Tag Archives: Holly Schindler

November 27, 2025 · 1:00 am

A Review of Come December

Title: Come December

Author: Holly Schindler

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: December 7, 2022

Genres: Holiday, Paranormal, Contemporary

Length: 24 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb:

A sweet, short holiday tale about opening yourself up to magical possibilities. Natalie is new to town, and feels invisible and painfully alone…until a mysterious stranger in a cemetery changes everything. Come December is the first installment of Forever Finley, a collection of stand-alone episodes or short stories that released once a month throughout 2016. Subsequent releases include: January Thaw, Forget February, Dearest March…, April’s Promise, Mayday Mayday Mayday, Chasing June, A Hundred Julys, Under the August Moon, Song for September, October Omen, and the Forever Finley Finale (Pale November / December Bells). Stories can be purchased individually, or readers can purchase all installments in Forever Finley: An Episodic Novel.

Content Warning: Grief and loneliness.

Review:

Loneliness only makes the holidays even harder.

Thanksgiving isn’t a common setting in the books I read, so I was intrigued when I realized that November and early December was when Natalie had the experiences she had here. I also appreciated the fact that she was such a lonely character as that isn’t a typical theme in Thanksgiving stories either. There is definitely something to be said for exploring a few of the many reasons why someone might find the holidays difficult and why not everyone is filled with cheer at the end of the year. I would read Thanksgiving and other holiday-themed stories much more often if this were commonplace.

This included a light, friendly paranormal twist that was in no way scary, so no worries to anyone reading this who might be a little nervous at the thought of reading about a ghost. It was an important part of the storyline in the sense that Natalie valued those conversations and the first friendly person she met after moving, but it could also be read as a metaphor for adjusting to a new town and having to start all over again with making friends and putting down roots.

The romantic subplot, too, was handled gently, so I also want to reassure anyone who doesn’t usually enjoy that genre that this is a sweet introduction to it. Romance is interesting to me when it’s a small part of a much bigger story whose main conflicts involve other aspects of life, and that’s exactly what happened in this tale. If you ask me, this is a great example of how to seamlessly incorporate romantic elements without allowing them to overshadow everything else that’s going on with the characters, so kudos to Ms. Schindler for finding the perfect balance here for everyone from diehard romance fans to those of us who are more hesitant about the genre but occasionally willing to visit it.

Come December was a heartwarming and life-affirming Thanksgiving read.

A Review of October Omen

Title: October Omen

Author: Holly Schindler

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: December 7, 2022

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

Length: 42 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

Forever Finley Episode / Short Story #11: Superstitions float around us constantly. We choose to believe or discount them based on where our hearts happen to be at that particular moment.

Kelly Marx, Finley’s premiere wedding planner and dress designer, is on a mission to get access to a Civil War-era shawl for Natalie, the latest bride to hire her. But Mary, the elderly owner of the shawl, isn’t the only force to come between Kelly and her goal. When the shawl goes missing, Kelly also encounters mysterious characters and a slew of bad omens—but what does it all add up to? What does it foretell? Where will Kelly’s skeptical heart lead her?

October Omen is the eleventh installment in Forever Finley, a series of stand-alone episodes or short stories that released once a month throughout 2016. Previous releases include: Come December, January Thaw, Forget February, Dearest March…, April’s Promise, Mayday Mayday Mayday, Chasing June, A Hundred Julys, Under the August Moon, and Song for September. Stories following October Omen include the Forever Finley Finale (Pale November / December Bells). Stories can be purchased individually, or readers can purchase all installments in Forever Finley: An Episodic Novel.

Content Warning:

Review:

Many things are possible as daylight melts into dusk.

This was a cozy read that made me want to snuggle under the covers and drink a hot cocoa. The conflicts the characters faced, while important, were ultimately pretty low stakes and relaxing to read about. This wasn’t one of those books where the fate of the entire world lays in the hands of one unsuspecting hero. Instead, it was about sewing, wedding planning, and maybe encountering a few friendly ghosts along the way. There is definitely something to be said for fiction about the simple joys of life, and I look forward to continuing on with these characters in the future.

I found myself wishing for more answers as I dove into my third experience in this universe. Take the genre classifications like romance, paranormal, and fantasy lightly because these books have gently broken many of the tropes associated with all of them so far. Sometimes the descriptions felt more like a dream than a story in that conventional dialogue, character development, plot development didn’t always show up the way I expected them to. Sometimes there are holes in this series that, at least so far, have asked readers to accept certain things without explaining why they were written that way. I don’t mind some of that in moderation, but it was a little excessive for my tastes at times and it is something to keep in mind for readers who have firmer expectations about the genres they read.

Such a whimsical writing style does have its advantages as well, though. If you are curious about stepping into any of these genres, perhaps even for the first time, this could be a good place to begin. There was nothing scary or explicit in this tale. The hauntings could have other explanations depending on how a reader interpreted certain key moments, and the romantic elements of the story were sweet and gentle. It often felt like the literary equivalent of trying various samples of ice cream at an ice cream shop before committing to buying a cone or even an entire pint of which ever flavour – or genre – you might prefer.

This is part of a series that can be read in any order.

October Omen was a heartwarming start to Halloween season.

