The Christmas Star: A Novel

By Donna VanLiere

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Hope series comes another heartwarming, inspirational story for the holidays.

Thirty-two-year-old Amy Denison volunteers at Glory’s Place, an after school program where she meets seven-year-old Maddie, a precocious young girl who has spent her childhood in foster care. Unbeknownst to Amy, Maddie is a mini-matchmaker, with her eye on just the right man for Amy at Grandon Elementary School, where she is a student. Amy is hesitant – she’s been hurt before, and isn’t sure she’s ready to lose her heart again – but an unexpected surprise makes her reconsider her lonely lifestyle.

As Christmas nears and the town is blanketed in snow and beautiful decorations, Maddie and the charming staff at Glory’s Place help Amy to see that romance can be more than heartache and broken promises.

In The Christmas Star, Donna VanLiere delivers yet another sweet, joyous story that is sure to capture readers' hearts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Oct 16, 2018
• ISBN: 9781250163943

Donna VanLiere

Donna VanLiere is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her much-loved Christmas Hope series includes The Christmas Shoes and The Christmas Blessing (both of which were adapted into movies for CBS Television), The Christmas Secret, The Christmas Journey, and The Christmas Hope, which was adapted into a film by Lifetime. She is also the author of The Angels of Morgan Hill and Finding Grace. VanLiere is the recipient of a Retailer's Choice Award for Fiction, a Dove Award, a Silver Angel Award, an Audie Award for best inspirational fiction, and a nominee for a Gold Medallion Book of the Year. She is a gifted speaker who makes regular appearances at conferences. She lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with her husband and their children.

Book preview

ONE

November 2011

Gabe Rodriguez opens an air return in the second-grade hallway and pulls out the filter. He has worked in the facilities and maintenance department of the Grandon Elementary School for the last six years, repairing everything from a broken window, wobbly desk leg, and faulty window air-conditioning unit, to painting hallways and classrooms, pulling out dead shrubs and trees, and fixing out-of-order plumbing in the school kitchen and every bathroom. It’s a job that has kept him busy from morning until sometimes the early evening, but he doesn’t mind the long hours. It keeps his mind occupied, driving away thoughts of another time and another life.

Hi, Mr. G.

He turns from his work and sees seven-year-old Madeleine. Good morning, Maddie. Are those new glasses?

She shakes her head. Nah. They probably just look new because I cleaned them today.

Gabe throws his head back and laughs. Sometimes these kids have no idea how funny they are. Maddie’s right foot and leg were braced when she started kindergarten at Grandon and although she’s now brace-free, her walk is gaited; she can’t move as fast as other students. Are you busting out of class?

No. I just need to get a book out of my backpack, she says, heading toward a locker. She opens her locker and tugs at the bright pink backpack, pulling it onto the floor. Her sandy-brown hair is up in pigtails and she’s wearing a red Christmas sweatshirt with a snowman sporting a Santa hat on the front of it.

You look awfully festive today, Gabe says, setting the old filter aside.

We’re doing presentations. I forgot my report, she says, pulling a paper from her backpack. Mrs. Kurtz said if we look nice for our presentations that she’d give us extra points. She looks down at her shirt. I don’t know if this is nice enough.

He stops his work, smiling at her. What?! Once you go to the front of the classroom Mrs. Kurtz is going to give you those points right away. He uses his hand and pretends to make checkmarks on it. Does Maddie look nice? No doubt! She’s picture-perfect! She grins, hanging the backpack on the hook inside her locker. What’s your presentation on anyway?

Florence Nightingale.

Is she the woman on the pool and hot tub commercials?

She giggles. No! She was the one who started nursing.

He grabs the new filter. That’s right! That was going to be my next guess.

She walks toward her classroom. See you later, Mr. G.

Tell me how you did! He begins to put the new filter into the air return. And if you have time I want to actually hear your speech about the gymnastic lady.

She was a nurse! Maddie says, shaking her head and opening the door to the classroom.

When he was young, Gabe worked with his dad mowing lawns and doing landscaping work, and because his dad felt insecure about his English, he acted as translator when they spoke to customers. His father moved to the States when he was twenty-six and fell in love with Molly, his English-as-a-second-language instructor, a fair-skinned white girl from Alabama, with light brown hair, blue eyes, and a molasses-thick accent. Gabe and his sister are the first Rodriguezes to be born in the United States; most of the relatives on his dad’s side of the family still live in Guatemala. While he has his mom’s nose, his other features seem to have come from his dad: dark, wavy hair, and dark eyes and skin. Here at the elementary school he often finds himself speaking Spanish to several of the parents who also struggle with English. After years of working outside, Gabe thought he would go to college right out of high school and get a degree in business or finance. Growing up, he had watched his dad struggle to pay the bills, trying to find jobs as a landscaper throughout the winter, and knew he didn’t want to be in landscaping forever. When this job at the elementary school opened up, he jumped on it, hoping his landscaping experience would help and it did. He never thought that when he was thirty-four he would still be in Grandon, but here he is. He closes the air return and makes his way down the hall to the next one.

