Review Revisited: Finding Christmas by Jeannie Moon

This is a very emotive, memorable festive read – one definitely not to be missed!

Title: Finding Christmas

Author: Jeannie Moon

Publisher: Holiday Books, Tule Publishing

Release Date: November 5th, 2015

Rating 5/5

If you’re looking for a very moving Christmas romance to read, look no further, this one is an amazing, poignant, festive novella that is also so heart warming.

The Benson family are stalwart members of the Holly Point community. They have three daughters and a son, all of whom have been closely involved with any community endeavours for many years, though Mary Margaret (Maggie) had left to become a high achieving navy pilot. Unfortunately she was involved in a serious incident where her plane was hit and then caught fire before crashing into the sea. She was severely burnt and infection in her foot resulted in her having it amputated. It has taken over two years of treatment, including lots of physical therapy, to help her recover. A war veteran, she’s returning to her loving family home for the first time, still not fully recovered physically or mentally from the traumatic events. She certainly doesn’t see herself as the hero the town wishes her to welcome her as . . . .

Will Fitzgerald was a star basketball player until a freak accident severely damaged his back. He lost his wife and his job as a result of this and is now a caring teacher at the local high school, coaching Maggie’s brother and the other members of their team. When he first actually meets Maggie, he knows much of what she’s gone through because Matt has discussed it with him. He thinks she’s amazing and the attraction between them is cautious but powerful. As Maggie copes with the transition back to being at home, her injuries and suffering from PTSD, Will is the one who seems to be able to help her pick up the pieces and make sense of living again. Can they both find joy in the festive season this year? Dare they take a chance on love?

This is a story that takes the reader on a total rollercoaster emotional ride. The feelings of Maggie are fundamental to the whole story and they are portrayed in such a moving manner the reader finds it easy to empathise with her and, at times, feel like protecting her whilst shaking some sense into the insensitive folks she encounters.Will is such a warm, caring gentleman you just can’t help hoping things will work out for the two of them. He helps her to realise that real beauty is from the inside and nothing to do with the so visible  scars.  It is a journey to a new reality necessitated by life threatening drama, but a journey that doesn’t necessarily mean abandoning all the old attitudes and fight, needing support without pity or totally losing independence, either physically or mentally.

It was great to reconnect with some of the characters from the earlier Christmas in New York novels but you don’t need to have read them to thoroughly enjoy this superb novella which I have no hesitation in highly recommending.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley, too, for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for this, an honest review.

This book is available from a variety of sources including

amazon.co.uk           amazon.com          barnes and noble

Other posts on this blog concerning this author include:

Until You by Jeannie Moon

His Forbidden Princess by Jeannie Moon