| GIVEAWAY |
A SIMPLE CHRISTMAS
The rustic beauty of a country Christmas fills the Simple Gifts crafts shop, while the Amish residents of Willow Ridge pull together in uncertain times -- and in the face of an unexpected homecoming.
Nora Hooley's shop is abuzz with preparations for the holiday open house, and Rosalyn Riehl is handcrafting wreaths from everygreen boughs, pinecones, and other natural materials. The work is a welcome diversion for the only unmarried daughter of Cornelius Riehl: her gruff dat has been receiving envelopes marked Past Due, leaving dutiful Rosalyn to manage the household's inexplicably shrinking budget. Then another distraction swaggers into Simple Gifts -- blue-jeaned and leather-jacketed, with a reputation that precedes him.
Marcus Hooley hightailed it to Willow Ridge on a wing and a prayer -- not that he's the praying type. He rejected his Amish roots long ago. But behind the bad-boy attitude is a gifted horse trainer who's counting on some bent-but-not-broken family ties to throw him a lifeline. He can't erase his past, but a sparking attraction with strong, spirited Rosalyn holds the promise of a second chance...and of shedding light on shadowy secrets to build a bright tomorrow.
My Review:
Our regularly scheduled Retro-Read is preempted by some seasonal literary cheer.
A Simple Christmas is anything but as this prodigal son story morphs into so much more. Plenty of angst and drama and complications galore. I wasn't enamored with Marcus in the beginning. He's pretty brash and intolerable but it isn't long before the good folk of Willow Ridge work some Christmas magic on him -- along with some much needed tough love! And the lure of Rosalyn Riehl goes a long way towards smoothing some of Marcus's rough edges. This is the kind of love story that pulls at your heartstrings and surprises a reader with unexpected twists and turns.
A Simple Christmas is the third book in the Simple Gifts series and I think it's best if you read the books in order. I didn't, and while I enjoyed the story, there were times I floundered a bit as a few plot points have been carried over from previous books. Plus, there's an extensive list of secondary characters to get acquainted with all at once. I still enjoyed the read though --- a sweet seasonal love story guaranteed to deliver some holiday cheer.
GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:
If you would like a chance to win a copy of A Simple Christmas, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday November 11 2108. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!