It's been so long since we've been to Henry Adams it took a while to clock who everyone was. Ms Bev did a pretty good job in catching us up to speed. Big changes are coming to the town as they keep losing their young people to places more exciting. Rev Paula finally gets someone to take care of her, Bernadine and Mal tie the knot, and Preston has a lot of stuff that he navigates well.

Always a pleasure to visit these people and I hope we don't have to wait so long for the next one! ( )

There's a lot more than just the holidays happening in Henry Adams. There's romance afoot and several weddings. Who's getting married? First up is Gary Clark and his high-school sweetheart, Eleanor "Nori" Price, and next is the long-awaited union of Malachi "Mal" July and Bernadine Brown. If that's not enough, romance is definitely in the air between Rev. Paula Grant and Henry Adams newcomer, Thornton "Thorn" Webb, chef for the new restaurant The Three Spinsters, as well as between Gemma Dahl and Mike Freewater. But all is not holiday cheer and romance, Preston Mays Payne and his girlfriend, Leah Clark, have broken up. Apparently Leah is concerned that Preston will discover "beautiful" girls at MIT and kick her to the curb, so she decides to be proactive and end their relationship early. Preston isn't sure how to react to Leah's decision, but he's also trying to respect it despite disagreeing with it. Things are changing, sometimes for the better and sometimes not, for all of the residents of Henry Adams in A Christmas to Remember, the eleventh addition to the Blessings series by Beverly Jenkins.

I love the Blessings series by Beverly Jenkins and have read it at least seven times. Even if I don't enjoy the rural life, I'm a huge fan of this small rural town. Bernadine Brown bought (yes I said bought!) the town of Henry Adams, Kansas on eBay several years ago. She helped breathe new life into this dying town by bringing in foster parents and children. Under her guidance and courtesy of her wealth (her divorce settlement allows her great latitude in spreading her largesse), Henry Adams has town-wide WiFi, street lights, paved roads, a new community center, a new school, a new community swimming pool, a grocery store, an updated diner, a fire station, and more. The foster children have all been adopted by their foster parents and some have established relationships with their birth parents. New families have been attracted to the township and more are potentially coming. There's a new mayor, Sheila Payne, who's trying to get Henry Adams declared a historic location as well as help local farmers via wind farming initiatives. There's a local beauty and barber shop being operated by Crystal Chambers Brown's friend, Kelly "Kiki" Douglass. Kelly's husband is finishing up at a regional community college and is going into business with former town mayor and auto repair shop owner, Trenton July. Even with all of the growth in the town, the romances are still the big ticket items, and Mal and Bernadine's on-again-off-again relationship is closely watched by all.

It has been a pleasure seeing the emotional growth and development of all of the people in Henry Adams. Most residents have embraced the change, and a few long for things the way they were in the past (very few). I was elated when Bernadine forgave Mal in On the Corner of Hope and Main and proposed to him. They still have a few bumps to deal with in their relationship, but they love one another and are committed to growing together. Preston and Leah's relationship ending was a bit of a surprise, but it will be interesting to see how their story develops. Has Reverend Paula found the man she's been praying for? Will Gemma's relationship develop into something more permanent? Then there's Clay Dobbs, Marie Jefferson, fire chief Luis Alvarez, and others who are currently without partners. In A Christmas to Remember we also learn that Tamar has a lifelong secret admirer. If this series continues (please let the series continue for at least a few more books), it'll be interesting to see how things develop for the tweens, teens, and adults in this lovely rural town. For those of you who have read previous books in the Blessings series, I'm sure you've already pre-ordered your copy of A Christmas to Remember. I've pre-ordered a digital and print copy for myself and a print copy for my 88-y.o. mother. (FYI: I don't celebrate Christmas but I thoroughly enjoyed this story!) If you haven't discovered the joy that is the Blessings Series, I urge you to begin with Bring on the Blessings through A Christmas to Remember. I can't wait to revisit Henry Adams, Kansas, and all its residents in the future, whether it's via new books in this series or simply re-reading the entire series for the eighth time.

Happy reading, y'all!

This review originally posted on 09/25/2023 at https://thebookdivasreads.com/2023/09/25/book-review-a-christmas-to-remember-by-.... ( )

Title: A Christmas to Remember
Author: Beverly Jenkins
Publisher: Avon and Harper Voyager, William Morrow Paperbacks
Series: Blessings Book 11
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"A Christmas to Remember" by Beverly Jenkins
My Sentiments:

'A Christmas to Remember' was a lovely read about what happened during this Christmas season in the small town of Henry Adams, Kansas. The story was standalone; however, I suggest that you read the series because there are many characters that I would like to know more about. This is series eleven. But it was still quite an exciting story. It had plenty of drama with emotions all over the place where we see people coming and going in the fantastic town along with some great people.

It was a beautiful read of how this town showed the reader how this place was getting ready for this holiday season...with couples that found love, forever homes for foster children, and big plans for this Christmas season. How will things go for Henry Adams as the new chef, Thornton Webb, who arrives a little early? I don't want to leave out Mayor Sheila, Rev. Paul Grant, Bernadine Brown, Malachi July, Tina Craig, and other interesting characters that give the readers one fantastic series. This was indeed 'A Christmas to Remember' for the town of Henry Adams.

Thank you to Net Gallery and the publisher for the early ARC read and for giving my opinion. ( )