A Christmas Beau

by Delia Latham

[phyllish]

I am not often left close to tears at the end of a book.  A Christmas Beau was such a  moving story that I find myself, an hour or so after finishing the book, still feeling that deep emotional connection with the story.  And with those pesky tears lingering.

I was hooked on the story from the very start.  Author Delia Latham has a way with words that drew me in and had me invested in the story and the characters throughout.

If you have read many of my reviews, you may recall that after I have read the description and selected a book to read it is often some time before I actually read it.  And by then, I don't remember what the book is going to be about.  So as I started reading and it started with such a sweet prologue telling how Cam and Katie got together, I was confused because it sounded more like the ending of the story, and not the beginning.  Then I began to wonder if something bad was going to happen to Cam that would leave Katie searching for a beau.  But no, now the story was being told from Cam's point of view.

Yeah, I confess I did end up sneaking a look at the book description after a little bit.  I really wanted to see where the story was going.  Oh, yeah.  I forgot that is what it is about.

A Christmas Beau was more than I hoped or expected.  I fell deeply in love with Adrian, one of the secondary characters, a young boy that Katie works with as a school counselor.  And I enjoyed getting to know her family and friends and see the way they care so deeply for one another.  Katie was delightful.  And Cam was, well, Cam was insecure, oblivious.  Charming.

I loved Katie's stand on remaining pure until marriage so she could present herself as a special gift to her husband.  And the way the author conveyed the heat between Cam and Katie without writing anything my nieces shouldn't be reading.

The story left me feeling contemplative and wanting to just linger and recall various details of the book.  Though it dealt with serious issues, there was an underlying message of hope throughout it.  Will I be reading more books by this author?  I think the answer is a resounding YES!This review was originally posted on Among the Reads