Twelve Drummers Drumming/ C. C. Benison/ 384 pages

Twelve Drummers Drumming by C. C. Benison is the first offering of the Father Christmas series.  The reader is introduced to newly widowed Fr. Christmas and his daughter, Miranda.  They have just moved from London to the small village of Thornford Regis, a safe, friendly town.  That changes when the body of a young girl is found stuffed into a Japanese drum that was to be part of the May Fair.  Fr. Christmas works with the local police to solve the mystery.  Along the way the reader meets the locals in Thornford Regis and the nature of their relationships.  This was an interesting novel to read.  Of course, being the introduction of a series makes it more so, since the reader does not know who the 'regulars' are at this point.  If the reader likes cozy mysteries this should fit the bill nicely.

Considering Kate / Nora Roberts 288 p. Dec. 9 Ladies Dancing

In this 6th of Nora Robert's Stanislaski family series, Considering Kate, features Kate Stanislaski Kimball.  Kate returns home from a very successful ballet dance career to open a dance studio.  When she buys an historic but dilapidated building, she meets contractor Brody O'Connell.  As a widower, he is focused on his 6 year old son, Jack.  He resists Kate.  After all he is a solid, down-to-earth carpenter and she is the darling of the Stanislaski family and a super star in the ballet field.  Jack is quite the character and brings humor into the situation.  Roberts' fans will enjoy this fast-paced, character driven romance, set in West Virginia.