October 15, 2014
A guardian angel is sent to Earth as a professor charged with helping his students get their lives in order-especially Addie, who's returned to her hometown to make a fresh start and maybe even find love.Harry Mills has wanted an Earth assignment for as long as he can remember, and now that he has one-as a community college English professor over the holiday term-he's ready for anything. Or so he thinks. Book smart and slightly smug, he'll be taken down a peg or two when he realizes that human interactions and earthly temptations are far more complicated than they seem from a celestial perspective. Still, his angelic heart is in the right place, and despite a few missteps that bring some unwanted attention-from an attractive co-worker on the prowl, an overly fussy by-the-book college president and a venal security guard-Harry enjoys his work. His literature class studies Dickens' A Christmas Carol, the quintessential story of holiday miracles and second chances, which resonates with his students, who include Danny, a young ex-con; Andrew, a nervous veteran suffering from PTSD; and Addie, his true assignment, a young woman who suffers from dyslexia and self-doubt but wants to finally get a degree and pursue a career. Harry's gentle nudge toward forgiveness and compassion might apply to Addie's personal life as well. After all, Erich, the neighbor she grew up with and who crushed her heart with his teenage mean-spiritedness, needs her help after a debilitating accident. Maybe it's the season to overcome old grudges and open the way to new beginnings-and true love. Macomber spins another sweet, warmhearted holiday tale that will be as comforting to her fans as hot chocolate on Christmas morning.
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May 1, 2014
If you've liked Macomber's previous holiday novels, you'll want to pick up her newest--which will appear next fall as her fourth Hallmark Channel original movie for the holidays. Angel-in-training Harry Mills heads earthward at Christmas to help a community college student discover what she really wants in life and learns a few things himself.
Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
October 15, 2014
Macomber returns to her Christmas angel stories after a break with last year's Starry Night. Unlike his fellow angels and good friends, Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy, Harry Mills can mingle with humans without their knowing that he is an angel. Harry's first earthly mission from God requires him to assume the role of professor at a community college in the Pacific Northwest, where he'll help Addie Folsom realize she's smarter than she thinks and can succeed at school despite her dyslexia. Harry is also supposed to encourage Addie's relationship with Erich Simmons. Excited about his assignment and the chance to visit Earth, Harry is surprised at how difficult it is to experience human emotions and nudge Addie and Erich in the right direction. But what would Christmas be without a few miracles? VERDICT Given that a Hallmark TV movie version (and pilot for potential series) starring Rob Morrow will air shortly after the book is published and that best-selling author Macomber has legions of fans, this gentle, inspiring romance will be a sought-after read. [See Prepub Alert, 4/6/14.]
Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.