I Heard the Bells + Giveaway

Four authors, four Christmas novellas of peace, joy, love (and red pickup trucks)

A Christmas Wedding to Die For by Darlene L. Turner

’Tis the season for deadly secrets.
Photographer Adelaide Fox thought she had the perfect assignment—capturing the winning shot at a high-profile Yukon wedding. But when the bride vanishes and a guest is found dead, holiday cheer turns to mystery. As a blizzard approaches, Adelaide teams up with the bride’s rugged brother, tracker Declan Stone. With danger closing in, suspicious guests, and threatening messages, Adelaide must unravel the truth—and maybe open her heart—to find peace on earth this Christmas.

Season of Forever by Helena Smrcek

Past meets present. Two hearts, WWII secrets, and a Christmas of second chances.
Past and present entwine in a story of love, loss, and second chances. In the shadows of WWII, a fragile romance is tested by sacrifice and distance. Decades later, in St. Jacobs, Ontario, Faith helps at her grandmother’s sweater shop, while next door Joseph acquires a charred WWII Bible marked with a red ribbon. Despite their rocky first encounter, will Faith and Joseph give their budding relationship a chance—and uncover the hidden story within the Bible’s pages?

Falling for You by Melanie Stevenson

A broken engagement, a broken rib, and a broken heart.
Author Laurel Bennett hadn’t planned to spend Christmas this way. Her escape to Banff was meant to avoid her ex-fiancé’s wedding, not land her in recovery at the Banff Springs Hotel. But when she crosses paths with Dr. Ethan Pine—the charming stranger who saved her on the slopes—everything changes. A whirlwind of magical days sparks undeniable chemistry, and they must decide if love can bridge both the distance and the wounds that threaten to keep them apart.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Potter by Sara Davison

He thought he knew exactly what he wanted.
Jack Miller is determined to make it big in the Big Apple. So why does he keep getting dragged back to the place—and the woman—he’s trying to leave behind? Playing the lead in his tiny Nova Scotian town’s production of It’s a Wonderful Life gives Jack a glimpse into the life that could have been his. Good thing it’s not the one he wants, since it’s clearly too late for him to get it back.

My Review:

Woohoo! Greatest impulse buy ever. I saw the pretty cover on Instagram and discovered that the collection is written by four Canadian authors with four different Canadian settings! Sold!

The novellas vary greatly, from mystery to dual timeline to rom/com but they all feature a Canadian Christmas and each story cleverly features a red truck and a classic Christmas Carol. Loved spotting those little connections in each novella.

In A Christmas Wedding to Die For by Darlene L. Turner, two cases of unrequited love meet up again in the Yukon wilderness. A Christmas wedding dissolves into mystery and mayhem, though there are plenty of cozy vibes that keep this from being a traditional suspense. Loved the fast pace and the eclectic secondary characters (a few who are truly dreadful!) I love feeling righteously indignant on behalf of a hero and heroine! I got a real sense of a Yukon winter which added an atmospheric element to the story.

Season of Forever by Helena Smreck is set in the scenic town of St. Jacobs Ontario (present day) and in England during World War II, so, yay, dual timeline novella style! I’ll admit to being drawn to the WWII romance (it made me cry) but I enjoyed the contrasts in the contemporary romance as well and the way the timelines fit together by the end wrapped things up nicely.

If you enjoy a good rom/com, Falling for You by Melanie Stevenson is the perfect fit. It’s super cute and playful with great comedic beats. The Banff, Alberta setting is a bonus. The author’s descriptions of the resort and the town made me feel like I was actually there. Romantical and funny with a bit of festive toe-curls thrown in to heat things up!

‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ is one of my favourite holiday movies and it takes centerstage in Sara Davison’s Merry Christmas, Mr. Potter. Angst abounds in this second chance romance that features two actors reunited in a small town theatre production of the classic movie. The Nova Scotia backdrop added an extra thrill to my maritime loving heart! And the way the author weaves elements of ‘It’s a Wonderful Live’ into Jack and Kali’s situation is masterfully written. A stunning way to end a stellar holiday collection.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy available to anyone, anywhere in the world so…woohoo…International Giveaway!

If you would like a chance to win a copy of the I Heard the Bells, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday November 15 2025.

19 thoughts on “I Heard the Bells + Giveaway”

  1. Thank you for your wonderful review on I HEARD THE BELLS. It gave more insight into a book already on my TBR list. Knowing Darlene’s writing was how it was put on there. You mentioned two of my all time favorite Christmas movies – The Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life. We never miss them. In fact, we have them on DVD so we can watch them during the year if the mood strikes or if they don’t show them soon enough during the holidays. Love all the variations of The Christmas Carol too. Fabulous sounding stories – each and every one of them!

    Greatly appreciate the fabulous chance to win a copy!

    Hoping to blow this frigid temperatures and high winds back north today, but I’ll try to divert it from coming directly to you. They don’t work well with all my aches and pains, which are bad enough without them.

    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. I’m familiar with Darlene Turner and Sara Davison but the other two others were new to me so that was a fun aspect of reading this collection. I really enjoyed the way Sara Davison incorporated It’s a Wonderful Life into her novella. There’s just something about classic Christmas movies, isn’t there? They just can’t seem to be beat. Sorry that you’re experiencing cold weather too…but please don’t send more of it up my way. We’ve had a full out snowstorm for two days – enough to have to shovel. And it’s so strange to have red and gold leaves falling from the trees at the same time the snow is falling from the sky. Mother Nature can’t figure out if it’s autumn or winter. lol Good luck, Kay!

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  4. Thanks for your review. I would love to read this Christmas novel, I especially like the red truck, I even bought a key chain with the red truck.

    The authors are new to me and I would like to get to know them better.

    cenyatwoathotmaildotcom

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  5. Wow, this does sound like a great impulsive buy. Sometimes impulsive decisions can turn out well. I do that quite often with books whose authors I don’t recognise. Thanks for this review.

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  6. This sounds like the perfect variety of Christmas stories! I liked the cover when I first saw it, and the synopses of the stories caught my attention as well. I didn’t know that they were all Canadian authors! I went to Bible College in Canada, so this makes this book extra intriguing. I’m looking forward to reading it! Thanks for the chance to win a copy, Kav!

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    1. I really love the cover — there something about that blue with the pop of red. Simple but effective. Neat that you wen to Bible College in Canada. Reading these novellas would be a nice visit back. Good luck, Alison!

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