A Carol for Christmas

The Burke Family #1

by Robin Lee Hatcher

What would you give up for love?

Carol Burke was born to sing. It was the life she had always dreamed of. There was only one thing she loved more, one person for whom she would willingly sacrifice her dreams: Jonathan Burke.

Married against their parents’ wishes, both are determined to make a life together despite the hardships. Jonathan works hard at his father’s department store, leaving Carol alone in their tiny apartment. But long hours turn into late nights, thanks to Jonathan’s insatiable desire to prove himself to his father … even at the expense of the one he loves best.

Into the midst of an increasingly empty marriage comes an unexpected chance for Carol to sing again. Is this the opportunity of a lifetime, or a time for her to let go and trust her future to God? Carol knows one thing: she longs most of all to share her first Christmas with Jonathan, creating their own memories and traditions and breathing new life into their marriage.

Then a broken promise leaves her wondering. Can anything, anyone—even God—heal her crumbling hopes?

The answer comes when Carol finds herself face-to-face with the true spirit of Christmas …

Genres: Christmas, Christian Fiction, Audiobook, Christian, Romance, Fiction, Holiday

118 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Robin Lee Hatcher is the author of over 95 novels and novellas with more than five million copies of her books in print. She is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. Her numerous awards include the RITA® Award, Christy Award, Carol Award, HOLT Medallion, National Reader’s Choice Award, and the Faith, Hope & Love Reader’s Choice Award, and she is also the recipient of prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards from both American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America®. When not writing, she enjoys being with her family, spending time in the beautiful Idaho outdoors, Bible art journaling, reading books that make her cry, watching romantic movies, and decorative planning. A mother and grandmother, Robin makes her home on the outskirts of Boise, sharing it with a demanding Papillon dog.

Be sure to follow Robin on BookBub so you'll receive new book and special deal alerts:
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Reviews

[Renee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I expected a short, sweet, and corny, Christmas novella with this book. I listened to the audiobook version of this and the narrator’s “male” voices were cringeworthy. I almost didn’t even finish it. The story was short and corny but not sweet. It left a lot to be desired.

[Sharon Huether · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carol and her husband Jonathan, married against their parents wishes.

Life was hard for the couple. Jonathan worked long hours for his father's department store. Carol wanted to sing professionally.

Jonathan bought Carol the best guitar he could find, even though is wasn't in their budget.

Carol decided to put God first in their lives. Two years later Jonathan and Carol were blessed with
a baby girl. Now Carol could write a song for their baby daughter Elena.

[Rachel Brand · Rating 2 out of 5]

The blurb for this book really intrigued me, but I'm afraid I wasn't terribly impressed with it. I know that novellas are shorter and often have less space for development, but I've read some wonderful Christmas novellas with great character development and this one just didn't match up. It felt like something was lacking all the way through. I never really got to know Carol or Jonathan enough to care about whether their conflict got sorted out, and I spent a lot of the book just being frustrated with them not talking about their problems.

I guess their storyline is pretty standard for a lot of families--newlyweds struggling to get by on one salary, having difficulty getting through the Christmas season, etc. I kept feeling like I should relate to them, since I'm in exactly the same situation, but a lot of the conflict in this book felt forced and blown out of proportion. I will freely admit that my frustration stems from my dislike of plots that revolve around the hero and heroine just not communicating properly, so if you don't mind this, it probably won't bother you.

Potential spoilers below:

I understood the message of surrendering your desires to God and letting him lead your life. I really do get that, especially as I'm an artist, like Carol. I know that I've been called to write, but I'm trying not to push too many of my own opinions of what that means on to my calling. Right now I'm writing romance novels and pursuing publication, but if God leads me down another road with my writing, I'll embrace that. I wouldn't have minded if this book had ended with Carol giving up her dream of going to Nashville to be a country western singer for something better, but still related to her singing. But it kind of felt like she abandoned her gift altogether. I completely understand the need to put a dream aside temporarily to have a family, but it felt like Carol was giving up her singing altogether to have a family, and I wasn't sure what kind of message that gave. Why would God give Carol an amazing musical gift but not ask her to pursue it? It's possible to raise a family and pursue a career or artistic dream.

I feel really conflicted about this book, especially since I was sure I was going to enjoy it. The story never really captivated me, and I didn't care all that much about the characters. I really thought I would relate more to Carol, and while I appreciated the message of surrendering your dreams to God and letting him guide you, I kind of ended the book thinking, "Wait, that's it? Shouldn't there be more?" I'm kind of imagining my own ending where Carol does get to use her musical gift while enjoying her family. Maybe my personal situation is just too close to this storyline for me to objectively enjoy this story. 2*

[Carole Jarvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy women's fiction and contemporary drama, so this novella was a good fit. A young couple struggles with their decision to drop out of college and get married when things don't quite work out as planned - financial strains, Jonathan working long hours in an effort to provide and please his father at the same time, Carol's dreams of a singing career given up. As a musician also, I easily connected with the faith thread... Who are you really singing/playing for?

This is a heartwarming story and I'd like to see more about Jonathan's family in the future.

Quote: God had promised that when she delighted in Him, the desires of her heart would change and be what He wanted for her.

[Christine Indorf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short novella that I enjoyed. A actual 3.5 stars.

