"Unforgettable!"

Sam and Rachel's marriage has been going downhill for years, neither of them wanting to admit it. Despite the fact that Sam has taken to sleeping in another room, Rachel is stunned when she overhears Sam's phone conversation revealing he is moving out after Christmas.

While their problems are deep, they seemed to come to the surface after the foster child (Will) they were caring for had to be returned to his biological mother. Now neither of them are willing to care that much for a child again. Sam and Rachel have struggled with infertility ever since the death of their premature daughter twelve years previously. They gave their heart to young Will only to have it shattered.

Twelve days before Christmas Rachel's aunt, a social worker, shows up on their doorstep with three young children in tow. It seems they have been abandoned in a local motel by a mother who promised she'd return. Rachel and Sam are still on the list of approved foster homes and despite the fact that neither of them feel they want to risk their heart again, they have no option but to keep the children -- at least through the Holidays.

This is an emotional story, reminiscent of Kristin Hannah's "family dramas." I love it when you have a couple who has had some sort of problem to work through which leads to them almost parting -- or sometimes actually separating/divorcing. The characters of Sam and Rachel as well as that of the three children, Emma, Zach, and Grace are ones that will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned. There were no easy answers for Sam or Rachel here. Their problems are realistically portrayed. If you enjoyed books such as ANGEL FALLS by Kristin Hannah, COAST ROAD by Barbara Delinsky or MOMENTS IN TIME by Mariah Stewart, chances are you will enjoy TWELVE DAYS as well. The book is simply unforgettable and I can assure you it will be going on my keeper shelf for re-reading every Christmas season.

Reviewed by Maudeen Wachsmith
Posted July 12, 2001