A Christmas Gift: A Novel

by Kathi Macias

Chiapas, Mexico, had proven to be the distraction and escape Julie needed. As a teacher, she had longed to travel and instruct abroad. Now, she was teaching and falling in love with her students. But what she didn't expect happened in the short days leading up to Christmas. She didn’t know that her freedom would depend on Ramon, the local pastor. She didn’t anticipate the emotions this man of God would stir deep in her spirit. This Christmas Eve service would be unlike any other she had ever experienced. Would this simple man and his faith be enough to cause her to stay when she had every reason to leave?

Genres: Christmas

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

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About Kathi

0019 Kathi Macias - EDITED emailed (2)



Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 40 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences. She won the 2008 Member of the Year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) and was the 2011 Author of the Year from BooksandAuthors.net. Her novel set in China, Red Ink, was named Golden Scrolls 2011 Novel of the Year and was also a Carol Award Finalist; her October 2012 release, Unexpected Christmas Hero, was named 2012 Book of the Year by BookandAuthors.net. Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband.

Kathi is passionate about The Voice of the Martyrs and Open Doors. To learn more about the persecuted church, please visit VOM’s website and Open Doors Website

Reviews

[✝️❤️‍Brie❤️✝️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

So many horrifying details I skipped over about the kidnappers abusing the kidnapped. The only redeeming factor of this book was the character of Ramon. He was a man without guile, with a heart of gold and upright in spirit.

[Sally Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going to read all the Kathi Macias I can find! This book was really good.

[Beth Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be a fluffy romance from the title, but it was not. Excellent story with a gripping plot line about a kidnapped teacher. It was a great example of faith in action.

[Nicki Olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Book Description*
Julie Bennington has felt the need to get out of self pity and do something greater ever since her husband died of a heart attack two years ago. Her kids are in college and no longer truly need her even though they try make it look as if they do. When her mother mentions a teaching position outside a little town in Mexico, Julie thinks it is the perfect answer to her dream...her mother just wishes she had kept her mouth shut. Her children do everything in their power to get her to stay but Julie feels she must do this. Once she gets there, not only is the danger real but she'll encounter something she never expected. Will her kids ever forgive her for putting herself in danger? And in the loneliest places in the forest, will she find someone she never expected to find again?
Widowed Padre Ramon grieves for his wife ever time he thinks of that tragic day in the jungle. Now, with just him and his daughter left to live on their own, he doesn't question God's sovereignty, he simply wonders what could have happened if he had been there. When Julie arrives in the little town and his daughter loves her new teacher, he has to wonder if this is God's way of helping them move on or just his own loneliness taking the forefront. Will he ever truly get over his beloved wife's death and embrace the future? And when it seems God has given him a new chance at love, can he get her to stay?

*What I liked*
This story was so different from the beautiful cover...wow! The cover depicts maybe a western town with a cowboy or something...Definitely not what I expected but a great story just the same! Julie suffers from depression: her husband dying, children starting their own life...she just doesn't understand where she fits until her mother brings up the teaching job. She struggles with not wanting to leave her distraught parents and upset children but decides this is the right thing to do. Then the author leads us into the jungle with Julie and you get gangs, a Mexican pastor, children that hardly speak english, and wild animals. Kathi does a wonderful job of making the area come to life...maybe too wonderful!! Add in some amazing Christian testimonies, new found faith she thought she'd lost, worried parents, and children finally starting to get it...unique and a great story!!
*What I didn't like*
Wow. Remember I told you "maybe too wonderful"? Yeah...this story is not for the faint at heart and probably not for younger teens either. This book pictures the very scary side of Mexico, not siestas and enchiladas that is for sure! The other thing you may not like is the price. The book is about 220 pages long so it is a smaller book but is still $13.78 on Amazon. Maybe not what you want to spend. $7.38 for the kindle is a bit more realistic but maybe not all of you read ebooks. Don't let the price stop you from reading the book though! It has what I think is great Christian morals and a definitely unique story line and look into a missionary life.

*My Rating*
I give The Christmas Gift...




4 stars!



