The Christmas Promise

by Richard Paul Evans

This holiday season, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Noel Collection returns with another heartwarming story of secrets, heartbreak, forgiveness, and the true meaning of Christmas.On the night of her high school graduation, Richelle Bach’s father gives her and her identical twin sister, Michelle, matching opal necklaces. “These opals look identical,” he tells them, “but the fire inside each is completely unique—just like the two of you.” Indeed, the two sisters couldn’t be more different, and their paths diverge as they embark on adulthood. Years pass, until—at their father’s behest—they both come home for Christmas. What happens then forever damages their relationship, and Richelle vows never to see or speak to her sister again. In their father’s last days, he asks Richelle to forgive Michelle, a deathbed promise she never fulfills as her twin is killed in an accident. Now, painfully alone and broken, caring for the sickest of children in a hospital PICU, Richelle has one last to be an author. The plot of her book, The Prodigal Daughter, is a story based on her sister’s life. It’s not until she meets Justin Ek, a man who harbors his own loss, that a secret promise is revealed, and Richelle learns that the story she’s writing is not about her sister, but about herself.

Genres: Christmas, Fiction, Romance, Holiday, Adult, Audiobook, Contemporary

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 2, 2021

About the author

When Richard Paul Evans wrote the #1 best-seller, The Christmas Box, he never intended on becoming an internationally known author. His quiet story of parental love and the true meaning of Christmas made history when it became simultaneously the #1 hardcover and paperback book in the nation. Since then, more than eight million copies of The Christmas Box have been printed. He has since written eleven consecutive New York Times bestsellers. He is one the few authors in history to have hit both the fiction and non-fiction bestseller lists. He has won several awards for his books including the 1998 American Mothers Book Award, two first place Storytelling World Awards, and the 2005 Romantic Times Best Women Novel of the Year Award. His books have been translated into more than 22 languages and several have been international best sellers.

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

But that Chinese proverb my father taught me still haunts me: An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, and circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break.

It's never the wrong time of year to read the latest Christmas tale from Richard Paul Evans. Richelle (Ricki) is a PICU nurse, identical twin, and half Taiwanese. Her twin sister (Michelle or Micki) and her father are both dead. Her mother left when she was little. This is a very lonely season until she meets Justin at her writing club meeting. Ricki and Justin have an instant connection. Could it be too good to be true? What will happen when they really share their stories? Along with the proverb of the invisible thread is the parable of the prodigal son. Who really is the straying son in the story? It might surprise you to find out the answer.

For in the eyes of heaven, we are all wayward. And we are all lost. But we are never forgotten. And if there's a promise of Christmas, it couldn't be anything more than that.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Richard Paul Evans's holiday books and they are my must-read every year. For some strange reason, I don't see a new one this year. I hope I'm not missing his new release so let me know if I am, PLEASE!!

Because of that, I went through my TBR and found that I have The Christmas Promise that I haven't read AND that I have it on my phone! 😱 How could that be?? I feel that I found a hidden treasure or an early Christmas gift. 🎁😍

The Christmas Promise is a faith-based Christmas romance told through Richelle "Ricki" Bach, a half-Tawainese American from Salt Lake City. Ricki had a twin sister Michelle who died when she was hit by a drunk driver. They were estranged before her death and Ricki never got a closure.

In several of RPE's books, he tells the stories through diaries. This one has a small diary entry at the beginning of each chapter and I enjoy this format. It's an engaging story about family, love, loss and redemption. There's even a surprising twist I wasn't expecting. Not my favorite RPE but still a very satisfying Christmas read. 💞🎄

[Melanie Sligh · Rating 2 out of 5]

#TheChristmasPromise: 🤶🏼.5/5 (rounded up)

“You already have a legacy. Your impact is far greater than you know”

Alright, I’m not one to bash a book or author, but there was so many problematic and just “off” things about this book, I can’t let it go.

This is labeled as Christian Holiday Fiction, so I’m expecting some wholesome, forgiveness, caring, content. With the plot of man meeting woman but having a sense of her past, (As a thriller lover) my thoughts automatically went to Justin knew/loved Michelle or he stalked Michelle and now it’s Richelle’s turn. I was with her co-workers, the way he inserted himself into her life was very abrupt and fast. I didn’t find it sweet or heartwarming, but found it more of a red flag.

I enjoyed Richelle as a character. I enjoyed her conversations in regard to the PICU and her stories of faith. She had a wonderful heart. Did I think her wanting to toast to a two week love/walking into their life romance was a bit too instalove? Yes. But, she was a wonderful MC.

