A Christmas Promise (Cape Light Series #5) » (~)

Thomas Kinkade is America's most collected artist, a painter-communicator whose tranquil, light-infused paintings bring hope and joy to millions each year.

Katherine Spencer was a fiction editor before turning to a full-time career as a writer. The author of more than 20 books, she lives with her husband and daughter.

James Cameron, a minister who runs a mission in Central America, has decided to spend the holidays in Cape Light. But when his car collides with another car, out-of-towner Leigh Baxter is forced to stay in town until her car is fixed. Before she knows it, the charm of this beautiful seaside hamlet and its citizens have won her over-and she's falling in love with James, who has so generously welcomed her into his life. But will James accept Leigh in his heart once her dark secrets come to light? In the meantime, Jessica and Sam Morgan want a baby of their own this Christmas, but they'll soon discover that life's most precious gifts often come in unexpected packages.

Publishers Weekly

A pregnant woman finds love after fleeing from her abusive ex-husband in this syrupy holiday concoction from Kinkade and Spencer, which is set in Kinkade's familiar New England locale of Cape Light, Mass. Leigh Baxter has a jarring first encounter with the idyllic coastal village when her trip through a snow storm leads to a collision with the local minister, James Cameron, a missionary who has returned home from Nicaragua to recover from malaria. Cameron finds Baxter a place to stay with his landlady while her car is repaired, and initially Baxter sticks to her story about being newly widowed. But her trip was actually triggered by her ex-husband, Martin Garret, a corrupt, brutal corporate mogul who abused her during their marriage and promised to use his wealth and power to get custody of their child. Cameron and Baxter's budding romance is as predictable as the lyrics of a Christmas carol, but the narrative pace turns positively glacial once Baxter settles in town as the local doctor's receptionist. A few ineffective subplots fill in the gaps until Garret's detective tracks down Baxter, and she must tell Cameron her real story. The cast of characters is engaging and well-drawn, but the combination of leaden, generic scenes and a formulaic story line make this the literary equivalent of a holiday fruitcake in February: sweet but stale. (Oct. 5) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.