This is another wonderful and well written book by Wanda Brunstetter. It is a short historical novel and can be read in about two hours. A Christmas Prayer takes place in 1850 with three wagons of people headed to California on the wagon trail. Each wagon is filled with people who become the characters in this story. The wagon ride to California isn't an easy one. It has several set backs. A pending snowstorm forces them to stop traveling and they become stranded in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They wonder how they can survive the winter with only their covered wagon as their protection and shelter. Their food supply is also running low. Will they find enough food through hunting to survive? So many unanswered questions and worries! You will definitely need to read this story to see how it all turns out. The ending will surprise you! You will fall in love with the characters! Also, once you start reading, you won't want to stop until you are finished. I highly recommend reading this book! You won't be disappointed!!

Overall I really struggled to like this book. Cynthia was in a tough spot and was basically having to marry this man that she did not like at all in order to make sure she and her mom were taken care of. Throughout this journey though we see Cynthia come to extremely dislike this man and want nothing to do with him. We also meet the two other families on the trail who are with them. One is a single father who has two children and needs help with them, and the other is a pair of siblings, and one of them is Cole being the leader of the group.
We see Cynthia get close to the single father's kids, but also start to like Cole because of how kind he was in comparison to her fiance. In fact, her fiance was a jerk to everyone and did nothing to help.

I personally did not like this book a lot. I did finish it because I wanted to know if they did make it to California and they do a lot later than planned but they make it.
There was some happy ever afters for some people.
I just didn't particularly enjoy this one personally and that's okay. I know a lot of other people did.

Okay, so initially, I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about this book. But then my state was given a "Shelter-in-Place" order, and suddenly I was in need of some comfort reading. The first book that I picked up to give another shot, was THE CHRISTMAS PRAYER. (Don't judge me. It is never the wrong time of year to read a Christmas book.) And how very glad I am that I did. Wanda E. Brunstetter does such a beautiful job of writing a lovely, feel-good story. I am so thankful to her for writing it, and now am heading to Amazon to buy anything of hers that I can find!

Yes it is not even October and I’m reading The Christmas Prayer by Wanda E. Brunsetter. Boy did Brunsetter not disappoint. I never rush through fall as it is truly my most favorite season, but when given the chance to read this story I couldn’t resist “getting in the spirit” just a bit early this year. Yes, I am reading it right next to a pumpkin spice candle, a beautiful bouquet of dahlias and some lovely gourds from a friend’s yard. I just couldn’t rush it too much. The story itself was immediately engaging, an easy read, and left me wanting more. I love the format of the diary of Cynthia Cooper coupled with the first person storytelling of what is happening on the journey. As an introduction to a full wagon train of characters, Brunstetter was also able to give us a deeper peek into a number of the characters and the dynamics between them.

I literally read the book in two sittings. It is a novella so it’s brief 170 pages goes quickly. This might be my only “complaint” with the book. The novella setting is a great place for a quick story but leaves readers like me wishing for more with no promise of that. I love a deep and complex story and while this one has some of that potential the format itself doesn’t lend itself to delving into the intricacies that Brunstetter often creates in her characters. However, a brief and engaging story, with an interesting setting and entertaining storyline is exactly what I needed in a busy season. I encourage you to take a look at the recipe below, and the guest post from the author.

Thank you to Celebrate Lit Bloggers for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This is a wonderful historical Christmas story.

The character list is very small in this book but they are each presented very well. Their personalities are extremely varied and as the story progresses we find that even the hardest to get along with can be the person that connects the most with someone.

The tale takes this small group through a very trying journey and they have to learn how to work together and trust in God. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how a group of strangers can become close friends going through a very difficult trial together.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All of the opinions expressed are my own.

In April 1850 Cynthia Cooper embarks on the trail for California with her Mother and Fiance. Due to their late arrival they missed the wagon train they were going to travel with and are alone with two other families, siblings Virginia and Cole and Widower Jack, along with his young children Alan and Amelia. When trail from Missouri is slower and tougher than anticipated Cynthia she starts to see all of the men on the wagon train with them in a new light. Will she follow her heart or will her duty to her Mother leave her with the wrong man?

This was a very quick and enjoyable read for me. The character in the book could definitely lead to a sequel. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes lighthearted historical fiction. Even though the book is named The Christmas Prayer, it would be a nice read any time of year.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit, this in no way shaped my opinion and all opinions are my own.

A truly inspiring read. It really has you reflecting on how easy we truly have life nowadays. The characters in this book face many hardships and challenges as they travel cross country yet are thankful for the shelter they found and their meager supplies. The ending came to quickly for me though. 😊

Wanda Brunstetter is one of my favorite authors. I was excited to read this book. It was a quick and easy read. I was very sad when it was all over. A Christmas Prayer is a historical novel that takes us on a cross-country journey back in 1850 with three wagons headed to California. Each has their own story to tell. Each are so brave to go into the unknown. This is not your typical Wanda story. It is full of adventure, danger and so much more. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

I received a copy of this book through the Celebrate Lit blogging program. All thoughts are my own

Lovely clean story. Brunstetter is always good for stories like this. It’s as was expected. Easy quick read. Entertaining in a simple way. Not too deep, which sometimes irritates me but it was a nice story.
I received a digital copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher. I was under no compulsion to write a review. All thoughts are my own.

