The Christmas Star

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RANDOM RETRO READ DAY

VANLIERE, DONNA

THE CHRISTMAS STAR

Thirty-two-year-old Amy Denison volunteers at Glory's place, an after-school program where she meets seven-year-old Maddie, a precocious young girl who has spent her childhood in foster care. Unbeknownst to Amy, Maddie is a mini-matchmaker, with her eye on just the right man for Amy at Grandon Elementary School, where she is a student. Amy is hesitant -- she's been hurt before and isn't sure she's ready to lose her heart again -- but an unexpected surprise makes her reconsider her lonely lifestyle.

As Christmas nears and the town is blanketed in snow and beautiful decorations. Maddie and the charming staff at Glory's Place help Amy to see that romance can be more than heartache and broken promises.

In The Christmas Star, Donna Van Liere delivers yet another sweet, joyous story that is sure to capture readers' hearts.

My Review:

published in 2018

This is the second book I've read by Donna VanLiere -- also, obviously, the second in her long list of short Christmas novels, some of which have even been made into movies. I read The Christmas Table last year and rushed to my library to for more VanLiere novels only to find them all checked out with hefty holds lists. Fast forward a year and I decided to get a head start on my Christmas reading, this time  well ahead of those pesky holds!

The Christmas Star embraces the spirit of Christmas through characters who are striving to live faith-filled lives. They aren't perfect, some can be downright snarly (I'm looking at you, Miriam) but all of them have hearts of gold and generous spirits.

Star among them is seven-year-old Maddie, matchmaking wannabe who seems to have a direct line with Heaven in the matter-of-fact way innocent children have. I was prepared for a cute, light romance with festive flare. What I got was a shattering "Oh! Uh-oh!!! Yikes!!!" moment that switched to  "Uh-huh, amen!" by the end of the book. And tons of deep, abiding, life-affirming faith moments that crescendo into  a glorious finale! In short, sweet holiday perfection.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Christmas Star, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. 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 Saturday September 18 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

The Christmas Table

 

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VANLIERE, DONNA

THE CHRISTMAS TABLE

From Donna VanLiere, the New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Hope series comes another heartwarming, inspirational story for the holidays.

In June 1972, John Creighton determines to build his wife Joan a kitchen table. His largest project to date had been picture frames but he promises to have the table ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Inspired to put something delicious on the table, Joan turns to her mother's recipes she had given to Joan when she and John married.

In June 2012 Lauren Mabrey discovers she's pregnant. Gloria, Miriam and the rest of her friends at Glory's Place begin to pitch in, helping Lauren prepare their home for the baby. On a visit to the local furniture builder, Lauren finds a table that he bought at a garage sale but has recently refinished. Once home, a drawer is discovered under the table which contains a stack of recipe cards. 

Growing up in one foster home after another, Lauren never learned to cook and is fascinated as she reads through the cards. Personal notes have been written one each one from the mother to her daughter and time and again Lauren wonders where they lived, when they lived, and in a strange way, she feels connected to this mother and her daughter and wants to make the mother proud.

The story continues to switch from 1972 to 2012 as Joan battles breast cancer and Lauren learns to cook, preparing for the baby's arrival. As Christmas nears, can Lauren unlock the mystery of the table, and find the peace she's always longed for?

MY REVIEW:

This is my first Donna VanLiere book and I can see I've been missing out on a lot! The Christmas Table is the tenth book in The Christmas Hope series and, while it can definitely be read as a standalone, I did feel a bit overwhelmed at first with all the folks at Glory's Place. I got the distinct impression that their stories have been told in previous books. But I caught on to their quirks pretty quickly and I'm now hungering for more. Luckily, my library has the whole series so I've just put a bunch of them on hold. :-)

This shorter length novel packs an emotional punch as it embraces the true meaning of friendship and love and living in community with one another. And the way faith draws them all together. I got teary at the end.

And I loved the dual timeline aspect and the way the recipes almost write their own story. In fact, the author has included full recipes at the end of the book which is an added bonus.

A heartwarming faith and family feel-good holiday read.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Please note: this giveaway is for an ebook edition.

If you would like a chance to win an ebook copy of The Christmas Table, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your 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 October 24 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!