Beth has everything, a loving husband, an adorable daughter ("a joyful combination of lunacy and grace"), and a great job where she works with friends. But when her daughter becomes mysteriously ill, and she discovers that her husband is dying, her perfect life falls apart. She is soon impoverished and embittered, and still can't discern the source of her daughter's illness. Then she meets a handsome stranger, who diagnoses the illness and convinces the wary Beth to trust again, only to disappear with the home equity loan he pushed her into getting. Devastated once again, Beth's resolve is tested when he returns with a truly unbelievable story. Believing him means altering the entire course of her life. Evans combines his usual holiday themes with a bizarre twist lifted straight from science fiction. Readers will undoubtedly feel attached to Beth, even as they struggle to understand the bizarre relationship she finds herself entering into. -- from Amazon
I'm a sucker for Christmas novels. Seriously, I have a stack of them ready to go for the next month. I love all kinds of Christmas books and this one was no exception. When reading this book, and many other Christmas books, it's best to just believe anything. Of course what happened in this book is no plausible, but who cares?! I liked it!
The twist was a little creepy, and in fact up until that point I was on board with whatever would come my way. When Matthew revealed his secret, I was a little grossed out but it didn't ruin the rest of the book for me. I wish that Mr. Evans had gone a different way with the ending, perhaps one that didn't have such an ick factor. One thing about the twist - you will never see it coming! I like being surprised!
I really enjoyed reading about Bethany's life and how she coped with being a single mother to Charlotte and all the scary things that are involved. She was a stronger woman than I could ever be with regards to her husband. I liked reading a story where the mother was seriously struggling and not just floating along on fairy clouds without struggle. She was the perfect image of a single mother and I enjoyed that!
I was happy to see Matthew and Beth keep their secret in the end, I do not think they should have told their respective spouses. This book was a nice, quick book to read and definitely has me interested in some more Richard Paul Evans' books!
*This book was provided by Simon & Schuster for review on Confessions of a Bookaholic...
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