Alexis Blake has one chance to land her own show on the Home Project Network and nothing, not an uncooperative client, a job site without indoor plumbing, or a challenging videographer, is going to stand in her way. Elsie, at seventy-plus, is far from the ideal client, but she knows exactly what she wants her fieldstone house to look like, and no designer can tell her otherwise. Gabe Langley, the … the man with the camera, is caught in the middle and it is his wisdom and warmth that just may be the bridge that will bring these two women together. Can they restore more than just a house and bring about special, almost lost forever Christmas memories?
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Restoration–on several different levels. One of the main characters wants to win a spot on one of those redoing-a-house TV shows. Another gets the video job because the regular one is incapacitated. Everything gets complicated for them both, and for the owner of the home chosen for the remodel. Set in cherry country in Wisconsin, this is a delightful story of the clash of different convoluted backgrounds, a little WWII history, and complicated personalities, and a compelling path for healing. A wonderful Christmas story.
I truly enjoyed this Christmas story. Christmas and a remodel/home design show as a backdrop did make it an easy win. But even more so is Cynthia Ruchti’s wonderful voice. There was a secret motivation for one of the characters, and I admit, she surprised me! The ending was one of those amazing so-happy-makes-you-cry kind of moments. I look forward to reading it again next Christmas, and reading more of her books in the meantime!
I won this a Goodreads giveaway. It was a wonderful story of Christmas and the real reason we celebrate the season. Alexis is trying to advance her decorating career and has picked as one of 3 designer to restore a home for Christmas. Alexis has a budget and if she doesn’t get the job all cost will come out of her pocket. They don’t get to meet their clients until the get to the house and don’t know what they want or need. Alexis’s client lives in a small town on Lake Michigan and decides to use a local videographer. When she goes to meet him, his son shows up and find out that is she is going to be working with him. They have a very difficult client to work and on top of it. The hotel she is suppose to be staying in while there has been skunked. She ends up staying with Gabe and his father in their basement. Elsie the client has a few quirks but with the help of everyone the find out a lot about this wonderful lady and her family. I loved every moment of this story.
Restoring Christmas is the story of a designer, Alexis Blake, who has a short amount of time to transform an old house into a beauty. If she completes her job correctly, she may have her own show on the Home Project Network. However, she needs the help of Elsie,who owns the home, Gabe,who is a videographer and also, the construction crew. Gabe’s Christmas tree is still up from last year. There is a special reason Gabe has not taken it down.
This is a touching story, reminding the reader that we all have a past. Some people collect treasures from their past and keep them in lock boxes or safe places. We never know what we will find in attics or other special places.
While reading this heartwarming story, I was reminded to ask my elders about their lives and events that they remember. There are stories just waiting to be told.
I love Christmas and reading Christmas stories. This is a story that I will read over and over.
I received a copy of this story from the author and this is my honest opinion.