for anyone who wants something encouraging.  Offering more than a simple, cheesy Hallmark story, Mistletoe Melody is a book I think most avid readers of Christian fiction will enjoy.

Mistletoe Mission:

What I liked:  Well, it was a clean, interesting story. Ms. Weeks took familiar tropes and did new things with them. She didn’t just sanitize things out of reality. Instead, she infused new, deeper realities into them. Most of the characters were realistic and relatable.

What wasn’t my fave: This book lacked something Mistletoe Melody had.  I can’t say what, because in some ways it was a better story idea. The mother-in-law to be was a bit over-the-top… and yet she wasn’t.  I think the WAY she was over-the-top was the problem.  It didn’t ring true.  It was also a bit more preachy than the first–mostly due to the way she over-explains things she wants to drive home.

Still, I enjoy this author’s writing style.  I read the book through Kindle Unlimited and if you have that option, I highly recommend it. 🙂 Perfect for people who enjoy a story with a bit of depth, new twists on familiar tropes, and CHRISTMAS. 😀