The Christmas Eve Letter
30-year-old Eve Sharland is browsing a Pennsylvania antiques store when she discovers an old brass lantern tucked away on a shelf. She picks it up and sees something behind one of the sooty glass panes. To her surprise, she finds an unopened letter stuck inside.
The letter is postmarked December 24, 1885, and it is addressed to Evelyn Sharland in New York City. Eve gasps and drops the letter. That’s her name! The letter is addressed to someone with her name in 1885: Evelyn Sharland.
Eve purchases the lantern and the letter, and returns to her New York City apartment. Later that evening, she opens the letter and reads it, astounded by its contents. She stares at the lantern in wonder and alarm, deeply moved by the story of a tragic romance.
A few days later, following a request in the letter, Eve cautiously lights the lantern. To her utter shock, she finds herself in the past—in 1885 New York City. Eve is thrown into a life far beyond what she could have ever imagined, as she gets involved with one of the richest families in New York City, and meets the handsome Patrick Gantly. She must struggle to survive and return to her own time, even as her destiny is changed forever.
Authors:
Elyse Douglas is the pen name for the husband and wife writing team of Elyse Parmentier and Douglas Pennington. Elyse began writing poems and short stories at an early age, and graduated from Columbia University with a Master’s Degree in English Literature. Douglas grew up in a family of musicians, astrologers and avid readers. Some of Elyse Douglas’ novels include: “The Astrologer’s Daughter,” “Wanting Rita,” “The Christmas Diary” and “The Christmas Town.” They currently reside in New York City
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My review:
Not my kind of read at all. Let me rewrite that – not the kind of read I would normally choose. But I’ll admit that I was shallow enough to be drawn by the cover and the fact that there’s just something about Christmas stories that get me.
I’m so glad I decided to read the book, because I got taken on the ride of my life travelling between different eras with Eve and waiting with bated breath to see how the story would turn out.
A great plot and a very fast paced and well told story. I also liked the fact that the women characters were strongly portrayed.
In many ways it was really a story of Christmas- the triumph of good over bad, the fact that in some ways we can rewrite the past by making good choices in the present.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review