Book Summary:
When CC Cippolini is offered a temp job driving a custom car across the country, she leaps at the chance to leave Chicago, put her past in the rearview mirror, and make a fresh start. But one car crash and broken cattle fence later, CC ends up at the home of ruggedly handsome rancher Reese Brockbank.
Reese doesn’t hesitate to rescue the reckless woman who has crashed into his life, but when circumstances require him to put CC up in his house for a few days, he vows to remain aloof—a woman already derailed his life once. As CC’s warmth and childlike love of Christmas turn his beautiful but sterile house into a home, however, she wears down his defenses. Still, something in her story doesn’t quite add up, and Reese’s questions soon cause CC to retreat.
The pain of their pasts has brought them to this moment, but will they seize it or put the possibility of love in jeopardy?
My Review:
Wow, wow, wow! This book just knocked my socks off. It starts off with a bang and just kept me going from there. Lewis takes the reader on an emotional journey. Can two broken people heal each other? Or are they too broken to ever be repaired? I loved the gentle and kind ways of Reese. He had a steady and thoughtful presence that made you feel comforted like being wrapped up in a warm blanket. CC was such a positive and cheerful soul. I loved her ability to brighten others’ spirits. Lewis beautifully weaves in faith and family into the story. Cross-Country Christmas is a take full of faith, healing, family, and love. The perfect heartwarming read for Christmas or any time of year; I highly recommend Cross-Country Christmas!
Happy Reading!!!
You can pick up your own copy via Amazon.
About the book and the author:
1. Where did the idea for the book come from?
My son invited me on a road trip to St. George, Utah in his new Tesla. The car was a marvel to me. Instead of buying gas, we charged it twice on the way down, and when we pulled into a big parking lot he showed me how he could summon it. I started surfing the Internet for stories about people abusing the hands-free ability of these cars and found so many sorry tales! That's how the story was born.
2. What inspired Reese's character?
I love to study people and hear their personal stories. My husband's work places us in contact with a lot of military people, who we love and admire along with their families. Some of them pay high mental and emotional prices as well as physical ones. That cost was on my mind when I created Reese. Interestingly, recent events in Afghanistan have shone a light on the sacrifice and potential dangers locals who worked with our servicemen and women faced. Reese was directly and intimately involved with a woman who helped him. I hope that as readers consider the complexities of Reese's character and the events that shaped him, they'll also get a glimpse into the complexities out service members face.
3. How did you come up with CC?
I wanted CC to be a strong woman who, though affected by loss, found happiness by helping others overcome their own. She is one of my favorite characters.
4. What is your writing schedule like?
I wrote quite a bit during Covid, finishing a WWII novel and a sequel to a romantic suspense novel, as well as "Cross-Country Christmas." After Covid, my schedule got a bit haphazard. I wanted to get out and play! Now, I try to do a writing sprint about 6 am to 7:30, then I hit the pool or the gym, and then sprint again for an hour or two, then clean my house or cook, and then get another spring in the afternoon. But if a great idea hits me, I head back to the computer!
5. What other projects do you currently have in the works?
I met a lovely French woman named Michelle while visiting my mother at her assisted living facility. Michelle had survived the bombing of France as a child and the Nazis took over her home and made her family serve them for four years. I've written a novel based on her experiences. It's title, "The Letter Carrier," and it should release in january of 2022. I've also submitted a sequel to "Secrets Never Die," a political suspense novel with a romantic subplot. The sequel is currently titled "Revenge never Rests." We're keeping our fingers crossed that it will get picked up. And finally, I'm working on the next book in The Silver Buckle Brides Series. It'll be about Reese's brother Reynolds.
6. What are your favorite things to do to relax?
I really love the pool here in my community. It's heated by a hot spring so it's open all year round. I also love anything with family and friends, from board games to watching the grandkids play sports. A family member turned me on to Caribou, an online distance reading app where you can read a book to a child and they can see the book and you as well. My littlest grands and I love to read together on that app.
7. Would you consider all your books spiritual in some way?
Yes. The spiritual aspects in some of my books are more subtle than in others, but faith and my relationship to God and my Savior Jesus Christ are my anchors, and I want to write books that share that with my readers.
8. What author do you most admire, or would you be proud to be compared to?
Jason Wright, because he is not only a wonderful storyteller, he is a great person. I've never met him in person, but I've met so many people who have, and they speak so highly about his humor, and how honest and real he is about his faith. It's just such a part of who he is.
9. Five things readers probably don't know about you?
I love accents and I break into them when I write and often when I'm being silly.
I adore twinkle lights!
If I could only eat one food, it would be fried chicken.
I'm a history nerd.
I love to teach!
10. Do you write with music, and if so, what would we find you listening to?
I do love to write with music, particularly when I'm writing emotional scenes. When I do, I generally turn on Amos Lee, Ed Sheeran, Andrea Bocelli, or Gentri.
You can connect with Laurie at these sites:
Author of Awakening Avery, Love on a Limb, Sweet Water, The Dragons of Alsace Farm, and other novels, including the
Free Men and Dreamers historical fiction series.
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