Mystery

I really enjoyed this book made up of 3 stories starring the characters form two of Fern Michael's series, "The Vigilantes" and "The Godmothers". I liked that she did not have all the nasty bickering in the first two stories that she had in some of her past books.

In the first story, Maggie Spitzer wants to "make something right" from her past. With the help of the rest of the group, will they be able to locate her beloved teacher in time to give her a Merry Christmas.

In the second story, the ladies are participating in the Holiday of Homes in Charleston. The decorator that Toots hired is a bit of a nasty woman, but one of her employees, Charlotte, is giving off vibes to Sophie that she is in danger. Can they find out what the problem is and rectify the situation before something happens to Charlotte.

In the third story, 2 Godmothers, join with 2 Vigilantes to solve the problem of a pharmacist in a Nursing Home/Retirement Residence who is tampering with their drugs. This was the story I enjoyed the lease because it goes back to the constant bickering and nasty talk of some of her previous books that I did not like.

If you enjoy either The Godmother or The Vigilante series, you will enjoy this book.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Wishes for Christmas by Fern Michaels
Have enjoyed other works by this author. Combination of the sisterhood and godmother series.
Three Christmases
Starts out with the women gathering at Halloween time and they break the rules-talking business with eating.
The money from Maggie's husbands insurance upon his death she wants to give away to others so they can hear the angels sing. She wants to right a wrong from years gone by.
Loved hearing of past holidays and ornaments made. Love how they get clues to help find the schoolteacher that had been attacked when Maggie was 10.
Loved hearing of what wishes were and how others can make it all happen...
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Naughty or Nice
Concentrates on the Christmas holiday and the Hopes for Heroes parlor will open to the public.
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A Golden Tree
Nancy is hiring a new male assistant and it's the busy time of the year... She has no time for dating...
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device). ( )

Received via Goodreads First Reads and Zebra in exchange for an completely unbiased review.
Also posted on Silk & Serif

Wishes for Christmas is a set of three Christmas cheer tales written by the prolific author Fern Michaels. In each tale we meet the cast of Fern's various groups: The Godmothers, The Sisterhood and The Vigilantes.

In the first story, And The Angels Sing, Maggie reveals that she once knew a school teacher who was assaulted before disappearing. Since the day she found her teacher bruised and battered, Maggie has blamed herself for the woman's disappearance. The Vigilantes decide that they will track down this lost teacher and bring her Christmas cheer, but the task is more difficult than they expected. Will the find this teacher before Christmas? Will Maggie find the closure and forgiveness she so desperately needs?

Our second novel, Naughty or Nice, is about a psychic named Sophie who picks up worrisome impressions from the mansion's Christmas decorator. When Sophie finally tries to track down the decorator to ensure that she is alright she is missing. Sophie fears the worst and in the process of tracking down the woman, she discovers a family secret that makes this Christmas extra special.

Finally, in the third story named A Golden Tree we see an overlap of Fern's worlds with The Sisterhood and The Godmothers coming together to solve a mystery. When the ladies meet at a posh hotel to solidify an alliance between Annie, Myra, Toots and Sophie they catch wind of something shady. Someone is stealing medications at the retirement home in town. The ladies must work together to find the culprit. Meanwhile, Holly and Gannon are dancing around one another and avoiding their obvious attraction.

I have never read any of Fern Michaels' previous novels and so I found this series of stories a bit difficult to wade through. The characters all have a history which isn't explained (nor would I expect it to be explained in this novel) and there are so many names that I was often confused. I felt lost for the first half of And The Angels Sing and Naughty or Nice mostly because I felt like I was dropped in the middle of a story with too much history missing to really appreciate the going-ons. A Golden Tree was a bit easier to follow since the characters were now familiar.
I don't suggest this novel if you aren't already a Fern Michaels fan because its far too difficult to follow along.

Although Fern's writing is obviously masterful and eloquent, I honestly think that perhaps her series aren't for me. I found the sugary goodness and over the top happy endings too much. I did find that the themes for Christmas held up with plenty of cheer, goodwill and selflessness at the heart of the stories which fits in with the Christmas season and the festive theme. Wishes For Christmas is a light-hearted, feel good set of stories meant for readers looking for humor and an easy read made to entertain and uplift rather than focus on real social issues.

In the end, I didn't dislike this book, I just didn't resonate with the characters or their motivations. I find that characters are a huge part of the novels for me and the missing history only made it more difficult for me to really feel any sort of connection. Wishes For Christmas was more of a "meh" novel for me because although it features exceptional writing, I tend to enjoy darker, more serious literature and this is not meant to appeal to that kind of audience. I see nothing wrong with this novel and my rating is based solely on my own preferences. I definitely recommend this to someone who enjoys lighter, fun novels.

This book will definitely appeal to readers who enjoy happy endings, aging women who don't let their age slow them down and general feel good endings. Fortunately, Fern's writing makes this book pleasant and festive even if you haven't read any of her series. I really don't suggest reading this if you haven't sampled Fern's work before. though, and suggest selecting a novel closer to the beginning of her series. ( )