AUTHOR: Laura Hodges Poole
DATE: 2014
PUBLISHER: Laura Hodges Poole
STARS: *****
Distraught that she and her husband are facing another childless Christmas, bakery owner Maddie Oliver tries to rescue every needy child who crosses her path. As the couple jumps each hurdle to adopt or become foster parents, they’re always disappointed. Then eight-year-old Chance Simmons comes into Oliver’s Bakery with his elderly grandmother, and Maddie is immediately smitten. Chance’s impish personality draws her in.
Determined to stop focusing on her own problems, Maddie sets out to make this the best Christmas ever for the little boy and his ailing grandmother. What she doesn’t count on is him capturing her heart in the process. Will God orchestrate an even bigger Christmas gift than Maddie could imagine, or will she lose Chance for good when the Simmons family suffers a setback?
A Christmas Chance is a heartwarming story of faith and love. Maddie’s struggle to trust God with her deepest desire, even when it seems He’s said “No” time after time, rang true. I felt her pain and her tentative hope when she fell in love with adorable little Chance. Her sensitivity toward his grandmother impressed and challenged me to follow her example.
Each character in this story became real to me as I read Laura Hodges Poole’s vivid writing. Faith plays in integral role in the plot, and it, too, rang true. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Poole.
I highly recommend A Christmas Chance; it earns five stars from me.