At the end of the school day, Gabe lowers the American flag at the front of the building and folds it. Walking to the doors, he notices Maddie waiting on the sidewalk with a few other children. So how did it go? he says, tucking the flag under his arm.

I got a ninety-eight. I forgot to say when she died. But then I got extra points for being dressed nice and got a hundred.

That’s what I’m talking about! He raises his hand and she high-fives him. The wind picks up and he pulls the hood of her jacket up over her head. Do you have time to tell me about Miss Nightingale or is your van about to get here?

She smiles. It’s always late so I have time. Do you want to hear the whole speech or just the highlights?

Whatever you want to give me.

Maddie crosses her arms against the cold and looks up at him. Well, Florence Nightingale was born in 1820 in Italy and her parents wanted her to get married but she didn’t want to be married. She wanted to be a nurse. So even though a man wanted to marry her, she didn’t really want to marry him and studied to be a nurse. She was so good at it that she was asked to help lead nurses in the Crimean War and she made sure that the hospital was really clean and the patients were clean too. She’d walk from bed to bed holding a lamp and the soldiers called her the Lady with the Lamp. After the war she got a lot of awards and even some money for everything she did and she started a hospital and a training school for nurses. She shrugs, lifting her hands as if to say, that’s it.

Gabe opens his eyes wide, looking at her. That is the best presentation I’ve ever heard. And now I can say that I know all about Florence Nightingale and never think that she’s the hot-tub lady ever again.

You never did a presentation on Florence Nightingale? Maddie asks. He shakes his head. Have your kids ever done one?

I don’t have any kids. Just all of you around here, he says, waving his arm toward all the other children. All of you keep me really busy.

She folds her arms, looking at him. Are you married?

He shakes his head. I was but I’m not anymore.

She squints as she stares at him, thinking. You should be married. You’d make a good husband. I could find you a wife.

Laughter shakes him down to his work boots. You know, I might just take you up on that. I could use all the help I can get.

She raises her finger high in the air. Then I’m on it!

But what about you? Are you married?

No! Oh my gosh, Mr. G.! I’m too young!

He smiles. And there’s no way your dad would want to give you away. Her face clouds over and Gabe attempts to explain. You know, a dad often walks down the aisle with his daughter to give her away to her groom on her wedding day.

She’s quiet as she looks at him. I know. I’ve seen that in movies. She looks down at the ground and Gabe could kick himself. What a dumb thing to say!

Here comes your ride, he says. A white van with the words GLORY’S PLACE, written on the side pulls to a stop in front of them. The driver jumps out of the van to mark each child’s name off on the clipboard he’s holding. See you tomorrow. Congratulations again on your presentation.

Bye, Mr. G.

He scolds himself for opening his big mouth as he walks back into the school. He is heading for the maintenance office when he sees Mrs. Kurtz at the end of the hall. He hesitates, wondering if he should speak to her but decides that he should. Mrs. Kurtz is one of the teachers in the school who has been there the longest and he has always seen her to be loving and kind toward her students. He pretends to be doing something with the flag as she approaches. Did you have a good day, Mrs. Kurtz?

I did, Gabe! How was yours?

Good. Good. Maddie just did her presentation for me.

She stops in front of him. It was so good. They all were just excellent today.

Um … she … uh … asked if I was married and then I teased her, asking if she was married and she of course laughed and said no. And I said that there’s no way her dad would want to give her away. He sighs. I could tell by looking at her that I said the wrong thing. Mrs. Kurtz nods, understanding. I never ask the kids about a mom or dad. I know that many of them live with a single parent or a grandparent. It just slipped out today. He shakes his head, feeling stupid. I never would do or say anything to make her or any of these kids feel bad about—

She interrupts him. Many children here are in one-parent homes. She’s careful how she phrases her words. Some don’t have either parent in their life. She looks at Gabe and he understands. I can assure you that Maddie does not hold a grudge against you and that tomorrow she’ll be the same happy little girl that she is every day. She smiles. I have to run. She begins to hurry down the hall. Haircut appointment and Loralei hates tardiness!

