Review: The Gift of Christmas Past

The Gift of Christmas Past
By Cindy & Erin Woodsmall
Woodsmall Press, 2017


Summary

Arson wasn't the only fire that ignited between them.

Promises shattered.

Lies spoken.

She was arrested.

He returned to the safety of his wealthy parents.

Almost ten years later, Hadley and Monroe are both specialists in the field of speech therapy. They meet again . . . thrown together to help a four-year-old-girl rendered mute after being rescued from a fire.

Years of secrets and anger beg to be set free as Hadley and Monroe try to push aside past hurts and find common ground in order to help the traumatized child and her family.

Can the love of Christmas past drift into the present, bringing healing and hope for all?

Learn more, read an excerpt, and purchase a copy.


My thoughts

I am so glad that Cindy and Erin Woodsmall teamed up to write a contemporary romance, because The Gift of Christmas Past is a winner. If you’ve read any of Cindy’s other books, you’ll know that her stories are quite complex, and that’s certainly true here as well. Lying, manipulation, prejudice, and heartbreak play their part, but this is a heartwarming story of succeeding against all odds.

Characters are well drawn and realistically flawed. The field of pediatric speech therapy is the catalyst that reunites Hadley and Monroe, former teenage sweethearts. I connected with Hadley from the beginning, loved her determination to succeed, and was pulling for her the whole way. Monroe had some maturing to do, but he grew on me as the story progressed and earned my respect by the end.

One of my favorite parts was the caring relationship between Hadley and Elliott, sisters in the foster care system. They truly had each other’s back, worked hard, and looked after each other over the years. I also loved the story’s Asheville setting, an area that I’m familiar with and could easily visualize. The authors did a wonderful job placing their story against this backdrop.

So many things come together in an uplifting way at the end … the relationships between Hadley and Monroe, as well as Elliott and Trent, and situations with secondary characters Chloe and Jason. Readers will love the epilogue that takes place four Christmases later.

Recommended.

I was provided a copy of this book through Litfuse Publicity. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

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Cindy Woodsmall is the "New York Times" and CBA best-selling author of eighteen works of fiction. She's been featured in national media outlets such as ABC's "Nightline" and the "Wall Street Journal." 

Cindy has won numerous awards and has been finalist for the prestigious Christy, Rita, and Carol Awards. 

Cindy and her husband reside near the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains in Flowery Branch, GA.

Erin Woodsmall is a writer, musician, wife, and mom of three. She has edited, brainstormed, and researched books with Cindy for almost a decade. She is very excited about their first coauthored book.

Find out more about Cindy and Erin at http://www.cindywoodsmall.com.