A Christmas Wish

Linden Corners #3

by Joseph Pittman

A CHRISTMAS WISH
A Linden Corners Novel
Completely revised, with new scenes and added dialogue, A CHRISTMAS WISH makes its commercial debut, finally answering the most often asked question by readers of TILTING AT WINDMILLS.  "What happened to Brian and Janey next?"...
This Christmas, the greatest gifts can't be found beneath a tree...
Eight-year-old Janey Sullivan has had a difficult year, between losing her mother and adjusting to life with her guardian, Brian Duncan.  But with the holidays approaching, her one Christmas wish is to find the perfect gift for Brian--if she can learn to trust him first.
Reeling from the loss of his soul mate, Brian is determined to give her daughter, Janey, an extraordinary Christmas.  But he struggles to read her irregular moods, and when he catches her in a lie, he begins to doubt the future of their new little family.
Can Brian and Janey navigate the emotional mind fields of the holiday season and forge a lasting bond? With the help of their friends and family in Linden Corners, and a bit of Christmas magic riding on the wind, they may be able to preserve Janey's mother's traditions, perhaps ever start new ones--and discover that the life they hadn't planned on can still bring the happiness they've always wished for.

Genres: Christmas, Fiction, Chick Lit

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 2008

About the author

JOSEPH PITTMAN is the author of the Todd Gleason Crime Novels, including the novels LONDON FROG, CALIFORNIA SCHEMING, and THE CANNES CON. Two collections of novellas are TWO TODD TALES, and TWO MORE TODD TALES, which are available in eBook and audio.

He has also written the beloved Linden Corners novels, which include TILTING AT WINDMILLS, A CHRISTMAS WISH, A CHRISTMAS HOPE, A CHRISTMAS DREAM (formerly The Memory Tree) and CHASING WINDMILLS. The first three titles are available on audio.

His nonfiction works include THE SHADOW DIARIES: A Year in the Life of a Rescue Dog, and THE BROADWAY DIARIES: 30 Years from Aisle to Stage.

His other novels include WHEN THE WORLD WAS SMALL, LEGEND'S END, BEYOND THE STORM, all available in eBook and audio.

He has also published the serialized suspense novel, THE ORIGINAL CRIME, which was released as a three-part eBook special under the part titles REMEMBRANCE, RETRIBUTION, REDEMPTION. All three volumes are available in eBook and audio.

Under the pseudonym Adam Carpenter, he is best-known as the author of acclaimed Jimmy McSwain Files, a detective series set in New York City. Titles include: HIDDEN IDENTITY, CRIME WAVE, STAGE FRIGHT, GUARDIAN ANGEL, FOREVER HAUNT, FRESH KILL, SECOND SHOT, and FALSE JUSTICE*. All are available in print, eBook, and audio,

Two novellas featuring Jimmy McSwain will be published Fall of 24: SILVER SHIELD and HEART BEAT.

*no audio yet

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this sweet Christmas story and I look forward to reading more books in the Linden Corners series.

[Ingeborg Geib · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eine sehr emotionale Geschichte über einen jungen Mann ,der versucht sein Leben und das eines 8 jährigen Mädchens auf die Reihe zu kriegen .
Janey Sullivan ´s Mutter ist bei einem Unglück ums Leben gekommen und nun lebt sie bei Brain,der mit ihr und ihrer Mutter eine Familie gründen wollte , bis diese durch einen Sommersturm aus ihrem Leben gerissen wurde.Brain hat oft Zweifel ob das was er tut okay ist für Janey,doch die ist ein echter Sonnenschein.Doch wie überall gibt es auch hier mal gute und schlechte Tage.Je näher die Weihnachtstage kommen um so mehr will Brain für Janey etwas ganz besonderes machen .Für beide ist die Situation nicht einfach,denn beide trauern um die Frau und Mutter ,die sie verloren haben und Janey weiss nicht ob und wie ihr Leben jetzt weiter geht.

Dem Autor gelingt es in einfühlsamerweise den Konflik zu schildern ,den Brain und Janey haben zum einen mit dem Verlust ,den sie erlitten haben ,als auch mit der Verantwortung für einander.Denn plötzlich für ein Kind sorgen zu müssen ,das einem eigentlich fremd ist kann einen schon verunsichern auch wenn es ein ganz liebes Mädchen ist.Doch letztendlich fügt sich alles recht gut zusammen .
Ich finde es ist das berührendste Buch das ich seit Ein ganzes halbes Jahr von Jojo Moyes gelesen habe

[Sally Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian is raising a young girl whose mother died (his girlfriend) and adjusting to life in a small town. As he and Janey navigate the waters of their relationship, he learns that family doesn't have to be 'blood' and that he can be her dad without being her father. It's a sweet story of love and faith. I enjoyed it as a Christmas read.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Christmas Wish by Joseph Pittman is a sweet holiday novel that is just right for readers who enjoy reading Christmas novels at this time of year. The book is part of the Linden Corners series, but this is the first book of the series that I have read and I did not feel lost or confused. The settings and characters are well-developed. This is a place and people that readers can grow to care about, so I plan on picking up the other books in the series.

[Darlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the second in a series though you can read it as a standalone.
I would of probably read the first book to have a better understand of Brian's relationship with Annie and Janey.
The story is about Brian taking care of Janey and their first Christmas together. Though it was slow I thought it parts the ending was cute.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I typically love all books Christmas. The time of year and setting were nice and it was an easy read. The story should have captured me more, but it did not. It lingered over a Christmas ornament which took away from the bond I think the author was trying to create between the main 2 characters.

[Adele Guerin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this sweet Christmas story. The main characters are dealing with grief and finding their way to build a new family and establish new traditions, all while making sure to not forego and forget the past.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful story - so glad I came across this book!

[Doris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne's death leaves behind her dear 8-year-old daughter in her boyfriend/Janey's guardian's care. Such a wonderful Christmas story.

[Kathleen Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun Christmas read. An amazing story of a man whose girlfriend died and left her little girl for him to raise. I see that there are other books in the series. I want to read them!

[Ginny · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a nice story and I didn't read the one prior to this.

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun Linden Corners book.

[Kimberly Yoakam · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like Hallmark movies, you will like this. Predictable, quaint and served with a side of cheese. Sweet story.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The saddest and most endearing Christmas story, a tale of lost and found. Well worth the read !

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas for Brian Duncan and his recently inherited child, Janey Sullivan, simply isn’t the same after the tragic loss of the love of his life and her mother. Everything since her death has turned his life upside down and the only thing that seems to be worth focusing on is Janey. Now having lost both of her birth parents Janey has only Brian left to care for her, but that’s not entirely true. What they both soon discover is that the little town of Linden Corners and each of it’s inhabitants may be exactly the family both of them needed to come home to.

A Christmas Wish by Joseph Pittman was exactly the kind of read you expect to curl up with while sipping a nice cup of cocoa and warming up by the fire. It’s perfect for the holiday season and I certainly enjoyed getting to know the characters in this new-to-me series. The town of Linden Corners is comfy and cozy filled with all the hospitality and charm you’d expect from a place where everyone knows each other by first names. And though this is the second book in the series, that I’m aware of, I had no problem falling into step with each and every one of these delightful characters.

At it’s heart A Christmas Wish is about Brian and Janey coming to grips with the loss of someone they both loved very deeply. I’ve always wondered what happens in these types of situations and it was interesting to see the dynamic explored a bit. What does happen to a child when both parents die and there is no one else except perhaps a boyfriend or girlfriend? For Brian it was a huge adjustment, not only with the addition of an eight year old daughter but also in his lifestyle as he’d recently come from a big city corporate life in New York. I loved seeing how much he cared for her, but yet still stumbled and was a bit overprotective at times. The relationship and their love for each other was wonderful.

If you are in need of a cozy comfortable read for the holidays I’d highly recommend A Christmas Wish by Joseph Pittman. The characters in the small town of Linden Corners seem to welcome readers as easily as they do the members of the town they all love and you can feel that emanating from the pages of the story. Brian and Janey’s journey to become a family is one I’m eager to continue reading about and I’m hopeful that Pittman will continue to share more from the Linden Corners series. A Christmas Wish is just the book to pick up this holiday season as you settle in for a great read and a nice cup of hot chocolate these cold winter nights!

Originally reviewed and copyrighted at my site, Chick Lit Reviews and News.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas for Brian Duncan and his recently inherited child, Janey Sullivan, simply isn’t the same after the tragic loss of the love of his life and her mother. Everything since her death has turned his life upside down and the only thing that seems to be worth focusing on is Janey. Now having lost both of her birth parents Janey has only Brian left to care for her, but that’s not entirely true. What they both soon discover is that the little town of Linden Corners and each of it’s inhabitants may be exactly the family both of them needed to come home to.

A Christmas Wish by Joseph Pittman was exactly the kind of read you expect to curl up with while sipping a nice cup of cocoa and warming up by the fire. It’s perfect for the holiday season and I certainly enjoyed getting to know the characters in this new-to-me series. The town of Linden Corners is comfy and cozy filled with all the hospitality and charm you’d expect from a place where everyone knows each other by first names. And though this is the second book in the series, that I’m aware of, I had no problem falling into step with each and every one of these delightful characters.

