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| Multnomah WaterBrook Press ISBN: 9781601426482 |
White Christmas by Cara Putman follows a candy cane-making Purdue student with a vow to avoid romantic entanglements and the stoic farm boy dedicated to saving his family home who desperately needs the help the Turners can provide.
My thoughts: Early 1940s war rages and yet life goes on. Abigail's father is an attorney and she is a college student, but still she works two jobs and attends school. She meets Jackson in the candy store and learns that he is working to save the family farm (but not working the farm, more on that later) that is about to be foreclosed on. Sensing Jackson needs help to unravel the problem, Abigail takes him to her father who begins working on the issue. Jackson is not off fighting nor is he farming the land because as a child he had polio. Can Jackson's problems be unraveled? This is a sweet story abounding in friendly help and sweet romance.
Sarah Sundin's I'll Be Home for Christmas tells the story of a fighter pilot running on empty, a lonely widow, and a little girl searching for what she has lost. Will an unusual Christmas gift fill their hearts again?
My thoughts: When Pete Turner returns on furlough he meets Grace and it is under a distressful situation - Grace's little daughter has run off again. She does this looking for her father who died in WWII as a pilot. The sparks fly between Pete and Grace in more ways than one. They knew each other as children. Grace has issues with trust. The romantic interest twinkles and glows. But the heart of the story is little Linnie. You'll love her as she melts your heart and those of the characters in the story.
Finally, Tricia Goyer's novella Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas follows a combat nurse offering care and cheer to injured soldiers on the front lines as Christmas nears. When her patients and the Dutch villagers discover it is her birthday, they work together to give her a great gift---a reason to believe in love again.
My thoughts: This time the Turner family member is in the heart of WWII as a nurse tending the Allied wounded and some German soldiers as well. Tending a broken heart of her own, Meredith guards herself as she cares for the broken bodies of the soldiers. Her broken heart's past catches up with her in the Netherlands. What does it take to mend Meredith?
As I read these three intertwined novellas I was impressed with the talent these three gifted authors have for blending the lives of the Turner family from different character's aspects. The fact that the stories take place in different years and during the Christmas season of each year brings warmth and charm to them. I enjoyed these stories and think the quick novella reads are just right for the busy holiday season.
TRICIA GOYER is the author of 35 books and has published over 500 articles for national publications. CARA PUTMAN is the author of twelve novels and two novellas including Shadowed by Grace, and she is the winner of the 2008 Carol Award for historical fiction. SARAH SUNDIN is the author of the Wings of the Nightingale series and the Wings of Glory series.
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DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy in exchange for this review by Litfuse Publicity Group on behalf of the author and publisher. Opinions expressed are solely my own. I received no compensation for this review. | |
Wow, three great authors with three stories. I have a feeling this book is going to be the hit of the Christmas season.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Christmas story is when our family gathers and just before we open presents, my brother will read the Christmas Story from the Bible. It's always so special, because it's the real meaning of Christmas and why we celebrate.
ReplyDeleteBarbara Thompson
barbmaci61(at)yahoo(dot)com
I don't really have a favorite Christmas story but I'm thankful that every year I can be together with my family to celebrate the birth of our savior. No matter how far away I was living, I have always made it home for Christmas. Sometimes it's meant traveling many miles by plane and/or car, or traveling through a snow storm, but I've always been there. Being with family is very important to me.
ReplyDeletepmkellogg56[at]gmail[dot]com
Youtube: "I'll Be Home For Christmas" http://youtu.be/VFGfCn5rKIM
DeleteMy favorite Christmas story is The Christmas Shoes.
ReplyDeleteWith the passing of my father in law a few months ago, I keep thinking of him with my daughter on her first Christmas. Those two were such a pair. He was so proud of her. Not really a sweet story but a sweet memory.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading the Christmas Brides & loving them all :)
ReplyDeletedkstevensne AT outlook DOTcom
One of my favorite Christmas stories is the year that I participated in the family gift drawing of my then husbands family. I drew my sister-in-laws name and I purchased a gift for each stanza of "The Christmas Poem" (20+ gifts). My mother-in-law handed out presents. Between each gift she passed out, she would read a stanza of the poem, give the gift to my two year old daughter, and my daughter would give the gift the her aunt. Not only did my sister-in-law like the presents, but the family liked getting involved in the process!
ReplyDeleteI would have to say my favorite Christmas Story is the actual Christmas Story from the Bible.
ReplyDeleteLike most families, at Christmas we like to reminisce about bygone Christmases. One story that often comes up is the one about the time my husband and I coincidentally each bought the other a new office chair. The funniest part was that I liked the chair I bought best and my husband liked the chair he bought best. So, we each kept the chair we bought, rather than the one we received. It worked out well!
ReplyDeleteI love sharing family Christmas memories, starting with our 1st Christmas... me trudging through the snow 8 months pregnant to cut a tree. OK, my husband did the cutting part. :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Christmas story is The night before Christmas.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite family Christmas story goes back almost 20 years ago. I tried staying up late to bake with my mom, but when she was finally ready to start, I fell asleep. She still kids me about it today.
ReplyDeleteAside from the "real" Christmas story, I would say the Little Match Girl is my favorite.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Christmas story? Being able to celebrate my first Christmas with my fiance' this year!
ReplyDeleteI love the series by Donna Vanliere that began with The Christmas Shoes. I also love the tradition of reading the story of Jesus's birth.
ReplyDeleteConnie
cps1950@gmail.com
I don' t have a sweet story but a funny memory from my childhood. At a Christmas Eve church service, everyone was holding candles. My sister bent over her candle and caught her bangs on fire. It wasn't funny at the time ( well, maybe a little) but I find it hilarious now :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Christmas story is hearing my grandma read the Christmas story from the bible. I'm almost 30 and am so thankful to still have her with us. I also like to read The Christmas box by Richard Paul Evans. It is a really good book that I read every year at Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI just love the Christmas Story from Luke 2.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite Christmas memories is when the entire family was up at our grandparents'. I have no idea where all of our parents were, but all of us cousins were gathered in the living room playing the card game Spoons. We had to teach one of my cousins to play. By the time he had a complete set of cards, all of the spoons had been taken. My oldest cousin told him to grab a spoon, and when he saw they were all gone, he was like "how'd that happen?" We ended up using that round as a practice round.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Christmas story: getting to spend Christmas with my husband this year. He was deployed last year, so this one is really special to us. :)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy! And revel in the blessing of having him home!
DeleteMy favorite Christmas story is about the year I got the book 'Lucy Winchester' by Christmas Carol Kauffman (sp?) for a Christmas present. Oh how I cried as I read it and I'm still a weepy sap today when it's a good book! I thought it was pretty neat that I got a book from that author on that holiday.
ReplyDeleteI love Tricia Goyer, and I am amazed that three authors can work together to write connected stories like this and do it well. As for my favorite Christmas story, well, that has to be the birth of Jesus! :) Thanks so much for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday this week! Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteTina
My favorite Christmas was - Our first Christmas with our first Grandchild , every one was home for Christmas :) dkstevensneAT outlook DOTCom
ReplyDelete