Novella Review – Snowstorms and Sleigh Bells (A Stitch in Time, Book 2.5) by Kelley Armstrong (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Length: 116 pages
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: November 16, 2021
ASIN: B095J24QYK
Stand Alone or Series: 2.5th book in A Stitch in Time series
Source: Bought for Kindle
Rating: 4/5 stars
“It’s a Victorian Christmas at Thorne Manor, and Rosalind Courtenay is staying far, far away from the door that leads to the twenty-first century. It took her four years to get back home, and she’s never going near the time stitch again. But her five-year-old son has other plans, and Rosalind finds herself plunged back into the modern world, where she decides to face her fears and give her family the holiday gift of a lifetime. Once again, Fate has other ideas, sending a blizzard to derail Rosalind’s cautious planning and toss them all into a whirlwind of savage snowstorms, spectral sleigh bells and, perhaps, a Christmas ghost or two.”
Series Info/Source: This story takes place after the 2nd book in A Stitch in Time series. I bought this ebook for my Kindle.
Thoughts: This was a fun and cute little Christmas story. You do have to read the previous books (or at least the 2nd book) in the series to really understand what is happening in this story. Most of the story revolves around Rosalind and her family, although they do meet up with William and Bronwyn as well.
Rosalind and family venture back to Thorne Manor right before Christmas to help prep the house for William and Bronwyn’s return. William and Bronwyn traveled to modern times to have their most recent child (health care is better in modern times). Unfortunately, Rosalind’s little boy decides to venture through the time slip into modern times on his own, sending Rosalind into a panic and forcing her and her husband to return to modern times to find their son.
This was a cute read. Rosalind is learning to deal with her fears about the time slip and there are some interesting ghost encounters as well. We get to see Rosalind’s husband’s joy over modern advances and meet the newest member of the Thorne family. Additionally, there is some discussion about how different times and religions celebrate the holiday season. The whole thing is well written and entertaining and a perfect little bit of Christmas during the holidays.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a fun holiday addition to the A Stitch in Time series. You do need to read the previous book to understand what is going on here (at least the 2nd book in the series). I continue to really enjoy this odd combination of time travel, historical fiction, and supernatural ghost sightings. I would recommend to fans of this series; this was a fun and quick holiday read.
