Hope for the Holidays

Making Spirits Bright

by Cathe Swanson

Newly arrived from her home in the Congo and armed with a brand-new degree in nonprofit management, Carrie Strough is eager to organize and improve the Unity Plenkiss Community Center. Unfortunately, no one wants to be organized, and only Micah Neresen, the charming and handsome pastor of the local church, is interested in her plans. Or is he just interested in her?
With a cast of lively and eccentric characters including a homeless vet with PTSD, a con man, an elderly couple with an over-the-top Christmas display, a feisty committeewoman with a past of her own, and a police investigation, Micah and Carrie wonder if there is any hope for the holidays this year!

Genres: Christmas, Contemporary, Fiction, Holiday

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 4, 2018

About the author

After 40 years of wandering (but always in lovely places and not in a desert), Cathe Swanson has recently returned to her childhood home and family in Minnesota.

In the summer, she and her husband enjoy spending time with their grandchildren and being outdoors, gardening, hiking, birdwatching, and kayaking. The long winters are perfect for writing books, playing games, reading, and indoor hobbies. Cathe's been a quilter and teacher of quiltmaking for 35 years and enjoys just about any kind of creative work, especially those involving fiber or paper.

Everything inspires new books! A lifelong love of quilting, Cathe’s Swedish heritage and an interest in genealogy led to The Glory Quilts series, and the Hope Again series is inspired by her life in the Midwest and experiences with the elderly, the military, and inner-city ministry. As a child of the 60’s, she’s currently having fun writing about hippies and the Jesus People movement.

Cathe writes books with creative plots and engaging characters of all ages, to glorify God and entertain and bless readers. Her heartwarming stories will make you laugh and make you cry—and then make you laugh again.

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope For The Holidays by Cathe Swanson is a charming contemporary Christian romance. It is a Great Lakes novella but can be read as a stand-alone.
The main theme is taking care of widows and orphans. We were never meant to do life in isolation. We were made for community living. Some need more help than others. We all need to pull together using our different talents.
In times of war, people see horrendous things that they cannot 'unsee.' Their experiences remain down the years. PTSD is recognised now but not during World War II. A common bond can unite young and old veterans who understand about living with the horrors of war.
There is the theme of adoption. We are all adopted into God's family. Actual families open their hearts and homes to those in need.
A crime needs solving. Can you guess the perpetrator? I tried and failed.
Beneath the surface a gentle romance is brewing much to the enjoyment of the reader.
We must see the individual and not judge based on the demographic. "Take your eyes off the big picture and look at the people." We must see the individual and never judge. We must love instead.
The formula for drawing near to God is prayer. "The more they pray, the more they get to know God." God longs for a relationship with each and every one of us.
Hope For The Holidays was a charming read to warm a winter's day. I absolutely loved it.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hope for the Holidays by Cathe Swanson is a fun holiday story that readers will enjoy. Filled with struggles from a new job and being known as another worker’s kid-sister, as well as unexpected friendships and romance. This novella has lots of characters and side characters to keep track of throughout the story, each with their own story. Although this makes it a bit hard to follow what is going on and keep track of everyone, the story is still sweet, with a focus on family, friends, and the holiday. Readers will get a warm fuzzy feeling from this novella this Christmas season.

Genre: contemporary, romance, holiday, Christmas
Publisher: Indi
Publication date: November 1, 2017
Number of pages: Hope for the Holidays – a little over 100; Making Spirits Bright Collection – 577

A copy of this book was purchased for review. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are my own.

[Esther Filbrun · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a lot to love in this story! Wonderful characters, a good setting, a bit of mystery, and some intriguing challenges. Unfortunately, I didn’t read this book at a good time, so I found it hard to get through. I loved “meeting up” with some of the characters from other books, though, and am looking forward to reading more in the series. It was good; just not the right one at the right time for me. I’m sure I’ll probably re-read this at some stage.

I was given a review copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Hope for the Holidays” by Cathe Swanson

Carrie Strough is the newest employee at Unity Plenkiss Community Center. She is the nonprofit coordinator, a position many feel isn’t needed, especially when one of the departments want the funds for a project they have planned. They don’t understand why the old way they have always done things should be changed. Hence, Carrie runs into a lot of blockades within the community center staff.

