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"The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think."
~ Horace Walpole (1717 - 1797)
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Reviews for Three Minutes Before Christmas:
Delightful Romance Arrives "Three Minutes Before Christmas"
by Pam Vetter, at American Chronicle
"Sometimes you just want to escape real life with a delightful romance. "Three Minutes Before Christmas" by Paige Ryter is exactly what the doctor ordered. Especially since the lead in this novel is the handsome Dr. Colin Taylor.
Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I love stories set in my hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. "Three Minutes Before Christmas" must have been written by someone did their research or grew up in Lancaster because I was familiar with the locations.
What captured my attention immediately was the cover of this book. In fact, the colorful cover was a complete delight from artist T.D. McKinney, transporting me into the spirit of the holiday.
The story revolves around Sydney White who suffers a concussion in an accident at the mall. Coming to her rescue is the handsome and kind Dr. Colin Taylor. While he takes Sydney into his home and care, he is still dealing with the death of his fiancée.
For the doctor, the only thing that could have slowed him down was the death of his fiancée. Everything else in his life was in place including his professional path. Truly, there's nothing like a funeral to throw challenges into planning a shared future. It can be devastating.
After the good doctor's fiancée, Ruth, died two years ago, he stopped dating and devoted himself to his work and charities. Meanwhile, Ruth's family fell apart after her death. Her father divorced her mother and the only person her mother had left was the doctor, whom she considered her son-in-law. So, he wasn't only hanging onto her memory for himself, he was also hanging onto her memory and his role for his fiancée's mother.
When someone dies, people either talk about the decedent often dealing with the grief and try to move forward or they are only able to partially function in life. In this case, the doctor was able to function through work, but he hadn't faced his loss or fully dealt with his grief. Rather ironic when you consider he was a doctor. But, even people in the funeral industry don't always deal well with the death of a loved one.
Death is complicated. Holidays are extremely difficult for people who are mourning a loss. With Christmas coming in this story, it was clear that the doctor was ready for a diversion. Sydney lightens his emotional load with her witty approach to life and a lovely romance develops with a few twists and turns along the way.
This is a delightful romp in what I'd call a soft romance. "Three Minutes Before Christmas" is every lady's dream of what could happen if it did happen. It's a fantasy piece of complete escape, although it has elements of reality-based feelings after someone dies.
It raises many questions. How and when do you move forward and can you move forward alone? Is it okay to live in the past or should you create a new life with a new reality? Do you need to seek outside help to move forward?
This book helps people who have lost loved ones to see that you can move forward again, although it can be very difficult. No one gets over a death, but they find a way to deal with it every day so they can move forward to a new day.
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Copyright © 2006-
Paige Ryter
All Rights Reserved.
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