In Sarah Morgan’s ‘The Christmas Sisters,’ It Is Never Too Late for a Mother to Teach Her Daughters New Life Lessons [REVIEW]

They may be sisters, but they are three very different women leading complicated lives. But when their adoptive mother asks them to return to the family home in the snowy Highlands of Scotland, coming together may prove a challenge for all of them in Sarah Morgan’s The Christmas Sisters.

Life in the Scottish Highlands can be lonely for Suzanne McBride, an adoptive mom who wants nothing more than for her three grown daughters to return home and spend some quality time together over the holidays. Sometimes wishes are tricky business, however, especially when you’re dealing with three headstrong women with minds of their own.

Hannah is a dyed in the wool workaholic. It’s not that she hates spending the holidays with her family. After all, she loves them. It’s just that she’s been harboring a secret that she isn’t ready to share. And it’s a doozy!

Meanwhile, Beth is a stay-at-home mom who adores her children. Yet part of her needs a reprieve from childcare, and she’s trying to decide whether going back to work is the right move for her and her family or not.

Finally, there’s Posy, who is fully aware how much her family relies on her. Still, she has dreams that may tear her away from them if she ever dares live the life she actually wants. As if she doesn’t have enough going on in her brain, there’s that distracting hunky new neighbor she can’t seem to take her eyes off of. Is she ready for love or should she focus on other goals?

Can Suzanne help her daughters appreciate just how special sisterhood is? Or will this year’s get together end in disaster? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

As you might already have guessed, while the McBride sisters love each other, getting together doesn’t always spell fun. Sometimes these special times just end in disaster and hurt feelings. And no one is more aware of how important it is for everyone to choose their words wisely than Suzanne.

In The Christmas Sisters, Morgan does a wonderful job capturing each character’s emotions with honesty, insight, and compassion. As I settled in with the McBride clan, I found myself relating to each of the women in one way or the other. After all, who of us doesn’t want our family to accept us and love us unconditionally?

In this story, Morgan shows that we must learn how and when to ask for what we want from those closest to us. She deftly captures the family dynamic in all its complexities, showing that while they may be the toughest people for us to truly understand, they will also rally around us unlike anyone else. Sometimes we just have to be brave enough to let down our guard and start anew.

The other thing Morgan does well here is that she creates an atmosphere that fosters both closeness and individuality simultaneously, which is a balancing act it takes many of us years to perfect. Personally, I enjoyed getting to know the McBrides, warts and all. My guess is that they will inspire you to listen with an open heart and forgive with no expectations.

If you enjoy stories by Debbie Macomber, RaeAnne Thayne, and Sherryl Woods, you’re going to love Sarah Morgan’s The Christmas Sisters. She captures our imaginations with authentic characters who teach us life lessons we will carry in our hearts forever.

THE CHRISTMAS SISTERS
By Sarah Morgan
480 pp. HQN. $8.99

Purchase The Christmas Sisters direct from Jathan & Heather Books or from one of these fine online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Half Price Books, Harlequin, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Powell’s, Target, or Walmart.