Deb’s Dozen: Christmas House Contest, Anxious Decorator, Crotchety Client, Handsome Videographer—Recipe for Disaster?

Alexis Blake wants more than anything to win the Restoring Christmas contest with the Home Project Network, which would launch her career. She’s hired the best videographer she could find who lived near the house. Arriving in town, she discovers to her horror that he is not available and that his obnoxious, but handsome, son, Gabe is his replacement. Alexis is not certain about the arrangements—even more so when she meets Elsie, the owner of the house. Alexis sees nothing but disaster in her future as she struggles to make sense out of all the details comprising her task.

As they work, reluctantly, together on the project, Alexis starts to warm up to Gabe’s demeanor and cheerful attitude. That she is living in the Langley’s basement apartment due to a room shortage adds to the mix. Will they be able to convince Elsie to change her house? Will the contractors be able to complete all the work? Is Gabe as good as he and his dad say he is? What will she do about these strange feelings?

I loved Restoring Christmas. Cynthia Ruchti has another winner. You’ll want to buy the book—a cozy, well-written romance and just the book to curl up and read along with a hot cup of cocoa, a nice fire burning in the fireplace, and a fluffy, warm comforter. Four stars!

Cynthia Ruchti “tells stories hemmed in hope.” When I interviewed her at the International Christian Retail Show this past June and asked why this topic, she related she watches HGTV for relaxation. She finds the show a good study on relationships as things do or don’t go well. She also is a fan of Chip and Joanna Gaines and their show on fixer-uppers.
She’d been assigned to write a Christmas book and had to come up with a story. While driving, she saw some fieldstone houses and inspiration struck. The character of Alexis is a HGTV wannabe who has to produce an audition video in eight weeks. She and Gabe, the videographer, along with Elsie, the reluctant and mysterious client, think they’re merely restoring a house, but what God is doing is restoring each of them.