A Thrill in the Air

Title: A Thrill in the Air
Authors: Milla Holt, Lorna Seilstad, Eleanor Bertin, Sara Davison, Brenda S. Anderson, Deb Elkink, Candace West, and Johnnie Alexander
Series: Mosaic Christmas Anthology V
Major Themes: Christmas, Romance, Marriage
Synopsis: Eight diverse stories set at Christmas time encourage people to love God and their spouse, and warm the heart.

I have had the privilege to read several books from The Mosaic Collection. Something fascinating (to me) about this collection is how so many authors have contributed to it, and every one that I have read has been inspiring. This is the third Mosaic Christmas Anthology that I have read, and each time, I have been surprised by how many of the stories I liked in each one. There are eight stories, ranging from a short story to a short novella, included in A Thrill in the Air, this year’s anthology.

The first novella is Milla Holt’s The Prodigal’s Feast. This one is set in Norway. Linnea has decided that she is done with being her family’s black sheep. In order to prove to her parents and sister that she has changed, and to show them how far she has come, she is going to host Christmas dinner. When things go wrong, will her family think she is the same as before, or will they be able to see past her mistakes?

Next up is A Merrytime Cruise by Lorna Seilstad. Rick and Meredith are going to get a divorce, but they haven’t told anyone yet—they decided to wait and give their children one last happy Christmas. They go on a Christmas cruise to the Bahamas with both children and her parents—and learn that there is a lot more to Christmas, and their marriage, than they thought before.

One of my favorite stories is Eleanor Bertin’s Meg and the E-Monster. Meg is a young mother staying home with the children while her husband works to support them as well as takes classes. She has to make do with a thrift store budget when she would really love to decorate her house Pottery Barn style. Every time she visits her friend Hayley, the monster named Envy gets bigger and bigger inside her. 

Something that happened in Sara Davison’s The Other Way caught me off guard. Cassandra White was on her way to spend the holidays in New York City, but God had other plans. Cassie was never planning to see her sister again after what Daria did to her, but circumstances dictated otherwise.

I loved The Home for Christmas Challenge by Brenda S. Anderson. Once again, I was surprised by something that came up in this story, and had to read it a couple of times to make sure I was reading it correctly. I love books that do that! Lee has raised his daughter Amelia alone since her mother abandoned them years ago, but now Amelia has organized a blind date for him. What will that do to his holiday plans?

Scrabbling, by Deb Elkink is a sweet, sad story. The real handicap is not always the one you can see!

Candace West’s The Angel Voices is a beautiful picture of forgiveness. Years ago, Natalie did something unforgivable—what will it take to rebuild a relationship with Chloe?

Christmas Comes to Springlight, by Johnnie Alexander, was one of my least favorites. I think that was because of the constant repetition and alliteration. Some of it is cute…but this one had so much that I found myself irritated! The story itself has a good lesson and a surprising twist.

The only story in A Thrill in the Air that I really didn’t like was the one that had a divorced woman on the way to remarrying. I was thankful that only one was that way. I also liked that four of the stories had nothing to do with romance—they told a good story without that element! With such a high percentage of stories that I liked, I will be watching for future anthologies from the Mosaic Collection.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

WARNING: Gee, dang, and geez are used in The Home for Christmas Challenge.

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