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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
The Christmas Blessing is the latest story by Christian author Melody Carlson. It is November 1944 in San Diego, California. Amelia Richards and her baby, Jimmy has decided to pack up and move to Rockford, Montana to be near Jimmy’s paternal grandparents. James Bradley is the father of little James and he passed away a month after he was shipped out. James and Amelia were going to marry on the first leave that he received, but his plane was shot down before that could occur. Amelia is spending the last of her funds to get her to Montana in the hopes of a better life for Jimmy and herself (a family). The only hitch in Amelia’s plans is Mr. & Mrs. Bradley are unaware of Amelia and Jimmy. Amelia is not sure how they will be received. Will they be welcomed or turned away? Christmas is the season for miracles. Will Amelia’s dreams come true this Christmas?
The Christmas Blessing is a lovely story. I found it to be well-written and to have a good pace (once you get into it—it starts off slowly). It is a short shorty containing under 200 pages (can be finished in just a couple of hours). It contains good messages (forgiveness, trust, power of prayer, faith) and has a heartwarming ending. My rating for The Christmas Blessing is 4 out of 5 stars. I did feel that the characters are not fully developed (fleshed out), the ending is slightly rushed, and the story is predictable (unoriginal). I missed the humor that is present in Melody Carlson’s other Christmas stories (Christmas at Harrigton’s and The Christmas Joy Ride). The Christmas Blessing is a charming novella that will appeal to readers who enjoy happily-ever-after romance stories.
The Christmas Blessing is a lovely story. I found it to be well-written and to have a good pace (once you get into it—it starts off slowly). It is a short shorty containing under 200 pages (can be finished in just a couple of hours). It contains good messages (forgiveness, trust, power of prayer, faith) and has a heartwarming ending. My rating for The Christmas Blessing is 4 out of 5 stars. I did feel that the characters are not fully developed (fleshed out), the ending is slightly rushed, and the story is predictable (unoriginal). I missed the humor that is present in Melody Carlson’s other Christmas stories (Christmas at Harrigton’s and The Christmas Joy Ride). The Christmas Blessing is a charming novella that will appeal to readers who enjoy happily-ever-after romance stories.
chris80dawn's review against another edition
5.0
This book was such a blessing to read. I enjoyed this heartwarming story so very much. I recommend to anyone searching for a blessing and hope at this time of year
kdurham2's review against another edition
3.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
Let me first say that I am all for a cheesy Christmas hallmark movie, so I am glad to try out a few of these shorter stories that are a little too long to be novellas, but short and sweet for the holidays.
This one is historical as it takes place in 1944 and Amelia Richards met a man just as he is shipped off and after he is gone she realizes she is pregnant. She ends up finding him on the deceased list from the war and she has almost nothing to her name. She sets out on an adventure to find his family and hopefully find some emotional and physical help.
Let me first say that I am all for a cheesy Christmas hallmark movie, so I am glad to try out a few of these shorter stories that are a little too long to be novellas, but short and sweet for the holidays.
This one is historical as it takes place in 1944 and Amelia Richards met a man just as he is shipped off and after he is gone she realizes she is pregnant. She ends up finding him on the deceased list from the war and she has almost nothing to her name. She sets out on an adventure to find his family and hopefully find some emotional and physical help.
tomaind's review against another edition
4.0
A sweet and touching Christmas story set during WWII. Melody Carlson's Christmas Novellas are a tradition for me to read during the holidays. Her Christian Fiction is a nice break from some of the heavier stories I read during the year. Carlson's stories are the perfect read to help share the true meaning of Christmas. If you love Hallmark Christmas movies and prefer your Christmas read without sex and violence, you can't go wrong with any of her books.
xkay_readsx's review against another edition
5.0
Ahhhh, I feel so good after reading this book. Highly recommend for those looking for a Christmas romance. WWII era romance.
elvenavari's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. This was a really sweet story but it would have benefited from being a full length novel. There were so many things that would have been better if it had just been fleshed out. Amelia drove me crazy at times. She would make a decision, seemingly steadfast in that decision and then not half a page later do a complete 180 on that decision. The ending was predictable but I still loved it.
amandainpa's review against another edition
5.0
This is my third year of reviewing Melody Carlson’s Christmas stories and I always enjoy reading them. (Reviews for The Christmas Angel Project and The Christmas Joyride). Every year, she releases a Christmas story that warms the heart and gets the reader in the mood for the Christmas season and this book was no exception.
