I finished my “journey” through Francesca’s story in Julia Quinn’s “Bridgerton” series this afternoon. As usual, I couldn’t find anything terribly loathsome about any of the characters, except perhaps the way Michael Stirling lusted after his cousin’s wife. However, it turned out alright in the end. I won’t say what happened to John—Michael’s cousin and Francesca’s husband; I will say, however, that Julia Quinn kept the love scenes tastefully steamy. I can’t wait until 2022 to continue the series! In the meantime, I’m shifting my attention to at least two other books to close out 2021– “The Holiday Swap” by Maggie Knox and “The Christmas Promise,” the latest upcoming release from Richard Paul Evans, my favorite author! “The Holiday Swap” is a pitch-perfect romance with just the right amount of Christmas cheer! When chef Charlie Goodwin gets hit on the head on the L.A. set of her reality baking show, she loses a lot more than consciousness; she also loses her ability to taste and smell—both critical to her success as show judge. Meanwhile, Charlie's identical twin, Cass, is frantically trying to hold her own life together back in their quaint mountain hometown while running the family's bustling bakery and dealing with her ex, who won't get the memo that they're over.
With only days until Christmas, a desperate Charlie asks Cass to do something they haven't done since they were kids: switch places. Looking for her own escape from reality, Cass agrees. But temporarily trading lives proves more complicated than they imagined, especially when rugged firefighter Jake Greenman and gorgeous physician assistant Miguel Rodriguez are thrown into the mix. Will the twins' identity swap be a recipe for disaster, or does it have all the right ingredients for getting their lives back on track?
I hope there’s enough time for me to finish this book, along with “The Christmas Promise” by Richard Paul Evans.
On the night of her high school graduation, Richelle Bach’s father gives her and her identical twin sister, Michelle, matching opal necklaces. “These opals look identical,” he tells them, “but the fire inside each is completely unique—just like the two of you.”
Indeed, the two sisters couldn’t be more different, and their paths diverge as they embark on adulthood. Years pass, until—at their father’s behest—they both come home for Christmas. What happens then forever damages their relationship, and Richelle vows never to see or speak to her sister again. In their father’s last days, he asks Richelle to forgive Michelle, a deathbed promise she never fulfills as her twin is killed in an accident.
Now, painfully alone and broken, caring for the sickest of children in a hospital PICU, Richelle has one last dream: to be an author. The plot of her book, The Prodigal Daughter, is a story based on her sister’s life. It’s not until she meets Justin Ek, a man who harbors his own loss, that a secret promise is revealed, and Richelle learns that the story she’s writing is not about her sister, but about herself.
I’m pretty sure that I’m going to need a box of Kleenex to get myself through both parts of this “journey,” but only time will tell!
