The Christmas Gathering {Review}

 

This 3 novella collection centers around the Christmas holidays:

A Christmas Reunion by Shelley Shepard Gray--Tricia Troyer is excited to spend the Christmas reunion with her family and just as excited to see Brandt Holden.  Their connection is obvious to everyone.  However, they come from different worlds, with Brandt living as an Englisher and Tricia living in an Amish family.  Can they find a way to bring their worlds together?

We Gather Together by Lenora Worth--When Lucas and Kayla meet on the shores of Lake Erie, they discover an old family fued.  Their grandfathers once fought over the same woman, resulting in wounds that never healed.  Lucas and Kayla decide to create opportunities where the families can interact, but it seems to just create a deeper divide.  Will they succeed or will the family feud continue on to Lucas and Kayla as well?

Hitting All the Right Notes by Rachel J. Good--Four years after leaving the Amish for his music career, Mark returns to his hometown when the band manager disappears.  Suddenly broke and homeless, Mark finds himself teaching music at a teen center where he runs into an old fan... who quickly becomes a new flame.  However, Joline has a rebellious streak of her own and has a lot of growing up to do before entering a relationship.  Can these two work through their past?  Or will their old rebellion destroy their future?

All three novellas are clean, short, and heartfelt.  They are brief for small chunks of time, making them an easy holiday read for the busy season.  Characters are not fully developed, but that's to be expected with short stories.  So going into this book with the right mindset is important.  Readers do have to suspend some disbelief when it comes to the Amish elements of these stories.  The Amish invididuals in these novellas are often unrealistically forward and outspoken.  However, the second novella by Lenora Worth was definitely my favorite and seemed to be the most focused on the themes of holidays and romance.  A quick holiday read for savoring the season.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.