Review: The Christmas Bells of Cavazzale by Marian P. Merritt

 I wrote this review for Clean Christian Magazine so its in that format.

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The Christmas Bells of Cavazzale by Marian P. Merritt                            A-Rating

Back of the book: Colorado native, Charleston “Charly” Maynard is not looking forward to Christmas. Just a week after her precious Nonna passes away, her fiancé calls off their wedding. Three weeks later, she loses her job. Can things get much worse?
A meeting with her grandmother’s attorney, confirms she’s inherited her grandmother’s happy place—a cottage in the quaint village of Cavazzale, Italy. The inheritance has sparked an adventure streak in Charly. So much so that she forgoes Thanksgiving and Christmas in America to spend time in the cottage in Italy. Hopefully, time there will help her decide what to do about her future. While at the cottage, she finds a prayer in her nonna’s diary. Soon she realizes that God may have His own plan for her future. But can she trust God’s plan over her own? And does trusting involve getting to know the dark-haired Cajun she met at the airport?

André Lagneaux’s parents have decided to celebrate Christmas with their oldest son who is stationed in Italy. They have booked the tickets for a family vacation including a ticket and extended stay for their younger son, Andre. He is not excited about leaving Cajun country during Christmas, but is eager to spend Christmas with his older brother, sister-in-law and nieces. When he meets a beautiful American woman at the airport, his interest is ignited but her cool demeanor tells him she's not interested.

Can a mix-up in reservations lead Charly to letting her guard down and taking a chance on the handsome man from Cajun Country?
Can Andre give her another chance to prove she’s not the hard-hearted woman he believes her to be?

My Review: 

First impression: This novella is a delightful and charming “Hallmark” type romance set in Italy. Two complete strangers residing in America arrive in Italy from vastly diverse backgrounds, but sparks fly, and sometimes not of the romantic kind.

 

Action: There is not a lot of action per-se in this sweet romance.

Adventure: Wealthy bachelor André Lagneaux is from Cajun country and owner of an art gallery. His mother orchestrates a Christmas vacation in Italy including André. Meanwhile, Recently estranged from her fiancé, Charly Maynard has just been released from her job, and her grandmother, whom she calls Nonna, has departed this world, leaving her cottage in Italy to Charly. She leaves America to discover her nonna’s hometown and see what she has inherited, hoping she will discover what to do now that her world is upside down. These two meet at the airport and end up in the same places in this foreign country. Museum touring evolves into a huge annoyance of unwanted attention from a man. André steps in to help her away from the forward man’s advances. To André chagrin, she isn’t open to him. After she arrives at the cottage, things get more interesting. Andre is also in for a surprise.    

Romance: Various encounters with each other finally bring the walls of suspicion crumbling down so Charly can appreciate André as a friend, not a foe. Romance quickly buds.   

Religion: The Lord is clearly in the pages of the story as Charly learns to trust His guidance in her life starting with words from her nonna’s diary.

Art: Tours of art galleries and descriptions of the places and towns of Italy make for a beautiful backdrop where love grows. Christmas decorations are festive and brighten the landscape and the hearts of all the players.

Final Thoughts: I like the scattering of Italian and Cajun vocabulary in this book, including Italian words for the heading of each chapter. I love the relationship André has with his nieces and how he “uses” them to draw Charly closer. This sweet novella is a perfect read for a lazy day, travel, or to appreciate heartwarming family-oriented romance.

 Buy Book 5 Stars