Kind

5 stars

Neil Hudson is the protagonist of the tale, and I instantly bonded with a lonely military man feeling growly about Christmas away from home. When he accidentally stumbles on a family in need, though, my heart went head over heels for him, and for what he did when he started reaching out to them. So many books automatically portray all Germans as bad, but this view is fresh and engaging; the German people were all too often the first victims of Hitler's regime. Here is a warm and Godly family trying to eke out survival after the total downfall of their society.

It was also refreshing to find a Christmas story that didn't focus on romance. I feel like the Christmas story market is highly oversaturated with Hallmark-style works (which have their place for light entertainment, but shouldn't be the only thing available) and that it leaves those who don't enjoy that style high and dry for the season. This book avoids clichés and is even set in one of my favorite time frames, WW2!

I read Christmas stories throughout the year, but if you're one that doesn't, perhaps you'd be in the mood to include this story in a bit of midyear “Christmas in July” in about ten days. It's free if you have a kindle unlimited account, and of this post is just 1.99 for the ebook purchase. I highly recommend it for personal reading and also family read-aloud.