MY REVIEW:

After having her heart broken by Gideon, the man she loved, Mattie has become a cake decorator with a successful business in a different town. She has a comfortable relationship with Sol, a good man she hopes to spend her life with. An unexpected catastrophe takes her back home where she cannot avoid spending time with Gideon. Old feelings are reawakened but Mattie is determined to ignore them. Gideon realizes he has never stopped loving Mattie but believes that a life with Sol is best for her. Old lies surface that change everything Mattie believed. Will she be able to settle for a safe life with Sol or can she take a chance on true love with Gideon?

“The Christmas Singing” is a short but sweet Christmas novella set among the Amish. I loved Woodsmall’s characterization of Mattie in all her ditziness. I also enjoyed reading about Beth and Jonah from “The Sound of Sleigh Bells” as they prepared for their wedding. Major theme of this book is forgiveness with an emphasis on how sometimes what is done with the intention of protecting someone may actually hurt them more.

“The Christmas Singing” is another good book from Cindy Woodsmall and is perfect for the holiday season.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Blogging for Books Program.



About The Book:

After Gideon coldly broke her heart, can the warmth of the season revive Mattie’s hopes?

Three years ago, at Christmastime, Mattie Eash’s life was everything she could hope for. That is, until her childhood sweetheart, Gideon, betrayed her.

Heartbroken, Mattie retreated to her brother’s home in Ohio and poured her life into the dream of running her own cake shop. There, she found someone unlike Gideon. Someone safe.

But a devastating situation forces her back home…and right into the path of Gideon Beiler.

Will learning the truth behind his rejection restore her Christmas joy—or open the door to even deeper heartbreak?

This holiday season, Mattie’s best gift might just be the harmony of unexpected truth and reconciliation.

Spend Christmas with the Amish in this story of love, romance, heartache, and restoration in The Christmas Singing.

Click here to download chapter one of The Christmas Singing.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times best-selling author whose connection with the Amish community has been featured on ABC Nightline and on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. She is the author of six novels, two novellas and Plain Wisdom, a work of non-fiction co-authored with her dearest Old Order Amish friend. Cindy lives in Georgia with her family.