My Favorite Author Kept His “Promise!”

 So I finished reading “The Christmas Promise,” the latest release from Richard Paul Evans (who happens to be my favorite author.) 4 days before Christmas. It was a great book, though slightly predictable.  There were a few characters I hated.  Guy—who had an unrequited crush on Richelle (the narrator), and Amelia—who worked with Richelle and almost made her lose her job as a pediatric ICU nurse. I’m shocked…this book wasn’t as much of a tearjerker as some of Evans’ previous releases; however, I would still recommend it. I think I’ll take a break from reading for the rest of 2021.  I plan to pick up where I left off with Julia Quinn and the “Bridgerton” series in 2022; I read the first six books in the series this year. I’m honestly feeling a sense of accomplishment.  My count for 2021 is 10 books.  That may not seem like a lot to some people, but I’m proud of myself!  Anyway, as I said, the next book on my list is “Bridgerton: It’s In His Kiss.”  For those keeping track, this is Hyacinth Bridgerton’s story  

Fiendishly smart, devilishly outspoken and - according to some, particularly Gareth St. Clair - probably best in small doses. But there's something about her - something charming and vexing - that grabs one and won't quite let go. 

Gareth and Hyacinth cross paths at the annual - and annually discordant - Smythe-Smith musicale. To Hyacinth, Gareth's every word seems a dare, and she offers to help him out with a knotty inheritance problem he's facing. However, as they delve into the mysterious St Clair history, they discover that the answers they seek lie not in the past - but in each other; and that there is nothing as simple - or as complicated - as a single, perfect kiss.

I’m looking forward to continuing my “journey” with the Bridgerton family! Join me!

Still In The “Holiday” Spirit, I’ll Make “The Christmas Promise!”

 So, I finished reading The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox last night.  It was a delightful book with a few obvious villains, and, of course, inevitable romance!  I’m not sure what to say without giving away major plot lines, but I would definitely read other books by this author. (Side note: I wouldn’t have minded an appendix with some of the recipes mentioned in the book!)  

I am looking forward to immersing myself in the latest holiday release from my favorite author—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 had 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 expect that, even with all of the craziness of the holiday season, that I should be able to finish this “journey through a book” fairly quickly!  I also expect to need a few tissues to get through it!