Reviewing: Once Upon A Christmas Carol: A Christmas Novella

 ...from the publisher...

Carol Langstrom hates Christmas. Growing up in a dysfunctional home, with a birthday on December 25 and too many dashed childhood expectations, the holiday season is something she would rather avoid. And working in the design industry where she manages seasonal decor for wealthy, entitled clients certainly hasn't helped!   

So, this year her goal is to flee to the Bahamas--by herself--bah humbug! But bad weather and God's radically different plan redirect her flight to blustery Michigan, where she gets stuck on her aunt's farm and discovers a different kind of Christmas--one wrapped in love, family, and holiday spirit.

...my thoughts...

I started reading Once Upon a Christmas Carol in 90-plus weather while lounging on the deck with a nice tall glass of iced tea. The cover of this book is enough to cool down the temperature a bit. It is when you open to the first pages that you realize the cozy scene with the lovely old red truck is in direct contrast to the perils of being stuck in an airport with no end in sight to escape to the intended vacation spot.

 

Carol Langstrom definitely is not a fan of the festive holiday season. Is it any wonder she feels this way when all is revealed to the reader about her lifelong haphazard experiences with both Christmas as a holiday and her birthday to boot? She cannot wait to escape to the tropics. Except, she can't escape the endless storm that has closed the airport! With a lot of time on her hands, she remembers that her mother's estranged sister lives in the area.

 Determined to get out of the miserable airport, Carol decides to take her chances, heads to her aunt's farm and is amazed at all that is before her. This charming story is one  that will stick with you. Life and family stories are not always as painted to be. Sometimes, it is just so much more. Perceptions, open hearts, and a lot of forgiveness can change hearts and lives that on the surface seem impossible. Melody Carlson's novella, Once Upon a Christmas Carol is a gift to read. One cannot read this and put it down with a smile. It is witty, it is heartwarming and a story you will want to share with others.  

 ...from the publisher...

Two years since Rosa Petersheim mysteriously disappeared from her Amish home, there has been no word from her. Her family and friends have suffered in the silence, though they have tried to move on with life.

Then one day Rosa just as suddenly reappears at her parent’s home. . .with a husband in tow.

Rosa is ashamed of the choices she made that caused her to leave home. And now that she is back, her father is not welcoming and her siblings and friends want explanations that she can’t give.

Will Rosa’s family accept her and Anthony? Can the Big Valley ever be home again?

...my thoughts...

The Pretender is the third and final book in the Miflin County Mystery series. I have not read the first two books in this series so I can say without reservation that this book can be read as a standalone novel.  

I enjoyed this story by Wanda E Brunstetter for several reasons. The characters are believable and not without the foibles of life that can make or break your day.  Rosa, the young Amish woman who is the main focus of this story convinces Anthony to drive her to the family home she left two years before.  There begins the ruse of this story as the two of them begin more than a journey from New York City to an Amish farmhouse to Anthony's greatest surprise.  It is the first of mny times that he wonders if she is the same woman he believed her to be.

What follows is a serious, yet comical story of life change, forgiveness and new beginnings.  I recommend this book for the reader looking for inspirational entertainment.  You'll find it all inside, including a strong dose of sibling rivalry, a strict Amish bishop and a young man who is open to supporting his friend as she mends the hole in the heart of her family once she had left their community.  There is much more to this story than meets the eye.

Reviewing: To Capture a Mountain Man by Robin Lee Hatcher