The story follows Amelia, who lost her sweetheart in World War 2 after a whirlwind romance that produced a child. Her sweetheart, James, left for the war before they knew she was pregnant (or were married) and now she is setting off to find his family and introduce herself and her son Jimmy to them.
I liked the plot of the story and the time period of World War 2, a scary and uncertain time, I imagine. I also liked Amelia’s character, she adored baby Jimmy and wanted what was best for him. My only qualm with this book is that Amelia states that she doesn’t regret having Jimmy out of wedlock and premarital sex almost seems condoned because they were planning on getting married the next day anyway. Something about that didn’t quite sit well with me. I don’t judge people for their actions or sins but I wasn’t fond of how sin was almost justified in this book (I always hold Christian books at a higher standard than secular books).
Overall, this was a very sweet story that was paced well and had a great ending. I highly recommend it for fun Christmas reading!
My Rating:
4.5 stars
I received this book from Revell Publishing to review honestly.
The story follows Amelia, who lost her sweetheart in World War 2 after a whirlwind romance that produced a child. Her sweetheart, James, left for the war before they knew she was pregnant (or were married) and now she is setting off to find his family and introduce herself and her son Jimmy to them.
I liked the plot of the story and the time period of World War 2, a scary and uncertain time, I imagine. I also liked Amelia’s character, she adored baby Jimmy and wanted what was best for him. My only qualm with this book is that Amelia states that she doesn’t regret having Jimmy out of wedlock and premarital sex almost seems condoned because they were planning on getting married the next day anyway. Something about that didn’t quite sit well with me. I don’t judge people for their actions or sins but I wasn’t fond of how sin was almost justified in this book (I always hold Christian books at a higher standard than secular books).
Overall, this was a very sweet story that was paced well and had a great ending. I highly recommend it for fun Christmas reading!
My Rating:
4.5 stars
I received this book from Revell Publishing to review honestly.
cmareads's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to Revell and Netgalley for the free copy of this novel. All opinions in this blog are my own.
Let me start off by saying that this is a super quick read. I started it at 8 and was finished at 9:30. This is also the second Christmas book I have read this month, which is also quite shocking because I tend to be a scrooge. (Don’t like all the commercialization of the holiday)
Carlson creates a cute, picturesque plot in this novel. This is the first novel that I have read by her, so I didn’t know what quite to expect. Right away, I knew that it was a great book to squeeze into an evening. The plot, though it had its twists, stayed on the surface and didn’t get too deep. I think I would’ve loved this novel more had it been double the size, and if the problems and relationships had been developed much more. I really wanted to dig into the characters pasts to help understand their motives better.
I did like the family atmosphere that Carlson created. With the novel being set during the holidays, it created the closeness that is felt during Christmastime. It also showed that it can be lonely for some people. She plays on both of these aspects with the various characters in her novel.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Christmastime reads or is in the need of a quick, feel-good novel. It is available on September 5.
Let me start off by saying that this is a super quick read. I started it at 8 and was finished at 9:30. This is also the second Christmas book I have read this month, which is also quite shocking because I tend to be a scrooge. (Don’t like all the commercialization of the holiday)
Carlson creates a cute, picturesque plot in this novel. This is the first novel that I have read by her, so I didn’t know what quite to expect. Right away, I knew that it was a great book to squeeze into an evening. The plot, though it had its twists, stayed on the surface and didn’t get too deep. I think I would’ve loved this novel more had it been double the size, and if the problems and relationships had been developed much more. I really wanted to dig into the characters pasts to help understand their motives better.
I did like the family atmosphere that Carlson created. With the novel being set during the holidays, it created the closeness that is felt during Christmastime. It also showed that it can be lonely for some people. She plays on both of these aspects with the various characters in her novel.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Christmastime reads or is in the need of a quick, feel-good novel. It is available on September 5.