The Christmas Blessing

Author: Melody Carlson
Genre: Historical Fiction/Christmas

​She's determined to give her baby a better life. Could a Christmas miracle make it possible?

Not long after she receives the news in 1944 that her baby's father was shot down in the South Pacific, Amelia Richards loses hope. Jobless and broke, she has nowhere to turn for help but her infant's paternal grandparents. The only problem is, they don't know that she--or their 

grandson--exists. 

When Amelia discovers the family is wealthy and influential, dare she disclose the truth of her relationship with their son? Or could the celebration of the arrival of another unexpected baby nearly two thousand years ago be the answer to her dilemma?

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Reviewer: Olivia R.

​I grabbed up a chance to read this as soon as I read the synopsis. I love any story set during World War 2, and this one was really sweet! I really sympathized with Amelia and James story, and it's the perfect Christmas story!
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I really enjoyed seeing Helene's perspective throughout the story. At first I thought she would be painted in a bad light, but it was nice to see that even though she had her issues, there was a warmness about her. 

I thought the last couple chapters fell a little flat. Not because of how everything turned out (because that was great!!), but of how they were presented. Maybe moved a tad too fast to settle everything! But besides that and the occasional cliche terms, I thoroughly enjoyed this read. 

I'm looking forward to reading more by this author!

This book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing.

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Reviewer: Laura J. Davis

What does a girl do when she is alone, with a new baby to feed and has no money? She becomes desperate. 

Amelia Richards believes her fiance James (and father of her baby) is dead, killed in the South Pacific when his plane was shot down. She finds herself in the unenviable position of having no family to help her, a child out of wedlock and no money to support her infant son. Her only option is to approach James' parents for help. The only problem is that they have no idea who she is and when Amelia finds out they are rich and that Helene (Jame's mother) is someone known to be harsh and critical, she is hesitant to approach them. But then the worse thing possible happens - her baby gets sick and she becomes desperate.

I love how the author integrated the birth of Jesus into this story! The Christmas Blessing is more than what I expected. I found myself actually crying for Amelia and was intrigued by the misconceptions of the people in town who misjudged Helene (Jame's mother). The growth of her character was wonderful to see.

If you are looking to get yourself into the Christmas spirit a little early this year, then I highly recommend The Christmas Blessing by Melody Carlson. You will not be disappointed.

This book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing.

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