The crunch of newly fallen snow, the weight of wartime
Siblings forging new paths and finding love in three stories, filled with the wonder of Christmas
Turn back the clock to a different time, listen to Bing Crosby sing of sleigh bells in the snow, as the realities of America’s involvement in the Second World War change the lives of the Turner family in Lafayette, Indiana.
In Cara Putman’s White Christmas, Abigail Turner is holding down the Home Front as a college student and a part-time employee at a one-of-a-kind candy shop. Loss of a beau to the war has Abigail skittish about romantic entanglements—until a hard-working young man with a serious problem needs her help.
Abigail’s brother Pete is a fighter pilot hero returned from the European Theater in Sarah Sundin’s I’ll Be Home for Christmas, trying to recapture the hope and peace his time at war has eroded. But when he encounters a precocious little girl in need of Pete’s friendship, can he convince her widowed mother that he’s no longer the bully she once knew?
In Tricia Goyer’s Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Meredith Turner, “Merry” to those who know her best, is using her skills as a combat nurse on the frontline in the Netherlands. Halfway around the world from home, Merry never expects to face her deepest betrayal head on, but that’s precisely what God has in mind to redeem her broken heart.
The Turner family believes in God’s providence during such a tumultuous time. Can they absorb the miracle of Christ’s birth and His plan for a future?
My Thoughts
From the moment I heard about this collection I knew I wanted to read it! Not only was it WWII, which is my favorite time period, but it was also about siblings and I love when there is a collection of books about families! Then to top it off one of the authors is one of my absolute favorites, another I'd really enjoyed a few of her books, and the third I hadn't read before but I'd heard good things! So it goes without saying that I was pretty psyched to read this book and thankfully it did not disappoint!
Winter Wonderland (Prologue) The perfect way to start off and set the mood for this collection! I loved the chance to get to meet the characters before their individual stories began.
White Christmas. First of all I loved sharing a name with the heroine of this story, it's always fun to read books that have your name in them! But beyond that, I loved Jackson and Abigail! Their story was so sweet and I loved how everything played out for them. Jackson was so nice and sweet that it was no wonder he broke through Abigail's barriers almost seamlessly, and I loved how Abigail's gentle nature was just what Jackson needed to open up about his problem. Their romance was well paced and I enjoyed every minute of it!
I'll be Home for Christmas. This one was definitely my favorite of the three! I read this story in pretty much one sitting and it was the perfect thing to be reading as we celebrated Veteran's Day! Pete was amazing! I loved that he was a pilot and it was cool to see how events from the past had changed him into the hero he was. But in that change he lost his joy and it was so cute to watch God through Grace and Linnie help him find it again. And speaking of Grace and Linnie, I loved them too! Grace was a bit closed off, which was understandable due to all she'd gone through but I loved seeing Pete wear down her defenses bit bit. And Linnie was an adorable precocious bundle of energy that you couldn't help loving. In case you couldn't tell I loved everything about this novella from start to finish!
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas-This tale was definitely a bit different from what you normally expect from a novella but that did not mean that I didn't enjoy it! Instead of having two people meet and fall in love it was about David and Merry, two people who'd been in love until David suddenly left the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. They end up in the same town in the Netherlands without knowing each other was there. So the majority of the story the couple spent apart, which as I mentioned is unique for a novella but the author made it work and it made their reunion all the sweeter. I loved how they each had sacrificed to do their part to thwart Hitler's plans, Merry through nursing wounded soldiers and David through helping the underground rescue and hide people. So even though it was outside the norm I did really enjoy this story too!
Let It Snow, Let it Snow (Epilogue) This epilogue made me smile a lot! It was cool to see all of the family together and it was the perfect ending to a beautiful collection!
Meet the Authors
CARA PUTMAN is a woman living a dream God planted in her heart years ago.An honors graduate of University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Go Huskers!) and George Mason Law School, Cara is an attorney licensed in Virginia and Indiana. She clerked for the Honorable Loren Smith at the Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C. before following her husband to Indiana.
In 2005 she attended a book signing at her local Christian bookstore. At the book signing her husband told Colleen Coble that she wanted to be writer. She's been running ever since to keep up.
Cara is also an attorney, wife, mom to three, homeschool teacher, occasional professor at Purdue, women's ministry leader, and all around crazy woman. Crazy about God, her husband and her kids that is.
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SARAH SUNDIN is the critically-acclaimed author of the Wings of the Nightingale series, the Wings of Glory series, and the forthcoming Waves of Freedom novels. In 2011, A Memory Between Us was a finalist in the Inspirational Reader's Choice Awards, and Sarah received the Writer of the Year Award at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. A graduate of UC San Francisco School of Pharmacy, she works on call as a hospital pharmacist. During WWII, her grandfather served as a pharmacist's mate (medic) in the Navy and her great-uncle flew with the US Eighth Air Force in England. Sarah lives in California, with her husband and three children.Website, Facebook, Twitter
TRICIA GOYER is the USA Today bestselling author of more than 40 books, including the novelization for Moms’ Night Out. She has written over 500 articles for national publications and blogs for high traffic sites like TheBetterMom.com and MomLifeToday.com. Tricia and her husband, John, live in Little Rock, Arkansas, where Tricia coordinates a Teen MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group. They have six children.
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I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
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