An Unexpected Angel

As Christmas gets ever closer I realize how far behind I am on my Christmas shopping. Panic was rising I tell you. As my fear of empty stocking grew, I kept checking off my to-do list at home. On that list was to read An Unexpected Angel by Janet K. Halling. By the time I finished reading, I was so overwhelmed with gratitude for the people in my life that all worries about things evaporated.

Summary - 
Ella Davies is focused, independent, and driven. Her hard work is finally paying off and she is on the brink of great success. But what no one knows is that her frantic drive is born not from a desire to succeed, but from a need to forget - forget her past, forget her guilt, and mostly, forget the tragedy that changed her life forever. 

Ella's strategy seems to be working but on Christmas Eve she meets Cohen, a strange man with an even stranger purpose. Cohen catapults Ella back through time and forces her to confront not only her pain, but the pain of those long since passed. In the process, Ella learns about courage and compassion and that in the darkest hour, no one is ever alone.

I believe in angels. Angels that come to help those who are struggling through the dark hours. Through some of my own desperate times I've felt the comforting hand of a spirit I couldn't see. They gave me strength to see my way through the night and into the light again. Perhaps these angels work overtime during the Christmas season because on the day we celebrate the most glorious birth of the Savior so many people ache for the love He offers freely.

I found the book to be well-written as well as entertaining. There wasn't a moment during the reading that I felt I could let the story rest while I went for a snack. (I ended up asking my kid to find some string cheese for both of us so I could keep going.)

Thank you Janet K. Halling for a wonderful Christmas story! I hope you all get a chance to read it and share it with your loved ones.