Mississippian Annabelle Denson dreams of visiting cousins in Illinois and seeing a white Christmas. In the face of her excitement, Samuel Frazier hides his growing affection for her behind a quiet smile and a carpenter’s lathe. Samuel starts to worry that if she goes, Annabelle won’t return. Can he convince her to stay?
About the Author:
Award-winning author Pam Hillman, a country girl at heart, writes inspirational fiction set in the turbulent times of the American West and the Gilded Age. She lives with her family in Mississippi. Contact Pam at her website: www.pamhillman.com.
(Description from Amazon. Cover photo and about the author copied from Christian Book. No infringement intended.)
My Review: 3 stars
Good Christmas novella.The Evergreen Bride is the third novella in Barbour Publishing’s 12 Brides of Christmas series. While it is a series, the books actually don’t link up at all, so reading them in order is not necessary. The premise for this one sounded interesting, but not entirely captivating. While the storyline is simple and somewhat overused, Ms. Hillman did a great job of giving it new life.
Annabelle Denson, the school teacher in her small town, has long dreamed of seeing a white Christmas and finally has the chance to visit family in Illinois and spend Christmas with them. I actually really liked Annabelle, though she did a couple times seem a little childish. She is kind hearted and is often trying to help others. She is also sensitive to the attitudes and moods of people, and takes care to be kind to them. She has been friends with her brother’s best friend, Samuel Frazier for years. He is almost a part of the family and that is how she has always thought of him. Until she realizes that she is falling in love with him.
Samuel Frazier is an interesting hero. He loves Annabelle, has for years, in fact. But he is trying hard to make a go of his business and doesn’t want to confess his feelings until he can provide for her. When he is faced with her leaving for Christmas, he has to decide what to do. Is he willing to risk losing her? I enjoyed the conflict here and getting to know him better. Samuel is very honorable and wants to do what is best for Annie, even if that means letting her go.
The romance was sweet, if super short. They have been friends for years and actually spent most of the story as friends. They only became more during the last two or three chapters. Which I guess makes sense, since the book only covers about two weeks time. If they had moved faster, it probably would have seemed rushed. I did really appreciate that there were no unrealistic declarations of love in the last chapter. Instead, they decided to see where it would go.
I think my only two complaints are that while Annabelle is the daughter of a pastor, she never really considers what the Lord may have for her. Most of the time, she just decides that this is her dream and goes for it. That bothered me a little bit, but not enough to make me stop reading. Also, Annabelle and Samuel spend a remarkably short amount of time together on paper. Most of the story is spent just jumping from one of their view points to the other and following their thoughts about each other.
I recommend this novella if you are looking for a short Christmas story and enjoy historical romance.
I received a free download of this book from the publisher for my honest review, which I have given. I was not required to write a positive review and have not been compensated for it in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog! I hope you enjoyed it! If you're interested in purchasing this novella, it is currently on sale for $0.99! And it is only $0.79 on Christian Book. I believe the sale ends Oct. 31, so be sure to get a copy before then!
Here are some links to get you started, if you're interested:
Amazon
Christian Book
Barnes & Noble
No comments:
Post a Comment