Review: The Holiday Courtship by Winnie Griggs
Print Length: 288 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired (December 1, 2015)
From Goodreads.com: A Wife by Christmas
As Christmas approaches, Hank Chandler is determined to find a wife to mother his sister's orphaned children. When schoolteacher Janell Whitman offers to help him with his niece and nephew, she seems to be the perfect match, but she won't accept his proposal. Instead, she insists she'll find him another bride before the holidays.
Janell moved to Turnabout, Texas, to put her past behind her and focus on her future, one that doesn't include marriage. But while she plays matchmaker and cares for Hank's children, she loses her heart to the two youngsters and their adoptive father. If Janell reveals her secrets to Hank, will he still want her to be his Christmas bride?
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My Rating: 4 stars out of 5
This review has been a bit difficult for me to write. It wasn't that the book was bad - by no means - it was all things considered a very sweet story that would be perfect to read on a snowy day.
The characters were obviously well thought out and detailed as was the location in which this story was set. The author's words were easy to picture while reading, and I enjoyed taking a trip to Texas in the 1800s and getting the opportunity to spend time in this world with these characters.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the uncle taking on his sister's children (one of which is now disabled) story-line which is different from the widower looking for a new wife aspect a lot of these kinds of stories have. And the strength of Janell's character was admirable - she didn't have to help Hank as much as she did, and the fact that she went above and beyond what most would have made her a strong and easily likable character.
The biggest issue I had with this story was the sudden jumping between character perspectives with no warning. I found myself having to go back and re-read passages just to make sense of what was going on. It wasn't even that the perspective changed in the middle of the scene, it was more that the perspectives would change as well as the scene. Without giving away any spoilers, the best example I can give would be one where Hank is walking Janell home one evening and contemplating his feelings for her, then in the next paragraph Janell is in her classroom contemplating her feelings. It was obvious that it was not only a different character, but a completely different location/day and that (for me) made it a bit difficult to follow.
Overall, I do think this story will appeal to a variety of readers. From those who simply enjoy a good, romantic story to those who enjoy stories set in times gone by, this story is sure to leave a smile.
This review has been a bit difficult for me to write. It wasn't that the book was bad - by no means - it was all things considered a very sweet story that would be perfect to read on a snowy day.
The characters were obviously well thought out and detailed as was the location in which this story was set. The author's words were easy to picture while reading, and I enjoyed taking a trip to Texas in the 1800s and getting the opportunity to spend time in this world with these characters.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the uncle taking on his sister's children (one of which is now disabled) story-line which is different from the widower looking for a new wife aspect a lot of these kinds of stories have. And the strength of Janell's character was admirable - she didn't have to help Hank as much as she did, and the fact that she went above and beyond what most would have made her a strong and easily likable character.
The biggest issue I had with this story was the sudden jumping between character perspectives with no warning. I found myself having to go back and re-read passages just to make sense of what was going on. It wasn't even that the perspective changed in the middle of the scene, it was more that the perspectives would change as well as the scene. Without giving away any spoilers, the best example I can give would be one where Hank is walking Janell home one evening and contemplating his feelings for her, then in the next paragraph Janell is in her classroom contemplating her feelings. It was obvious that it was not only a different character, but a completely different location/day and that (for me) made it a bit difficult to follow.
Overall, I do think this story will appeal to a variety of readers. From those who simply enjoy a good, romantic story to those who enjoy stories set in times gone by, this story is sure to leave a smile.
DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.
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The Holiday Courtship is available from Amazon.com
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