A Christmas Duet by Debbie Macomber

 

A happy, heartfelt holiday romance with all the small town Christmas trimmings!  This is a clean enjoyable story with believable characters. It’s characterized as Christian but it doesn’t have enough Christian content for me to call it that. However, there was nothing objectionable in it either.  I really liked this one! It’s exactly what we would expect in a holiday tale from this author.

Hailey Morgan is a music teacher whose real passion is writing songs, but she doesn’t have a lot of time to do it and doesn’t get any support from her family or her former boyfriend.  Her best friend and fellow teacher, Katherine Stockton, gives her the opportunity to spend the holidays in a rustic, secluded cabin so she can concentrate on her song writing.  Over her family’s protests, Hailey decides to go to the cabin without telling them where it is.  Upon arriving at the cabin she is greeted by an intruder, a very scarey racoon.  The local handyman, Jethro or Jay as he prefers to be called, comes to the rescue. He also happens to be a former member of a rock band and they bond over their interest in music.

Hailey’s solitude is disrupted when her flighty sister, Daisy, shows up and crashes her vacation.  Eventually her family finds out where she is and shows up. Strained family dynamics, and an overbearing and manipulative mother  are combined with all the small town festivities of tree lighting, parade and caroling.

I was given a digital ARC of this book but as soon as I’m able, I’m going to find a hard copy to keep on my bookshelf for future Christmases.

This is from the publisher’s website:

“Hailey Morgan’s life has always revolved around music. She once had big dreams of becoming a professional songwriter, but the reality of life has led her to working as an assistant high school band teacher in Portland. As the holidays approach, Hailey dreads the annual tradition of spending Christmas with her family and dodging her mother’s meddling questions about her love life.

When Hailey’s close friend offers her the use of her family’s empty cabin for a rejuvenating solo holiday retreat, Hailey finally decides to do something to make herself happy. However, her arrival in the small town of Podunk, Oregon, is anything but peaceful when she discovers the cabin has been invaded by several wild animals. Luckily, Jay, the son of the town’s main store proprietor—and an incredibly handsome and charming former musician to boot—is more than willing to help.

Soon Hailey and Jay are nearly inseparable, chopping down and decorating a Christmas tree, sipping hot cocoa in front of a cozy fire, and best of all, playing music together. Jay’s positive feedback and encouragement inspire Hailey to believe she might succeed as a songwriter after all. But even in her snow-dusted oasis, family holiday drama still finds Hailey, interrupting and threatening her newfound peace and confidence. Meanwhile revelations from Jay present complications of their own. Suddenly her Christmas paradise has become a winter storm and Hailey must weather through the challenges to stand up for herself and embrace the holiday spirit.”

I don’t very often give a 5 star rating but this one deserves it! 

Go HERE to read an excerpt 

Go HERE to learn more about Debbie Macomber and her books 

 

 

 

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed  are my own.

 

A Collection of faithfilled Christian romances~ Courting the County Preacher by Angela K. Couch, Carolyn Miller, Naomi Musch and Kari Trumbo

 

This is a collection of four stories centered around the lives of preachers and their path to love. 

The first, The Mountie’s Rival by Angela Couch, is set in Alberta, Canada in the early 1900’s. Jonathan and his twin brother, David, end up in the same village. Jonathan is there as the new preacher. He doesn’t realize that his Mountie brother, David, is stationed there as well and isn’t happy about it when he finds out.  While they are twins they have opposite personalities.  Jonathan is serious and insecure. Always feeling he is in his brother’s shadow. David , on the other hand is a fun loving, thrill seeking young man.  They both become acquainted with April Harvey, the daughter of the “town drunk”.  She is the housekeeper and laundress for the parsonage and becomes friends with Jonathan.  David meets her when her arrests her father.  April is ill treated by the village residents because of the reputation of her father.  This is a story of acceptance, overcoming prejudice and both physical and spiritual salvation.

Convincing the Circuit Preacher by Carolyn Miller, is the second story in the collection. This story is set in Australia in the mid 1800’s. Jonas Hamill is a circuit preacher who accepts a temporary position while the regular preacher is away.  He has lost his wife and child in a fire and is still mourning.  Thea is the eldest daughter of a prominent family. Her father wants her to make an advantageous match. A flood brings Jonas and Thea together as they work to clean up and repair the church building. Her father isn’t pleased with the amount of time they are spending together and sends her away. Thea’s younger sister Eliza is a precocious young girl and brings some levity to the story.  Thea and Jonas learn about trusting and surrendering to God’s will. 

The third story in the collection is The Angel and the Sky Pilot by Naomi Musch. Everette Shepard is a preacher who gets trapped in a barn during a  storm in Minnesota in the early 1900’s. He is traveling to a lumber camp to minister to the men there.  He was once a rough and tumble, drunk womanizer before finding faith in God.  He is burdened to bring the Gospel to the men who are much like he was. The barn is owned by the man who owns the trading post, and his daughter, Angelina. Angelina is searching for spiritual answers and a friendship develops. Everette is trying to overcome his past while Angelina is trying to discover her future and what life holds for her.

Mail-Order Minster by Kari Trumbo is the last story of the collection. Finch Presly has come to Baker’s Nook, South Dakota to minister to a church which has just been through a split.  Olive’s father is the only elder left in the church and hires Finch with the hopes that he will marry Olive. Olive’s friend, Belta and her family are members of the congregation that left the original church.  They are also looking for a new pastor. When their new prospect falls through, they approach Finch to lead both branches, separately.  Finch has started to develop feelings for Olive but also feels a strong desire to reunite the church. The offer from Belta’s church is contingent on him being married and specifically, to Belta.  Finch is torn between what his heart is telling him and what his sense of duty is telling him. He struggles to know and accept God’s will.

This is from the publisher’s website:

“Every Preacher Needs a Wife, Right?

Being a preacher in the countryside is not for the faint of heart nor faith. Four inexperienced preachers face a myriad of challenges including those who figure a man of the cloth needs a wife. Can they meet the expectations of “helpful” congregants and be true to their hearts?
 
Convincing the Circuit Preacher by Carolyn Miller
Australia, 1863 — As soon as Dorothea Maclean saw the country preacher, she knew Mr. Hammill was the man of her dreams. Now she just needs to convince her wealthy parents—and Mr. Hammill.
 
Mail Order Minister by Kari Trumbo
South Dakota, 1889 — Olive’s parents mail-ordered a preacher and prayed he’d be a husband for their daughter. The rest of the town—and Olive—have other ideas.
 
The Mountie’s Rival by Angela K. Couch
Canada, 1907 — Tired of living in his twin’s shadow, Jonathan Burton is frustrated to find himself serving as a still wet-behind-the-ears preacher in the same community as his Mountie brother. How is he to find a wife when all the eligible women of the community seem enamored by his dashing brother in scarlet uniform?
 
The Angel and the Sky Pilot by Naomi Musch
Minnesota, 1910 — A preacher with a checkered past sets off to win souls in the lumber camps like the “sky pilots” before him. But can he earn the respect of hard-living men—and still respect himself—after a local trader’s daughter joins the all-male congregation?”

Go HERE to read an excerpt

These stories are heartwarming, spiritually uplifting Christian romances. There is a strong faith element with believable characters.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed  are my own.