The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo
Reviewed by: Jennifer S. Roman, Radiantlit.com
Genre: Chick Lit, romance, Christmas, family
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company
Publication Date: October 17, 2011

Ever since her husband died, Gaby wants to find a new love. Three close friends ask her to marry them, and she must choose. She does, but refuses to reveal the groom until she marches down the aisle. In the meantime, her adult children, each dealing with their own problems, must get to Gaby’s home in time for her wedding. Then everyone, including the potential grooms, will know who Gaby will marry.

James Patterson’s veering from his traditional suspense/thriller mysteries is a success in the sense that the story is a quick, fun read. The characters are likeable, so the reader is willing to cheer them on to success. Even Gaby, who seems a bit selfish and self-centered by not at least letting the groom know who she chooses, is a warm, caring person. Each of her children has an issue or two to resolve, and at times, their issues intertwine with each other and with Gaby. Never does the reader believe that Gaby does not love her family. If anything, the reader doesn’t get much of a sense of how much she loves each suitor. Patterson and DiLallo have captured the essence and magic of Christmas through the Christmas Wedding and anyone looking for a quick, but heartwarming story will not be disappointed.

Rating: This book does have some adult themes (drug use, domestic abuse, profanity, alcohol abuse) that make it suitable for mature readers only.

It was Christmas Eve. I’d been a Christian for ten years, but each day since I’d received Jesus as my Savior, I’d prayed for my dad’s salvation. My stubborn German father, though raised by a praying mother, had rejected his childhood faith and insisted he was an atheist.

My dad sat stoically beside my mother that night as the service progressed, showing no signs of being ready to turn his life over to Christ. I fought discouragement and continued to pray.

Then the lights went down and ushers made their way down the aisle to light the candles of the first parishioner in each row. Those parishioners then turned and lit the candle of the next person in the row, and so on until everyone held a lit candle.

As I waited, I glanced toward my parents and realized my ever-practical father must have decided the process was going much too slowly, for he suddenly fished his cigarette lighter out of his pocket and started lighting candles. Within minutes he had lit every candle at his end of the pew and was reaching over to the people in the pew in front of us to start on theirs.

Fighting humiliation, I closed my eyes and felt the sting of unexpected tears as I realized he was simply trying to be helpful. I heard a couple of chuckles in nearby rows, but no one said anything until the usher arrived at our pew. With the glow from his candle illuminating his face, the smiling man thanked my father for his assistance. Dad returned his smile and assured him he was glad to be of help, and the gracious usher moved on.

It was nearly fifteen years later before the last “holdout” in our family responded to the loving call of his heavenly Father. At eighty-eight years of age, less than one week before his death in October 1999, my beloved father received Jesus as his Savior—and then promptly went home to be with Him.

I have thought of that Christmas Eve so many times over the last couple of decades, and both marveled and rejoiced at God’s mercy and faithfulness. That candlelit evening—though several of those candles were lit with a cigarette lighter—will always be one of my fondest memories.

About Kathi Macias:  Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored more than 30 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences, and won the 2008 Member of the Year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association). Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al.

Holiday time can be such a mixed bag for some people. The smell of peppermint cocoa can stir up sweet cozy memories of Christmases past for some…and pain and depression for others. And what about the expectation level that seems to escalate in December? Whether it’s looking forward to a picture-perfect Christmas…or just hoping a prodigal child makes it home in one piece, we sometimes set ourselves up for disappointment.

Having grown up in a “broken home” and having raised children who have struggled with things like addiction, I’m familiar with the heartbreak that often accompanies the holidays. And yet…I love Christmas! Call me a sentimental optimist, but I can tear up over a Christmas carol; I enjoy decorating my home; and I even like baking sugar cookies from scratch. I know this is because I appreciate the true reason for the season.

Not having grown up in a traditional or churched home, I didn’t find God until I was a teenager—and in that moment I went from bleak darkness to dazzling light. I still remember the complete awe I felt at my “first” Christmas, a few months later, when I finally understood that God had sent his beloved son into the world just because he loved us so much! Why shouldn’t we celebrate!

