Beth Cardall has a secret. For eighteen years, she has had no choice but to keep it to herself, but on Christmas Eve 2008, all that is about to change.
Promise Me is the latest Christmas book by Richard Paul Evans, author of The Christmas Box trilogy. Beth is having a heck of a year – she loses her husband, her daughter is suffering from an illness the doctors can’t figure out, and she’s on the verge of losing her house. Then she meets a handsome, mysterious stranger who changes her life in ways she never could have expected. Matthew knows things that he shouldn’t and makes pop culture references that no one else understands. He is interested in Beth’s life but not very open about his own. Beth wonders if he’s just too good to be true but slowly finds the trust she had lost, and then must decide if her own happiness is more important than her daughter’s.
I don’t normally read this type of book – I tend to think romances are a bit, um, cheesy – but I found myself drawn to the story. Beth’s seemingly perfect world is suddenly blown apart and she handles it well. She’s a very likable heroine, easy to root for. The story moves quickly and the book is hard to put down. Evans also throws in a bit of a supernatural twist, something you don’t normally find in a Christmas romance. And it helps that the cover is beautiful, the paper old fashioned and the writing creative.
Promise Me may not be your typical meaningful Christmas novel but it’s a great gift for anyone who enjoys a good love story mixed in with some Christmas magic.
Nancy is a big fan of Christmas magic. She writes about her 2 boys and life in Colorado at Life With My Boys.
I like what I have read of Richard Paul Evans’s books so far. I’m currently working my way through The Christmas Box Collection. Another Christmas one I really liked by him is called Grace. This new one sounds good too!
I love a good romance with a twist, definitely on my list to read now, thanks!