An empty nest has Ingrid Christiansen dreading the upcoming holidays, but her husband, John, couldn’t be more excited about this new season of life. He even has a surprise trip abroad planned. He’s sure she’ll love it. What’s more romantic than Christmas in Paris?Before he can stop her, however, Ingrid agrees to spearhead a major church project. Then their faithful dog, Butterscotch, needs … needs emergency surgery, draining their savings. And then—because disasters strike in threes—an unexpected guest arrives, dredging up old hurts.
As a beautiful blanket of snow transforms the north woods into a winter wonderland, a deep chill settles over John and Ingrid’s marriage. With the holidays fast approaching, their only hope of keeping their love evergreen depends on turning the page on the past and embracing a new chapter of their future.
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Ingrid and John. They’re the steady, faithful, wise pillars of the Christiansen family and I sometimes forget they have their own story, too, outside of just being the eternally supportive and loving parents to their grown children. I loved the prequel novella to this series that show how they fell in love; this novella in the middle of the series shows them thirty years down the marriage journey as they struggle to forgive old hurts, show each other much needed grace, and find a new balance in an empty household. Their struggle is so real and tangible. I loved meeting Romeo here – I’m hoping for an entire book dedicated to this awesome young man soon.
A trip to Deep Haven is always worthwhile and I enjoyed every minute with Ingrid and John.
Title: Evergreen (A Christiansen winter novella)
Author: Susan May Warren
Pages: 208
Year: 2014
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.
John Christiansen is looking forward to Christmas this year. This will be the first holiday for he and his wife, Ingrid, without any of their six children. He is planning a surprise trip to Europe for the two of them capped off with a renewal of their wedding vows at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. However, the unexpected arrival of his nephew puts that plan on hold, causing resentment on John’s part. He has moved ahead with his plan but has forgotten to ask what God’s plan is for him. An old, festering hurt of Ingrid’s is drawn to the surface, flooring John and causing him to wonder if he can repair this large rift in his marriage.
Ingrid is feeling at loose ends. She can hardly believe she will be spending Christmas with no children after so many years of having them around. She is thrilled when her nephew arrives to help fill that void but is disappointed that John doesn’t see the opportunity to be a father figure and Godly influence on this teenager who hasn’t seen much of either one in his short life. Everything boils to a head and rises to the surface, creating a rift in her marriage of huge proportions. Will she allow John to try to fix it?
This was a story that drew me in with the engaging characters, although I did feel like I was missing something as I haven’t read any of the other books in the series. There were some references made to events or characters that left me wondering what the story behind the reference was. However, I still enjoyed Ingrid and John’s story and could certainly relate to the change in life of having kids leave home.
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.
I so enjoyed this novella. It may be brief but it pack quite the emotional punch. I’m looking forward to immersing myself in Deep Haven with the Christiansen family.
Recommend to readers who enjoy inspirational, contemporary fiction.
I borrowed a copy from Kindle Unlimited. I’ve expressed my honest opinion.
I enjoyed reading a book about a husband and wife and the struggles they face. It was a nice departure from the usual boy meets girl plot.
I really like this author.
It made me want to read the entire series…to learn all about the entire family!!
I enjoyed this story, it tells of misunderstandings and lack of communication with each other and how that can lead to unnecessary heartache.
This is a sweet story about family and love.