So now…even when the holidays throw me a curve, which happens a lot, I still love Christmas. I love that it reminds me how God sent his son to pour out his love and grace—freely and to everyone. It’s a celebration of second chances for all! And I suppose it’s the reason I’ve written more than a dozen Christmas books over the years.

Christmas Blessings!

Melody Carlson, author of The Christmas Shoppe, Christmas at Harrington’s and more…

Melody Carlson published her first book in 1995 and she has been writing prolifically ever since. To date, Melody has published over 200 books, making her one of the top 20 most prolific authors of all time. With total sales of over 5 million her award-winning books include: Homeward, Love Finds You in Sisters, Oregon; Limelight; the Diary of a Teenage Girl series; the True Colors series; and the Carter House Girls series.

In her professional life, Melody has worn many hats: from pre-school teacher to political activist to senior editor. Currently, she writes full-time, and freelances from her home. She has two grown sons and lives in Sisters, Oregon with her husband, Chris, and Audrey, her yellow lab. They enjoy skiing, hiking, and biking in the beautiful Cascade Mountains.

“But my mom always puts sausage in the stuffing.” My husband made that pouty face I find hard to resist. I resisted. “It’s my mom’s recipe, and it doesn’t need sausage.” When my husband and I were newlyweds, our first Christmas was full of joy and love—and discovering we had different notions about how to celebrate.

Over the years, we’ve learned to compromise and blend. By incorporating traditions from each of our families and cultures, we came up with our own unique spin. Following my family’s German tradition, we open family presents on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning, we unload our stockings. This spreads the fun over two days—and allowed us to get more sleep on Christmas morning when the children were young.

Both my husband and I have Scottish roots, so we enjoy “crackers” at Christmas dinner. These foil-covered cardboard tubes open with a loud crack, and are filled with paper crowns, cheap toys, and the worst jokes ever. Seriously bad, and that’s part of the fun—laughing at how corny the jokes are and how ridiculous we look in our crowns.

The advent wreath comes from my husband’s Swedish heritage, and is one of the highlights of the season. On each of the four Sundays in Advent, we gather around the wreath with eggnog and cookies, and light a candle. My husband tells the appropriate part of the Christmas story, the children read Bible passages, and we sing carols.

For us, this is a warm family time as the kids jostle each other on the couch and snuggle over the songbook. It feeds the sense of joyful anticipation that makes Christmas so wondrous. Best of all, it focuses our joy and wonder where they belong—on Jesus. Compromise and blending have made our marriage strong and our Christmas celebrations uniquely ours.

By the way, I make my mom’s stuffing exactly as she does—but I do add sausage. We like it better that way.

About Sarah Sundin:  Sarah Sundin lives in northern California with her husband and three children. When she isn’t ferrying kids to soccer and tennis, she works on-call as a hospital pharmacist and teaches Sunday school. She is the author of the Wings of Glory series—A Distant Melody (Revell 2010), A Memory Between Us (2010), and Blue Skies Tomorrow (August 2011).  http://www.sarahsundin.com

Take away our modern conveniences—cell phones, Kindles, TVs, computers—and we’re all peasants, just like the three wise men. Strip away the pseudo-sophistication born of studying the classics and tacking capitalized initials behind our names, and we’re still kids at heart, enjoying sugarplum dreams as we wait for Santa.

Been a long time since we’ve allowed ourselves to feel that way, hasn’t it? So maybe what we need this holiday season is to drop all the pretenses and “I’m too busy for such nonsense” excuses and just go outside. After dark. Never mind the smog or the smoky streaks of jetliners. Ignore the strobes of emergency vehicles. Tune out sirens and blaring horns and the hiss of tires over concrete. Forget about that stack of unpaid bills. Don’t worry about the dishes in the sink and that load of towels in the washing machine.

Just go, look up and search the sky for the bright shining star that announced the good news of Jesus’ birth. The shekinah…the heavenly light that once lit the skies above Bethlehem. We can still see it…with eyes of childlike faith….
As Pascal once said, there are only three kinds of people in the world: those who sought God and found Him, those still seeking, and those who won’t find Him because they aren’t looking. How different things would have been if, on that holy night so long ago, when the angels called those ordinary shepherds from their fields, they had waited until the dishes were done and the towels were folded before they went! Thankfully, they answered the angels’ call. They didn’t bathe or change their garments or pack gifts, as the wise men did. Once there, they stood staring in silent awe at that bright light.