At it’s heart A Christmas Wish is about Brian and Janey coming to grips with the loss of someone they both loved very deeply. I’ve always wondered what happens in these types of situations and it was interesting to see the dynamic explored a bit. What does happen to a child when both parents die and there is no one else except perhaps a boyfriend or girlfriend? For Brian it was a huge adjustment, not only with the addition of an eight year old daughter but also in his lifestyle as he’d recently come from a big city corporate life in New York. I loved seeing how much he cared for her, but yet still stumbled and was a bit overprotective at times. The relationship and their love for each other was wonderful.

If you are in need of a cozy comfortable read for the holidays I’d highly recommend A Christmas Wish by Joseph Pittman. The characters in the small town of Linden Corners seem to welcome readers as easily as they do the members of the town they all love and you can feel that emanating from the pages of the story. Brian and Janey’s journey to become a family is one I’m eager to continue reading about and I’m hopeful that Pittman will continue to share more from the Linden Corners series. A Christmas Wish is just the book to pick up this holiday season as you settle in for a great read and a nice cup of hot chocolate these cold winter nights!

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brian Duncan is an accidental resident of the small quaint village in upstate New York of Linden Corners, none the less this is where his dreams came true and were taken away as well when the woman he loved was lost in a tragic and devastating way. Now Brian finds himself the soul guardian of one lost little girl, a little girl that’s experienced more sorrow in her short life than many of us have to suffer through our entire lives, the little girl of the woman he’s lost. He’s determined to show her the best Christmas possible and make sure at the same time to let her know that they are a family if not by blood then by love and by remembering the mother she lost and showing her his history as well. But he’s at a crossroads with Janey, one he’s not sure he can live up to and even with the faith and community of Linden Corners behind him he’s not sure he can find the strength to survive let alone thrive but for Janey’s sake and his unconditional love for her he has to try.
Janey Sullivan knows loss and tragedy she also knows love. The love that she had and still has for her mother and the sometimes impossible to believe love she has for Brian Duncan, but she also has doubts and she’s not sure where to go for answers.
Join this unconventional family through their first, worst and best Christmas together, feel the love of community and the love between this unconventional pair, as we are silent guests to “ A Christmas Wish”.

Joseph Pittman brings us a touching sequel to his novel Tilting at Windmills where he furthers his story of Brian and Janey and their search for answers and their quest for family while we spend their first Christmas with them. He will keep readers turning pages with his heartwarming and at times heartbreaking story, his quaint narrative that gives readers a feel from the past and his descriptive dialogue that will make his scenes come alive for his audience. He brings us characters that are charming, quirky and ornery and he’ll make us fall in love not only with Linden Corners, its residents but Brian and Janey as well.
If this is your first visit to Linden Corners be sure to read Tilting at Windmills and see the story that started it all.
Thank you Mr. Pittman for the most enjoyable, inspiring and heartwarming Christmas tale.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brian and Janey were once again were trying to have a good Christmas after losing her Mom last year in a terrible accident. Would they succeed with the help of their friends, the love for each other they have, and learning to trust each other?

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Wish Upon the Wind is a sequel to Pittman's earlier romance Tilting At Windmills. Now, I'll admit, it's been several years since I read "Tilting," so I can honestly agree with the author's comment that you don't have to have read the earlier book in order to enjoy this one. He easily fills you in on the backstory you need to know in order to see where the characters in this volume are starting from. Thirty-ish Brian Duncan and eight-year-old Janey Sullivan are an unlikely family, thrown together by the events of the earlier book and facing their first Christmas as "guardian and child" since the death of Janey's mother. They still have a lot to learn about each other, including Janey meeting Brian's parents, siblings, and friends from his life before he moved to Linden's Corners. Thankfully, they have the help of Linden Corner's other residents -- some of whose stories are continued from the subplots of the earlier book and some of whom are new in this volume.

And that is largely why A Wish Upon The Wind works -- the story is not just Brian and Janey's, but also Gerta's and Mark's and Sara's. Pittman weaves their subplots deftly with the main plot focused on Brian and Janey, essentially reminding us that sometimes the family we build around us is just as important as the family we're born into. "Wish" is not the same kind of book "Tilting" was, even though the characters carry over. "Tilting" was a romance; "Wish is all about family.

Definitely recommended as a good holiday read!

[Kathy Jund · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Christmas Wish by John Pittman is a true feel-good Christmas story! The sequel to Pittman’s’ earlier writing titled Tilting at Windmills. Brian Duncan, successful New York City Public Relations Agency Executive was just passing through, on a break from his career, the one he thought meant the world to him. Current circumstances there made him question his heart and to find the answered embarked on a journey to clear his head. Travelling alone, thoughts scattered destiny however, stopped him in his tracks at the edges of a tiny roadside village known as Linden Corners. In a blink of an eye almost too easy to miss, he caught the sight of a stupendous windmill. Now Brian has a completely new career, for Brian has become a small town tavern owner and been bequeathed with a special job he hopes he can live-up to! A summer tragedy not only leaves Brian with a broken heart but a precious responsibility that did not come with a shiny procedure manual to help guide him along the way. He looks to the one person he loves to be his guiding light. The true meaning of Christmas, traditions old and new, and soon to be made, of community and loss all come together in a heart-warming story that at times will find you feeling misty-eyed. Will Brian continue to be still passing through or has he become Brian Duncan, right where he belongs?

