cover image The Christmas Secret

The Christmas Secret

Donna VanLiere, . . St. Martin?s, $14.95 (291pp) ISBN 978-0-312-55836-9

VanLiere makes getting into the Christmas spirit easy with the fifth installment in her Christmas Hope series (The Christmas Promise ; etc). Single mom Angela Christine Eisley’s struggling to care for her young children, Zach and Haley: her waitress job isn’t bringing in a ton of dough; and Brad, her disgruntled ex, refuses to pay child support and is bent on taking custody. Soon, she’s lost her job and her landlord’s threatening eviction, but salvation comes in the form of another job and a handsome bachelor named Jason Haybert, who’s trying to locate the anonymous good Samaritan who saved a family friend’s life. The holiday cheerleading doesn’t stray too far afield as VanLiere tidily wraps up this reminder of the magic of giving. (Oct.)