The Best Gift (Signet Eclipse) [Mass Market Paperback]

Wendy Markham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 2009 | Series: Signet Eclipse

When Clara wakes up on Christmas morning next to her husband Drew, she's filled with joy because she has the perfect present: she's seven weeks pregnant with their first child.

But no sooner does Clara tell Drew the news than an earthquake strikes in nearby San Francisco. The next thing Clara knows she's waking up in bed-alone-and discovers she's three years in the future. Where is her husband and what has happened to the child she was expecting? Clara is no stranger to unusual occurrences, but the last thing on her Christmas list was to time travel...again.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The sequel to Markham’s If Only in My Dreams (2006) finds Clara McCallum happily married to Drew Becker, the reincarnation of Jed Landry, the soldier she fell in love with when she time-traveled back to 1941 just a few short years ago. Christmas morning of 2009 is a happy time for Clara—she has exciting news for Drew: she’s pregnant. But as soon as Clara makes the big announcement, an earthquake rocks their California house and she finds herself transported into the future. In 2012, she wakes up alone, eight months pregnant, and surrounded by boxes—with no sign of Drew or their child in sight. Clara bounces back and forth between 2009 and 2012 as she tries to figure out what the future holds. Though this novel is somewhat lighter on story than its predecessor, readers who enjoyed Markham’s first novel and its clever premise will also have fun this time around. --Kristine Huntley

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Signet; Original edition (November 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451228448
• ISBN-13: 978-0451228444
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,453,262 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect holiday treat! 4.5 stars!, December 15, 2009

By 

Huntress Reviews (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best Gift (Signet Eclipse) (Mass Market Paperback)

What a delightful surprise this little gem was! I couldn't imagine how the author was going to build this story but it didn't take long before I was hooked!

This sequel to "If Only In My Dreams" follows Clara, a very appealing woman, as she continues her life with Drew, the love of her life and the reincarnation of the man she fell in love with in 1941 during her first ordeal of time travel. Clara's world is turned upside down Christmas morning after sharing the best news of all with her beloved husband. Midway through an earthquake, she suddenly wakes to find herself in their home, surrounded with moving boxes, very pregnant and......alone. Clara's anguish and confusion are tangible and believable, as is her fear as she tries to figure out when she is and where her husband and un-born child are--or are they even still alive?

*****FOUR AND A HALF STARS! This is a poignant romance that will keep you up at night, as you must find out what happens to this loving family! Make a pot of tea, keep the tissues handy and curl up with this highly entertaining love story-with-a-twist...a perfect holiday treat! *****

Reviewed by Tracey Naylor for Huntress Reviews.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific thought provoking tale, November 7, 2009

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best Gift (Signet Eclipse) (Mass Market Paperback)

On Christmas morning 2009 in the San Francisco Bay area, Clara thinks her life is finally perfect after her disastrous time in 1941 when she learned she has breast cancer and fell in love knowing her GI Jed Landy was going to die at Normandy; he pledged to always find her no matter what (see If Only in My Dreams). Now in 2009 she loves her husband Drew and is seven weeks pregnant.

An earthquake hammers the Bay area. Clara keeps moving back and forth between 2009 and 2012. However what she observes in 2012 frightens her as she pregnant and alone except for boxes; Drew is nowhere and neither is the baby she was carrying in 2009. She begins flickering back and forth to Christmas 2012. She can't figure out what's going on with her future self. She's alone, hugely pregnant and the house is full of boxes. However, she keeps thinking back to 1941 and her eternal soul mate's pledge.

This is a terrific thought provoking tale that deftly combines time travel and reincarnation with the underlying theme that true love is forever. The beleaguered Clara is confused as she struggles between 2012 and 2009 but finds solace with her thoughts of 1941. Complicated and nonlinear, Wendy Markham continues her strong saga of love for all time.

Harriet Klausner

1.0 out of 5 stars Shouldn't have been written, June 12, 2011

By 

Claire (East Coast USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Best Gift (Signet Eclipse) (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved "If only in my Dreams". In fact, it is one of a handful of books I would take to the mythical desert island. "The Best Gift" is a miserable follow-up. It is quite simply boring. There is no chemistry between Drew and Clara --though we are told over and over that they love each other for all time, etc. etc. There is too much explanation of things that occurred in "If only in my Dreams" and it felt like the author was simply padding the book in order to reach her word count. And finally there was no real story here. For those who are looking for a book with emotional impact, I recommend you give this one a miss. And for those who loved the first book as much as I did, spare yourself the disappointment of this one.