Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Christmas Home
SERIES: Coming Home #6
AUTHOR: Blake Allwood
PUBLISHER: Blake Allwood Publishing
LENGTH: 284 Pages
RELEASE DATE: November 29, 2024
BLURB:
In charming Crawford City, the holiday season brings more than just twinkling lights and festive cheer—it brings a chance for healing.
Ruther Crawford, a wealthy New Yorker, returns to his hometown to confront the trauma of a devastating house fire that scarred him both physically and emotionally as a child.
Clyde Griffin, a kind-hearted man recently arrived in Crawford City, is seeking refuge from his past romantic choices.
When Ruther and Clyde’s paths cross, their contrasting worlds collide—Ruther’s polished exterior hides deep-seated fears, and Clyde’s difficulties with relationships make him reluctant to try again.
As they share stories over cinnamon rolls and coffee, Ruther and Clyde learn to confront their pasts, support each other’s dreams, and open their hearts to the possibility of love. Will the magic of this small town and it’s quirky holiday celebrations be enough to bridge the gap between their lives or are their scars too deep to allow love to grow?
Note: Although Christmas Home was written as a holiday book the story isn’t an insta-love story and takes place over a year and a half.
Family Home is a low-heat (no explicit sex scenes,) sweet, high drama romance.
Content Warnings – Christmas home has elements of all of the following:
- Abandonment
- Past abusive relationships
- Burning/burns and scars
- Past domestic abuse
- Recovery from abuse
- Family conflict
- Fear
- Violence
- Harassment
- Panic attacks
- Physical attacks
- Weapons
REVIEW:
I have loved this wonderful series that remind me of watching a wonderful Hallmark series in this quaint and accepting Southern town where the town folks rally around you when you need help.
Rutherford “Ruther” Crawford is returning to the quaint southern town his Quaker ancestors founded. But there are no good memories from his childhood to lean back upon. Only pain and suffering cloud his mind and send him spiraling into full on debilitating panic attacks. His mother and father left his ten year old self home alone on Christmas in that huge, creepy home up on the hill. When a fire almost took his life and left him horribly scarred and disfigured from the burns the family never returned. But the terrors still rendered him frozen in fear. Taking a breath was a monumental challenge when these panic attacks took over. Either knew, from his many years in counseling, that he needed to face his demons once and for all or suffer the rest of his life!
Having anxiety issues that have sent me into milder panic attacks I can’t imagine going what Ruther went through with his level of anxiety. It is so reassuring when you have someone who can help you pull out of an attack and comfort you while understanding what your body and mind is doing to you. Clyde recognizing what Ruther was experiencing after realizing he was sitting at the table in the café with Chris, the town’s Liberian that we met in Bound for Home. Chris and his husband, country singing sensation Roth, had bought and rebuilt the home he barely escaped with his life from. The level of attack was severe but Clyde helped him through the attack. But Clyde knew first hand what fear and anxiety attacks can do to a person. His level of hell that he has survived through growing up with his extremely abusive alcoholic father lead to his entire family choosing bad men. It’s a cycle we unfortunately see all the time. Victims that are so traumatized that they begin to believe they deserve the level of abuse from their significant others. I loved that Anita, Jake’s Mom who was Clyde’s court ordered therapist, helped Clyde to understand and realize that he couldn’t make men go bad and he deserved to be loved by Ruther and love him back just as strongly.
I loved that so many of the men we got to know, and their families and friends, made appearances in this wonderful book. Crawford City is a very special place and Ruther and his assistant turned business partner Corey made a way to make it much more special for those that chose this quaint and accepting town. Mrs. Cole definitely earned a warm spot in my heart. Her choosing Clyde and making him part of her family really got to me. She is a saint.
Although this is was released during the holidays and does have Christmas scenes in it, this book takes place over a year and a half time frame and covers several seasons and various holidays. I wouldn’t say this is a Christmas book. I believe it is instead a very strong and thoughtful book of overcoming demons from your past that haunt you. Of building a new you that breaks free of the past and the men become stronger. It’s a story of resilience and of bravery. Facing your fears from the past that can literally cripple you with anxiety and panic attacks takes courage! Both of these men faced and conquered their demons but it was a long, hard fought battle.
I’m unsure if this is the end of this series. I really want to know what’s up with Chris and Solace Brown. And I can’t wait to get to visit Crawford City and it’s wonderful citizen’s again.
RATING: 
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