Our Christmas tree was the kind that had to be assembled. It was always a family effort. We girls would separate the different sized branches while my dad put the trunk together. Then we would wrestle the branches into their sockets. Then, we would all get to hang the ornaments and tinsel.
Part of the fun was the memories in the ornaments. My mom loved to do crafts with us and each year we would make new ornaments. Some of the really old ones were pretty bad. Flat wooden shapes that were scribbled on in various colors. But we got fancy later on, with ornaments covered with ribbon and sequins.
Those were such fun times!
The Ornament Keeper: A Novella
by Eva Marie Everson
Published by New Hope Publishers
Publication Date September 24, 2018
Genres: Christmas, Christian Fiction, Clean Romance
Setting: Georgia Contemporary
Main Character Ages: 35-60
Written for: Adults
Pages: 144
Synopsis:
Award-winning author Eva Marie Everson wraps up a Christmas story of hope, love, and forgiveness just in time for the holidays.
The Ornament Keeper, a contemporary Christmas novella, features Felicia and Jackson Morgan who are spending their first Christmas apart after twenty years of marriage. But a lifetime of gifted ornaments helps Felicia piece together the story of their marriage and the one mistake of unforgiveness she made before they said, “I do.”
Can these memory-filled ornaments reunite this family before Christmas? Only time will tell.
I would like to thank Just Read Publicity Tours for giving me this copy of the book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
In The Ornament Keeper, Leesha had a very specific way their Christmas tree had to be decorated. You see, each year of their marriage, her husband gave her an ornament. And those 19 special treasures had to be hung by her before any of the other decorations could be added to the tree. But this year, she fought the memories with each one and it took forever for her to accomplish just this simple task.
The author did such a great job in crafting this story. With ornaments triggering flashbacks and bits of the picture placed into the puzzle a little at a time to keep and pique my interest, she led me through an emotional journey as Leesha examined all that had gone wrong with her marriage and her life.
Leesha felt trapped. Making what she felt was her only choice, she married her best friend – because she had to. And then, as she raised their children, she never had the chance to go back to school like she wanted. Unlike Jackson who was actively pursuing his dreams.
What would it feel like to know that your husband married you out of obligation? Doing the right thing, but still! Not because he chose to. My heart was touched and I wondered about things that I had never considered before.
As in real life, things are not always what they seem and assuming one knows what others are thinking is never a good choice. There were some lovely lessons about marriage and communication.
Despite being a short story, it was the perfect length and didn’t feel rushed or like details were skimped on. It is a wonderful story with a message of hope.
Giveaway
(1) winner will receive:
- a print copy of The Ornament Keeper, and
- an ornament handpicked by the author
Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight September 17, 2018 and last through 11:59pm September 24, 2018. US only.Winners will be notified within a week of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
Be sure to visit all the blog tour stops for more chances to win. For the full list, click here.
About Eva Marie Everson
Eva Marie Everson is a multiple-award winning author and speaker who hails from the picturesque Southern town of Sylvania, Georgia. She is president of Word Weavers International, director of Florida Christian Writers Conference, Managing Editor at Firefly Southern Fiction, and enjoys coaching new authors through her company, Pen in Hand. She is an avid photographer who enjoys turning her photos into inspiring memes for you to share (with proper attribution). Eva Marie and her husband make their home in Central Florida. They are the parents of three fabulous children who have blessed them with the world’s greatest grandchildren.
Thank you for your review on “The Ornament Keeper” by Eva Marie Everson and for being part of the book tour.
Can’t wait for the opportunity to read this.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Thank YOU, Kay! And, by the way, there are more than 22 pages! LOL I don’t know WHY Amazon is reporting that. There are 144 pages. It’s short, but not THAT short. 🙂
Thank you for giving the correct number of pages! I just corrected that. I knew it didn’t seem that short. 🙂
This sounds like such a great story!
Thank you for the wonderful review!