From the book jacket:
When a struggling young single mother saves the life of an elderly woman, she sets in motion a series of events that will test her strength, loyalty, and determination -all the while setting her on the path to finding true love.
Life isn't easy or simple for Christine Eisley, the hardworking mother of seven-year old Zach and five-year-old Haley. Her ex-husband goes out of his way to make her life extremely difficult. She works long hours as a waitress to make ends meet, and because she's behind in the rent, she needs to find another place to live. When Christine saves the life of a woman who works in Wilson's department store, the owner of Wilson's wants to find her, to thank her, but Christine has disappeared, losing the job she depended on to feed her kids. Marshall Wilson sets his grandson, Jason, to the task of finding the mysterious "Christy." It's the last job Jason wants...but is finding Christy the one thing he really needs? To protect herself from being hurt yet again, Christine holds her secrets close, but in the end it's the discovery of a safely guarded secret that will change the course of her life forever.
The Christmas Secret is a novel for anyone who wants to see how love is a gift that keeps giving back; that hope is a treasure that never runs dry; and that faith is a miracle reborn with each new day.
I really rooted for Christine. She's one of those really likable, slightly naive, really hardworking mothers who is really looking out for her kids. I hated her ex-husband and all the trouble he brought her. I hated her landlord who couldn't give her one last break, and for most of the book, I hated her neighbor...who I thought was just nosy.
When Christine saves a woman's life, she does so because she's a good person. But saving the life makes her late to work, and in turn, she loses her job. Rundown yet again, she schelps along looking for work. When an older lady takes a chance on her, she settles into her new job pretty quickly, but then a mysterious man appears, looking for "Christy." Never really thinking someone could really be after her for a good reason, and not just sent by her ex-husband, she does all she can to avoid him.
But things keep getting worse for Christine. She gets evicted for not paying rent and must find somewhere to go. Her kids' Christmas presents get stolen from the trunk of her car while she works late one night.
But then one day, gifts begin arriving in her car. And money too. It's like a miracle...only finally Marshall Wilson and his grandson Jason have figured out that she's "Christy", the Christine who saved Marshall's employee, and they are saying thank you. Pay it forward type of thing.
A great read for Christmas, as it truly is the season for giving.
Disclosure: I received this book from Anne at The Book Report Network.