*Why my rating is what it is*

My rating is 4 stars because although this is a fantastic book with great Christian content in it, it also is packed with some pretty realistic, scary stuff! Not something you would want kids under at least 13 to read, unless they are overly mature.


*I have received this book from bookfun.org in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts were my own and I was not compensated in any other way.

[Arlena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: A Christmas Gift
Author: Kathi Macias
Publisher: New Hope Publishers
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 5
Review:

"A Christmas Gift" by Kathi Macias

Book Description:

"Chiapas, Mexico, had proven to be the distraction and escape Julie needed. As a teacher, she had longed to travel and instruct abroad. Now, she was teaching and falling in love with her students. But what she didn't expect happened in the short days leading up to Christmas. She didn’t know that her freedom would depend on Ramon, the local pastor. She didn’t anticipate the emotions this man of God would stir deep in her spirit. This Christmas Eve service would be unlike any other she had ever experienced. Would this simple man and his faith be enough to cause her to stay when she had every reason to leave?"

What I liked from this novel...

This was indeed a heartwarming Christian story that will capture your attention and keep you reading not wanting to put it down till the very end. Now, don't get me wrong this author brings out the dark side too in the novel...an example would be like telling the scary things that can and do go on in Mexico. I am sure you are now wondering what I am referring to and all I will say is you will have to read "A Christmas Gift" to see for yourself. I will say at this point this is not a read for the faint hearted or for children. However, this author really does a good job giving the reader some very interesting characters who were all for the most part well developed, captivating and believable. You will find from the read that the heroine Julie who was deeply depressed after the death of her husband and decides to do a long buried dream of hers and that was to take a job teaching abroad...in Chiapas, Mexico (the rain forest of southern Mexico) for a year. It was there she meets a local pastor and this story will take off from there where you will see it was there in Mexico that Julie had her life changing experience that turns off to be quite a spiritual as well as a physical journey for her too. I was caught with that surprised ending!

"A Christmas Gift" was a good Christian read that I would gladly recommend to you rather if it's Christmas or not.

[Deb Haggerty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deb’s Dozen: 12-Word Summaries - Depressed, defiant widow teaching in Mayan Mexico. Kidnapped. God knows His plans.

Julia Lawson is depressed. Her beloved husband, Tom, had died of a heart attack at 46. For two years she’s mourned him, unable to drag herself out of the depths of her despair. Her kids, her parents, and her friends encourage her to rejoin life, and gradually Julia begins to come alive again. A chance remark by her mother reignites a long-buried dream of Julia’s – to teach abroad. She becomes convinced that this opportunity is for her, and is her one best chance to find meaning again. Against her parents’ and her childrens’ advice, Julia heads to Chiapas, Mexico for a year to teach in a private school.

I loved Julia – and I understood her. I’ve struggled with depression myself, and know how easy staying in the darkness becomes the longer you linger there. Unless you’ve been there, you want to tell depressed people to “knock it off,” to “get a life,” that “life is worth living if you’ll just try.” I found her journey intriguing and was pleasantly surprised at various turning points in the story. I was proud of her for daring to live her dream. Little did she realize that she was in for a life-changing experience – that as the cover text relates, “She just didn’t know how deeply the events leading up to Christmas, the growing affections of a local pastor, and one simple Christmas Eve service would change her entire life.”

Kathi Macias is an award-winning writer with more that 40 books to her credit. Her stories are always believable and often undertake the difficult issues of life. She’s written about sex-trafficking, about those persecuted for their faith, and a delightful series about “Quilts.” You will enjoy this latest book of Kathi’s. A Christmas gift truly is a gift – one you should give yourself as well as to friends. Buy several copies!

I was given a complimentary copy of A Christmas Gift by New Hope Publishing for my unbiased review.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me preface by saying, I am a huge Kathi Macias fan. I have read many of her books and have thoroughly enjoyed each one. She takes the time to research her subjects and then presents them in a very real feeling setting. Although her books are fiction, one could easily see this happening because of the facts and the story lines presented.