[Cara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know what I expected, but this book was boring, boring, boring. I hadn't read the precursor, so maybe that makes a difference.

In the small town of Linden Corners, neighbors look after neighbors. Brian, a recent addition to this community, is responsible for eight year old Janey, after Brian's love, Annie, has died an unexpected death. Brian wants to do his best for Janey and gets help from his friends to navigate the transition from being a New Yorker to this small town and his new responsibilities, while facing the holiday season. In additon, this time of year is hard for Brian due to his own family's loss.


Nothing much happened in this book. The plot was slow and predictable. Recommend to folks who like the status quo and no cursing. This wasn't inspirational fiction, but it comes pretty close.

[Cara]

I don't know what I expected, but this book was boring, boring, boring. I hadn't read the precursor, so maybe that makes a difference.

In the small town of Linden Corners, neighbors look after neighbors. Brian, a recent addition to this community, is responsible for eight year old Janey, after Brian's love, Annie, has died an unexpected death. Brian wants to do his best for Janey and gets help from his friends to navigate the transition from being a New Yorker to this small town and his new responsibilities, while facing the holiday season. In additon, this time of year is hard for Brian due to his own family's loss.


Nothing much happened in this book. The plot was slow and predictable. Recommend to folks who like the status quo and no cursing. This wasn't inspirational fiction, but it comes pretty close.

[Samantha Stambaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet Christmas read if I have ever read one. A Christmas Wish by Joseph Pittman was a heartwarming delight. After losing her mother in a storm, Janey is left to be taken care of by Brian, a man who was just passing through the little town of Linden Corners until he fell in love with Janey's mom Annie, and the magical windmill that brought them all together.


This story is the second in a series, but is a wonderful read on its own. This is a fast paced easy read that is filled with great descriptions, Christmas sentiment, and just enough childhood angst and former life tension from the main characters to sustain wonder for the next chapter. This was a most enjoyable read to relax with during the stress of the holidays. Linden Corners is a place I plan to revisit in Pittman's other novels soon.


~ cross-posted at http://beyondmybookshelf.blogspot.ca/

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been looking for some good sentimental Christmas stories, and I finally found one in this book. It came just as every one is thinking about the Sandy Hook school shootings. I watched Dr. Phil talking with parents, children, and a school bus driver. He told them how to deal with the children, who had survived the shootings. It brought to mind the little girl, Janey, in this story. Her father, Dan, died when she was almost too young to remember him. Then her beloved mother died. Her boyfriend, Brian, became her guardian. He did all he could to help keep Janey's life and customs the same, and to show her the love and support she needed to get through the terrible loses she had suffered. This is a sweet book.

[Desiree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won the entire set on a goodreads giveaway and I am not going to lie I had my doubts about this one because of how the last one ended. This was supposed to be Brian, Janey, and Annie's first Christmas together. It was still a very touching story about coping with loss and friendship, and family and just life. Joesph Pittman wrote a very special heartful book that anyone would enjoy for holidays to come. I loved it and was very moved even choked up a few times!

[Virginia Buhr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the setting and the characters in this book. It was very predictable - but it was a holiday read, so that is not surprising. A book about the meaning of families and what being a family means. I liked the silent character of the windmill. I did not read the first book and probably will not, but would imagine you would enjoy this book more if that book has been read.

[R.J. Vaccarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very heartwarming book that keeps your interest from the first page all the way through the last page!

Read this book at the perfect time. Started right after returning from visiting relatives for Thanksgiving and leading up to Christmas - same time the story takes place.

Nice story, feels like a "made for tv family movie". In a good way!

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet Christmas read if you are looking for something light. A Christmas Wish by Joseph Pittman is a heartwarming story. After losing her mother in a storm, Janey is left to be taken care of by Brian, a man who was just passing through the little town of Linden Corners until he fell in love with Janey's mom Annie, and the magical windmill that brought them all together.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A feel good Christmas read that explores the complications of family relations and that chosen family can be just as important, if not more so, than biological ones. Also interesting study of how we can hurt those we love by second guessing what might make them happy.

[JoAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read; continuation of the Linden Corner series (book 2). Have read 2 and 3 now and have to go back and read book 1.
Nice wholesome story of family and friends living in a small community and set at Christmas.