The Christmas Book Flood
by Roseanna M. White
My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical romance
When the first Book Bulletin, a catalog of books from all of the publishing houses in Iceland in 1944, is a bigger success than expected, Tatiana is sure she’ll be unable to get all of the orders out in time for Christmas. And with her niece coming to spend a few weeks with her while Elea’s mom is pregnant and on bedrest, Tatiana is worried she won’t have time to give the seven-year-old as special a Christmas as she deserves. Thankfully, others at the publishing house step up, both with the books and with Elea, including Anders, an author and editor whom Tatiana has long admired, despite his very low self-esteem.
I’m always wary of romances set at Christmastime, since they’re often much more sappy and devoid of plot than other romances, especially when they’re novella length like this. However, I fell in love with this book quickly and enjoyed every turn of the page. I really felt for Anders, who is bashful and feels out of place in his family of large, hearty fishermen. I connected with Tatiana as well, as her organizational skills are put to the test with the book catalog. Elea also adds a nice touch to the story, missing her parents at Christmastime and giving both characters a connection point. It doesn’t hurt that the story involves an entire country’s love of books. Tatiana and Anders have enough history when the story starts that the romance doesn’t feel rushed or forced.
The plot does take a turn from being about the books to more about the characters, but even then, it’s not just about the romance but about the growth of the characters—mostly Anders. His arc was really compelling to me, and I was rooting for him all the way. The Christian element is mostly related to the characters being Christ-followers themselves, which was fine with me; I don’t need every Christian book to have a message. I couldn’t have picked a better (early) start to my Christmas reading this year. In case it’s not clear, I highly recommend this sweet romance.
I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Find out more about The Christmas Book Flood
If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!
