About the Book:
At twenty-seven, Hadley is still trying to get free of the weight she's carried all her life-entering foster care at age five, getting arrested at seventeen for arson, and losing her boyfriend, Monroe, when she needed him most.
Monroe never wanted to walk out on Hadley. He'd understood her, from her desire to help children with speech issues to her intense temper. But when she was arrested, he became haunted by what he knew and convinced his only choice was to end their relationship.
Almost ten years later, Hadley and Monroe are both specialists in the field of speech therapy. They meet again...thrown together to help a four-year-old girl who's been rendered mute after being rescued from an apartment fire.
Years of secrets and anger beg to be set free as Hadley and Monroe try to push aside past hurts and find common ground in order to help the traumatized young girl and her family.
Can the love of Christmas past drift into the present, bringing healing and hope for all?
About the Authors:
Cindy Woodsmall is the New York Times and CBA best-selling author of eighteen works of fiction. She's been featured in national media outlets such as ABC's Nightline and the Wall Street Journal. Cindy has won numerous awards and has been a finalist for the prestigious Christy, Rita, and Carol awards. Cindy and her husband reside near the foothills of the North Georgia mountains. She can be found online at www.cindywoodsmall.com .
Erin Woodsmall is a writer, musician, wife, and mom of three. She has edited, brainstormed, and researched books with Cindy for almost a decade. She is very excited about their first coauthored book. How could a Southern gal not enjoy research time in Asheville, North Carolina, as part of the job?
What I Thought:
I am a fan of Cindy Woodsmall, and have read all of her books. I was excited to read something other than Amish fiction that she had written, and with her daughter-in-law Erin also writing the book, it was even more interesting.
The Gift of Christmas Past was a fun romance to read. I enjoyed the characters-as usual, with Cindy Woodsmall books, I felt like I really got to know the main characters by the end of the story. The authors did a good job of giving enough background of the main characters' teenage years to make the rest of the story understandable. Although I didn't feel that there was as strong of a Christmas presence as I expected by the title of the book, there were many aspects of the book that I enjoyed.
Having been a foster parent for many years, stories involving foster care always interest me. It was good to see foster kids who succeeded as adults and went on to get college educations. The speech therapy part of the story was also very interesting and educational, especially Apraxia, which one of my nieces was diagnosed with years ago.
There are a few recipes and discussion questions at the back of the book. The Gift of Christmas Past would be a great book for a book club, as there are many interesting topics to discuss.
*I received a copy of this book from the authors in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.
No comments:
Post a Comment