This awesome novelette is FREE on Amazon today!

I recently bought, read, and LOVED The Sixth Christmas, a holiday novelette by Mollie E. Reeder. I wanted to turn around and read it again long before I even finished my first read.

It's a perfect Christmas-y tale of redemption, and a worthy successor to A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life.

Jack hates Christmas, and only a shocking disaster and crisis of existence has a chance of changing that. He's a workaholic jerk who's also charismatic and surprisingly lovable. The reader gets to witness his journey to something better, as we slowly find out what made him the person he is, and as we root for him to grow, change, and find his way back to his normal life--but as a better man.

Ultimately, Jack is faced with a vital choice. Will he keep walking on the path he's on, the path leading from his past and present into a frightening future? Or will he make the difficult decision to take a dramatic turn in the road, and go on to a harder but better life?

The Sixth Christmas is a powerful story in every way--characters, themes, writing, story, relationships. It has immense heart and depth.

Jack is a fabulous character, and I cared about him deeply from the start. I even liked him, in a way, even though he's not a likeable person--because he has good hidden deep down despite his selfishness. I love a good redemption arc, and this one is fabulous! It really is very much like A Christmas Carol, in the best way--for more than just the protagonist.

The Sixth Christmas is also witty and entertaining. I highly enjoyed the dialogue, narration, crazy situations, and general humor.

I literally could not put this book down--I stopped reading only once, for a meal. I HAD to find out what happened. I held on, with immense enjoyment and increasing wide-eyed wonder, and my heart in my throat, through every up, down, twist, and turn of the story. It wasn't intense in a usual way, but the characters and story were intense in a different way.

I was riveted the entire time I was reading, as I watched the fascinating story unfold. The story, characters, and writing kept me engaged, even though reading has been hard for me lately. My focus usually wavers, but it never did with this book.

In addition to the stellar protagonist and themes, one of my favorite aspects of the book was the primary supporting character, a young woman and friend of Jack's who inspires him to change. I loved her steadfast goodness, and her friendship with Jack.

I had very few quibbles and no significant dislikes.

The Sixth Christmas will appeal equally well to fans of contemporary, historical, or speculative fiction--so don't hesitate to read it, no matter who you are!

And even if, like me, you don't typically read or enjoy Christmas books, you'll still enjoy this one! Christmas is an important part of it, but the book truly centers around character growth and redemption.

I highly recommend this awesome novelette!

Reread December 2019:

I really did go back and read the book again just a few days after I read it the first time! It was just as amazing the second time, even if I wasn't glued to the pages, dying to find out what would happen next. I hardly ever read a book twice in one year, much less in the space of a week or two. It's a new favorite Christmas read. ( )