A Christmas Gift does not disappoint. Julie Bennington is feeling depressed. Her husband's passing and her children starting their own lives have left her with nothing to focus on. Hearing of a teaching position in a small town in Mexico, Julie feels led to go. Despite objections from her mother and children, Julie heads to Mexico. Once there though, she is introduced to the not so nice side of Mexico and wonders should she have stayed in the USA. Will she ever be able to return? Or will Mexico not only bring danger but something else? For this you will need to read this story!

Kathi Macias is a wonderful author who really takes the time to find the details that some readers look for. Her books do not just show the good in everything but also that our world has a dark side but through it all God will see us through if you have faith. God loves us as we are. You will not be disappointed.
I received this book from bookfun.org in exchange for my honest review.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The setting of A Christmas Gift by Kathi Macias mostly occurs around the holiday; yet, the story is much more than a story about Christmas or about gift-giving. It is a story of love, second chances of several kinds, and finding a purpose in life. Julia Bennington is a widow of two years with two college-aged children. She has a good job at a high school but feels restless during the summer vacation, even though her children will be at home. A casual remark from her mother about some friends who had committed to the position of directors at a compound in southern Mexico suddenly sparks her interest in a different course for her life. A new challenge and new experiences suddenly fill her with longing for purpose. When her application for the teaching job is approved, she finds great resistance from her parents and children. Yes, some areas of Mayan Mexico present risks, but she feels led to try this very different life. Through this challenging, far less comfortable existence and danger, she finds her true self, her calling, and deepened faith. I highly recommend this novel. I received this book through TBCN in exchange for an honest review.

[Heather Bireley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure what I was expecting when I started reading this book so it is hard to review this book. It was good and I enjoyed it but it didn't hold my interest like some I have read recently.

Julia Bennington is at loose ends - her two children are grown and in college and she is recently widowed. She is an English teacher at the local high school but she has nothing to fulfill her life. When her mother tells her about a local couple who are missionaries in a remote part of Mexico, she thinks that this just might be the thing to help her out of her doldrums.

She teaches in a compound in the jungle just outside of Chiapas, Mexico. She has been warned not to leave the compound alone but one morning she decides that it isn't far to the market and she sets out alone and without telling someone. The local drug lord makes his living by kidnapping unsuspecting tourists and ransoming them. He kidnaps Julia but luckily one of her students sees her in his car.

A rescue comes from an unlikely source and Julia makes a life altering decision.

I was provided a copy of this book for my review from The Book Club Network. I was not paid for a positive review.

[Donna McGinnis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover and title A Christmas Gift makes you think this book will be a charming and endearing story of Christmas. Not so. But it is well worth reading. A great story. Kathi Macias is a talented writer with great details to the story and the characters.
Julia Bennington is feeling down and depressed. She is widow and her children are leaving the family home to start their own lives. Julia is a teacher and feels she needs something new in her life. She reads of a teaching position in Chiapas, Mexico. She has always to travel. Would this be a new beginning and escape from her current life? Little did she know how going to Mexico would effect her life. One day not really understanding the danger she could face Julia goes outside the compound where she lives and teaches and is kidnapped and held for ransom. How does Pastor Ramon effect her life and her freedom?
This is a story of pain, changes, suspense, danger, love and faith.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to everyone.

I received a free copy of this book from bookfun.org for my hones opinion and review.

[Anne Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner by Kathi Macias! I love the way this woman writes, don't you?

Julia Lawson Bennington had lived the dream life up until the time her husband, Tom, passed away two years earlier. Now she couldn't get herself out of this black depression. She couldn't stop crying, and she could see no purpose to her life--not even for her children.

Then her mother let slip how some friends had gone to southern Mexico to teach at a remote mission. That's when she made that huge life-changing decision. She would also go for one school term--much to the dismay of her parents and her two college-age children.

Time and time again, the Padre and the Barnes had cautioned her to never go outside the compound by herself, but just after Thanksgiving, she had ignored their advice. Just once shouldn't hurt.

Except that that one time was enough for her to be spotted and kidnapped. T,e man demands one million dollars from her family. If they don't pay, the evil man would deliver her in several pieces.

