It's a Book Release! Finding Christmas Joy by Amanda Tero!

Merry Christmas and welcome to the last day of our Christmas in July Blog Party! To celebrate an amazing month of giveaways, freebees and fun posts, I'm joining Amanda Tero in announcing that her newest short story, Finding Christmas Joy, is releasing today!

About the Book
Melonie Brown just wants to get away from all of the pain and heartache that this year has brought upon her, and Starlight Lodge seems like the perfect place to do so. With no plans beyond a Christmas escape, she drives out to the lodge. Can she bottle up the peace and joy that she finds in this special place to help her face the challenges she may have in the upcoming year?
 
Available on Amazon (paperback and Kindle): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DGKSWS5
Add to your Goodreads shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40309103-finding-christmas-joy
 

Anyone love a good Christmas read or an occasional Christmas movie? I do! The problem is, there aren't many good ones out there. Most are bogged down in cheesy romance and cliched, worn-out plot lines and "The Magic of the Holiday" that fixes all their problems.

Oh Please!

Amanda Tero did not disappoint me with this story. I must admit, I was a little hesitant when I read that the story was about a girl jilted right before her wedding. In case you don't know me, I can't stand romance books :) So many of them focus on the physical aspects of relationships and create unhealthy thoughts in young ladies. Miss Tero didn't do that at all! It was not a romance, but rather, a story about how God can take all that is broken in our lives and weave it into His plan for our ultimate good!

Here's what I wrote right after I read it.

I got goosebumps! It was so simple, but so good. The scripture, décor descriptions, the Christmassy feel of everything was so charming and engaging and may I say…enchanting. It was simply wonderful. Where is Starlight Lodge? I want to go!

Even though he’s not in the story, I wanted to let Josh have it a few times, but I was glad that a sweet girl like Melonie didn’t get mixed up with him.

This story was different…a girl jilted right before her wedding day, and yet there was no romance. I mean, sure there were couples (married couples!) in the story, but this was nothing that would give it a PG rating 😊

A couple of things I didn’t really care for were the references to a divorce and the Christian role model in the story wearing pants. I know there are Christian women who do and that is between them and God. But I personally felt uncomfortable with that. Aside from that, I have no complaints!

I love this quaint little Christmas story! It felt like a classic Christmas film, only way more substance! The Gospel message was very present, to the point and easy to understand. Sometimes it’s hard to write Gospel scenes without pulling you totally out of the rest of the story, but Ms. Tero’s flowed so well! Job well done!

I received a complementary e-copy of this book from the author. I was not required to write a positive review, but I had no problem doing so! Read ALL of her books, people! She's one of my favorites!

Congratulations, Amanda, on another fabulous read! Thank you for providing wholesome reading for our generation! We need more of it!

Until next time,
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22