Christmas at Grey Sage - My Review

I love reading Christmas books, so I was very excited to receive this novel in the mail.  This particular story starts out in the past but then moves forward to the present in order to help the reader understand why certain characters struggle with this time of the year.  Unfortunately, not every Christmas brings joyous cheer, but even in the midst of change, the lives of these characters reveal that life must and can go on.  Each individual comes to the inn with troubles, but through the kindness of those that run Grey Sage, people are able to relax, shed their burdens, and walk away with a fresh start.  This story is much more than a holiday tale, because it shares what people really need to feel and know at Christmas time.  They need to know that someone loves them and that hope can always be found. 

I enjoyed getting to know the characters within this book, and it is interesting to note that these are characters.  In fact, they are labeled the “Unlikely Christmas Party.”  Each member of the group is so unlike the other—you wonder how they found each other and why they are traveling together.  Yet despite their differences, they make up the perfect holiday party.  It is amazing to see how each person helps another to heal, and how each person shows grace to another individual. 

When I started reading this book, it was not what I expected, and the beginning of the text might be a bit slow for some.  Once I started meeting the members of the traveling party, and began to understand their backgrounds, then the story became more and more interesting.  Conflict and getting to know the human heart makes this book great.  It is definitely a book that shows the reader what reality is, but it also reveals the importance of hope and goodness and what those truths can do to encourage others to never give up.  

If you are looking for a story that captures the spirit of Christmas, then I recommend reading this book.  Happy reading and Happy Christmas! 

This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to Litfuse for my copy.   

This Christmas, there’s plenty of room at the inn.

Nestled in the snow-covered Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Santa Fe, the Grey Sage Inn looks like the perfect place for weary travelers to escape the craziness of the Christmas season. There’s plenty to see in historic Santa Fe during the day, and the inn’s owners, Maude and Silas Thornhill, are happy to spend their evenings hosting this year’s guests from across the country.

But an unusual snowstorm throws a wrench in the festive mood. The sprawling inn becomes close quarters as stranded guests discover this Christmas won’t be the relaxed vacation they expected. Tension and fear mount as the storm worsens, and Silas, a retired doctor, is called away in the middle of the night to care for a neighbor. The snow and stress unlocks tongues—and in the unexpected conversation that follows, secrets and pasts are revealed, and hearts are healed.

In the midst of snowdrifts and fireside conversations, of tales of days gone by, the warmth of Christmas brings a renewed hope as these trapped strangers become friends—proof again that the joy, hope, peace, and love of Christmas can be experienced no matter where you are.

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Phyllis Clark Nichols believes everyone could use a little more hope and light. Her character-driven Southern fiction explores profound human questions from within the simple lives of small town communities you just know you've visited before. With a love for nature, art, faith and ordinary people, she tells redemptive tales of loss and recovery, estrangement and connection, longing and fulfillment, often through surprisingly serendipitous events. 

Phyllis grew up in the deep shade of magnolia trees in South Georgia. Now she lives in the Texas Hill Country with her portrait-artist husband, where red birds and axis deer are her ever-ravenous neighbors. 

She is an English major and classically-trained musician, seminary graduate, concert artist and co-founder of a national cable network for the health and disability-related programming. After retiring as a cable network executive, Phyllis began leading mission teams to orphanages in Guatemala and now serves on three non-profit boards where she works with others who are equally passionate about bringing hope and light to those who need it most.

Find out more about Phyllis at: www.phyllisclarknichols.com.