An award-winning novelist’s heartwarming story about family and love lost, found, and finally truly revealed at Christmas.
Christmas takes a very different turn when the guests of honor break up instead of announcing their engagement. Trapped with his family, they learn that love looks different than either imagined. Both in their eighties, Dodie and Wilson Binder celebrateevery Christmas as if it were their last. This year, their grandson Micah is planning to ask his girlfriend, Katie, to marry him so they can celebrate with the whole family. But things go very wrong when she says "no." Now they are stuck. Too many people, too much snow, and too little room should be a recipe for disaster. But sometimes too much is just enough. Especially when it's Christmas.
Christmas takes a very different turn when the guests of honor break up instead of announcing their engagement. Trapped with his family, they learn that love looks different than either imagined. Both in their eighties, Dodie and Wilson Binder celebrateevery Christmas as if it were their last. This year, their grandson Micah is planning to ask his girlfriend, Katie, to marry him so they can celebrate with the whole family. But things go very wrong when she says "no." Now they are stuck. Too many people, too much snow, and too little room should be a recipe for disaster. But sometimes too much is just enough. Especially when it's Christmas.
** NOTE: My review for Endless Christmas is a repost from
November 2015.
November 2015.
★★★★1/2
Note: I was originally asked to be part of the blog tour for this book, which ran Oct. 12th-17th. Due to health troubles running from the end of September on through October (and still being in recovery currently), I was unable to participate at that time. My apologies to Worthy Publishing, but I submit my review here now. Many thanks for the opportunity to check out this new holiday read. :-)
When I review Christmas fiction saying that I wish there was more Christmas involved, this sweet little story is the kind of tale I have in mind! This is chock full of everything to love about the season -- snow, family get-togethers full of traditions and home cooking, laughter, twinkle lights, the whole bit and it was a total warm fuzzy kind of read from start to finish.
Here we meet the Binder family ( BTW: I believe it's meant to be pronounced Bin -- as in paper bin or "been there" -- Der, since there's a joke later on in the story about how someone pronounces it as in four-ring binder folder). The Binder family, headed by grandparents Wilson & Dodie, makes it a point to celebrate each family get together as if it's the last time everyone will see each other, because you just never know. As you can imagine, that makes each meet up lively and bursting with memory-making at every turn. Wilson & Dodie's grandson, Micah, decides to bring his girlfriend Katie into the mix this year, surprising her with an impromptu marriage proposal in front of everyone. In a state of shock, Katie says no ... then realizing the house is snowed in, so she's awkwardly stuck with the whole family through the holiday.
The story goes on to unfold Katie's reasoning for turning Micah down. It's not from lack of loving him enough to marry him, but because she feels she loves him so much she can't harness him to her heavy family secrets / burdens. As the truth comes out, the Binders one by one reveal to Katie that even the most seemingly perfect families have their crosses to bear. The Binders come to teach Katie that a person shouldn't deny or be denied love simply because of past mistakes or the mistakes of others, and that obstacles can be overcome when people commit themselves to being loving towards one another, deciding to be brave enough to take on each challenge a little bit at a time.
"Micah, sometimes those who are the most generous have an issue with letting others be generous with them. And, I mean, a heart issue." There. He'd said it. He watched Micah's expression for evidence that he'd pushed too hard."It's more blessed to give than receive, right Grandpa Wilson?""But if we aren't willing to receive, aren't we keeping someone else from a blessing then? Seems kinda selfish, doesn't it? And I know that's not who you've ever been."Micah scrunched his mouth, obviously chagrined. Score one for the old man.
To me, the Binders were the perfect Christmas family to read about because they felt real, or at least the kind of real you want to experience during the holidays. They genuinely loved being around each other and noted all the blessing around them. They sat around simply enjoying warm conversations and laughter but when someone seemed to be struggling with something, they didn't hesitate to band together and help out, even when it was Katie, technically the "outsider". The moments Ruchti puts together are so heartwarming, from the adorable Christmas pageant the youngest grandkids put together, to the way Wilson quietly sings a portion of "Amazing Grace" to Dodie each night before they go to bed. Just beautiful.
