The Christmas Secret by Donna Van Liere

During the holiday season, I enjoy reading a feel-good Christmas story. This season, The Christmas Secret was a perfect fit for me. Christine has been cynical for most of her life. She stopped believing in the miracles of Christmas a long time ago. Struggling to make ends meet, Christmas is now one more thing that will set her back and something she just can't afford. Christine wants to see and feel the beauty of Christmas once again, but unfortunately life and unexpected events have harden her.

I'm always waiting it seems—waiting for the right time, the right job, for the light to turn green, waiting on a call, waiting for my past to catch up with me, and for my future to begin.

I got to the point in my life where I was so tired of waiting and wanted to know that my life was not just leading anywhere but somewhere. I wanted that childhood sense of wonderment back. The crazy how, when, and why of life finally caught up with me and I realized that there was no Oz, fairy-tale king, or Scrooge waking up from a dream moment that was going to whisk me away from reality, and that's when I wanted Christmas again. (p.6)

Once again Christine is running late for work when she crosses path with a stranger. Little does she know that this interaction will lead her to a new beginning.

Like the previous novels in the Christmas Hope series, The Christmas Secret leaves the reader feeling encouraged and hopeful about life, without being too "preachy". People and events come into our lives for a purpose. What we may view as an inconvenience, may be just the thing that leads us to where we want to be.

Book details:
Series: Christmas Hope #5
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-55836-9
Pages: 291
Year Published: 2009
Genre: Fiction - Holiday
Source: Library
Date Finished: December 20