Surprisingly enough, The Christmas Prayer is my first historical novel of Wanda E. Brunstetter. As Christmas is upon us, this came at the perfect time to cuddle with a comfy blanket and read.
As The Christmas Prayer is a novella, it's a great size for a quick read! What a sweet story of the unexpected and finding strength in prayer.

Wagon train, winter storm, a cabin in the woods for shelter, Christmas approaching, an intended marriage, how will this Christmas bring our characters the shelter and peace in their hearts they each sought? Engaging as it is filled with an easy read storyline with a bit of a mystery, I do find due to its size, I'd close the story wishing for more. There will be complete closure for our characters and readers in terms of storyline. However, because it caught my attention from the start, I wish the characters were further developed, and in some areas, increase the complexity factor. And since it is a novella, it does work nonetheless.

I must say the message of seeking God's plan and one's heart, discerning it all ties it together flawlessly. In all, The Christmas Prayer speaks to our hearts through a story, and with the pretty pages too, it'll make a great gift any time of the year.



Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. This is my honest opinion.

Another novella for this year’s Christmas reading, The Christmas Prayer by Wanda E. Brunstetter takes readers on a westward journey. Adventure, danger, romance all lie ahead on the trail to California.

I wanted to love The Christmas Prayer, I really did. However, as I read it, I couldn’t help thinking that the story lacked space for the development to make the decisions and feelings believable. Cynthia and her traveling companions would be better suited, I think, for a full-length novel, where they could be given more depth and more of their interactions could be seen.

Though I didn’t enjoy The Christmas Prayer, you still might. If the historical holiday story peaks your interest, check it out—it’s quick and short, perfect for an afternoon of reading.

(The Christmas Prayer first appeared in The Westward Christmas Brides Collection.)

This is a lovely seasonal story to get you in the mood. If you like stories about the settlers who crossed our country in covered wagon, you will enjoy the exploits of this small group of people: a fiancee, his bride to be and her mother, a bother and sister, and a recently widowed father with his two small children.

Most of the story is told through the diary of Cynthia Cooper who has promised herself to a man so that her mother and she will be taken care of once they reached California; but it soon becomes obvious that this is not a man she might want to spend the rest of her life with. On the trail, he seldom pitches in to help the other men with hunting food and hard labor. He complains a lot and has no patience for the children.

In the meantime, the other men are more her age, kind hearted and hard working men. Each has their own set of difficulties and concerns.

A quick and enjoyable read. Thanks to Barbour Publishing for allowing to read this book through Netgalley.

My Review:

Before you read this review, you need to know I will be trying other books by this author because of her long writing history and I hold hope that her older books will be great since I know two people who enjoyed them. (One of them would be my mom, and she isn't too thrilled with my review being so horrid. Horrid is my word for the day.)

Genre: Historical fiction.

My Rating: 2 stars.

Recommendation: I don't recommend this book. If you want to read it go for it!

My Favorite Character/s: I wasn't able to keep up with the characters, and they weren't very interesting. (What you can't see here is me ... Hitting my head on the wall as I want to cry in sadness for the poor book I'm reviewing because all books are precious; there are just some that are for other people and NOT me.)

My Thoughts: OK, so, I thought this would be an interesting read, and it was until the second chapter; I couldn't connect with the characters and the book had a dragging storyline. So, while I see a good bit of potential it was slightly boring. I did enjoy reading the beginning but if I hadn't needed to review it I would have stopped reading around the 3rd chapter.

It was like the author threw awesome ideas in a mixer hoping to make macaroons and it came out as pickled eggs that are considered edible by some people but are too horrid to eat. (You want proof I HATE pickled eggs? I have a video ... *ducks in embarssment*)

(I received this book in exchange for my honest review and I'm happy to provide it.)

The author of today's book, The Christmas Prayer, is Wanda E. Brunstetter. I know I've shared this story probably too many times, but back in 2015 I met Ms. Brunstetter while she was doing a book signing event at the local Wal-Mart here in Sarasota, Florida. At that time, I was able to get my mother, Gloria an autographed copy of one of her favorite Amish books. Of course, ever since that meeting in 2015 when the opportunity arises to read and review one of Ms. Brunstetter's books, I jump on it because my mother LOVES Amish stories.

Unfortunately for me, my mom recently had eye surgery and it isn't healing as quickly as she had hoped. What that means to me is that I don't have my Amish book reader/reviewer to help out when I have too many books in my TBR stack. Fortunately, I saw my Christmas deadline right around the corner, so I took care of this book right away!

