Customer Reviews

Sarah's Christmas

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

From the back cover:

With all the warmth and cheer of the holiday season, bestselling author Elizabeth Graham sweeps us back to 1890 and Little Bethlehem, Missouri, where a young teacher will soon learn a lesson about love.

A season to hope for a future together...

Lovely schoolteacher Sarah Calder was looking forward to sharing in Little Bethlehem's joyous holiday festivities, until she discovered Hunter Winslow had moved back to town. Seven years ago, Hunter had jilted her and married another woman, leaving Sarah nothing but memories of their soft mistletoe kisses. Now a widower with a troubled young son to raise, he was offering her promises of love. But Sarah couldn't afford to trust Hunter again...or admit that she still longed to be swept into his arms.

Hunter realized his marriage had been a mistake from the beginning, and stayed for the sake of his son, Nicholas. While he'd never forgotten Sarah, or stopped caring for her, he knew she had every reason to hate him--even as she gave her heart to Nicholas. How would he ever gain her trust, and win back the love she tried to deny? As the town glowed with the rosy lights of the holiday, and a guardian angel came to visit, all things suddenly seemed possible...including the miracle of love.

And my review:

At first, this story had so much going for it. Reunited lovers (I love that theme), Christmas, an adorable little boy, the small-town flavor, a mysterious kind stranger who might actually be an angel in disguise, and an interesting and varied cast of characters. I devoured the first half of this book in one sitting.

I liked that the characters were well-drawn and interesting. Having lived in small towns before, I also thought that the author got that aspect dead-on. The historical backdrop was also well done, without overpowering the romance. None of this book read like a history textbook--thank goodness.

However, I had some complaints. First off, the heroine refuses to listen to the hero's explanation for a long time. It didn't seem realistic. If my fiance of three years had jilted me and eloped with another woman, I'd be demanding that he explain himself the second he showed his face back in town, not refusing to listen to him. And I felt that the hero's reasons for jilting her were unforgivable, especially considering that he tried to place some of the blame on the heroine for his own selfish and dishonorable actions. The whole "well, you wouldn't give me any action in the bedroom, so I found someone who would, and after one drunken night felt forced to marry her" made me grit my teeth in anger. Cheating is cheating, and him trying to put the blame on Sarah was despicable. He was the one in the wrong, not her.

But I tried to get past this and move on with the story. But then the heroine got so stubborn that it was very annoying. She forgives the hero, but won't admit she loves him. She sleeps with him, but still won't marry him, even though it's the only thing she really wants. I was starting to wonder just what she was trying to prove or who she was trying to punish, Hunter or herself. This "I love you, but I won't admit it or commit to you" dragged on for the rest of the book, and I started to lose patience with the story. I ended up skimming just to finish the book, but I was left feeling very unsatisfied by the time I was done.

I give this book three stars, as it's obvious the author has writing talent, since the first half of the book was so good. However, I wouldn't specifically recommend this book, unless you like stories where the characters drive you crazy. There are better Christmas romances out there. See my list "Christmas romance books worth buying" for a list of my favorites. As for SARAH'S CHRISTMAS, if you're still determined to read, I recommend you try to borrow it from the library, as it's not a keeper.

Read Sarah's Christmas for our book club and really enjoyed it. Sweet read and great for the Christmas season.