Christmas at Pine Ridge Inn By: SAvannah Carlisle

 

"The Love between a Mother and daughter is forever.  The bond between their hearts is unbreakable.  The connection between their souls is eternal"  Simply Well Balanced

Pine Ridge, Colorado:  a quaint, pictturesque, charming town where visitors feel wrapped up in Christmas love like a warm quilt.  If you love Hallmark Christmas movies, Debbie Macomber, or just want a beautiful, cozy Christmas story, that is more than just a romance novel, you have to read Savannah Carlisle's newest book Christmas at Pine Ridge Inn.  Yes, there is the love story between Lila McAllister and inn manager, Brady, but this story is so much more than that.  It is a beautiful story of a mother/daughter finding each other 34 years after the birth of a Christmas baby girl.    

Lila, 34 years old, a hospitality consultant,  is facing her first Christmas without her adopted mother.   With both her adoptive parents now gone, she is alone without family.  The only connection she has to her birth mother is a small chirstmas-themed baby quilt, a faded pink onesie, and a small teddy bear.  Her birth certificate is a dead end, as the state of Colorado does not allow adopted children to gain access to their birth parents information unless it is medically necessary.  Upon closer examination, Lila notices the never seen before label on her precious baby quilt.  She traces the label to a very small quilting shop in Pine Ridge and decides to go and see what answers she can find.

Booked for a stay at the inn through the 26th, Lila is thrown into a Christmas experience she did not anticipate (cutting down a tree, making ornaments, baking cookies, and other festive Christmas activities).  She bonds with one of the guests there, over early morning coffee, and finds her self drawn into the celebrations with the other guests.  She finds herself at odds with inn manager Brady, as she tries to offer what she considers helpful hints, but that soon blossoms into so much more as she is on her journey to find her birth mother. 

Through some initial investigation, Lila learns that she was born at that very inn 34 years ago.  She learns that her birth mother had specifcally ordered the quilt for her as a baby and of all the love and prayers that went into that special blanket.   Lila learns that everyone has a story, and that even though she was given up, she was always loved and that love and those prayers were with her all her life.

Carlisle does a masterful job of bringing her characters together in a rich way,  and telling the story with grace and mercy of how adoption can be a beautiful thing and how there is always hope for redemption in any story.  Lila is able to understand that she was always loved, and that love and those prayers have never stopped.   This story goes to show that a mother's love is unending, and sometimes sacrifice is the greatest way a mother can show that love.  The bond between a mother and her daughter is precious, and that love and bonding carry with us throughout our life.  

This sweet, cozy Christmas story also puts into remembrance of an even greater story of love,  when a little over 2000 years ago our Heavenly Father, sent His only son to be born in a stable (because there was no room in the inn).  This greatest gift of love and sacrifice teaches us how to love and live a sacrifical life.  

So, get cozy in your favorite reading nook,  have some coffee (the Donut Shop Peppermint Bark has become a favorite seasonal indulgement of mine), light a candle and wrap up in a cozy blanket.  Drift away with Lila and Brady and her story of love, hope and family in this very special must read Christmas story.  

The book is available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon and on your Kindle (I read mine on Kindle Unlimited).  Simba readily gives this book four paws.  Happy Reading!!