Tis the season to get into the Christmas spirit with Camron Wright’s latest novel Christmas by Accident. If you are looking for a book to inspire you or to gift for those who love Christmas, the author of The Orphan Keeper, The Rent Collector and The Other Side of the Bridge has written the perfect book for you. [The Other Side of the Bridge Review]
The Story
Christmas by Accident is a story about an insurance adjuster who is fired for embellishing his reports (instead of writing just the dry facts, he wrote the reports in a way that would make you think you were reading the latest thriller). His last case involves an accident where the driver’s insurance was canceled.
When Carter inspects the car, he finds a photo of the driver, Abby, and he knows he just needs to meet her. So he begs his coworker to let him deliver the cancellation letter to Abby (after he’s been fired).
Abby helps run the ReadMore Cafe, a bookstore owned by her Uncle Mannie. On the day Carter arrives, Abby isn’t in, but something sparks his eye. It’s October and they already have their Christmas display of books up. He is not a fan of Christmas, but he has an epiphany that he could write a book about Christmas. So he purchases every Christmas title to figure out the formula for writing a bestselling Christmas book.
Abby, meanwhile, is visiting her uncle in the hospital. He refuses to tell her that he has a rare disease that is enlarging his heart and wreaking havoc on his organs. The doctors give him only a couple of months to live. All he wants is to make it through Christmas, Abby’s favorite time of year. He doesn’t want to destroy the holiday for her.
When Carter and Abby finally meet, she’s knocking on his door trying to understand how her insurance could be canceled. She has the canceled check in her hand. Even though Carter no longer works for the insurance company, he offers to help her navigate the system. He finds out she’s an editor and they make a trade off that he’ll help her and she can help him edit his book.
Their friendship leads to romance which leads to making important life decisions, choices that could jeopardize this new romance.
An accident brings them together, but it is also an accident that could rip them apart forever.
Thoughts
If you like Hallmark Christmas movies, this book is perfect for you. What I loved reading about were the mouthwatering treats served up at the ReadMore Cafe. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the Christmas inspired recipes were at the back of the book!!!
I am a fan of Camron Wright’s works. This story reminds me a lot of The Other Side of the Bridge, but with a Christmas spin. The thing about Camron’s stories is that you will never forget his tales. There is always something that will strike a chord within your soul that will have you remembering his stories for the rest of your life. That is the magic of his works.
For me, the accidents hit me hard, because it reminded me of the time I contemplated a life lived, at a time when I pondered if I was going to live or die after my surgery. All of those questions we ask ourselves when our lives are hanging in the balance he covered well.
I think I will always be asking myself if I will have a smile on my face when, at the end of this lifetime, I look back on the life that I lived. Why? Because that’s one of those little gems Camron poses that will stick with you for the rest of your life.
Everyone takes what they need from the books they read. For me, this story made me think about life. For others, they may see something in the love story and discover that love is the choice you make every time. Some may even see their faults in trying to focus too much on selling that they forget the true meaning of what they are doing. Others may see the power of family and being there to protect them, even long after they are gone.
Whatever you take from this book, it comes at just the right time as the holidays approach. It helps us to re-evaluate the decisions we are making, so that we can focus on the things that truly matter in this life. After all, isn’t that what the true power of Christmas is all about?
[Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of an unbiased review. This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase the books in any of these links, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.]