Opening Sentence:
‘…Even though she was listening to Christmas Carols on her iPod, Mary Jo Wyse could hear her brothers arguing…’

What a wonderful Christmas read. Gently following the Christmas story with a tongue in cheek modern rewrite of the nativity scene.

Single mum-to-be, Mary Jo Wyse, arrives in Cedar Cove on Christmas Eve. She is searching for her baby’s father who had said he’d be in town visiting his parents. Not only is he not there, his parents are overseas. This leaves Mary Jo stranded, pregnant and alone. And there’s no room at any of the the local inns.

So local librarian, Grace Harding, befriends Mary Jo and invites the very pregnant young woman home to her nearby ranch. Grace and her husband, Cliff, have a houseful of guests, but they offer her a room over their stable (currently sheltering the animals—including a donkey, a beautifully ugly horse and a vicious camel—for Cedar Cove’s Nativity play).

Predictably, Mary Jo goes into early labour that night while everyone else is at church, and young Mack McAfee, a paramedic, comes to her rescue, just as her brothers—the three Wyse men—show up in town searching for their sister. just where is a guiding star when you need one?

The story is light-hearted and warm, a sure way to brighten your Christmas reading. It’s also a story you can easily complete in one sitting, along with a glass of wine and some cheese and biscuits. ( )

Like Mary Higgins Clark and her daughter Carol, Debbie Macomber gives us a new Christmas story every season. All are light, spirit-lifting, and easy to read. This one is no exception. I enjoyed it! ( )

This Christmas tale attempts to replicate in modern times the basic story of the Nativity in just about every way except for having a divine birth. We have the young girl, Mary Jo, traveling and finding no room in the hotels. We find shelter in an apartment above a barn, surrounded by sheep, oxen, horses and a camel. We've got her brothers...three of them...last name Wyse...carrying presents of gold, incense and perfume...trying to find her. We've got all kinds of Good Samaritans acting as angels of mercy. We've even got a young child who received a drum as a present who wants to play for her.

For the first half, the book seemed like a fairly typical Christmas feel-good: a quick and easy read that wouldn't challenge the mind much. As the second half unfolded, however, it all just seemed a bit forced—nary a twist or turn in the quest to jam every Christmas vignette into the story. By the time we got to the three Wyse men navigating by following a star...err, fireworks launched outside the barn...I was glad for the book to end. ( )

A simply delightful Christmas story and one that as you read it you discover that you have read it somewhere before.

Mary Jo Wyse is about to have a baby and the father is nowhere to be found. She goes off to his hometown to find him and there meets some wonderful people who try and help as much as she can. It is also Christmas Eve. She had come across from Seattle on the ferry to the small town of Cedar Cove and now is much too tired to return that night but there is no room to be found anywhere. A woman who befriends her lets her stay in an apartment above the garage of her home, a garage that is currently housing some animals from a Nativity play.

Mary Jo's three brothers come looking for her and get lost and have to ask directions from a King. They see a star and well, you'll have to read the book to see what happens, but I think you can guess. ( )

I envy Debbie Macombers creativity! Who else would come up with the story of Mary Josephine Wyse and the 3 Wyse brothers! Mary Josephine comes to Cedar Cove looking for the father of her unborn baby. There is an angel named Grace, a stable with a camel, donkey & sheep, and 3 Wyse men come together in a delightful story.

Very light, very enjoyable Christmas reading. ( )