Reviewed by Ami
Title: Coming Home for Christmas
Author:RaeAnne Thayne
Series: Haven Point #10
Heroine/Hero: Elizabeth and Luke Hamilton
Genre: MF Contemporary
Length: 384 Pages
Publisher: HQN
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: Hearts are lighter and wishes burn a little brighter at Christmas…
Elizabeth Hamilton has been lost. Trapped in a tangle of postpartum depression and grief after the death of her beloved parents, she couldn’t quite see the way back to her husband and their two beautiful kids…until a car accident stole away her memories and changed her life. And when she finally remembered the sound of little Cassie’s laugh, the baby powder smell of Bridger and the feel of her husband’s hand in hers, Elizabeth worried that they’d moved on without her. That she’d missed too much. That perhaps she wasn’t the right mother for her kids or wife for Luke, no matter how much she loved them.
But now, seven years later, Luke finds her in a nearby town and brings Elizabeth back home to the family she loves, just in time for Christmas. And being reunited with Luke and her children is better than anything Elizabeth could have imagined. As they all trim the tree and bake cookies, making new holiday memories, Elizabeth and Luke are drawn ever closer. Can the hurt of the past seven years be healed over the course of one Christmas season and bring the Hamiltons the gift of a new beginning?
Review: I have wanted to read Luke’s story for quite a while, after it was ‘introduced’ in The Cottages on Silver Beach (it’s his sister’s book, but it was Luke and his missing wife that caught my attention).
This is one occasion in which I WISHED the (already) novel-length book was slightly longer because I felt that the reunion between Luke and Elizabeth was not long enough. Elizabeth has been presumed dead for YEARS. But the timeline of this book only happens for several weeks – during Christmas Season – as Luke and Elizabeth patch their relationship back up, including Elizabeth forging new relationships with his children.
Although most of the reasons for what happened to Elizabeth was a bit too daytime soap-ish far-fetched (spoiler: it includes amnesia, among others), BUT it started with postpartum depression, and I thought it was an important theme. It shows how horrible it is. I don’t have kids (and I don’t plan to have any), and I can’t imagine how debilitating it is. I hope that all mothers suffering from postpartum depression can get the help they need.
I thought Elizabeth was a strong heroine – despite what happened to her, she was able to get back on her feet again. It took a long time for her, but she never really gave up. Meanwhile, Luke was full of anger the first time – and some of the words he said were harsh. However, I thought it was quite justified considering what he had to go through during Elizabeth’s disappearance. Including people mouthing off to him and his kids – that they’re the kids of a wife-murderer. But after Luke learned what happened to his wife all those years ago, he was willing to step back from his resentment, and give Elizabeth a chance.
It was a sweet lovely “reunion” type story – and as always with RaeAnne Thayne, it falls into the low-steam category with a couple of kisses and no sexual scenes.
Overall Impression: I really liked it!
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*
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