The time period set out for The Christmas Prayer is April of 1850. Three covered wagons set out from Independence, Missouri headed for California. This group of folks were traveling together because they missed a wagon train they were supposed to connect with in Independence, but had arrived too late. They leave anyway on their own, hoping to arrive in California before winter. The group consisted of a brother, a sister, a widower and his two children, and a mother and daughter with the daughter's fiancé .

The trip turns out to be very hard and the group fell behind schedule. They only traveled half the distance to California before winter set in and things just didn't look good for the group. Their food supplies were dwindling, and they faced the possibility of freezing to death with only their covered wagons to help protect them.

There are several different point of view shared in this story and they are seamlessly put together. This was a great wagon trail Christmas story with a perfect ending. If you are expecting an Amish story because you see Wanda's name on the cover, here's a spolier alert: this book is not Amish.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Barbour Publishing through NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review but chose to since it was a great book! Thank you!

Wanda E. Brunstetter has written an intriguing tale set in the 1850's which is a fascinating time period for me. Wanda traditionally writes Amish fiction, so this book deviates from her normal genre. This is a romance and historical fiction with a bit of added adventure and danger.
I really enjoyed the book. The characters all tore at my heart and were quite likable except for Walter and Cynthia's mother. I won't reveal the reasons for my feelings towards the characters as they would spoil the story for readers. It is the mark of a good writer to draw the reader in and create an image that allows readers to develop strong emotions towards characters. I felt the ending was rather abrupt, but the book was definitely highly pleasurable.
I am rating this book 4 stars and highly recommend it to readers.
I received a digital version of this book from netgalley Shiloh Run Press in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

In 1850 three wagons set out to go from Independence, Missouri to California. They were late and missed the larger group, but agreed to go ahead with one of the men leading them. Its a difficult journey of course, with lots of disagreement, but they all learn more about each other along the way. Their group becomes stranded at Christmas and find ways that God definitely worked in their lives, changing them in ways they never expected. This is a quick read with good depth of characters brought to life by this wonderful author.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Publisher and Netgalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

The Christmas Prayer is a sweet Amish romance about a group of strangers traveling from New York to California in the hopes of better lives. This was my first experience reading a story like this. The pacing was very well written and I actually finished the story in a few hours. I enjoyed this sweet story, but there were a few things I wished were different.

Without giving any spoilers, I do wish there had been a little more romance. Other than Cynthia's strong feelings that she didn't want to marry Walter, there weren't any signs that she felt a particular way about anyone else. Even in her diary entries she didn't say she was falling for someone or having secret feelings toward a specific person. Overall, this is a sweet romance that I think fans of historical/Amish stories will find pleasant.

I voluntarily received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a quick, and sweet read about cross-country journey of six adults, two children and a lot of animals. Making such a long trip always means that there will be lots of dramas among the characters, chances of running low on supplies and basically struggling to reach "the promised land".

For some reason, I thought that this book had a contemporary setting. but I am always game for historical fiction. I enjoyed this non-Amish novella by Ms Brunstetter. As usual, the author smoothly shifts between Cynthia's journal entries, inner dialogues and actual conversations to move the plot along.

If you are looking for something to get you into the holiday mood, The Christmas Prayer will get there.

The Christmas Prayer

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Wanda Brunstetter has a little gift for readers in her sweet novella The Christmas Prayer. Departing from her usual Amish fare, Brunstetter creates a tale of three families headed west in a tiny wagon train over the Sierra Nevada mountains with a goal of California: a businessman with his fiancé and her mother, a capable blacksmith in search of gold, and a widower traveling with two young children traumatized by the death of their mother.

Given the length of the book, there is not much opportunity for either plot or character development. The ending is predictable, but overall the novella is a nice addition to the genre of Christian historical fiction.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Barbour Publishing (Shiloh Run Press) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Christian, Historical Fiction

Notes: novella

Publication: September 1, 2018— Barbour Publishing (Shiloh Run Press)

Memorable Lines:

Is it always going to be this way—Walter treating me like a piece of property and acting like he owns me?

Despite their situation, it seemed that God was intervening, giving hope each time they felt defeated.

She didn’t want anything to spoil the day—something she knew Walter was capable of doing in just a matter of seconds.

Wanda Brunstetter’s “The Christmas Prayer” leaves me with mixed feelings. A brief novella, it is great for a one-to-two hour diversion, and the writing is very easy to understand. However, these qualities are also part of my criticism. The storyline seems like it would have been better suited to a full-length novel, as the plot comes across as rushed, jumping over weeks and even months at a time. The same is true of the characterization. As the reader, I did not feel any strong connection with any of the characters, and they were not developed to any real extent. Part of the narrative comes from Cynthia Cooper’s journal, which in my opinion detracted from the flow of the story. This read more like a teen or young adult novella, and everything came together too neatly and too quickly to be believable. It is reminiscent of a Hallmark Channel movie. Nevertheless, the cover is absolutely beautiful, with an embossed gold border on both the front and back, and anyone looking for a fast, feel-good tale will enjoy this one.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.