Review: A Christmas Surprise

Title:  A Christmas Surprise
Author:  Janelle Taylor
Genre:  Women's Fiction/Short Story
Publisher:  Bell Bridge Books
Release Date:  November 30, 2012
File Size/Pages:  178 KB
Source:  NetGalley

My Rating:  4/5

Summary:  An unexpected miracle or a risky dream? She never expected to get pregnant so soon after a health scare, and her work as a nurse makes her all too aware of the dangers. Will sharing her secret with her adoring husband create a holiday disaster— or a Christmas surprise? Betsy Reed and her husband, Tommy, have a marriage that other people envy—romantic, passionate, and filled with happiness. The news Betsy brings home from her doctor right before Christmas could destroy all that. Against all odds, just a few months after surgery to remove cysts in her uterus, she’s pregnant. She’s familiar with the dangers of pregnancy—her beloved sister-in-law died of complications. As Betsy and Tommy head for a Christmas in the Blue Ridge mountains, he begins to realize she’s hiding something from him. Although their nights are filled with desire, her holiday joy seems forced. He fears the worst. New York Times bestselling romance author Janelle Taylor puts her magic to work in this Christmas story about love, courage, faith, and trust.

Review:  This is the first Christmas story that I read for the year and it was sort of bittersweet for me; I'm not sure if it's because I've been swamped with finals and writing or if I just couldn't get into the novel. Anyway, the book begins with Betsy Reed, the main character, coming home from her Doctor's appointment. She and her husband, Tommy, are on their way to spend the weekend together at her family's cabin for Christmas. On her way home, Betsy is troubled with her results that she has just received from her tests. It's unclear to the readers about what this problem is, but she is having a hard time with the news. Betsy and Tommy go on their trip where they both end up having news for each other. This novel was okay, but I think there were some aspects of it that could have been stronger; I love the fact that Betsy and Tommy were such well developed characters, but it just felt like something was missing. If I wouldn't have read the summary for this book, I wouldn't have known until almost the end of the novel that Betsy was even pregnant! I just wish that the readers would've been able to find out sooner than almost halfway through the book. However, I do admire the fact that Betsy was almost like a "wounded" character with everything she had been through; it's nice to read a novel every once in a while where the main character goes through real life obstacles (i.e. ovarian cysts & fear of being pregnant). Overall, this book was okay, but there were a few elements that could've been stronger!