There’s so much cringe in this book, we have micro aggressions that are just so random it’s like they just wanted to remind us of the MCs race. It took away from the plot and her sadness with the car scene. It was poorly timed and unnecessary. If the author wanted to discuss micro aggressions, I think there could have been more to the scene in order to really start a conversation with the reader, but it was almost an after thought.

There’s a part of the plot in regard to opioids to where the HR person says, “You know what they say, never trust an addict” 🥴 This kind of comment is off base and made me double check this was considered Christian fiction. I find it odd to have The Prodigal Son as a strong theme in this book and was said to be used for “those that look down on others, and to embrace the lost, not with judgement or condemnation, but to love the wayward” and yet, “addicts” would be considered “lost” and this is such a judgmental thing to write. Another throw away comment that was unnecessary and added nothing to the plot.

Also, Richelle has to go back to Justin for forgiveness and second chances? Did we just skip over the fact that he was married to Michelle, had a kid with her, knew their father, gaslit Richelle into feeling like Michelle’s actions were Richelle’s fault, lied the entire time, and he has the audacity to be mad.. at her? Everyone is at fault here, but Justin has no leg to stand on to be mad. He was married to one sister and in a relationship with another, but he was not in their relationship as sisters, he doesn’t get to bypass all his shortcomings so he can be the one to allow forgiveness.

Lastly, He takes her to Michelle’s former employment and they don’t correct them that she’s not her? I’m sorry, this is just absolutely absurd and wrong. It’s not a prodigal son anymore, it’s truly replacing the old version with a clone and hoping no one notices. Richelle is living her life and doesn’t need to also live Michelle’s as she’s no longer living.

Overall, I just cannot in good faith recommend this book. I’m glad to see others have enjoyed it, but the premise and micro aggressions just do not make a good story.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few years ago, I was browsing a library in my area during the Christmas season, and I decided to check out all of the Yuletide-themed novels by Richard Paul Evans that were on the shelf. Though I enjoyed most of them, one of them had such disturbing themes that it gave me nightmares, which literature rarely ever does to me. I won't mention the title or the events of the book that caused those bad dreams, as not to spoil it for those who haven't read it, but, trust me: I woke up rather scared.

Every year for the past umpteen years, Mr. Evans has released another Christmas novel; 2021 is no exception, and I was among the first patrons to get a copy of The Christmas Promise from my local library. My mom read it before me and warned me about it; she was absolutely right, as this did not feel much like a Yuletide tale. While it takes place in November and December, the themes--adultery, death/suicide, familial betrayal, drug addiction, etc.--are neither uplifting nor very fun to read about. The author may be known as "the king of Christmas fiction," but, if he doesn't start writing some better and more positive holiday stories, he could easily be dethroned. All in all, this felt more like a soap opera than a feel-good Hallmark telefilm.

[Terri Wino · Rating 1 out of 5]

Two things to start this review: 1) This review has spoilers, so continue at your own risk. 2) The Mistletoe Promise by this author is one of my favorite holiday season books. This book, not so much.

I'm going to start by saying it was pretty easy to guess where this story was going to go from just reading the description, but having enjoyed several of this author's other holiday season books, I wanted to see how this would play out.

So we start out with Richelle falling pretty quickly for a stranger in town who just shows up at her author's meeting one night. I can accept this part, especially once the aspect gets thrown in where her friends make her question how much she really knows about him and it leads to a frank discussion between her and Justin. But then the apologetic, wimpy Richelle starts to show herself by pretty much begging Justin to forgive her for feeling uneasy about how little she really knew about him and asking some questions that are NORMAL for two people trying to get to know and trust each other. Strike one.

Now we move forward pretty quickly and suddenly have two characters who are supposedly falling deeply in love when Richelle discovers something that has her questioning whether Justin has another woman in his life. Oh, don't worry about her -- that's just my daughter that I neglected to tell you about in our last frank discussion about being open and honest with each other. Once again, the Richelle response is to realize she was wrong for getting upset that he didn't share the fact with her that he has a child and apologize for overreacting. Um, ok. Strike two.

I started to warm back up to this pairing once Richelle found herself accused of the missing drugs at work and Justin did what he could to "stand by her" and help her through something that could end up with her wrongly convicted of a felony. But after all of this, the way Justin just casually forgot himself and THE BIG SECRET he was keeping when the comment slipped out about Michelle felt like a very rushed cop out to move towards the conclusion of the book.

