The Christmas Promise by Richard Paul Evans

 

Title:  The Christmas Promise

Author: Richard Paul Evans

Narrated by:  Helene Maksoud

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 5 hours and 54 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster Audio.  Thank-you!

Richelle and Michelle Bach were twin sisters who couldn’t have been more different.  After an act of betrayal, Richelle can’t move on and forgive Michelle.  Richelle’s last promise to her dying Father was to forgive her sister, but after Michelle dies in a tragic accident, she is never able to fulfill this promise.  Richelle is a pediatric nurse and a budding author.  She meets Justin at a writer’s group, and they immediately hit it off.  Will Richelle be able to come to terms with her past?  What is Justin’s secret?

I love how this story was an exploration of The Prodigal Son parable from the Bible.  This story switches things around to have sisters rather than brothers.  As the novel says towards the end, the story is about the “good” sibling and their reaction to the “bad” sibling.  What does forgiveness mean to them? 

I did guess Justin’s secret pretty much immediately, but I still enjoyed this story.  It’s not Christmas to me without a Richard Paul Evans heartwarming audiobook.  Helene Maksoud was a good narrator.

Overall, The Christmas Promise is a heartwarming Christmas story of forgiveness.