He opens the door to the maintenance office and places the flag on its shelf. He grabs the tools he needs in order to put a leg back on a library table and sighs, shaking his head. There was a time, years ago, when something as simple as a slip of the tongue would not have bothered him. As a matter of fact, he gloried in his anger and temper and fiery tongue. But today he hates the thought that he has darkened a little girl’s day.

TWO

Lauren Gabriel drives through the town square, admiring the historic firehouse and the bank, and Betty’s Bakery, which was originally the feed store back in the early 1900s. Some of the storefronts are already decorated for Christmas, with simple lights, evergreen swags, fake snow, or a wintry scene depicted in a store window. She’s called Grandon home for a year, but by the way the townspeople adopted her as family, it feels as if all twenty-two years of her life have been spent here. Lauren stops at a red light and notices that a small group of people are decorating the three fir trees around the gazebo and the gazebo itself. The finishing touch seems to be a giant star on top of the gazebo. She cranes her neck to see it, realizing it wasn’t there last year. She remembers everything about this gazebo and the town square and the moment she realized she was home, for the first time in her life. The star is high enough and big enough for the entire town to see. A young woman around her age and an older woman point up at the star, giving direction to the man on the roof of the gazebo. On closer look, she realizes that her boyfriend, Travis, is that man on top of the gazebo; he’s hard at work with the Grandon Parks Department, and as Lauren pulls away from the light, she taps her horn, waving and yelling at him from the

Reviews for The Christmas Star

[mom2lnb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I’ve been a fan of Donna VanLiere ever since I read The Christmas Shoes, the first book of her Christmas Hope series several years ago. Every time she releases a new book in the series, I’m always there, ready and waiting to read it ASAP. The Christmas Star was no different. I was very eager to dive into it, but I ended up being slightly disappointed by it. I liked the characters and how the townspeople of Grandon are a close-knit bunch who pull together to make things happen. The story was fairly cute and heartwarming, but this time it felt overly simplistic. It simply didn’t reach the emotional highs and lows that this author’s work typically does for me. I also felt somewhat distanced from her characters this time, because there’s a lot of dialogue, but not a great deal of introspective prose to give me a look inside their heads to genuinely understand them. So while it was a decent read, it just didn’t reach me on the deep level that most of the other books of the series have.We get two different storylines in this book that intersect with one another. The main one involves Gabe and Amy, who were once married, but have been divorced for around four years, if memory serves. Gabe had a problem with alcohol and admits that he was a bad husband. Since the divorce, though, he’s gotten his life back on track, and although he never thought he would see Amy again, he hasn’t forgotten her and still cares about her. Amy is an insurance adjuster who has always longed for children of her own, but Gabe didn’t want any when they were married. She starts volunteering at Glory’s Place as a way to connect with children in the community, many of whom are in foster care, which then leads her to deciding to become a foster parent herself. Then there’s little Maddie, a foster child with cerebral palsy. The school she attends is the same one where Gabe works, and she goes to the after school program at Glory’s Place where she also gets to know Amy. Maddie decides they’d be a perfect match and tries to set them up for a date, leaving both of them surprised when they realize who the other person is.I liked all three of these characters. Gabe is admirable for turning his life around, getting into an AA program, and finding gainful employment. Through working at the school, he’s also come to realize that he does like kids and wouldn’t mind having one like Maddie. In fact, he likes them so much, he’s working on getting a college degree so that he can become a teacher. Amy is just a nice person all-around. She’s a great mentor and role-model for the kids at Glory’s Place, and practically dotes on Maddie. Maddie is quite simply an outgoing bundle of positive energy who doesn’t let her disability get her down. She likes her foster mom, but she’d like it even better if she could have a real mom and dad someday. While I may have found all the characters likable, I don’t know that I really got to know any of them on a deep level. I’ve seen some readers classifying this book as romance, and out of all the books of the series, this one probably comes the closest, but only in the most basic sense. There’s very little thought process that goes into Gabe and Amy reuniting as a couple or them deciding to adopt Maddie. (I don’t really feel like I’m giving much of a spoiler by saying this, because I could see all of it coming from a mile away.) While it was all very cute and sweet, it left me feeling unsatisfied, because I couldn’t really tell you what brought Gabe and Amy back together other than them supposedly never entirely getting over one another. But I simply didn’t feel their love in the way I wanted to.The second storyline continues with Lauren and Travis’s story from the previous book, The Christmas Town. They get engaged and start planning a hasty wedding to take place near Christmas in the gazebo in the town square, which holds special meaning for Lauren. Gabe happens to be Travis’s cousin and the best man. Then when Lauren decides she wants the kids from Glory’s Place to be a part of it as well, Amy gets involved, too. Add in her friends, Gloria, Miriam, Stacy, and Stacy’s son, Ben, who have become Lauren’s family, and things really get interesting. Perfectionist Miriam keeps trying to persuade Lauren into a more elaborate affair, while Gloria, as usual, is much more laid-back, keeping Miriam from going overboard. The way everyone pulls together to make the wedding memorable was touching.While The Christmas Star had some of Donna VanLiere’s trademark charm, I felt it fell short of her usual high standard. This is an author who has made me cry both tears of a joy and tears of sadness while reading her books, but this story was merely cute for me rather than being particularly moving. As I already mentioned, I didn’t feel like I fully understood the characters’ motivations. Things just happen with little thought going into them. If the characterizations had been deepened the book would have gotten at least four stars from me, but as is, it didn’t pass muster. I also had issues with the writing itself, which until this book hasn’t really been a problem for me. The last few books in the series, Ms. VanLiere has been writing in the very unusual third person, present tense style, which can be a little jarring and hard to get into, but I was drawn in by the previous stories enough to get used to it. Here, though, it kind of stuck out like a sore thumb, because the narrative didn’t flow as well. There were lots of typographical and grammatical errors, and a lot of it was so unpolished, it made me roll my eyes in exasperation. Some of this is to be expected since I was reading an ARC, but as a longtime reviewer, I’ve read a number of ARCs in the past and don’t recall one that was quite so rough around the edges. One would hope that it was cleaned up before the book went to publication, but I did a quick skim of the first couple of chapters on Amazon and didn’t see much difference, so I’m not sure. All I know is that the writing itself was a major detractor for me this time around, which is something I haven’t experienced with this author before. Overall, The Christmas Star was a decent story, albeit a very simplistic one. If you’re new to this author, I don’t think this is the best example of her work, but if you’re a long-time fan like me, you’ll undoubtedly find it worthwhile.Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[kristy1992 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this heartwarming novel with characters that tug at your heart. A beautifully written story and a great holiday read! Donna VanLiere has done it again.

