I promised myself I would read more Christmas stories this year and I have to say that I have really enjoyed these ones. I haven’t read anything by Jan Ruth before, but I definitely will again and I highly recommend that you give these stories a go if you’re looking for a good festive read to add to your list this Christmastime.

This book is made up of three separate short (but not mega short) stories. All are very different, but similar in the sense that they are all set at Christmastime (obviously!) and are all about love and relationships in one way or another.

Rudolph the Brown-Nosed Reindeer is about Rick who doesn’t realise what he has until it’s gone. He faces a lonely Christmas with only his work’s ‘team-building’ trip to look forward to! This is a lesson to us all about life being too short and not taking those we love for granted.

In Jim’s Christmas Carol we meet Jim who really does want his cake and eat it! Some people are never satisfied with what they have, sadly, and Jim is one of those people. Will he get the comeuppance he deserves?

Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly….. is quite an amusing story. Pip returns home for Christmas having split with her boyfriend, but finds herself telling a tall story to save face. However, all backfires and her little lies are revealed. Will she have her happy ending?

These stories are very well written. Each grabbed my attention immediately and held it to the end. A fascinating bunch of characters!

Many thanks to Jan Ruth for my review copy.

Via AmazonUK…..

An emotive trio of stories with festive themes.
Rudolph the Brown-Nosed Reindeer
Rick isn’t looking forward to his lonely corporate Christmas, but it’s the season of goodwill and magic is in the air.
An off-beat love story. It’s time Rick wore his heart on his sleeve, or is it too late? Lessons in love from an unlikely source.
Jim’s Christmas Carol
Santa and Satan pay a visit. One brings presents, the other an unwelcome presence.
Paranormal reality. Jim’s played with fire it’s time he got his comeuppance, but from who?
Home for Christmas
Deck the halls with boughs of holly. Fa la-la la-la, la-la la-la. Tis the Season to be jolly…
Romantic-comedy. Pip might accidentally find her true vocation, but the folly of her fibs are about to catch up with her.

About the author…..

Jan Ruth lives in Snowdonia, a mountainous area of North Wales, UK. Jan writes contemporary fiction about the darker side of the family dynamic, often blending life in rural Wales with a touch of city business. Her style is best described as fast-paced and realistic, with a sprinkling of dry humour.

The real story began at school, with prizes for short stories and poetry. She failed all things mathematical and scientific, and to this day struggles to make sense of anything numerical.
Her first novel – written in 1986 – attracted the attention of editor Anne Dewe, Andrew Mann Literary Agency, London. Dewe’s own company, Love Stories Ltd, was a project aiming to champion those books of substance which contained a romantic element but were perhaps directed towards the more mature reader and consistently fell through the net in traditional publishing. Summer in October was contracted immediately but sadly, the project failed to get the right financial backing and the company dissolved.
Many years later Jan’s second novel, Wild Water, was taken on by Jane C Judd Literary Agency, London. Despite Judd’s enthusiasm, the book failed to find the right niche with a publisher. And then Amazon changed the face of the industry with the advent of self-publishing and Jan went on to successfully publish several works of fiction under her own imprint, Celtic Connections. After a brief partnership with Accent Press in 2015, Jan chose to return to the freedom of independent publishing.
Wild Water won the Cornerstones competition for the most popular self-published book in 2011, and Midnight Sky won the Romantic Review Magazine Award (2013). Silver Rain (2015) and Wild Water (2016) were both finalists in the Wishing Shelf Awards. Jan’s books are available globally via Amazon as ebooks or paperbacks and locally, you’ll find them in North Wales libraries and Hinton’s bookshop of Conwy.
When she’s not reading or writing – Jan loves to ride and walk the Welsh hills; a constant source of inspiration. She is also an active trustee member for the RDA (Riding for the Disabled) and an Assistant Equine Facilitated Learning Practitioner.