Now that I finally have things mostly unpacked and have somewhat settled in to a bit of a daily routine, I have finally been able to tackle my stack of books to read!
"The Christmas Note" by Donna VanLiere
The Christmas Note by Donna VanLiere, is a delightful little read for not just the Christmas season, but for anytime during the year.
Here is the book’s description:
From the author of The Christmas Shoes comes a new inspirational novel about an unlikely friendship between two women, but one that will change each of their lives forever.
Gretchen McCray has recently moved into an apartment with her two children to be closer to her mother, Miriam. She and her children are building a life together in a new community when a mysterious young woman, Melissa Summit, moves into the apartment next to them. She has few possessions, little personality, and keeps to herself.
One day, a local landlord who is looking for Melissa knocks on Gretchen’s door for assistance. Melissa’s mother has died and in the coming weeks the landlord needs Melissa to empty her mother’s apartment. Gretchen reaches out and offers to help, but the apartment is a gut-wrenching shamble of a home.
There is little worth saving except for a few photos and a note that is discovered on the crate beside the bed. It is unfinished but in the two scribbled lines, Melissa discovers she has a brother and a sister that she never knew about. Even more shocking, she begins to uncover family secrets that show her who she really is.
Can two very different women embark on a journey that explores a long-buried need for forgiveness, hope, and redemption?
I found this book to be a nice, easy read and enjoyed the ending the best. I wouldn’t recommend this book to everyone, only because at times it seemed to drag on a bit. I think the author was mainly able to keep my interest via the writing the story through the eyes of either Melissa or Gretchen with each new chapter. After sticking with it and reading this book over the course of a few evenings while relaxing with a nice cup of tea, some of the – what others might consider to be – “boring” details showed their significance once the story came to a close. If you are stuck in the house due to a snow fall and want to curl up with something to read and a cup of something warm to drink, I would recommend this book. If you are looking for something that will keep you on edge with the constant questioning of “what’s going to happen next?” — then I suggest you read something else. Otherwise, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest, I give this book either a 6 or a 7.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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