Books review: Lost December, Walking on Water, The Mistletoe Promise

As we have discussed, I am a binge reader. I read 4 books over the course of one week earlier this month. 3 of them were by Richard Paul Evans. Usually when I binge read I read multiple books from the same author. This time was no exception. I love finding a new author! He has been on my show before, and this year his newest book came in the mail. Two of his other books were on my coworker's desk and she let me borrow them. I really liked 2.5 of them. They were all easy reads and I finished them within a day or two.

Lost December was the first one I read. It's a twist on the bible story of the prodigal son. A hard working, well raised young man is the son of a multimillionaire. He goes off to college, becomes friends with the wrong people and ends up blowing his 1 million dollar trust fund. Under the impression that his father wants nothing to do with him, he doesn't reach out when he hits rock bottom and ends up on the streets. The story continues to play out and I won't tell you the rest. I loved this book! It was a realistic story that really could happen to anyone. (anyone with a million dollars anyway). The underlying message was there the whole time and it of course has a happy ending. The love the father has for his son got me choked up a little bit. Even though it was an easy read, it wasn't superficial. There were a few parts I skimmed over- the dialog between friends was just boring to me. (I'm not into random dialog in stories) but other than that I really enjoyed it.

Since I loved Lost December so much I immediately picked up the other book from my coworker's desk Walking on Water. I didn't realize this was the last book in a 5 book series until a few chapters in, but I wasn't really lost either. I will say this was my least favorite book out of the three, but I'm assuming it's because I haven't read any of the others. The first half of the book was good, the last half was very boring. It was several chapters of what this character ate on his long walk across America. Full paragraphs naming off his meals. snooooooze. I skipped a lot and just wanted to be done. I don't know if I could read the first 4 books now that I know how everything ends, but maybe I will try!

The Mistletoe Promise was the book that landed on my desk and had me reading Richard Paul Evans in the first place. I haven't read a love story for quite some time, so I really like this. I have always loved a good love story as long as it's not too sappy- this one isn't. The characters are great and the sad past of the main character really struck me as a mother. This is also a really quick read and if you're looking for something fun to read this Christmas- this is it!



Lost December was my favorite of the three, followed closely by The Mistletoe Promise. I am now interested in reading his other holiday stories and will definitely be watching out for more books from Richard Paul Evans.