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the ninth book in Donna VanLiere's Christmas Hope series and it was just what I expected. A story of hope, love, belief, and second chances with a Christian message. I always look forward to her Christmas stories because I know it will have a wonderful message with a happy ending.

Gabe is a maintenance worker at the school that Maddie attends. Maddie is a seven year old sweetheart who is a foster child who divides her time between school and Glory's an after school program. She and Gabe have a special friendship and she wants him to meet Amy. Amy volunteers at Glory's and she is single like Gabe, and old like him. It is Maddie's mission to get the two to meet because she thinks they are perfect. When they do meet, there is a surprise that no one was expecting.

I love the character of Maddie. Not only does she live in a foster home, but she has cerebral palsy. The story does not bash foster homes, in fact, Maddie lives in a good one. She is a strong little girl who is willing to try pretty much anything even if she is not successful. She has a charm and innocence about her that made me want to give her a big hug and let he come and live with me. As I said earlier, this is a story full of second chances and with faith, not being afraid to take a leap into the unknown. It was a very quick read and perfect for a Christmas Eve story. The publisher, St. Martin's Press, generously provided me with a copy of this book upon my request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Christmas Star by Donna VanLiere is the ninth a Christmas Hope Novel. It is November 2011 in when Amy Denison volunteers at Glory’s Place in Grandon. She meets the precocious Maddie who is a foster child with cerebral palsy. Maddie has decided to play matchmaker and has the perfect man for Amy. Amy, though, was hurt by her ex-husband and she is not sure she is ready to let another man into her heart and life. Amy is pleasantly surprised by the man Maddie has matched her up with and it has her reconsidering her stance. Lauren Gabriel, a volunteer at Glory’s place, is thrilled when her boyfriend, Travis Mabrey proposes. They want a simple Christmas wedding at the gazebo in the park which has a beautiful new star above it this year. Miriam has her own ideas for their wedding and it will be up to Gloria to rein her in. Can they pull off a wedding in one month? The staff, children and volunteers at Miss Glory’s are busy preparing for the annual fundraiser. This event provides the money to run the center for the next year. It is a busy time of year and it will be all hands on deck. Magic and romance are in the air at Miss Glory’s place. The Christmas Star is a sweet Christmas story. After I started reading The Christmas Star, I discovered that it continues the story of the characters in The Christmas Town (which I had not read). It also features characters from other novels in the Christmas Hope series (Miriam, Ben and Gloria for example). While The Christmas Star can be read alone, I felt I was missing key details on the characters. The Christmas Star is nicely written with steady pacing. It is a shorter story with only 221 pages (perfect for reading in front of a fire on a snowy afternoon). I did feel the characters lacked development and depth (but you can only do so much in such a short book). I did like the friendly people who volunteer their time to help children. Ben, the bag boy, returns in The Christmas Star. The slips of papers he puts into patron’s bags of groceries provide inspiration and hope. I like that Amy and her match are getting a second chance at finding love and getting their happily ever after. However, the romance between them was rushed. I like the happy ending of The Christmas Star even though it is anticipated (easy to predict how the book will end). Maddie is the highlight of the book. She is a bright and happy child despite her circumstances. Some of the elements featured are faith, hope, love, second chances, friendship, redemption, kindness and forgiveness. The Christmas Star is a feel-good Christmas story that will leave you with a smile on your face.

