A Christmas Hope by Anne Perry

A very delightful, quick read. This book takes place during the Christmas holiday season in 1868 in London. The main characters are part of the elite upper crust of London society. Claudine Burroughs lacks for nothing except love. She and her husband married because it was expected of them - and they were both from good families - but it is a loveless marriage. Claudine is very unhappy and is seeking meaning to her life. She volunteers at a clinic that helps abused women. She is at a party where a young streetwalker is killed. A poet, Treggaron, is accused of the murder. Claudine is just not sure he did it and begins to investigate the murder. Having Treggaron take the fall for the murder is what the social elites would like to happen as the alternative is that one of their own did it. This is not something they can tolerate - as they are the elite and therefore they consider themselves better than everyone else. 

I wish though that the book wasn't just focused on solving the murder but went further to talk about how solving it changed the lives of those involved. Did Claudine find happiness and purpose? The book really leaves the reader hanging on this point. 

Starry Night by Debbie Macomber

For those of you that have followed my blog - when I read Christmas, Present - it was somewhat of a surprise as it wasn't the typical heartwarming, sweet Christmas story I was expecting. This one is! What a cute story. It is a romantic, love story. Really enjoyed reading this one. 

Carrie is a society page columnists for a newspaper in Chicago. Finn lives in the Alaskan wilderness. Finn writes a book about surviving in the wilderness and it becomes an instant best seller. Ever since his sudden fame, everyone is seeking an interview with Finn. He is a recluse - a loner. Finding him in the Alaskan wilderness is next to impossible. Yet, Carrie's editor has asked her to achieve the impossible. In order to advance her career, she has to prove herself by finding Finn and getting the interview. Carrie is determined to succeed. After meeting Finn, Carrie has to decide what is more important to her - writing the article and career success or a relationship with Finn. What opposites they are?!

Really cute, heartwarming story. While it takes place during the Thanksgiving to Christmas holiday season, it truly has little to do with the season. It could take place any time of the year but the holidays is a nice added touch. It is a beautiful romance story. 

The Chance by Karen Kingsbury

The Chance by Karen Kingsbury

This is the a blurb from the author on the book:

Years ago, the day before Ellie moved from Georgia to California, she and her best friend Nolan sat beneath the Spanish moss of an ancient oak tree where they wrote letters to each other, and sealed them in a rusty old metal box. The plan was to return eleven years later and read them. But now, as that date arrives, much has changed. Ellie, bereft of the faith she grew up with, is a single mom living in a tired apartment trying to make ends meet. Sometimes she watches television to catch a glimpse of her old friend —Nolan, now an NBA star, whose terrible personal tragedies fueled his faith and athletic drive in equal measure. But Nolan also suffers from a transcendent loneliness that nothing has ever eased.

In their separate lives, as Ellie and Nolan move toward the possibility of a reunion at the oak tree, Kingsbury weaves a tale of heart-wrenching loss, the power of faith, and the wounds that only love can heal.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very well written. I loved the story line. It was such a sweet story, very heartwarming. I do like Karen Kingsbury's writing style. I highly recommend reading this book. 

When Mockingbirds Sing by Billy Coffey

This is a brief blurb on what the book is about:

What marks the boundary between a miracle from God and the imagination of a child?Leah is a child from Away, isolated from her peers because of her stutter. But then she begins painting scenes that are epic in scope, brilliant in detail, and suffused with rich, prophetic imagery. When the event foreshadowed in the first painting dramatically comes true, the town of Mattingly takes notice.
Leah attributes her ability to foretell the future to an invisible friend she calls the Rainbow Man. Some of the townsfolk are enchanted with her. Others fear her. But there is one thing they all agree on—there is no such thing as the Rainbow Man.
Her father, the town psychologist, is falling apart over his inability to heal his daughter . . . or fix his marriage. And the town minister is unraveled by the notion that a mere child with no formal training may be hearing from God more clearly than he does.
While the town bickers over what to do with this strange child, the content of Leah’s paintings grows darker. Still, Leah insists that the Rainbow Man’s heart is pure. But then a dramatic and tragic turn of events leaves the town reeling and places everyone’s lives in danger. Now the people of Mattingly face a single choice:
Will they cling to what they know . . . or embrace the things Leah believes in that cannot be seen?

I really struggled with trying to understand the author's worldview as it affects this book. He is clearly trying to get the reader to believe that the "Rainbow Man" is God. In the bible, God is known by many names. Bible.org says this:

The Lord Jesus said in John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.” The many names in Scripture constitute additional revelation of God’s character, His works, and His relationship to us based on His character and works. The names which God chose for Himself and which are ascribed to Him in the Word of God are additional revelations of the who and what of God that we may know and relate to God.

Never once in the bible is 'Rainbow Man' used as a name for God. In this book, Rainbow man choses to reveal himself to a little girl that comes from an unbelieving family. She does not know God. She is an agnostic. In Romans 10:14 it states "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?" Yet, in this story the Rainbow man comes to an agnostic girl and she is used to warn people of upcoming danger. Is this really from God? In the bible God speaks against those who practice divination, or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. These are detestable practices to the Lord. (Deuteronomy 18:10-13) In the bible, God does use people to provide warning to turn from our sin - such as he used Jonah to go warn Ninevah. The Lord sent Nathan to rebuke David. (2 Samuel 12). So the Lord does use prophets to warn people and rebuke leaders. He has the power to use anyone but in the bible the Lord doesn't chose people that don't know Him. He does use people that are imperfect and even those that might choose to not listen at first - such as the case with Jonah. Nowhere does he call an agnostic to go out and preach that one should believe. How can an unbeliever bring people to faith? 

As I was reading the book I could clearly see the author trying to make the reader believe that the Rainbow man was a child's view of God. While I thought the book was well written, I do not believe the main premise of the author - that the Rainbow man is God trying to point people to faith. Scripture just doesn't back up the author's interpretation and therefore, I find it difficult to recommend this book.

This book was provided for free from Thomas Nelson through Booksneeze in exchange for a honest review. 

Duck the Halls by Donna Andrews

This book was really good. It is written with a dry sense of humor. I really loved the writing style. It is actually a murder mystery that takes place around the Christmas holidays. I know it will sound odd to say that it was a delightful Christmas book even though it is a murder mystery. Very delightful. Humorous. It begins with the town trying to solve the pranks that take place in the local churches. The pranks lead to murder but are they really connected? It takes place in a small town with all the humor that small towns enjoy - from people knowing everything about every one to the love and tolerance they all have for each other. I recommend reading this book - it was very cute. 

Christmas, Present

Christmas, Present by Jacquelyn Mitchard.

This book was very well written. I was a bit surprised though. I was looking for a warm hearted, touching Christmas story --- and this is not that. It was good but heavy and sad. After 14 years of marriage, on the way home from their anniversary dinner, Laura, the wife, experiences a major headache. At the hospital they discover it was a brain aneurysm and they have been told she has hours until she slips away. There is nothing the doctors can do. And on Christmas Eve she dies with her family surrounding her. It is ultimately very sad. Not much of a Christmas for the family.