Review: The Meaning of Christmas
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 8, 2014
S.G. Rogers has done it again, with "A Gift for Lara", an engaging Christmas Victorian Romance for young adults, or anyone who is interested in uplifting stories of young love.The novella begins with a visit to Lara Robinson and her family by Miles Greystoke, who, along with his family visited Lara's family four years earlier, when Lara was fourteen. At the first visit, Lara and Miles were both awkward teens, struggling to express their affection for each other. Alas, as so often happens at this age, the feelings are never made known to either party. Fast forward a few years, and another visit has been arranged. Both Lara and Miles are nervous about seeing one another, convinced that their feelings of younger years had been rejected by the other.The current situation is fraught with missteps, as Lara's sister tries to attract Miles for her own romantic interests. The household is in a minor uproar as a neighboring family whose daughter works for the Robinsons encounters its own difficulties. Lara does her best to help their situation while preparing for the holidays. In an era when gifts were more often made than purchased, all parties in the story are anxious to find just the right gift for their families. At the same time, both Lara and Miles are embarrassed about their youthful crushes, and seek to put things right now that they are more mature.Will Lara and Miles finally communicate their growing admiration for each other, or will Lara's sister capture the attention of the now handsome and charming Miles? And what about the maid's family? Will disaster strike just as the Christmas holiday arrives? Read this charming novella to find out what turns out to be Lara's gift, and whether or not romance will thrive in the new year to come.