Book One
Book 1
By: Annette K. Larsen

The Hidden Gift: A Father Christmas Origin Story

 What if Father Christmas’s quest to help the downtrodden… started with his love for one girl?
 THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES   Book One

In the quaint village of Tethurn, Annabelle has always been the steadfast pillar of her family, unafraid of hard work and sacrifice. But when her father falls gravely ill, her family’s already tenuous situation becomes dire. Annabelle knows she cannot afford to lose her position as a maid, but a spiteful butler threatens her livelihood. Amidst the chaos, she finds an unexpected ally in Nicolai Closs, a gentleman whose kindness offers her a glimmer of hope and a cherished friendship.

 

Despite the expectations and obstacles that stand in their way, Annabelle dreams not only of saving her family but also of winning Nicolai’s heart. But with food scarce and hope even scarcer, will Annabelle be expected to sacrifice more than she can bear so that her sisters don’t starve? And how can she be sure Nicolai’s attentions aren’t merely pity?

 

The Hidden Gift reimagines the origin of Father Christmas and St. Nick, where resilience, love, and the enduring strength of the human spirit light the path through the darkest of times, and the harsh realities of life are met with unwavering hope, kindness, and love.

The Hidden Gift is part of The Christmas Chronicles, a multi-author series of clean, romantic, Christmas-themed fairytale retellings.

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I write sweet, clean romance. Why? Because that's what I love to read, but over the years I've discovered it's quite a challenge to find wholesome romance that's also quality romance. I believe it's a genre that many people are looking for and too few authors are writing. My first novel, Just Ella, took me many years to write because I wanted it to be more than just a cutesy love story. I wanted it to have depth, to feel genuine. Hopefully I succeeded, but you'll have to be the judge.

I have Charlotte Bronte to thank for the courage to write novels. After being bombarded with assigned reading about women who justified abandoning either their families or their principles in the name of love, I had the great fortune of reading Jane Eyre. And that was it: finally a heroine who understood that being moral and making the right choice was hard, and sometimes it hurt, but it was still worth it. After rereading it several years later, I realized that if I wanted more books to exist with the kinds of heroines I admired, then I might as well write a few myself. My books are about women who face hard choices, who face pain and rejection and often have to sacrifice what they want for what is right. The consequences are often difficult or unpleasant, but in the end, doing what's right will always be worth it.

I was born in Utah, but grew up in Flagstaff Arizona and St. Louis Missouri, the fifth of seven children. I studied English and Theater in college. I now live in Idaho with my husband and five littles.

I believe there is no substitute for good writing or good chocolate. Fortunately, one often leads to the other.

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