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The War World II Story was one of the best stories I ever read. Melody Carlson makes the characters come alive. It was a fast read, and I plan to read more of Melody Carlson's books. ( )

Ahhhh, I feel so good after reading this book. Highly recommend for those looking for a Christmas romance. WWII era romance. ( )

A great way to kick-start the Christmas season! I love Melody Carlson books, because you just never know what surprises she has in store, and this year's Christmas novella didn't disappoint. It's not always easy to create characters with depth with shorter stories, especially for an historical setting, but The Christmas Blessing still accomplished this.

It's a story that many a family would have been able to claim during the WWII era, and anyone who had parents or grandparents and other relatives who served in the war could relate to this book too. The main character Amelia Richards had a whirlwind romance which resulted in a son whom she would gladly give her life for in order to see to his future. As she struggles under the stigmas of her day, I couldn't help but reflect on some similarities with her story and that of my grandparents - three of whom served in WWII - and what the war did to change the course of their lives as well as their children, too. The Christmas Blessing was a heartfelt book with an uplifting message of enduring love (and forgiveness) with a lovely twist you just have to read about. ( )

This book was short and sweet. I gravitated towards it for several reasons: it was a romance, Christian, took place during WWII and it was a Christmas story. It was a perfect read for a cool, rainy night.

Amelia is devastated when she finds out that her fiancee and father of her baby has been shot down over the Pacific Ocean. She is broke, is sharing an apartment with a friend and has recently been told that she can not bring her baby to work. Her last recourse is to try and find James' parents. She knows the name of the small town they live in, so she and Jimmy climb aboard the train and head off. She has no idea what kind of welcome she will receive, but she wants Jimmy to get to know his grandparents. She also dreams that she will be welcomed as part of the family, but only time will tell. In the 1940s, a baby being born out of wedlock can ruin a woman, but Amelia is lucky. When Jimmy gets sick, she leaves him at the home of Helene and George to be taken care of, George is a doctor. They take him in, nurse him back to health and immediately have an attraction to him. Helene wants to adopt him. Will Amelia give her son up? Will she find happiness? Will she be accepted into James' family? This was a novella that did a good job of presenting the story, and solving the situation. I can see how this could easily have been a longer book, but the shortness was one of the things that attracted me to it. If you are not a fan of novellas, you might want to pass on this one, but if you like a short, sweet story that will have you running the gamut of your emotions, pick this one up. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. ( )