"Her Holiday Family" by Winnie Griggs

About the Book

THE CHRISTMAS CHILDREN 

Reserved widow Eileen Pierce never considered herself the kind of woman who was cut out to be a mother. She wouldn't know what to do with one child, much less ten. But when handyman Simon Tucker is stranded in town with a group of young orphans at Christmastime, she discovers she can't just turn them away.

Simon knows there's more to Eileen than meets the eye. Though his easygoing demeanor immediately clashes with her buttoned-up propriety, Simon's kindness soon melts Eileen's stern facade. Simon and the children already upended Eileen's quiet, orderly life. Will they do the same to her guarded heart?

Texas Grooms: In search of their brides…

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This book will be released in November 2014
I was honored to be given this book by Ms. Griggs in exchange for an honest review.

My Review

“Her Holiday Family” by Winnie Griggs is another wonderful part of Ms. Griggs series, “Texas Grooms”. Though it is part of a series this is a wonderful stand alone book with some wonderful story lines that really made me think. Though the word Holiday is part of the title and it does have a pretty special part in the book, there is so much more to the book though in its own subtle way it shows the Christmas meaning is a wondrous way.

Eileen is a woman who has intrigued me since the first book “Handpicked Husband” for I always thought that there was more to her then what was shown, and then I really had my interest piqued again in “Lone Star Heiress” where we saw even more of her. There was something actually about her that always seemed so sad, and that there was a lot more to what had been hinted at in the prior books. This book explains so much about her that is for sure that, I found myself angry at what happened in the past and rooting for her future with the subtle changes that happens to her over the course of the entire book. Eileen is a woman that is complex with who projects one personality while underneath there is a whole other person.

Simon is a man who is determined to follow through with his commitment above all else, and even when things don't look that good either. He is a happy fellow that is for sure, even though he is a bit over his head with his commitment. Simon has learned what he enjoys doing in his life after discovering what he really dislikes.  He seems to be the type of man who would be hard to ignore for too long because he just seems to be so happy that it is almost infectious even with so much going wrong.

Though both Simon and Eileen seem to be complete opposite of each other, very much like oil and water, and at times it is doubtful to see how these two people could end up together especially as back-stories are told. ( Do I feel as if I am giving a spoiler about this little bit, no I don't after all this is a romance with the two main characters talked about in the synopsis of the book on the back. It is part of the reason why I wanted to read the book in the first place.)  With all that happens throughout the book with being so close in contact with each other, much like oil and water mixing together some, both Simon and Eileen learn to work together pretty well.

Though it is pretty subtle, there is a really great connection that not only the orphans have with each other but also to both Eileen and Simon that I found extremely wonderful. This connection is not something that would seem obvious, after all I did say subtle, but I think this connection helped create this beautiful bound between all of them, that helped with this deeper understanding of each other when they were willing to look deeper under the surface.

The conflict of the story is not so much of the typical conflict but more of a dilemma that must be dealt with and is really used to help create the close contact between Eileen and Simon that helped them learn to work together. Honestly I figured out on the most part how the conflict was going to be resolved, however, there are a few interesting tidbits that happened along the way with that conflict.  I dont get the feeling that the conflict was meant to keep the reader in suspense but more to help the characters remain in close contact with each other. There is a lot of internal conflict within one character that we watch unfold throughout the whole story.

This was a wonderfully written story that I found myself so lost in the book, that I completely lost track of time. I hope all that read this book enjoy it as much as I did.

Other Books in "Texas Grooms" Series

Handpicked Husband

The Bride Next Door

A Family for Christmas

Her Holiday Family