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Filed under Science Fiction and Fantasy

Tagged as 2020s, Book Reviews, Fantasy, Halloween, Holly Schindler, Paranormal, Romance, Self-Published, Short Story

September 4, 2025 · 1:00 am

A Review of Song for September

Title: Song for September

Author: Holly Schindler

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: December 7, 2022. Originally published in 2016.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal

Length: 40 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

Forever Finley Episode / Short Story #10: Dreams often linger like a haunting melody.

Michael is a failed musician at heart and a coffee shop barista by day. Will the century-old legend of his hometown provide the magic he needs to finally succeed—and in so doing, will Michael have the power to assist in the long-awaited reunion of Finley’s first sweethearts?

Song for September is part of Forever Finley, a series of stand-alone episodes or short stories that released once a month throughout 2016. Previous releases include: Come December, January Thaw, Forget February, Dearest March…, April’s Promise, Mayday Mayday Mayday, Chasing June, A Hundred Julys, and Under the August Moon. Stories following Song for September include October Omen and the Forever Finley Finale (Pale November / December Bells). Stories can be purchased individually, or readers can purchase all installments in Forever Finley: An Episodic Novel.

Content Warning:

Review:

Music is the heartbeat of life itself.

One of the things this series has done well so far is capturing the sorts of personalities of people who love living in small towns. I enjoyed getting to know Michael better and learning about why his attempt to move to Nashville and become a professional musician ended so quickly. While I can’t give away spoilers about that portion of the plot, it made a great deal of sense to me and helped to explain parts of his personality that weren’t so prevalent in Under the August Moon, the first book I read about these characters. Some people are best suited to small town life for all sorts of reasons, and I thought this provided a well-rounded look at several of them.

It would have been helpful to have a more thorough explanation of why Michael’s musical abilities had developed the way they had. Let’s just say that he isn’t exactly an ordinary musician in certain ways, although I can’t go into detail about that without giving away spoilers. It was confusing for me as a reader to never quite be sure what he was and wasn’t capable of. This is something I’m saying as someone who liked this tale and really wanted to give it a higher rating. The concept of it was intriguing, but I simply needed more information about how everything worked.

Relationships in rural places can be complex, so it has taken me a while to begin to understand how all of the characters are connected and what they genuinely think of one another. Some personality types get along better than others do which is a perfectly normal part of being human, but what made this tale so interesting was seeing how everyone made accommodations for each other – or sometimes maybe struggled to do that under certain circumstances – in order to keep their community as harmonious as possible. This sort of invisible emotional work can so easily be overlooked by a storyteller, but it brings layers of meaning to characters when an author is willing to dive deeply into the multitude of tiny ways a community is stitched together over time.

Song for September reminded me of the years I’ve spent living in small towns and what it’s like to live in that environment.

A Review of Under the August Moon

Title: Under the August Moon

Author: Holly Schindler

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: December 7, 2022. Originally published in 2016.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

Length: 34 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

Forever Finley Episode / Short Story #9: It has been said that seeds of love planted beneath an August moon will bind two meant to be together—forever.

Two different couples—one currently hoping to find common ground in their relationship, the other a legendary pair wandering the town in their relentless attempt to reunite—find their paths have suddenly intertwined like wild Midwestern vines under the red August Heart Moon. Will Mark and Jo decide their late-in-life romance can find new direction? And how will the fabled Finley’s search for her beloved Amos be impacted by the planting of her enchanted moon seeds?

Under the August Moon is part of Forever Finley, a series of stand-alone episodes or short stories that released once a month throughout 2016. Previous releases include Come December, January Thaw, Forget February, Dearest March…, April’s Promise, Mayday Mayday Mayday, Chasing June, and A Hundred Julys. Stories following Under the August Moon include Song for September, October Omen, and the Forever Finley Finale (Pale November / December Bells). Stories can be purchased individually, or readers can purchase all installments in Forever Finley: An Episodic Novel.

Review:

The hot, humid days of summer won’t last forever, but maybe romance will.

This was my first introduction to the Forever Finley series, and I was impressed by how I understood everything I needed to in order to get into this story. It’s not easy to write a series that can be read as standalone works and in any order, so I must tip my cap to Ms. Schindler for pulling this off. While there were definitely some scenes that I think will be more meaningful to fans who have met these characters before, I never felt out of my depth as I was reading. The mystery of the jar filled with invisible magic seeds was more than enough to keep my interest levels high.

I found myself wishing for more conflict as I was reading this. It was such a cozy little community that I certainly wouldn’t expect anything high stakes, but there were times when the plot felt a little slow due to how long it took the characters to figure out problems like finding a missing pair of overalls or encouraging neighbourhood children who snuck onto one character’s property and ate the blueberries that she had been planning to sell in order to afford Christmas presents and some festive food for that occasion to stop stealing fruit. Even a little more effort in this area would have been enough for me to choose a higher rating as I loved this world in general.

The romance was handled nicely, and I’m saying that as someone who only visits this genre occasionally. I understood why one of the characters involved in this relationship was having second thoughts, but I also thought they made a good match and hoped they’d be able to work this problem out. It was also interesting to take note of the paranormal elements of the storyline that were related to romance as that isn’t something I typically read about. They were handled nicely and have encouraged me to visit this world again soon.

Under the August Moon made me smile.

2 Comments

Filed under Science Fiction and Fantasy

Tagged as 2010s, Book Reviews, Fantasy, Holly Schindler, Paranormal, Romance, Self-Published, Short Story

Tag Archives: Holly Schindler

A Review of Come December

A Review of October Omen

A Review of Song for September

A Review of Under the August Moon

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