The Christmas Singing

Title: THE CHRISTMAS SINGING
Author: Cindy Woodsmall
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
October 2011
ISBN: 978-0-307-44654-1
Genre: Inspirational/Amish/Christmas/Romance

Mattie Eash has loved Gideon Beiler ever since they were children and best friends. She’d always imagined she’d grow up to marry Gideon, but he had one major fault. He couldn’t be faithful. She was always seeing him getting out some English woman’s car, but he always had a ready excuse—at least until the day Mattie caught him with Ashley. Then, he broke up with her.

Gideon had his reasons for breaking up with Mattie, but they weren’t what she believed. He wanted to set her free to protect her from something he believed was the worst fate. Now, he’s not sure how to act once Mattie’s back on his turf, due to situations out of their control.

Mattie has moved on since Gideon cut her free and she’s been seeing a calm, quiet Amish man named Sol. One who is content to let Mattie live her life while he lives his. But does he hold her heart? Or while Gideon win back her love in time for the Christmas Singing.

THE CHRISTMAS SINGING is the second Amish Christmas book by Ms. Woodsmall and I loved it just as much as I did The Sound of Sleighbells. Set in Pennsylvania Amish country, it is complete with snow, sleighs, and sweets.

Mattie is a very strong woman, capable of carrying on despite difficulties, but others seem to want to protect her from what they deem the rougher side of life, leaving her frustrated. Gideon had been down a very rough road, one where certainty is not part of the vocabulary, and was a hero I definitely could relate to due to my own life experiences. He returned a changed man. Sol too was a hero that the readers could care about, a man that made you want to root for him, due to his kindness, his attitudes, and his own insecurities.

Ms. Woodsmall is a writer with a gift of bringing her characters to life and making them living breathing people that you can’t help but love. Plus the end of the book has some yummy sounding recipes provided by a mutual friend of Ms. Woodsmall and I, Sherry Gore. If you are looking for a Christmas book, then THE CHRISTMAS SINGING is definitely a book you’ll want to read. Stellar. $14.99 hardcover. 189 pages.