It is a few weeks before Christmas when Gretchen moves into a new condo with her children Emma and Ethan in order to be closer to her mother. Gretchen is content to unpack boxes and get settled into her new home and life. However, an unexpected visitor shows up, forcing her to extend a helping hand to her new not-to-be-bothered neighbor, Melissa.
When Melissa's mother dies, Melissa sheds no tears. The life she has had up to this point has been rocky at best and she blames her mother. When Melissa and Gretchen go to the apartment to clean out all Melissa's mother's things, there is nothing there worth having, except for a couple of photos and the beginning of a note, only two short scribbled lines, to Melissa from her mother. The note leads Melissa to find who she really is and family she didn't know she had.
I love Christmas so stories about the season always warm my heart. I loved both Gretchen and Melissa. They both have imperfect lives and are dealing with difficulties life has thrown their way. Both need to find peace within their circumstances. Through these circumstances their lives become more and more intertwined.
While much of the story is easy to predict, the author, Donna VanLiere, places a good deal of twists and surprises that make you want to keep reading. This story of Christmas miracles warmed my heart and is one I would recommend to just about anyone through the holidays. If I understand correctly, this is the 9th in the series of Christmas stories by Ms. VanLiere but stands alone so do not be concerned if you have not read the other eight. I hope to be able to find the others at my library.
I received this book from Book Sneeze in exchange for my honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment