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An emotionally satisfying and often deeply moving story. A little magic and an odd miracle lift the sadness hanging over their holidays.

The greatest gifts of all are love and hope.

Elizabeth Mitchell is spending Christmas with her children and grandchildren, but the recent death of Elizabeth’s ailing husband and the absence of her son-in-law, missing in Afghanistan, hang like a shroud over the family gathering.

Then Elizabeth begins to tell the story of the miracle that happened to her one Christmas when she was young and wanted to die, and the shroud begins to lift.

Meet Lolli Powell:

I write cozy mysteries and romances as Lolli Powell, as well as grittier mysteries and thrillers as Laurel Heidtman.

I live with my husband, three dogs, and two cats on private land surrounded by Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky.

Over the years, I’ve paid the bills by being a dancer, a bartender, a police officer, a registered nurse, and a technical writer.

I draw on that life experience and my two English degrees to create stories that I enjoy writing and hope readers will enjoy reading.

Review by Amazon Customer:

What a sweet story, and an absolutely perfect one for the holidays! When, while visiting her mother Elizabeth for Christmas,

Carla hears about family history she never knew before, she goes through a whole range of emotions – denial, anger, and finally, acceptance.

But it’s not just acceptance that comes to her after learning about Elizabeth’s near-death experience; Carla actually learns to see things in a new light and mentally prepares herself to apply her mother’s lesson to her own life as well.

Without giving away any spoilers, let me just say, it was incredibly inspiring and touching.

And the ending left me with a warm feeling in my heart – I really couldn’t have imagined a better one!

A wonderful and heartwarming story just in time for the holidays.

Five very well deserved stars!

Review by Susan:

A heart-warming story that takes us through the bleak emotions of a military wife who is unsure about the fate of her beloved husband. Clara’s husband, Kevin, has been deployed to Afghanistan and is presently missing in action.

Clara has also recently lost her father after he suffers a stroke. Though her mother seems to be handling the death of her spouse quite well,

Clara is fighting depression and anxiety not knowing where Kevin is.

Brought together for the Christmas celebration, Clara’s two children are not aware their father is missing and are caught up in the spirit of the season.

This turns into an emotional roller-coaster as Clara struggles to deal with revelations about her mother’s past which seem to parallel some of her present circumstances.

Well-written engaging story and highly recommended!

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