Now, this woman has just found out she's been lied to since the day she met Justin. Then he tries to explain why it wasn't really Michelle's fault for sleeping with Richelle's husband back in the day and destroying the relationship between the twin sisters for the foreseeable future and what ended up being the rest of Michelle's life. Oh, and the cherry on top was their father knowing all about Michelle's life and child and seeing them over the years, but never saying a word to the other daughter he was supposed to be so close to??
So this woman finds all this out and reacts in a perfectly normal way -- upset, angry, and hurt. I know I would certainly question whether any feelings Justin had for me were real or was I just a lookalike replacement for his dead wife and mother of his child? But she gets lectured yet again by this asshole about forgiveness and is made to feel as if SHE is the character here who is at fault for everything wrong in the relationship between herself, her twin, her father, and now this man she has fallen in love with under false pretenses. Alrighty then. We're well beyond a "strike three" here.

So after being cleared of the drug charges against her and realizing it was because Justin had his brother in the DEA intervene, she does an afternoon of soul-searching and realizes Justin really must love her and that she was wrong to throw him out and struggle to forgive him for lying about everything their relationship was supposed to be based on? Then she shows up at his parents' house on Christmas Eve to declare how wrong she was and basically beg him to forgive HER. Meanwhile, everyone in Justin's family was obviously aware that he was pursuing Richelle and "falling in love with her" without telling her that little fact of having been in love with and married to her twin sister. Our "happy ending" is Richelle just slipping right into that empty slot of her dead twin sister's life and having the perfect life she always dreamed about.

I'm just going to sum this up by saying I found this book to be pretty offensive to women and rather repulsive. Definitely not a feel-good holiday story for this reader.

[Karen J · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Christmas Promise is far more than a fun Christmas story. The story line had me right from the start. I really enjoyed the depth of the story, the characters and as always the author Richard Paul Enans never disappoints me.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

’Don’t tell me the moon is shining, show me the glint of light on broken glass.’ - Anton Chekhov

In the years since Richelle, or Ricki, and her identical twin Michelle, Micki, had grown up living with their father, many years had passed. Ricki’s resentment of Micki hasn’t changed. The event that divided them was a thing of the past, but she hasn’t managed to find a way to forgive her, even though both Micki and her father have passed.

Ricki is both a pediatric ICU nurse and a budding writer who is a member of the Callipe Writers Group. As winter is approaching, a new man joins the group, Ricki is somewhat cautious as to his interest in her, but a friendship with possibilities of more begins to develop as the wall she’s built to protect her heart begins to tumble.

As with most of this author’s work, this is more than occasionally sugary sweet, with the always hovering danger of collapse from an overload of sweetness. But for those looking for a sweet holiday read, he never disappoints.

[Rosa Davis · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the hell did I just read? Why does this author always write creepy male main characters? Nothing about this "love" story is romantic. Even before it was stated who he actually was my red flag alarms were going off. I was with her coworkers, the dude just creepily sliding into her life and somehow knowing everything about her was not a red flag? Also the addicts part made no sense and the book would've been perfectly fine without but also without you wouldn't realize how creepy Justin is. He gets his brother to pull strings and saves her. Also Richelle had very valid grievances against her sister. It gets annoying how everyone is trying to make her feel bad for having legitimate anger against her sister. I also find it hard to believe that she wouldn't know that her sister was married and had a kid. You would think their dad would've used that as a reason for the sisters to make up. Also the whole getting with the surviving twin after being widowed by the other twin just feels gross to me especially since its stated multiple times throughout the book how different they are and how only their physical features are what is similar.
Read this if you want to be disturbed or are a weirdo that likes weirdo stories.

[Christina Puckett · Rating 1 out of 5]

So disappointed in this book. I have loved everything I have read of Evans, but this is probably the worst book ever be read in 2021. This is not a love story you cheer for, but one that makes you cringe and yell, “Run girl run!” I more disappointed I wasted $22 because I was so excited I actually purchased this instead of going to the library to check it out.

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book made me so angry! What was the author thinking? This was definitely not a love story of a healthy relationship. If it wasn't for the fact this was a library book, I would have tossed it in the garbage!