Micah Nereson, the pastor of the local church, is not only supportive of Carrie’s position and roadblocks she keeps running into, but he seems to have some answers here and there that help Carrie as she muddles her way through the new position, a sudden police investigation, and some odd demands from the community.

A well written novel in the Great Lakes series.

Rating: 4.5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.✨

[Melissa Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story that touches the heart and reminds the reader of the importance of showing love to others. I received a copy of this story from the author and this is my personal honest opinion. No review was required.

[Charlotte Dance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cathe Swanson wrote Hope for the Holidays. It is in her Great Lakes collection. Although characters cross over from other books, it isn't necessary to have read them. It does give a richer reading experience though. I will say that her 'novella' doesn't feel like a novella at all. She does a wonderful job of letting you enjoy all the varied characters that inhabit the Unity Plenkiss Community Center warts and all. One thing I really appreciated was the way that she showed the value of who you serve for Christ, no matter how great or how small that we perceive their need to be. It is a sweet book with deeper nuggets. I have read it several times now and it hasn't grown old.

[Ayezu Tamarapreye Okoko · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOK:-HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS (HOPE AGAIN BOOK FOUR)BY CATHE SWANSON.

I looked inside the Kindle read on Amazon.

It looks at the story of Carrie and Roy as there is hope for Carrie who now has a new home with Roy.It also looks at the offence of stealing as a sin and moral wrong and whether stealing certain things of less value was stealing.Hope for the holidays looks at Hope house a lobby area space that was the main entrance to the school and the door to the emergency women's shelter that has got free wifi(pronounced wify as short for wife as Carrie seems to be to Roy) and electricity like the rest of the building.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. Carrie comes to small area of Chicago to be the administrator of small community center. Micah is the interim preacher who is working with his board to find his replacement. Carrie is one several children, most of whom are missionaries, one her brothers recommended her for jobThere are kids, veterans and older folk that come to the center. Particularly and older couple survived WWII. There is a group called Snow Angels who go around in wintertime to make sure senior neighbor's driveways and side walk cleared of snow.

[Donna Rutledge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about Carrie and Micah. Micah is a minister in a small church that has a community center and a women shelter called Hope House. Micah is looking to replace himself so he can go into teaching. He wants to find a position as soon as possible.

Carrie is a woman that has been living in the Congo with her parents. But rescently she moved to the small town with Micah as her minister. She likes him but is not into dating. She has never dated and doesn't know how it works. She is starting to like him but knows he's leaving.

[Marzlie Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful story

I really enjoyed the love story that developed between Micah and Carrie. I would love more of the Great Lakes Collection. After all, we need for Phoebe and Ben's story to come to fruition. It was also fun how Carrie engineered her brother Roy's wedding. Lots of joy in this series.

[Rebecca McLafferty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cathe Swanson does a remarkable job of providing an entertaining read while addressing real-life issues. I found the book extremely interesting (educational even!) as she incorporated behind the scenes eye-openers into a romantic and inspiring setting. Her diverse characters were believable and likable. Reading this book will make you want to read more by Cathe Swanson.

[Samyuktha Ell · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easily likable story. Though this is essentially a 'novella', it does a great job of having you get to know all the characters well and form your own opinions about them. The author has created a story that deals with multiple facets of common real-life situations and raises our understanding for those who come from different walks of life.

[Sherry Ledet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cathe Swanson has written an interesting story. I gave it only three stars because it seemed to change scene's without explaination but I did find the general story good. I expect I will read the next book in the series and see if it gets better.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

trusting God and doing His will.

Interesting that they looked far and wide to find a pastor and God had picked the perfect one already. Both characters learned more about trusting God in this story.

[Tricia Cox garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope for the Holidays

I laughed and I cried. Seeing this community come together to help one of their own, finding a new pastor for their church, and dealing with a mess at the community center. Good clean romance.

[Heidi Morrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent continuation of the series

This was an excellent continuation of the series! The characters continue to develop and the stories are believable! Highly recommended!

[Mary Eisenbeis Cline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable book in the series. I really liked Micah. It’s a good book to see how others deal with everyday life as a Christian.