| Title | : | A Texas Christmas Wish |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 037387989X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780373879892 |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 224 |
| Publication | : | First published September 15, 2015 |
A Texas Christmas Wish Reviews
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I enjoyed this story about a single mother who was given a second chance in her life. The book gradually moved into the holiday season and the story seemed filled with the Christmas Spirit of love and good will to the less fortunate. There's an unpredictable challenge I didn't see coming and it had me on the edge of my seat for a while.
Karly Kalakona is a single mother to adorable five year old Bryce. She is running from someone in her past and mostly lives in her car. Her mother died when she was very young and her step father raised her until she was seventeen. Due to circumstances in her life she dropped out of high school and traveled from town to town. Bryce was born with a disability and Karly did the best she could to raise him with all the love she could give him. Then she got a chance to care for a stroke victim in his home. Could this be the beginning of a new future for her and Bryce?
Tyler Childress came from a loving home until his mother died and then soon after his sister passed away in an accident. This changed his world and he began to have a rocky relationship with his grieving father. He decided that he had to get away from the ranch and Clear Water . He wanted to become a pilot so he pursued that career and rarely came home to the ranch. He had never excepted the deaths of his mother and sister. The mistakes he made while growing up kept Tyler running from his past until his father had a stroke and he was called home to make decisions about the ranch. He wasn't convinced that Karly was the best choice to care for his father but could he ask her and the boy to leave the ranch at Christmas time?
Readers of contemporary romance and Love Inspired books will enjoy this story. I enjoyed it and recommend it for your reading pleasure.
I won a copy of this book in a giveaway by the author. A review was not requested. All opinions expressed here in this review are my own. -
1st time I read one of these, it was pretty good. Very easy to read, not overly romantic.
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A Texas Christmas Wish" by Jolene Navarro is a fantastic, uplifting read. Set in the town of Clear Water, Texas, it continues the series that began with "Lone Star Holiday" and "Lone Star Hero." The story begins with down on her luck heroine, Karly Kalakona, and her sweet son, Bryce, heading toward a new life and a wonderful opportunity to be a live-in caretaker for an elderly rancher, Dub Childress. Karly and her son have experienced some extremely difficult times, so the opportunity to live at a ranch is like manna from heaven. Enter Tyler Childress, Dub's son, who meets up with Karly and Bryce in the most unexpected of ways en route to their first night at the ranch. Tyler, who has come back to town to check in on his ailing father, has always been whispered about as the bad boy of Clear Water. While all Karly wants is a roof over her head and to fulfill her nursing duties for Dub, Tyler is suspicious of the single mother's agenda. The theme of grief is entwined throughout the story as Tyler has to confront losses in his past. Although they couldn't be more different from one another, Karly and Tyler find themselves dealing with an undeniable attraction, one that could last well beyond the Christmas holidays. This is a beautiful tale of two hearts that find healing. Highly recommend.
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I Loved this book. Love Jolene as a writer. It is such a wonderful story of second chances.
Karly who was used and abused during her young life. And Tyler who had everything growing up and still suffered from losing his Mother & Sister.
Shows God's goodness and faithfulness to bring us through every storm and every trial.
I would certainly recommend this book to anyone. -
Fun quick read; would have been better with an epilogue.
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A Texas Christmas Wish is by Jolene Navarro. It is a Harlequin Inspirational Romance and as such has no graphic scenes, violence, or language. It is a Christian based novel which relies heavily on Faith. This novel deals with second chances, forgiveness, lies and deception, and a prodigal son.
Karly Kalakona has taken a job to provide assistance to Dub Childress when he returns home from the hospital where he is recovering from a stroke. A high school dropout with no experience in caring for the sick except for caring for her own son, Karly is hoping this job will work out. She is not a good cook and not a nurse; but she can clean and organize and can provide daily care for Dub. She hopes this is enough. Parson John recommended her for this job and she doesn’t want to disappoint him or Dub. She needs this job to give her time to get her GED and set aside some money to provide for her son’s future. Her son, Bryce, was born with no right hand and he just incurred surgery for his foot which should heal without any resulting problem. He is ready to start kindergarten and she hopes he is ready and that the kids will not be too cruel to him. She hopes his sunny disposition and positive attitude will carry him through. She is relying on her Faith, although new to her, can get her through.