[Alison L · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't love this one. Knew how it was going to end from the beginning. I didn't really agree that it was Richelle's responsibility to go find Michelle and fix their relationship after what Michelle had done. And, why would the dad keep all those secrets? And, even though Justin was a great guy, it was pretty creepy to start a relationship with his wife's twin so soon after her death and have it get so serious in like 2 weeks AND not tell her who he was! I could go on, but I'll stop. I really wanted to love this but...not my favorite.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The people in our lives are like cards in a deck. At different times we draw, hold, and discard, but in the end, we don't really know the cards' value until life calls our hand."

The Christmas Promise is Richard Paul Evans' annual contribution to the magical Christmas season. This year's standalone story has themes related to the prodigal son parable - but the prodigal daughter in this scenario. Sisterhood, unforgiveness, and regret make additional appearances throughout, and of course it wouldn't be a Richard Paul Evans' novel if redemption didn't allow it to come full circle. After all, forgiveness is the most powerful gift of all, for others but also for ourselves.

My personal reason for 3 stars - spoiler free: Although I look forward to this author's Christmas story every season, the main characters' relationship in this book was difficult for me to cheer for. The nature and history of their connection was very much predicted early on and watching a romance bloom was unappealing for me personally. And poor little Olivia! Trauma much? But I still enjoyed this book for the important themes and gentle reminders that Richard Paul Evans is so skilled in communicating. If you have historically enjoyed this author's work, it's worth checking out.

My favorite quote:
"There are few places more reassuring or safe than the arms of a loved one or the pages of a good book."

[Mary Jackson _TheMaryReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who's looking for a fast, fun read? That does not disappoint. As with all of Evans Christmas books each year I got to get away for a little while in this fun read. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard Paul Evans never disappoints. A very moving story. Perfect for the holiday season. I give it 5 stars. Have your kleenex ready.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally love this author's Christmas books and own several as they make me smile. But this one...

Slow start for me but that's not a big problem. The problem for me was when it went a bit creepy and didn't stop. I had it figured out and only stuck around so see how the hospital situation worked out (had that figured out, too).

I found the premise disturbing and not something I could go along with. Due to not spoiling, I'll leave it there.

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was going for a change from non-fiction with a holiday vibe with this one, my first by this author. I had the plot figured out fairly early, but still finished it. This was a goodreads win. I received a review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Staci · Rating 2 out of 5]

This Christmas tale had a good start and I enjoyed all of the scenes that occurred at the hospital. Main character Richelle is a PICU nurse.

Beyond that, the book seemed to building to a large reveal and when that occurred at about 75% of the way through, it was disappointing and unrealistic.

This book had some strong parts, but was overall a miss for me.

[Kaye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book club selection December 2021. Ewwwwww!!! Unless you’re a major RPE fan you might want to skip this one. There are so many cringe worthy things and un-plausible things in this book. The gist is Richelle (Ricki) is a PICU nurse. When her father died he asked her to forgive her identical twin sister. But her sister, who she has been estranged from for six years, dies in an accident before she even decides whether to contact her. Now Ricki just works and belongs to a writing group. A mystery man Justin comes to the group and they start to get to know each other. Her co-workers point out she doesn’t know where he lives, what he drives or where he works as if that isn’t enough flags but with in two weeks he is staying over at her house.

I started off by really liking Ricki. RPE often has MCs who have been through tragic circumstances. But Justin, to me gives off stalker and manipulator vibes. When she catches him in his first huge lie of omission. I loathed that RPE has Ricki begging for forgiveness because of Justin’s excuse that he said he wasn’t ready to talk about some things. After what she’s been through, and their supposedly honest talks, that isn’t acceptable. His lies or letting her believe things that weren’t correct aren’t normal, even if he wants to keep his big secret. And the manipulation continues because he continues to direct her thoughts and emotions when he is not forthcoming in anyway about his part or interest in the outcome.

The estrangement with the sister is not a mistake. Could they have gotten past it if they had a chance to talk it out, maybe. But the blows get piled on when Ricki learns that her father had contact with the sister. There is no reason for him to not tell Ricki other than for a RPE guilt moment. Again Justin manipulates her into feeling guilty for not being forgiving. No freaking way!!

And I suppose Justin gets some credit for asking his brother for a favor when Ricki has an issue at work. But it is in my mind a minimal thing. It isn’t a grand gesture. It is something I would do for a casual friend if I had the connections. And it is within the brother’s job boundaries. Justin only makes a phone call but again it makes her come running back to apologize again.

