Season of Joy

Can you believe there are less than two weeks until Christmas?!

I love to indulge in lots of Christmas reading this time of year, and today, I’d like to tell you about a November Love Inspired book I read last week. 

Season of Joy, by debut novelist Virginia Carmichael, received a 4 1/2 star review from Romantic Times and has been nominated for a Reviewer’s Choice Award.

I agree with the reviewers. This is a great book.

Here’s the back cover blurb:

As the holiday season approaches, wealthy CEO Calista Sheffield wants to give instead of receive. So she volunteers at a downtown Denver shelter, never expecting that her own scarred heart will be filled with hope and healing. The mission’s director, handsome Grant Monohan, has devoted his life to helping those in need. But his harrowing past—and what he sees every day—makes him wary of Calista. Unless she shares her painful history, he’ll never believe they can have a future. But a future with Grant at the shelter is the only Christmas gift Calista truly wants.

Read an excerpt of Season of Joy by clicking here.

I really liked how Carmichael portrays the lingering effects of one’s upbringing on one’s life choices and perspective about God and sense of worth, as well as the obligation to take personal responsibility for moving past them.

Your Turn: The novel raises lots of great topics for discussion. Here’s the one I’d like to discuss today:

Calista’s father was cold and unloving toward her, but warm and friendly to others. How can hypocrisy do more damage than domestic violence? Do you think it’s sometimes easier to be loving to strangers than to those whom we live with day in and day out?

P.S. My Christmas newsletter will go out this week, too. No new Christmas story this year, unfortunately, but…every newsletter, I do give away a complimentary book to a randomly chosen subscriber. If you’d like to subscribe click here.