So if you find yourself starting to feel a little jaded this holiday season, dreading the get-togethers for fear of fights, or if you are missing the nostalgia of Christmases past, I would highly recommend taking some time for yourself and indulging in this cozy little novella.
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Alexis Blake has one chance to land her own show on the Home Project Network and nothing-not an uncooperative client, a job site without indoor plumbing, or a challenging videographer-is going to stand in her way. Elsie, at seventy-plus, is far from the ideal client, but she knows exactly what she wants her fieldstone house to look like, and no designer can tell her otherwise. Gabe Langley, the man with the camera, is caught in the middle and it is his wisdom and warmth that just may be the bridge that will bring these two women together. Can they restore more than just a house and bring about special, almost lost forever Christmas memories?
★★☆☆☆
Interior designer Alexis Blake, based in Algoma, Wisconsin, is challenged to do a complete home remodel in just eight weeks, a project that could potentially put her name on the map in the home design industry. One other challenge -- the process is to be televised!
Alexis goes to meet with George Langely, a seasoned videographer she's hired to film the project. The surprise and dismay she's hit with when she discovers George has suffered a back injury that will have him out of service for a minimum of several weeks! George sends a Plan B in his stead: his grown son Gabe, also an experienced cameraman.
That's only the start of the hangups & hiccups of this reno. Alexis goes on to battle weather delays, crew disputes, and a myriad of stress sandwiches centered around a money pit of a farmhouse (the one Alexis is expected to turn around) and its cranky, elderly owner, Elsie Raymond. But let's not let Alexis off lightly. Nope, let's also add in her having to camp at the Langely residence when her hotel in town is hit by a skunk attack and no other rooms appear to be available anywhere else in town for the next eight weeks she needs to complete this challenge.
This little novel has a limited amount of space to present and then solve all these issues, but somehow our MC Alexis pulls through. Not well, mind you, not IMO... but she at least gets the job done on some level.
So how can I love the first Christmas story so much but leave this book with a 2 rating? Believe me, I'm as surprised and disappointed as you are! Not that this story didn't have its merits... there were just a lot of things that didn't work for me this time around. Let me break it down:
* Truth be told, Alexis is one seriously irritating MC most of the time. Nearly everything seems to annoy her on some level. Girl has zero chill. As charming as Gabe is, he deserves a better female counterpart.
* It also strikes me that Alexis is not all that great a designer if she's ONLY interested in foisting her own design plans on her client without listening --- really listening --- to any of their ideas, concerns, likes / dislikes, etc. She deems these kinds of clients as "uncooperative" and only seems concerned with advancing her career, not honestly taking into consideration that someone has to actually LIVE in the place after she leaves. Might want to incorporate at least a few things THEY might like. Just sayin'.
* I had a hard eyeroll when I read that Gabe and Alexis were inspired by real-life flippers Chip and JoAnna Gaines from HGTV's Fixer Upper. I know they have their fanbase, and if you're in that group -- here you go, this book's for you. I personally find them a bit cringe.
I loved Elsie, the prickly, elderly homeowner. She likes what she likes and is unapologetic about it. Her way of being endearing in a rough-around-the-edges way was adorable (if you've known those kinds of people in your life and know how to love them). I loved her reveal of where she goes when she takes off for days on end!
The jokes and dialogue ran somewhat corny. The Christmas holiday IS mentioned throughout this storyline, but the overall cozy vibes of the season were not as noticeable as in The Endless Christmas. That was my main issue with Restoring Christmas -- while I loved Elsie and the Langely men, much of the story was just so SLOW and DRY. For such a short book, I was struggling to just finish it already.
I also think it was a bad move on Ruchti's part to force readers to go online to find out the full ending to this book. Way to isolate and cheat some of your readership.
Not only do you have to go to the website RestoringChristmasNovel.com, but then you also have to type in the code TELLMEMORE just to find out the epilogue that could've just been easily included in the hard copies of the books.
But I've got you covered, dear readers. If you're interested in knowing the epilogue, I've done the work for you. Click on the images and read away. :-)
FTC Disclaimer: Worthy Publishing kindly provided me with copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. The opinions above are entirely my own.
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