HOLIDAY RELEASE DAY: Weddings, Christmas, and Such- Holiday Stories from Granby Knitting Series- Amy Lane

Reviewed by Linda Tonis

Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team

This is a collection of stories, some old and some new featuring the Granby family, Jeremy, Aiden, Craw, Ben, Stanley, Johnny, Ariadne, Rory and baby Persephone. I am not familiar with the Granby series or the characters, but it didn’t matter because I enjoyed all these stories.

The Gift of a Birthday Party:

Every birthday there is a celebration, and everyone has a party and gifts and a good time. This year it is Aiden’s birthday and the one that got a surprise was Jeremy. Jeremy is the only one who has never had a party and his actual birthday is unknown. Growing up with grifters’ birth dates were not a necessity just obtaining whatever they wanted by illegal means. It was those means that sent Jeremy to prison. Aiden refused to let another birthday go by without Jeremy celebrating one.

Bunnies:

Jeremy and Aiden have volunteered to watch three-and-a-half-year-old Persephone to give Ari and Rory a must needed five-day vacation. Persy was born with a cleft palate causing her speech problems, eating problems and the need for multiple operations. The pressure of everything going on has left Ari and Rory totally drained and this five-day respite will give them the strength for the next surgery coming up. Persy is an adorable child who deeply loves Jeremy, and she is very important to him. He always encourages Persephone to see herself as beautiful and she returns the favor since after being beaten when he looks in the mirror, he sees an ugly man.

And the Mountains Shall Crumble:

Jeremy and Aiden were planning their wedding, but life once again put their HEA in the rearview mirror.

Now they must deal with fires and a pandemic causing the loss of homes and the need to remove Persy from the area. She must be protected from both the fires and the virus, a virus that could be deadly for her. Chaos reigns supreme with everyone running to protect the animals and properties. When things finally settled down it was Thanksgiving and there was a lot to be thankful for.

Weddings and Such:

It has been three years since Covid, and the fire but now it is wedding time, not just one but two weddings. Without too much fanfare Ben and Craw have arranged to be married by a Justice of the Peace and have invited the people most important to them, Ari, Rory, Jeremy and Aiden and of course precious little Persephone.

Their wedding was filled with love, their vows brought tears to everyone’s eyes and now everyone is ready for the wedding of Jeremy and Aiden. Jeremy thought that their wedding would be like Craw and Ben’s, but all their friends and Aiden informed him that they were going to have a real wedding, vows, photographer, invitation, cake, flowers leaving nothing out. It took a while for Aiden to calm Jeremy down when he realized the magnitude of their upcoming wedding. Jeremy never had a real last name and now Aiden wants to give him his, Jeremy never had birthdays, or any celebrations and it is important to Aiden and all those that love Jeremy him in the spotlight telling the world how much he loves Aiden and all the Granby people he calls family. It doesn’t matter what Jeremy wants because it has been decided that he will be in the spotlight for those that love him to celebrate him.

This story was longer than the first two, but weddings and love should not be rushed, and this wedding went above and beyond thanks to Persephone, chickens and alpacas. This was a novella so more story the better.

Crocheting Hawks and Knitting Angels:

Christmas time and this story became a full-length novel and a gift for Amy Lane’s because it is new and has never been published so reason enough to run out and buy this book. Everyone is preparing for Christmas so knitting and crocheting are on everyone’s mind as they try to figure out what to make for each person in their lives. This is a story of love, freedom and courage and the two men who find a family with everyone in Granby.

Pippin and Gideon are on a snowmobile not paying attention to where they are going, only figuring that chasing the animals they see would be great fun. Unfortunately, they trespassed on Craw’s property and the animals they chased were animals that were not wild but belonged to the Granby bunch. When the animals start stampeding and are heading right for Persephone, Jeremy doesn’t hesitate to put her on the ground and lay on top of her. His injuries are numerous, and he requires a helicopter to take him to the hospital, once again Jeremy is badly hurt and once again Aiden is beside himself with fear.

Gideon and Pippin were riding the snowmobile and are heartbroken over the damage they caused willingly offering their services in any way that could help. With Jeremy in the hospital and unable to work they are short a man and that is where Gideon and Pippin fill in. Pippin’s father is very rich and comes for a few months during the holiday season, Gideon is his bodyguard and the man who will do anything to protect Pippin from his father’s abuse. Their story is wonderful as they bravely admit their feelings for each other and try to help after the damage they have created. Pippin’s father is a hateful individual determined to marry his son off to produce heirs after which his son will be worthless to him. Jeremy, Aiden and the rest rally around Pippin and Gideon facing off against Pippin’s father teaching them to crochet and knit and realizing what it means to have family, not of blood but of heart. The journey to a HEA for Pippin and Gideon will be filled with danger and obstacles but they won’t face them alone.

Short stories, a novella and a full-length novel all packed into one book.