The final lines of the book are just creepy as well. It in what is supposed describing their HEA it mentions traveling to MIlan where the twin once was a model. They don’t correct people from thinking she is her dead twin. What kind of Stepford Wife thing is that? I never like Justin and genuinely feel sad that he is who Ricki ends up. There is nothing Christmasy or happy about this story. And I found the forgiveness message overhanded especially when it is manufactured through lies. Thank heavens this was on KU and I didn’t purchase the book.

[Maureen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars

I think the fact that it wasn’t acknowledged how weird it would be to have a relationship with your sister’s husband (which I figured out early on) kept me from enjoying the book. And you’re not supposed to think it’s weird that he married his deceased wife’s twin sister?

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan of Justin.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was about a set of twins where one had died. Michelle and Richelle had not spoken in over six years because of something that happened in the past. Michelle is a nurse in a trauma center and not as much fun as her twin sister. One day out of the blue a stranger walks into Michelle’s writers group at a library. He stared at her for a long time and then took his seat. From that moment on I got a weird vibe and come to find out he had a connection to her twin who had died. I figured this book out early on. I’m not sure if the author meant for you to figure it out it seemed very obvious to me. I did not get the Christmas vibe from this book either. Easy to read but not very exciting.

[Bre Dubuque · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I was disappointed. I thought Richard Paul Evans was the king of Christmas stories? This was really slow, not very Christmasy and kind of unbelievable.

[Gina *loves sunshine* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Years ago I started this little tradition when I realized this author released a new Christmas themed book each year in November. So far it has been something I always look forward to listening to as I cook and get everything ready the week of Thanksgiving! Some years are better than others, some years the stories are more Christmasy than others. I realized somewhere I fell a year behind but I think this is better that way I can have it all ready to go, this was the 2021 release! I enjoyed the story, the light romance was nice, cozy, sometimes sad, but definitely held my interest and even had more of a Thanksgiving theme overall!!! Finished it easily in 1 day! Also really enjoyed the theme on Prodigal son!!

[Tammy Comeau Nadeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite authors, definitely didn’t disappoint with this one, especially with one of the main characters being a nurse. Some elements were a bit predictable however that didn’t bother me. Overall I just really enjoy Richard Paul Evans as an author who puts out feel good books.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful Christmas message from Richard Paul Evans. A inspiring new outlook on the story of the Prodigal son summed up in this quote: " The story of the prodigal son isn't really about the "lost" son at all. An author might say that the wayward son is only a literary device to share a much deeper perspective and meaning. The story was about the older brother-the one who wouldn't forgive or accept his prodigal sibling. We know this because of who the story was told to. The teacher wasn't sharing the story with the lost-the prostitutes, thieves and tax collectors who humbly followed him from town to town- he was telling the story to the Pharisees: self righteous, proud, and judgemental people who looked down on others. People like me. He was trying to teach them to see past their pride and into their hearts-to embrace the lost not with judgment or condemnation but with celebration. He was teaching them to love the wayward. For in the eyes of heaven, we are all wayward. And we are all lost. But we are never forgotten. And if there's a promise of Christmas, it couldn't be anything more than that."
A great thought to take into the New Year to create a more loving and accepting world.

[Rachel Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, not my fave. I love RPE’s books. I have pretty much every single one and there are only a few I haven’t read. I like the main character Richelle for the most part, but there’s something lacking in her development. And the way she kept referencing “James” I was so confused that I went back a couple times to find out more about him, only to find out he has been introduced yet. There were a few things about being an Asian American that seemed to lack reason for being in the story - like the man in the car next to her making fun of her, it just didn’t fit with the story. I’m giving this a 3 b/c like some of the story line but it also seems off to me and not as well written as past Christmas books. I look forward to next years installment and hope it’s better :)

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christmas 2021 - my decorations are up (inside and out) so I settled down with The Christmas Promise to stay in the spirit. It was a bit of a letdown. I have read all the author’s books and loved them, but somehow this one seemed to miss the mark. It was trying to be too “modern” and had a predictable, far fetched plot.

I liked his nod to Charlie Brown and Vince Guaraldi (who I met many, many years ago long before the famous theme song.). I remember him playing with Cal Tjader when I was in high school some 60+ years ago!!

[Rhonda Ruff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again rpe does not disappoint! Loved the story!

[Jamie Stephens smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit on the creepy side. Not what I expected from Richard Paul Evans.
This story didn't leave my heart warm and fuzzy. Left me a bit disappointed and a bit creeped out.

[Susan Ott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just ok for me, and not as good as his other holiday books. The twist was very strange and not sure how I feel about the ending.