Book Review of 'A Weary World Rejoices' by Stacy Monson, Eleanor Bertin, Johnnie Alexander, Angela D. Meyer, and Sara Davison

Hello Bookworms!

This month is whizzing by, and I feel like I can't catch up no matter what I do! Is anyone else struggling with this right now? I know it's going to get worse the closer we get to the holidays so I'm really trying to be intentional and do what I can but it's tough. More often than not I find myself in denial about just how much I need to do and while I'm procrastinating, I read books like the amazing anthology I am featuring today!

I hope you enjoy my thoughts on this Christian Christmas Anthology and don't forget to scroll to the bottom of this post and enter the amazing giveaway from JustRead Tours!

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for A Weary World Rejoices by Stacy Monson, Eleanor Bertin, Johnnie Alexander, Angela D. Meyer, and Sara Davison, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: A Weary World Rejoices
Series: A Mosaic Christmas Anthology VI
Authors: Stacy Monson, Eleanor Bertin, Johnnie Alexander, Angela D. Meyer, Sara Davison
Publisher: The Mosaic Collection, LLC
Release Date: October 16, 2024
Genre: Christian Christmas anthology

With nothing going as planned, will Christmas be a complete disaster this year?

The people in these stories are tired, weighed down by the struggles and cares of life. In the midst of their challenging situations, each receives an unexpected letter.

The Christmas Kiss – Stacy Monson
Unremarkable Sue – Eleanor Bertin
Love, Christmas – Johnnie Alexander
Gifting Christmas – Angela D. Meyer
The Back Door Christmas Tour Company – Sara Davison

Songs like "O Holy Night"are filling the airwaves and promising hope for a weary world, but what will it take for the men and women in these stories to experience true joy this Christmas?

A Weary World Rejoices is a collection of five stories about discovering joy in the midst of life's challenges—at Christmas and every day of the year.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

My Review

The weariness of the holidays can affect us all in different ways and that is perfectly exemplified in A Wear World Rejoices, the latest Mosaic anthology.

The compilation kicks off with The Christmas Kiss by Stacy Monson and I audibly squealed when I read the first page. If you’ve read the novella Piper’s Sweet Dream in the Sounds Like a Plan anthology, then you’ll recognize this story right away. I adored getting to know Piper and Finn and was so excited to see their story continue. Stacy does a great job of catching the reader up and seeing these two together again was such a treat. Seeing all the love and support that Piper receives from her community was so heartwarming after she’s endured so much. This was such a great start to the anthology, a wonderful surprise, and I hope that Finn and Piper will pop up again one day.

Unremarkable Sue by Eleanor Bertin is the next novella and this little unassuming story is truly a diamond in the rough, with the focus on a character that loves with her entire being and wants nothing for herself. She serves others unabashedly and is ok to not be noticed, feeling blessed to just exist with good people. Oftentimes we see heroines that are boisterous and want to stand out so to have the focus on such a quiet, yet powerful presence is refreshing.

Love, Christmas by Johnnie Alexander is the shortest novella in the bunch but it’s so sweet and such a wonderful concept that boils down to the unexpected effects of paying it forward. Due to its short length everything is kept surface level and sadly I was wanting more. This story felt more like a filler, which was heartbreaking as this story had so much potential. I would love to see this become a full novel in the future.

“Gifting is the best way to discover what you’re searching for” and this rings true in Gifting Christmas by Angela D. Meyer. A group of strangers are forced to spend the holidays together and after a rocky start they are collectively reminded of the true meaning of Christmas. Though it wasn’t the Christmas they’d planned for it was exactly what they all needed and despite the short length there was quite a bit of nuance in this story. This story hit my heart harder than expected and is incredibly touching. It is a great reminder that it is better to give than receive and sometimes we don’t get what we expect but we do get what we need.

The collection ends with the longest story in the batch, and my personal favorite, The Back Door Christmas Tour Company by Sara Davison. You can feel all the feels with this one. There is mystery that surrounds the entire trip itself, as well as the enigma that surrounds each person that is there with our protagonist, Rav. This could’ve easily been a standalone novel, and I would’ve been here for it! There is plenty of depth and character development despite the shorter length and I felt myself connecting with these flawed and beautiful characters despite the short amount of time that I got to know them. The end had me grinning from ear to ear, yet sad at the same time, as my time with this anthology had sadly come to a close.

While I have loved every Mosaic book that I’ve read so far (and there have been many) there is just something so special about the anthologies. I love how I can read a story in one sitting and have even been able to revisit other stories in this collection, which was exciting. I love how the length of each novella varies and how each story is so different, yet they all hold the same message and point to the same Truth. I can see this being a book that I come back to for years to come and feel immensely blessed that I had the opportunity to read it.

My Rating: ★★★★★

Also Available

About the Authors

Stacy Monson is the award-winning author of stories that reveal an extraordinary God at work in ordinary life. Residing in the beautiful, peaceful countryside outside of the Twin Cities with an old dog and 17 chickens. She has two kids, two wonderful in-law kids, and adores being G'ma to 7 amazing grandchildren.

Connect with Stacy at stacymonson.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

From her home in central Alberta, Canada, Eleanor Bertin writes fiction that ponders the depths of God’s love and mercy to humanity. She is the author of The Ties That Bind series, Lifelines, Unbound, and Tethered, the Burning Bright series, Flame of Mercy and Flicker of Trust, as well as the memoir, Pall of Silence, about her late son, Paul. She lives with her husband of 40 years and their youngest son, in what will someday be a beautiful century home.

Connect with Eleanor at eleanorbertinauthor.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

Johnnie Alexander is a wannabe vagabond with a heart for making memories. As a bestselling, award-winning novelist, she has written more than thirty works of fiction in a variety of genres. She is both traditionally and indie-published, serves as board secretary for the Mosaic Collection, LLC (an indie-author group) and faculty chair for the Mid-South Christian Writers Conference; co-hosts Writers Chat, a weekly online show; and contributes to the Heroes, Heroines, and History blog. A fan of classic movies, stacks of books, and road trips, Johnnie shares a life of quiet adventure with Rugby, her raccoon-treeing papillon. Her grands call her “The Shadow” and dutifully follow this unbreakable rule ~ only she is allowed to open a new bag of Classic Lay’s potato chips.

Connect with Johnnie at johnnie-alexander.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

Angela D. Meyer writes fiction that showcases God’s ability to redeem and restore the brokenness in our lives. Angela currently lives in Nebraska, where she and her husband homeschooled and graduated both of their children. Angela is a part of the Mosaic Collection and writes stories that showcase God’s redemption and restoration in our brokenness. Angela enjoys sunrises and sunsets, the ocean when she gets a chance to visit, and hopes to ride in a hot air balloon someday. Connect with Angela at angeladmeyer.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

Sara Davison is the author of The Night Guardians, The Rose Tattoo, two sparrows for a penny, and In the Shadows series, as well as the standalone, The Watcher. A finalist for more than a dozen national writing awards, including the Christy Award, Davison is a Holt Medallion, Cascade, and two-time Carol Award winner for romantic suspense. She lives in Ontario with her husband, Michael. Like every good Canadian, she loves coffee, hockey, poutine, and apologizing for no particular reason.

Connect with Sara at saradavison.org to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will win a paperback copy of A Weary World Rejoices as well as a metal wall hanging that says A Thrill of Hope, the Weary World Rejoices!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight October 14, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 21, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!