A Candlelight Courting – LDS Women's Book Review

A Candlelight Courting: A Short Christmas Romance

Author: Joyce DiPastena

Publisher: self-published

Published Date: October 2012

Kindle/Ebook; 46 pages

ISBN# 9781301290888

Genre: Historical Romance

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: free digital copy in exchange for an honest review

Summary

When Burthred comes courting on Christmas Eve, Meg rejects his advances. She has her heart set on becoming a nun and insists that he call her Christina, the spiritual name she has chosen for herself. She tries to make him swear on her box of holy relics that he will not pursue her, but he carefully words his oath to allow him to stay in her candlelit chamber and try to change her mind.

What Meg does not confess is that her reliquary box holds a secret.

Burthred needs a wife, and no one will satisfy him except Meg. He swore on his father’s deathbed that he would marry her. But Burthred has a secret, too. When they come together before the Yule fire, their shared revelations will either join their hearts together or tear them apart.

Review

I am convinced that Joyce DiPastena can write no wrong. I have loved everything I’ve read from her, and A Candlelight Courting is no exception.

In the past I confess that I haven’t been a big fan of short stories, preferring instead to read longer, more detailed novels. A Candlelight Courting proved to me that short stories can be well-written, include characters with depth, and keep readers turning pages.

I loved both Meg/Christina and Burthred. I found myself rooting for them right away. I was torn when I realized that the possibility of things working out for them looked pretty bleak. How could there be a “happily ever after” if what each wanted most would leave the other ultimately miserable and unfulfilled?

I devoured A Candlelight Courting, anxious to see how things would turn out. I felt for Burthred and yet respected Meg/Christina’s determination to follow her desire to become a nun. I did not expect the turn of events near the end.

I happily recommend A Candlelight Courting to anyone who enjoys a good, clean romance. I look forward to reading it every year at Christmastime, and maybe a few times in between.

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