Remember what Kierkegaard said: “If I could prescribe only one remedy for all the ills of the modern world, I would prescribe silence. For even if the Word of God were proclaimed, no one would hear it; there is too much noise. Therefore, create silence.”

My Christmas prayer for you is Time and Silence…time to stare into the night sky, ever aware that in the silence of darkness, a heavenly light glows.

About Loree Lough: With 80+ books (more than 3,000,000 in circulation), best-selling author Loree Lough’s titles have earned numerous 4- and 5-star reviews and dozens of industry awards. Known as “a gifted writer whose stories touch hearts and change lives,” she splits her time between a humble home near Baltimore and a tiny cabin in the Alleghenies, where she continues to hone her knack for identifying critter tracks. Next to hit bookstore shelves: Honor Redeemed, Love Finds You in Folly Beach, South Carolina, A Man of Honor, For Love of Eli, and His Grace is Sufficient…but Decaf is Not (devotional with Sandie Bricker, Trish Perry, and Cynthia Ruchti). Learn more @ http://www.loreelough.com. (Loree answers every reader letter personally, so feel free to drop her a line!)

The Christmas Singing by Cindy Woodsmall
Reviewed by: Jennifer S. Roman, Radiant Li
Genre: Amish/Romance
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Publication Date: October 4, 2011

After her longtime love, Gideon, suddenly breaks up with her, Mattie Eash leaves her home in Apple Ridge, PA, and moves to Berlin, Ohio. She rebuilds her life around her bakery, which is famous for her exquisitely decorated cakes. She also finds a new steady, Sol. Mattie’s bakery is destroyed by a fire and she is forced to go home to stay with her family until the bakery can be rebuilt. Mattie enjoys being at home again with her family and friends until she sees Gideon interacting with the English girls. She believes he is establishing a romantic relationship with this new girl and forces herself to stay away from him until she learns the horrible truth: he broke things off with her when he found out he had a rare form of leukemia. Not wanting her to have to deal with the knowledge and his possible death, he tried to set her free to find a new love.

Woodsmall demonstrates her knowledge of the Amish world through peppering conversations with typical Amish words in the conversations. She illustrates how idyllic life in the Amish community can be, yet she also shows the hardships and support the community shares. The storyline itself is not new, but it is charming and simple. This one is particularly heartfelt because it occurs at Christmas, and we all like to feel that special Christmas magic. The characters are likeable, and even though Gideon breaks Mattie’s heart, we still ache for him and his situation. Amish communities are so big that it is hard to remember who each person is and how he or she relates to everyone else. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the large families offer opportunities for more stories. he book, at only 189 pages, is a quick and easy read. For those drooling after the delightful descriptions of Mattie’s beloved cakes, there are some recipes at the back of the book.

Because the book is about the Plain, who live simple, God-fearing lives, this book doesn’t contain any offensive language or sexual situations. Teens are just as likely to enjoy this book as adults because it is a sweet romance that is not inappropriate. In fact, it takes us to a time when dating and courtship involve a lot of interacting and getting to know one another. This book would make a good read for anyone interested in romance and the Amish way of life.

The Great Christmas Bowl is the perfect book to get you in the Christmas spirit! I laughed, I cried and I wanted to pull out all my Christmas decorations and get the season started. I managed to hold myself back from decorating quite yet, but I have spent some time thinking about how I can give back this Christmas.

The story centers around the Wallace family, especially mom Wallace (also known as Marianne). Marianne is a HUGE football fan and is elated when her son decides to play during his senior year in high school. In fact, she’s such a friend that she ends up becoming the mascot when the original mascot falls ill. In the midst of her football mania, Marianne finds herself trying adjust to an almost-empty nest, getting signed up to head a committee at church and spending more time than she’d like on her own. How’s a mom supposed to do all that and still organize a great family Christmas? Find out in The Great Christmas Bowl!

Review by Jill Hart

Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (August 17, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1414326785
ISBN-13: 978-1414326788