The Christmas Admirer|Book Review

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit and was under no obligation to post a review. No compensation was received for sharing this review and all opinions are my own.

The Christmas Admirer by Laura V. Hilton
Amazon|Barnes&Noble|Goodreads

Published by Whitaker House on September 5th 2017
Source: Celebrate Lit
Genres: Amish & Mennonite, Christian, Clean & Wholesome, Fiction, Romance
Pages: 256

Benaiah Troyer has loved Susanna King for as long as he can remember, but when his parents died in an accident a year ago, he broke up with her—for her own good. After all, he was now the sole caregiver for his three younger sisters. What woman would want to put up with that? Still, against his better judgment, he can’t help leaving her a gift now and then, anonymously addressing her name in big block print, just to catch a smile. Roses one month, maple syrup candy another; and maybe this time, something special for Christmas.

Susanna has never gotten over losing Benaiah, but now the clock is ticking. Her father is selling his glass-blowing business, remarrying in January, and moving to Iowa with his bossy wife-to-be. Angry and frustrated, Susanna realizes she’s left with three options: one, go with Daed to his new home with a new mom; two, stay in Jamesport, Missouri, as an old maid; or, three, the best yet, flush out her mysterious secret admirer. But how could she be with anyone else when her heart is still with Benaiah?

Note: Kristin reads and reviews both Christian and secular fiction on A Simply Enchanted Life. Out of respect for my readers, I am including a content review. This content review will help you decide whether this book is suitable for you.

Content Review:
Christian or Secular: Christian
Profanity: None
Sex&Violence: None
Trigger Warnings: None
Disclosure: There’s a few lusty kisses in this book but nothing I would be ashamed for my teens to read.

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I loved this book. Really, I did and I’m not just saying that because I’m a weird Christmas freak. This reads like a sweet Amish Cinderella Story. Right down to the evil stepmother. I seriously hated that woman! It’s been a while since I’ve read a book with a character that I loved to hate.

There was one thing that bothered me, however. At one point in the book, ellipses were way overused. I know, that’s a really dumb thing to fixate on but I felt like they were everywhere.

Once I got over that, I truly did enjoy the book. These were characters I could love. They felt real. I loved that they exhibited human emotion and desire. I often feel like Amish characters are written as if they’ve never had an impure thought. I could appreciate that Benaiah and Susanna were both so strongly attracted to one another that they knew and recognized that they needed a chaperone. I mean, that’s just real life. It’s normal to desire the person you’re attracted to. There was nothing inappropriate for the genre—I just found Ben and Susanna to be authentic.

This book had just the right amounts of humor, romance, gingerbread, and mistletoe for a cozy Christmas read. I can’t wait to see if these characters show up in another book series. This is a new to me author and I am looking forward to reading more of her novels.

Posted By: Kristin Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: Christmas, Laura V. Hilton