Book Review: Not Until Christmas Morning by Valerie M. Bodden

Hello from that weird place in time where Christmas is over, we wait on the new year, there’s no school, and if you’re like me, any regular meal planning is out the window. I hope you all had a blessed Christmas!

Ours was a Christmas to remember as we celebrated my husband’s birthday with our older children and grandchildren, enjoyed Italian cookies Tom made from his father’s recipes, and we traveled to Upstate NY to visit family and my friends that are sweet to stay in touch despite the 300 miles that separate us.

One of the things I enjoy in the gap after Christmas and before the new year is reading Christmas romances. I tend to be the organized reader who reads according to my Goodreads list in order of purchase, but for this season, I go off my timeline and get lost in the Christmas plots.

One book that grabbed my attention was from fellow Inspy Romance author Valerie Bodden. When she shared her December post about her new release, Not Until Christmas Morning, and the date excerpt, I was hooked. Even though the season has been busy, I’ve stolen away chunks of time so I could swoon as I read about Leah and Austin.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to add her new release to your collection, I hope you do.

About Not Until Christmas Morning:

Not Until Christmas Morning by Valerie M. Bodden. Image: Amazon

“This was a fabulous, fantastic, best ever Christmas book. WOW!” -Advance Reader

She’s a fixer… He’s about as broken as they come… Can they learn to turn to God for healing and hope this Christmas?

Leah has always been a fixer. That’s why she decided to foster a troubled teen. And it’s why she’s determined to give him the perfect Christmas. It might also be why she feels compelled to reach out to her grinchy, reclusive neighbor Austin. But she’ll have to be careful that reaching out doesn’t turn into something more—she’s been hurt by crossing the line from friendship to romance once, and she’s not willing to let it happen again.

After losing his leg, his friend, and his faith in Afghanistan, Austin figures he’s about as broken as they come. For Austin, Hope Springs is simply a stopping point—a place to rehabilitate his leg, get over the burden of his PTSD, and get back into shape to redeploy. He has no desire to get to know anyone while he’s here, least of all the meddlesome—if sweet—woman next door. But when she calls on him to help her make Christmas special for her foster son, something compels him to relent. Soon, his heart belongs to both of them.

But what if Austin is too broken for even Leah to fix? Can the two of them learn to turn to God for hope and healing—and maybe even a chance at love—this Christmas?

Not Until Christmas Morning is a heartwarming Christian romance filled with faith, love, and the reminder to trust God “even if.” 

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“Not Until Christmas Morning is such an inspiring and uplifting book that you won’t want to wait until Christmas to read it! I loved this story of how God can make something beautiful out of broken people and their painful circumstances. If you’ve ever been angry with God about the suffering in your life or the lives of loved ones, then this book will give you hope. Highest recommendation!” -Advance Reader

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While the books in the Hope Springs series are linked, each features a complete romance about a different couple and can be read in any order.

Hope Springs Series

Not Until Forever

Not Until This Moment

Not Until You

Not Until Us

Not Until Christmas Morning

This was my first visit to Hope Springs, but it won’t be my last. I immediately felt like I knew Leah, and I was invested in her life as she balanced her work life and her new role as a foster mom. This in itself was a beautiful story filled with realistic situations and hope. Add Austin, living next door, and his mysterious late night outdoor activities that aggravate Leah, and there’s an amazing romance in the works.

Jackson, the foster child, is drawn to Austin and keeps Leah at arm’s length, so there’s plenty of conflict to keep the adults interacting. The more Austin allows himself into their circle, the more opportunity for rejection and hurt exist for all of them. They each have a history with deep pain, so watching them take tentative steps with Jackson and each other makes it easy to keep reading.

Like Valerie wrote in her post, the date scene is every bit of a swoon as she shared. There’s nothing more romantic than a sleigh ride in a Christmas romance.

If you’re like me, and you let your Christmas romance reading trickle past Christmas day, I highly recommend Not Until Christmas Morning.

Purchase Not Until Christmas Morning HERE.

Wishing all of you the best of His plan for you as you launch into 2020! What has been your favorite Christmas moment this year?

Julie Arduini (47 Posts)

Julie Arduini loves to encourage readers to surrender the good, the bad, and ---maybe one day---the chocolate. She’s the author of ENTRUSTED: Surrendering the Present, as well as ENTANGLED: Surrendering the Past. The last book in the series, ENGAGED: Surrendering the Future, is coming soon. She also shares her story in the infertility devotional, A WALK IN THE VALLEY. She also blogs every other Wednesday for Christians Read. She resides in Ohio with her husband, two children, and chocolate stash. Learn more by visiting her at http://juliearduini.com.