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not typical of Robin Lee Hatcher's usual writing, but I really liked it. The story revolves around a young newlywed couple who dropped out of college to marry. Both have had to change their goals in life, but the wife has basically had to put hers aside completely. Will circumstances and the Christmas season bring them closer together through God's direction or will they split them apart. In some ways this story reminds me of O. Henry's Gift of the Magi.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since its the holidays, I've been picking up random holiday books from the library. This was one of them. The story lacked depth, and although the issues of marriage/work/holidays were real, I was angry at Carol's choice to give up her dream for her new husband instead of pursing it (especially after her husband said he would support that)! Meh.

[Megan Alton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like the main characters were somewhat unhappy but thought only drastic changes in their lives would make them happy. A little communication, compromise and selflessness could have benefitted them earlier. Everything resolved very quickly after so much agonizing over their problems and II felt like there was so much disconnect between the characters and me.

[Rodger · Rating 3 out of 5]

On Christmas Eve, I decided to look for an audiobook that was available to check out to listen to on my app while making dough. I didn't expect anything fantastic since it was Christmas Eve and most Christmas audiobooks would be already checked out. With that level of expectation, this was a pretty good fit. It was 2 hours and 19 minutes, so I finished it all the same day and it was interesting enough.

The story is about a newlywed couple in Boise Idaho where the husband (Jonathan) works at a family owned department store and has extended hours during the holiday retail season. The wife (Carol) works on organizing a charity event with a famous country music singer. It takes place in the past, late 1960s I think. Both Jonathan and Carol are active in their church. The book highlights them praying and having insights from the Bible.

The audiobook narrator pronounces Boise with a 'zee' rather than 'see' ending. This might be annoying to people from Boise.

[Ana Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this short book from a new to me author.
I thought it was well written how marriage takes work, compromise and communication.
Carol and Jonathan got married young after dropping out of college which just makes their lives even more difficult than it needed to be if they’d just waited until they graduated. Now Jonathan is working overtime trying to provide for his wife and also prove himself to his father but instead he is just neglecting his marriage. Carol is feeling lonely and like she gave up everything for her marriage and her frustration leads her to misunderstand what God wants her to do.
Even though it’s a very short book I didn’t think it felt very rushed, so I enjoyed the pace.

[April Kidwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewers seem unhappy with this book because of the ending. I, however, felt it was the only way the story could have a satisfactory ending!

Carol did not give up her dream, but rather surrendered her dream to God’s leading. Her motivation through out the story was all wrong—she wanted fame and glory, while praising and honoring God was secondary, or even an after thought.

She had already entered a covenant relationship and needed to be fully committed to that first. Her husband vowed to fully support her—even if it meant leaving Idaho. There’s no reason to believe that she didn’t follow her dream when the time was right. That could have been after the new year or in ten years.

Either way, it was a pleasant story.

[Joan Arning · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Carol for Christmas is a tender story of a young couple in the 1970s. Carol Burke has always dreamed of making it big singing in Nashville but thought she gave up that dream to marry Jonathon who works long hours in his family's department store. When a famous country singer comes to town and needs a backup singer, Carol is elated but she and Jonathon have to make choices. Those who lived through the 1970s will relate to this story. I recommend this Christmas novella by Robin Lee Hatcher to others.

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carol and Jonathan meet at college and drop out to get married, giving up earning their degrees. They move to Jonathan's home town to work in his father's store. Carol is alone, and bemoans her chance to move to Nashville and pursue a singing career. When a famous country singer comes to town to play a charity event, she has a chance to sing with him. Has she made a mistake marrying and giving up her dreams?

[Sarah Piper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay that was kind of cheesy ... I was expecting a little more than that. Even though it was short it had no depth of these characters for me.

Not sure I need to read the second book since it's not a Christmas series. And I can't tell by the description if the next book is the next generation? I'm not invested in these people enough.

[Jolynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not very Christmas-y, but a good story overall. I liked the Bible verses tucked within the narrative. Short and easy. I listened to the audio version, and it seems they could have spent the money for a mal to read the male parts, rather than listening to a woman try to speak the male parts with her deeper voice.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This OK. I wanted a light Christmas book and that describes this. I just was annoyed with some of the theme repeating itself in what to do and feelings. I got that the first time or two. The main theme was nice though so worth the read.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this uplifting holiday romance. I especially loved seeing its portrayal of true biblical submission between spouses. This is something I don’t see very often, so I think it’s worth commenting on.

[Betty Strohecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love Johnny and Carol! Robin Lee Hatcher captures the challenges that face a young married couple in a very realistic manner. I really like the way she brings scripture into their thoughts and actions. Very enjoyable read!

[Margaret Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read about a young married couple learning what matters most - prized possessions, success at work, using one's talents, being right or being right with God through loving sacrifice for someone else.

[Susan Forsgren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally sorted through the piles on my night stand to find this book.
It was a great Christmas tale. It is filled with the spirit of Christmas.

[Josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, sweet and profound.

[Heaven Claussen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book so worth reading

[Caroline Mcphail-Lambert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faith driven Christmas story about a young pair of newlyweds struggling to come to terms with their life’s decisions.

Frustrating for me are the choices made.

[Debbie Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

it had a happy ending but it is kind of annoying that whenever it becomes necessary for one person in a relationship to give up their dreams it is almost always the woman so it is here

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very heartwarming story, as to be expected if a book about Christmas from the Christian fiction section

[Rosemary Markham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little Christmas Story.

[Kerrie Hatcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want an escapism story, this book is quick and sweet.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I read by my this author. It was okay and I think I'll read the next story about the Burke family, but I'm not sure.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little Christmas love story.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short quick read. I think the 3 stars is at least in part because I wanted more. Starting book 2 in a few.