REMEMBERING CHRISTMAS, by Dan Walsh

         In Remembering Christmas, Dan Walsh has written a story that’s sure to be a holiday classic. The story opens when Rick Denton, a successful (and self-centered) individual, receives a phone call from his mother asking for his help in the bookstore she and her husband own. Rick’s stepfather, Art, has suffered a brain aneurysm and is hovering between life and death.

            Grudgingly , Rick travels to the small town of Sea Breeze, Florida, grumbling all the while about giving up his ski vacation. He avoids the quirky customers in the store as much as possible, preferring to let the intriguing young woman assistant deal with their questions.

            But there must be something in the air at the Book Nook. Rick finds himself questioning his past memories as well as his present attitudes. As the story moved from one surprise to another, I found myself stealing free moments to read when I should have been doing other things.

            Although Remembering Christmas would make an ideal gift, don’t wait for Christmas to read the book. This wonderful story will resonate with you no matter what the season.

My thanks to Revell for providing my review copy.

THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN, by Kate Morton

The Forgotten Garden is a combination of many things: part fairy tale, part family saga, and part mystery, stirred together with a dash of Dickens and a sprinkling of Frances Hodgson Burnett. The finished product is a thoroughly absorbing novel.
The story begins in 1913, with a four-year-old girl who is hidden aboard a ship sailing from London to Australia. She's told to wait in her hiding place until the woman who put her there comes back. The woman never returns.
When the child is discovered at the end of the voyage, the dock master and his wife take her in and raise her as their own. On her twenty-first birthday, "Nell" learns the circumstances of her life in Australia and sets out to discover who she really is. The Forgotten Garden moves between Australia, London, and the Cornish coast, but not until Nell dies and her granddaughter continues the search are all the pieces of Nell's life assembled.
Australian author Morton does an impeccable job of holding the reader in thrall. The Forgotten Garden is one of the best novels I've read in a long time. This book will go on my 'keeper' shelf.

WINGS OF PROMISE, by Bonnie Leon

Kate Evans is a pilot, and not just any pilot--she's a bush pilot in Alaska in the 1930's. The pages of Wings of Promise are filled with the challenges she faces. The elements threaten, as do some of the male pilots who work for the same flying service that employs Kate.

On the emotional front, Kate's heart is also in danger. Dr. Paul Anderson agrees to be a bush doctor, and he and Kate spend time together both in the air and on the ground. But who is Paul Anderson, really? If a man refuses to discuss his background, is he hiding something sinister? This dilemma chews at Kate as she fights her attraction to the handsome physician.

Fortunately Kate has Mike Conlin in her life, a fellow pilot who understands her love of flying. As their friendship deepens, Kate feels she's found the perfect mate--until the unexpected happens.

Leon brings Alaska and its dangers to vibrant life in Wings of Promise. This story kept me awake turning pages late at night. I guarantee it will have the same effect on you.