Waiting for Christmas

Author: Lynn Austin
Genre: Historical Holiday Romance
Pages: 304
Release Date: September 3, 2024
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

In this hope-filled Gilded Age Christmas novella from bestselling author Lynn Austin, the year is 1901 and the hustle and bustle of the holidays is descending on New York’s Fifth Avenue.

For the first time in her privileged life, Adelaide Forsythe won’t be swept up in it. She couldn’t be happier about the prospect of a quieter Christmas. That’s not to say her transition from Miss to Mrs. has been without challenge. Though she doesn’t regret marrying for love instead of wealth, she can barely light the hearth or cook more than burnt toast. She feels woefully unprepared to run her own household.

Then, on the first Sunday of Advent, winter winds bring change through two unlikely means: a young orphan boy, hiding near Adelaide’s front steps, and a seasoned housekeeper who seems too good to be true.

The boy, Jack, claims he isn’t an orphan at all and is desperate to reunite his family. Adelaide and her husband Howard work tirelessly to solve the riddle of Jack’s story, while Adelaide’s new endeavors open her eyes to a world beyond her past experience—and all the challenge and possibility it holds. As Christmas approaches, small glimmers of wonder light the way toward the answers Adaleide seeks and the most miraculous gift of all.

---

Reviewer: Paula Shreckhise

This was a delightful story in four parts, corresponding to the Four Candles of Advent: Hope-Love-Joy- Peace. 

After his mother died, all 8-year-old Jack wants to find his 3-year-old sister Polly and wait for his father to come home for Christmas. He runs away from an orphanage and hides in the bushes at the townhouse of Addy and Howard. It was great to reconnect with Addy and Howard from All my Secrets to see how this lawyer and former wealthy lady are coping with married life. 

Howard is a worthy hero, hardworking and fighting for the underdog while supporting Addy and her dreams. Addy is determined to continue what her grandmother and mother started: to uplift women in the early years of the suffragette movement. She wants to be a good wife and learn domestic skills that were missing in her privileged upbringing. 

Jack steals the show with his doggedness to find his missing sister and is certain his father will return by Christmas. This story will tug at your heart and give you a peek at what New York City was like in the early 1900s. 

With solid spiritual content, this story has characters who rely on God and use their God-given talents to serve their neighbors. It is all wrapped up in the joy of Christmas and its true meaning of Christ coming to earth. I enjoyed this Christmas story that reminded me in a way of The Gift of the Magi by O’Henry. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale Publishing via NetGalley. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are mine alone.

---

---

Reviewer: Carolyn Bryant

Waiting for Christmas is a delightful, heart-tugging sequel to All My Secrets, continuing Adelaide and Howard’s story after their marriage.  

I loved All My Secrets and was thrilled to read more about Adelaide and Howard. My expectations were met and exceeded in this novella. The characters, main and secondary, are expertly crafted and easy to cheer for. 

I love Addy and Howard as individuals and as a couple. The children, Jack and Polly, stole my heart.  

The historical aspect of the story centers on the women’s suffrage movement and the plight of the poor immigrants and orphans in 1901 New York. I appreciate the “faith in action” angle of the story and the emphasis on the real meaning of Christmas.  

This is the kind of book that makes you smile and perhaps shed sad and happy tears. I recommend this charming story of family and faith brimming with hope and love as an enjoyable, inspiring read not only at Christmas time but also at any other time of the year!  

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Tyndale House Publishers through Interviews & Reviews and NetGalley.

---