You simply must help her. Hurry--go buy from Amazon or Barnes and Noble!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

By the looks of the cover on A Christmas Gift, I thought that I was going to get a sweet, heartwarming, fuzzy feeling read. Well, I really should not have judged this book by its cover. This was a first read for me by Kathy Macias. While reading this book I felt a lot of emotions: heartbreak, familial love, excitement for new adventure, and fear. Fear? Yes, fear. I was not sure if this book was going to have a happy ending or not, but Kathy Macias’s writing did not disappoint. I was constantly turning the pages to get to a resolution of this poor heroine. From the moment I started the book and read the prologue I knew I was in for a roller coaster of a ride. Not a typical Christmas story but a well told story nonetheless. I received my review copy from The Book Club Network, Inc. (TBCN) and as always the opinions are my own.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kathi Macias is one of my favorite authors and she never disappoints. She writes about intense, serious topics. And her books are always thought provoking. A Christmas gift is no exception.

This is not a fluffy Christmas story. It deals with topics of cult traditions, gang violence, kidnapping, and human trafficking. But it is also a story of a woman who chose to live out a dream. In that choice, she ends up with a life changing experience. And she and her family experience some spiritual growth as a result.

This is a fast read for any time of the year. It is heartwarming and typical Kathi Macia’s books, it delivers a punch. A Christmas Story is a riveting and inspirational read. I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Marnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julie, a school teacher and widow from California, seeks a change in her life to help her find a new balance. Her children are young adults in college, her parents are able to take care of themselves, and Julie has spent too much time depressed. By a stroke of God's timing, a known-to-the-family missionary couple has need of a teacher for a compound in Southern Mexico, deep in the Mayan culture. Julie feels compelled to go, even though she would say her faith is shaky.
The new life and job in the compound certainly challenge her faith and she is kidnapped by an evil man with even worse intentions. During captivity God reaches Julie with certain messages. No matter the outcome, her faith is renewed.

[Billie Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the prologue to “A Christmas Gift” Kathi Macias sets the stage for the book; letting us know that the main character, Julia, has been kidnapped. The author then brings each character into the story, giving us pictures of each one and where they fit into the conflict. This is truly a heartwarming story of a teacher who takes a year to teach in the rain forest of Southern Mexico. It is a story of her spiritual journey as she deals with the physical journey. You may be surprised at the ending. I received this book from the author and publisher by way of The Book Club Network (bookfun.org) in exchange for an honest review.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julie is a heroine my age whose husband tragically dies, leaving Julie alone—except for her two college-age children. She is in depressed and after she gets home from work (a school teacher) she cries a lot. Her family want her to “get out more” to do something to get over her depression, but when she finds what she wants to do—teach school in Mexico—everyone is against it.

This was a realistic story that was alternately heart-pounding scary, heartwarming, and heartbreaking at times. I was glad Julie found a purpose, but I also understood her parents’ and children’s objections.

A great Christmas story, for keeping for yourself or for giving as a gift.

[Edward Arrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story but beyond that was the message of the book. God can use some of the worst conditions to reach us and turn us to Himself. It would be far better to never stray away but we see that all through the Bible. The wonderful part is that God answers prayer. Hopefully most of us never have to face the circumstances faced by Julia, her family, and friends in the book, but we know that this is not merely an interesting story. It is an illustration of how God can work in our lives when we open up to Him. I recommend this book. Although the book concludes on Christmas Eve, it's worth reading any time of the year.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Christmas Gift is completely different than what I expected. I was expecting a sweet Christmas story but it went much deeper than that. There were some sweet moments in it but much more suspense and action. The story line was good just not centered around Christmas as I had initially thought. I did like it though.
4 stars.
I received this book from bookfun.org in exchange for my honest review which was given.

[Lori Weller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Christmas Gift is an exciting, suspenseful, dramatic, and thought-provoking book. It concerns love , life, second-chances, and faith. When a high school teacher of two teenagers is restless and looking for change, she decides to go and teach over break at a compound in southern Mexico. She ends up being kidnapped for ransom. The experiences she has there changes her feelings on life and faith.
I received this book from the Book Club Network in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Deb Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not your usual Christmas story. It is very unique in both setting and plot. Part thriller, part romance; it is full of surprises to the very end. I highly recommend it!