Bonnie Engstrom ~ Restoring Love at Christmastime ~ Giveaway

Everything Old is New Again

with author Bonnie Engstrom

Can romance still flourish after fifteen years?

Will a teacher and a former stable boy remember their first kiss?

Hi, Peg! Thanks so much for having me on Whispers in Purple. I’m excited to share one of my favorite stories because it was so much fun to write.

The original Restoring Love, a Five Star Readers Favorite book, has been reissued. When my publisher and I realized the love story takes place at Christmastime we updated it. It has a dynamic new cover with the same couple on it (isn’t Jake so handsome?), but the love story is the same.

Restoring Love at Christmastime is based on a sentimental journey Jenni takes to an historic hotel where she had her first kiss at fifteen with Jake the stable boy. She also rode Traveler, a special horse, thanks to Jake’s encouragement. She never forgot. And, she never dreamed, well maybe a little bit, that Jake would still be there fifteen years later.

Why was Jenni taking this journey back in time during the Christmas holidays? Surely, Jenni didn’t expect to see Jake the stable boy. She had moved on from sneaking kisses in the barn after trail rides. He must have, too. Who on earth would stay in the tiny town of Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania?

At least no one knew where to find her, none of her friends, and not even her family.

The internet site for Pleasant Springs Hotel highlighted an annual holiday production of A Christmas Carol that guests played parts in. That sounded like fun. Hopefully, some handsome guest would play Scrooge.

She wanted to soak up memories, alone. Unless by a Christmas miracle Jake was still there to share them.

This is my favorite scene:

They raised their heads, and their eyes met – brown and blue. Both sets of lips grinned and they dug in. Jenni was glad the kitchen had included a large spoon for her to twirl her pasta on. Her Italian friend Corentina had taught her that when she was growing up. It seemed more civilized than sucking the strands into one’s mouth.

Jake watched her with curiosity. “You always eat spaghetti that way?”“Yes. It’s the proper way to eat long pasta. You don’t?” 

“Naw. I just chop it up.” He proceeded to do so, almost mashing it. He shoved a big forkful in his mouth. 

“But, that takes the fun out of it. And, it’s easy to twirl.” She demonstrated. “See!” 

“Oh, boy! You gonna make an issue of how I eat?” He put his fork down and glared at her. “If there is any future for our relationship, we shouldn’t squabble over eating habits.”

Squabble? Future? What was he insinuating?

This is what readers are saying about Restoring Love at Christmastime:

*Jennie and Jake meet as teenagers and fall in love, then time and circumstance pull them apart. Many years later, Jennie returns to the Inn where she met her first and only love . . . . Jake tries to please her, but his efforts sometimes miss the mark. . . . A very enjoyable light-hearted read.

*I quickly got immersed in the setting and the characters, I kept turning page after page until I realized I was so far into it I would have to finish it then--all in a single sitting. And so I did!

I think this would have made an even better longer book. I especially appreciated the Christian elements in the story. And the humor. And the animals. And the humor related to the animals. (I say that to avoid giving a spoiler.)

* I started this book thinking I would read a couple of chapters before going to bed, but I didn't want to put it down. I read half of it before I forced myself to stop and go to bed.

I hope you will read Restoring Love at Christmastime and enjoy it. Jenni and Jake are special characters of my heart.

To order the book please go to https://amzn.to/2AIEatl.

To visit Bonnie’s Facebook author page click https://www.facebook.com/bonnieengstromauthor/ where she is giving away prizes once a week on WACKY WEDNESDAY. Be sure to enter!

To see her grandchildren go to http://bonnienegstrom.com. Aren’t they cute?

Her Twitter handle is @BonnieEngstrom1, but she’s not very good at it!

She loves to chat with readers, so contact her via email at bengstrom@hotmail.com. Be sure to put BOOK in the subject line so you don’t fly off into cyberspace.

About Bonnie:

Bonnie spends her time between writing and driving four Arizona grandkids to and from school, with Starbucks stops on the way. Her psychologist husband, Dave, takes his turn, too, when he isn’t on a Skype meeting with his University of Phoenix colleagues or preparing doggie dinners for Sam and Lola their rescued mutts who aren’t in this story but appear in her Candy Cane Girls Series.

They have two surfer grandchildren who live on the beach in Costa Rica. Can you pick them out on her website? The youngest one recently got baptized with Bonnie.  http://bonnienegstrom.com - Life is busy for Bonnie and Dave, but filled with love and blessings.

Giveaway: Bonnie will gift two Restoring Love at Christmastime books. An eBook and a signed print copy. She hopes you will give a review on Amazon or Goodreads after you read and enjoy it. To enter, leave a comment below with your name and contact info (e.g: you(at)123xyz(d0t)com) so we can notify you if you are a winner. Giveaway ends one week from today on December 10 at Midnight, CST.