Posts Tagged: heather horrocks

Book Review- Bah, Humbug

12 Nov, 2011 by in word garden press 2 comments

Bah, Humbug!
A Romantic Comedy Christmas Novella
by Heather Horrocks
Kindle Edition
Published September 9th 2011
by Word Garden Press
ASIN B005ME39HU
4 stars

Lexi Anderson is an up-and-coming, Martha Stewart-type TV hostess whose two kids love the Jared Strong adventure novels, which happen to be written by their new neighbor, Kyle Miller. For the first time in his writing career, Kyle has writer’s block–until he sees the snowman on his lawn and realizes it’s the perfect solution to his plot problem. He digs in and discovers two things: one, his villain’s weapon will fit inside a snowman’s body, and two, this particular snowman was supposed to be the backdrop for Lexi’s next show. From this improbable beginning comes friendship, but can there be a happy ending for a woman who is afraid to get close again and a man who has shadows from his childhood? Families join together and hearts are healed as this couple goes walking in a winter wonderland.

Every year around Christmas I get a hankering to start reading fun, light seasonal romances and Bah, Humbug is just that! I downloaded it online for only 99 cents and began reading under my fuzzy blanket with a mug of hot chocolate. Within the first couple of pages I was already feeling pulled onto the small Christmas Street where Lexi, a home design show host and Kyle, a NYT bestselling author end up next to each other as neighbors. Kyle is experiencing a bit of writer’s block and working under a tight deadline for the next book in his series. So when he sees a newly built snowman ion his property line he works it into the plot and begins disassembling the piece head first. Lexi doesn’t appreciate the psycho snow man killer who has ruined her winter wonderland scene for filing the next day and so the two meet for the first time.

You’re sure to enjoy this clean, light novella that talks about healing from loss and fresh new beginnings. Things move a little too quickly for me there at the end, but it is set in Utah and if you’ve ever lived there you know anything can happen between two love birds in a week! I loved Bah, Humbug and would recommend it to anyone. Heather Horrocks has a way with words that I first tasted with her book How To Stuff a Wild Zucchini. To learn more visit her site at http://heatherhorrocks.weebly.com/


About Heather: I’m an author who had a somewhat unorthodox upbringing. I was raised in South America and the Middle East, and wrote my first stories as a teenager in Kuwait, where my sister and I proved it really is hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. I wrote my first novel in three months on a typewriter when I was 21, I used every romance cliché possible (including amnesia — need I say more?), and never rewrote anything, which is why it’s so much fun to pull it out occasionally when I need a good laugh. I wrote sporadically until my youngest child (who is now 18) was two, when I decided it was time to either actually start writing, or to stop saying I was a writer. So I took a class and started doing the scary things that writing requires. Now I’ve written about twelve novels and several children’s books

Book Review-How To Stuff A Wild Zuchinni

12 Aug, 2010 by in book review 2 comments

How To Stuff A Wild Zucchini
by Heather Horrock
published May 13th 2009
by Deseret Book
details Paperback, 224 pages
isbn 1606410946
3.5 stars
description: Sophisticated New York playwright Lori Scott feels like a failure when her producer boyfriend calls it quits on both their relationship and her first …more Sophisticated New York playwright Lori Scott feels like a failure when her producer boyfriend calls it quits on both their relationship and her first play. On a dare, she throws a dart at a map and ends up moving to Brigham City, Utah, where she plans to set aside writing, religion, and men to focus on her new career substituting as The Garden Guru for the local paper. But fate has something else in mind. When she accidentally lights her house on fire, Lori has no idea of the sparks that lie ahead. Will she be able to resist the charm and persistence of local firefighting hero John Wayne Walker? Will old hurts and fears cause her to turn her back on the best thing that’s ever happened to her? Author Heather Horrocks brings a fresh, fun voice to this delightful contemporary romance about following your heart, finding true love, and wrestling with a basket full of zucchini!

I have to admit with summer being almost over I have been on a little chick lit binge and what a blast it has been. This one I picked up while used book shopping because I loved the cover. I was expecting a funny light hearted read, but the message in this book left a deep impression with me. It started out a bit slow and I had a hard time connecting with the main female character Lori, however, by the last couple of chapter I had tears. What influenced me the most was the integrity and deep love of main fireman, John Wayne Walker (yes, it is a cheesy name) He follows the whisperings of his heart even when they seem far fetched and sticks by Lori when she is ruled by fear. Heather Horrock addresses strained parental relationships, divorce, and infertility in a way that readers will internalize and understand. Lori brings a lot of baggage with her by John handles it in a way I wish all men would. He is just plain amazing! The other surprise development for me was how I felt about the hometown writer Lori comes to replace while he vacations in China, and his neighbor Agatha. Their story is heart warming. Heather spiced up this book with Garden Guru column excerpts in between chapters full of quirky comments and garden advice. Overall, it is a book I would re- read and recommend to others. It is completely clean, romantic and has a good message. Toss in quite a few zucchini and you have the perfect summer combination! What a refreshing read!