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Maddie is a special little girl in foster care, and attends an activity center after school, until her foster mother can pick her up after work. She has a couple of special adult friends, and as a young matchmaker, thinks they would be perfect for each other. Things don’t go exactly as Maddie envisioned it, but this is a Donna VanLiere Christmas Hope story, so you can pretty much expect a happy ending. Yes, the plot is predictable, and a bit overly sweet, but isn’t that acceptable at Christmastime? The characters are flawed, yet that makes them more real, and their growth and development in acknowledging and overcoming these flaws is inspiring to read.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gabe works at Grandon Elementary School. Amy begins volunteering at Glory's Place, an after-school program for children. Many of the children are in foster homes or have single-parent households. Maddie, a girl with cerebral palsy in foster care, is in both the school and program. She plays matchmaker, not knowing Gabe and Amy used to be married. Will Gabe and Amy reconcile? Maddie would like nothing better! While the ending will come as no surprise, it will still bring tears of joy to the reader! VanLiere's Christian faith shines through this novel. I won this through a GoodReads Giveaway. While an honest review was encouraged, it was not required.

[alekee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The author has given us a story of hope, with people who love God and work at schools, and then donate their time for a safe place for children to go after.The spirit of giving is alive here, and it keeps touching so many, and makes it a perfect Christmas read.I did not read the previous book, but now I would love to, but you will not be lost here, and the story plays out beautifully.While I figured out early on how I thought the story would play out, there were still a lot of surprises!I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher St Martin’s Press, and was not required to give a positive review.

[pam50627 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gab has changed his life. After his wife divorced him, he realized he needed to better himself & he became the custodian at the school. Maddie is a foster child that has managed to worm her way into his heart with her sunny personality & quick smile. When she wanted him to meet another “single” friend, he couldn’t turn her down. Amy has just started volunteering at a program providing help to school children called Glory’s Place. While she’s working there, she opens her heart to Maddie. She feels this enforces her decision to foster children. When Maddie decides to try to set her up with her friend Gabe, she decides to humor her. Boy was she in for a shock. This was a cute heartwarming story about a young foster child and her quest to make things better for the adults around her. Gabe has received a second chance & is determined to make up for the jerk he was younger in life. Amy doesn’t want hurt again & isn’t sure if she should give him a chance. There is a secondary plot thread running through the story about a wedding, the star on the gazebo, a young lady & a wedding dress. This is really a sweet Christmas story.

[madison_fairbanks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Christmas Star By Donna VanLiereWritten in present tense. 9th book in the Christmas Hope inspirational series. Can be read as a standalone. A young foster child plays matchmaker in this holiday romance. A lit Christmas star is the focus of various family and couple moments. Lots of feel good, ahhhh, moments. Maddie, the child, is adorable.Special, peaceful and a bit spiritual. I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

[grandmacootie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Christmas Star, the ninth novel in the Christmas Hope series by Donna Van Liere, is a perfect story to give you just what this series is about: hope. It has all the necessary ingredients to fill your heart in the Christmas season – a beautiful precocious child, Maddie, Gabe, who seems like a good guy but has such a cloud of sadness and regret hanging over him, and Amy, who is full of love to give and is moving on but is protecting her heart because it’s already been shattered once.I had not read any of the previous books in this series, but just a couple of paragraphs in I got a warm pleasant feeling that stayed with me through the entire story. I felt like I already knew many of the characters and will be going back to read the previous books to learn more about their stories.The Christmas Star tugs at your heart. Maddie is a foster child with physical limitations who longs for a forever home. Both Gabe and Amy have much to give but at the same time feel like life has dealt them hands they must now be satisfied with. The rest of the marvelous characters have fascinating stories of their own.I started smiling as soon as I started reading. Even through adversity, faith and love and the spirit of giving shine through. You can’t help but be in the Christmas spirit. The Christmas Star is a wonderful read. I received a copy of this book from the Publisher St Martin’s Press via NetGalley. I was not required to review it but I recommend it without hesitation. Read The Christmas Star and the entire Christmas Hope series; you’ll be glad you did.