Tyler Childress has come home. He has been away for several years flying airplanes. He told his Dad many years ago that he wanted to fly not ranch. He and Dub seem to argue and not get along if they are in the same room for simply minutes. Nothing Tyler can do seems to be right. He left home after he harmed his beloved cutting horse and Dub blamed him for that and believed the rumors going around town about him. Tyler was not home when his mother or his sister died. He was returning home now because his Dad and he needed to talk about possible retirement and maybe selling the ranch. He didn’t intend to come home for good and he didn’t think his Dad could handle things much longer. He wanted to show his Dad that he had grown up and was not a screw-up any longer.
Tyler and Karly met when he buzzed the road in his airplane and had to land in an adjacent farmer’s field, tearing down a portion of the fence and damaging his airplane wing. He caused Karly to drive her car into a muddy ditch; but she, her son, and car were fine once he got her out of the mud. She followed him to the airplane hangar and then took him to the ranch. He had just gotten her into her room (his sister’s which looked as it has when she was 18) and Bryce settled into his old room when Dub and Pastor John arrived home. Dub had signed himself out of the hospital and swore he would walk home if someone didn’t take him. He had already had definite doubts about Karly due to her age; but would give her a chance. He wasn’t sure his Dad would give him much of a chance since he was covered in mud and had tracked mud into the house and damaged his airplane. Not a good start proving he wasn’t a screw-up. -
Looking for a sweet, charming, easy read Christmas story? You will love A Texas Christmas Wish by Jolene Navarro, as much as I did. Still not released yet, I was gifted an early copy for an honest review. Who doesn't love a Christmas romance? I loved everything about this story. I loved how strong and determined the Karly Kalakona was. In her situation, with all she had been through in her life, she could have easily done the 'poor me.' She didn't. She turned to and trusted God, and was determined to make a better life for herself and young special needs son, Bryce. I loved Tyler. The perfect hero for Karly. I absolutely adored him with Bryce. I loved the Childress family. I didn't think I'd like Tyler's father Dub but, he was a doll. I can also imagine what wonderful ladies, his mother and sister were. Just a wonderful Godly family. No wonder Karly wanted Bryce to be a part of that. This was just a wonderful, sweet, feel good, easy read.
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This is the third book set in this wonderful small Texas town, and they just keep getting better! All the characters from previous books play a role, as well as some new ones. This book deals with some pretty rough issues such as special needs children, forgiveness, redemption, and just a little suspense thrown in. The romance was sweet. Neither really wanted romance, and didn't feel like they deserved the love of a good person. But they found it in each other...
There were several characters that needed this magical Christmas! -
What a heartwarming story of two people coming together and overcoming struggles from their pasts. I always love the small town elements in Ms. Navarro's stories, and Karly and Tyler were such great partners in creating a happy atmosphere for Bryce.
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received 4 stars @ RT Book Reviews
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I chose this title to be part of my seasonal reading some time ago, just decided to start before December though.
The main thread of the story was ok, just wish the stepfather hadn’t be written in at all.
There were a lot of grammatical errors, proof reading must have been an extra, unaffordable fee? -
Chrisian romance. Nice novel about second chances and learning to trust again.
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This was a really sweet Christmas romance. I loved how Dub's family embraced Karly and Bryce, even if it took a little time to get Tyler on board. Karly had gone through so much in her past and was struggling to provide for her son Bryce when she arrived in Clear Springs, Texas. I loved it when Pastor John made the suggestion she help Dub with his recovery. It was a neat reminder that God always provides our daily bread, even when we think no one can help, or all hope is lost.
Bryce was an adorable kid, too!
A Texas Christmas Wish is a lovely and inspirational book, just perfect for Christmas. I would've preferred an epilogue as the book ended rather abruptly, but it is still a good read. I just wanted a little more from Tyler and Karly. I'll be looking for more stories from Clear Springs, Texas by Ms. Navarro! -
"Tyler’s journey to return home after pain and grief distanced him from his faith is touching, as is the way the characters rely on that faith. The description of a Texas snowman will bring a smile to readers’ faces. Karly’s determination is encouraging" (RT Book Reviews, 4 stars).
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Good inspie holiday romance about starting over.
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hopeful heartwarming very realist
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Sweet, heart warming story.
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A safe, easy, quick read that provided much needed escape.
