Magic of Christmas rocks small town in new romance

BOOK CORNER

By Marissa Wells

Contributing Writer

Kelly Benson has spent the last five years in Chicago, hiding from her childhood crush, Gabe, who brought a pregnant wife home to Shiloh. The week before Christmas, Kelly is fired from her job.

Depressed and hopeless after facing this new reality, Kelly wishes for a Christmas angel to point her in the right direction.

Meanwhile, Gabe is raising his 4-year-old daughter, Michaela, alone after his wife left him. The week before Christmas, his ex-wife cancels Christmas and birthday plans with Michaela for a trip to Paris, leaving Gabe in a grumpy mood and in the need of some Christmas magic.

That’s the basis for “I Need a Christmas Angel” by Raykel Tolson.

The exciting new Christmas romance was inspired by Tolson and her mother’s tradition of watching Christmas romances on Hallmark and Lifetime television networks.

“There is one movie, ‘Borrowed Hearts,’ we watched every year until my mother died in 2009,” said the author. “I wanted to write a story that mothers and daughters could watch together and bond.”

Inside the book, readers will learn lessons regarding vulnerability, assumptions, co-parenting, recognizing one’s worth and much more.

“It was important for me to write this Christmas romance to show that African-Americans celebrate Christmas and fall in love in small towns across America without too much drama,” Tolson said.

“I Need a Christmas Angel” is intended for women ages 25-70 but can also be enjoyed by male readers. It’s the author’s hope that readers of this book gain an appreciation for reading heart-warming romances.

“I write novellas because many of my friends are not really into romance, but I think reading romances keep the hope of love alive,” Tolson said. “And I really think African-American women need that.”

This is Tolson’s seventh published book. She is currently working on a sequel to “I Need a Christmas Angel” that focuses on BB’s character (Kelly’s mother).

In addition to being an author, Tolson is a podcast host and spiritual mindset coach. She lives in Los Angeles. For more information about the author and her work, visit raykeltolson.com and tolsonbooks.com.

“I Need a Christmas Angel” is available for $7.99 (print) and $2.99 (Kindle) on tolsonbooks.com, Amazon.com, and BarnesandNoble.com. Signed copies may be purchased via tolsonbooks.com.