first story was sweet, second more risque and the third unclean to me, not what I expected. Writer has plenty of whit, don't understand why she have to add graphic sex to her stories.

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Included in this book were 3 of Carla Kellys stories; they are about three generations in one family. Each story takes place in a different locale and time.

A Christmas in Paradise This story takes place in 1812; British naval surgeon Thomas Wilkie is stranded in California, waiting to be rescued. Family problems smear Laura Ortiz life and she is shunned by her neighbors.

Thomas enters into a marriage of convenience with Laura because she has nowhere to turn, nowhere to live. Thomas promises her that people will forget about their anger when she acts as his nursing assistant. It doesnt take long for Thomas and the community to realize that they are well-matched.

Because this story was long, readers learn some California history and about naval rules and regulations. I believe that I always come away from a Carla Kelly book enriched by the history she shares while telling her tale.

O Christmas Tree This story takes up with Thomas and Lauras widowed daughter, Lilian, who is serving in a hospital opened by Florence Nightingale. The time is the Crimean War in 1855; the scene is Anatolia.

Florence has sent an American, Major Trey Wharton (an observer), to organize and administer this particular, chaotic hospital. Story development was hampered by the few pages the author had.

Lilian wants a Christmas tree for the wounded and seriously ill soldiers in the hospital something to remind them of home. She has to bargain for it and therein is a wonderful tale.

No Crib for a Bed The story of the Wilkie-Wharton family takes up in 1877; Capt. Wilkie Wharton is leaving Fort Laramie to go home for Christmas and to get married. He has not seen his fiancée in two years and he is worried about their relationship. Her letters are vapid and shallow.

His plan to catch up on his medical reading is thwarted when Wilkie is given the assignment to keep an eye on his assistants daughter (and fort school teacher), Mary Francis Coughlin, and a white former captive of the Cheyenne, who is being returned to her white family over her objections.

The author shares the misery of the immigrant experience in the railroad cars. Wilkie tends to the poor immigrants and eventually delivers a baby girl to a mother who has died. Wilkie soon realizes that he cannot marry his fiancée; he is in love with Frannie Coughlin.

I loved the three stories about the same family; it was like reading a book that paused and restarted at a later date. The reader is able to see how the family progresses over the years. Delightful!

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I've read several of Carla Kelly's books. This one is quite delightful because it is 3 novellas about the same family over time, from 1812, to 1855, to 1877. None of the settings is typical, which makes it all the better. I recommend this book if you like historical romance.

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What I like about Carla Kelly is that her stories are usually well developed and the hero and heroines are not cooky cutter idiots, like so many historical romances. The first story seemed a little rushed at the end; the second really needed another 50 pages to develop the romance and th third was a bit unrealistic when you consider the sex on the train. I think Ms Kelly needs more pages to develop her characters to her usual standard. I love her books, and recommend this one which is not as good as her longer novels, but still in the same style which she does so well.

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