Originally Published: 12-09-2019
Take Me Home for Christmas is the 5th book in the Whiskey Creek Series by Brenda Novak.
This is where Sophia DeBussi and Ted Dixon finally have their story!
Book Details
This is a full length novel, being almost 400 pages.
This carries the story of the band of characters that went to high school together in Whiskey Creek.
There’s little to no details to worry about in this book. And surprisingly, things don’t happen until almost the end of the story.
This story is classified as a contemporary romance but it’s also a holiday romance.
There’s no violence nor swearing in the story although there’s a lot of sadness and a lot of “I can do this” type of thing that happens.
Thankfully there’s no cliffhanger in this story. Things are resolved by the end of the storyline. Albeit, things do happen pretty quickly at the end.
Now while this character was coming out of an abusive relationship and healing with a new one, there’s no details in the conversations about what happened to her.
So this story is also a “the one that got away” type of story.
It’s also a story about healing: where one stripped away their pretenses and the other erased their resentment of the past and learned to love again.
You’ll hear about several of the other characters when you read this one. You see how they’re doing and some of what they’re up to. And you get a glimpse of what is coming!
This is not a difficult read. But it’s also not a real easy read. You have to pay attention to the characters and who they are to keep track everything!
Book Summary
This story is more about Sophia than about Sophia and Ted.
The story starts out with Sophia thinking her husband is missing only to find out that not only is he being charged with fraud and stealing money from people, but he ends up getting dead.
And that’s when her world falls apart.
Now, she’s lived in Whisper Creek her whole life. And she was once popular and well liked.
When her husband’s secrets start coming out she becomes the pariah.
And there’s no one to support her.
She hurt the only man she really ever loved and he’s one that hates her the most.
Sophia and Ted dated in high school and were getting serious only to have her choose to be with Skip instead. Skip was the one with the money to shower her with.
Being spurned, Ted took on a “hate” stance where she was concerned, but that didn’t mean he stopped loving her.
So when he sees everyone literally stripping her of all she has, he knows that he can’t stand by and do nothing.
So he offers her a job doing menial housework and clerical work.
And he vows to not let his heart get hurt again.
And it’s while she’s working for him that he sees that she’s a different person now and she’s not who he thought she was.
He finds out that Skip was abusive and cruel. Not only to Sophia but also to their daughter, Alexa. He also finds out that Sophia is an alcoholic and has no support.
So the story carries on for the majority of the book with them existing together, with them learning to trust again, with them coming to terms the feelings that they have for each other.
But it’s not until the very end that they actually come together again.
And yes, it does end happy, but it was quick and fast.
But it did leave it open for the next couple of stories. In book 6, Come Home to Me is where we find out Presley’s and Aaron’s story. And in book 7, The Heart of Christmas is where Eve gets her story!
Conclusion
I enjoyed this story. I enjoyed the way the Brenda Novak writes. It’s nice to see a writer that knows how to add things into their stories.
This story was endearing and interesting. I liked the dynamics between these two characters and learned to be together again.
I would definitely recommend this book and this series.
