Real life pastor Lynne Hinton brings readers yet another heartwarming tale of the ladies of Hope Springs in North Carolina.  The Hope Springs Community Church is holding a Christmas Cake Recipe Contest and the book contains some mouthwatering recipes as a resulting bonus!

Church member Margaret Peele is depressed and miserable, having learned that her breast cancer has made a return appearance.  She wants to visit her mother’s hometown in Texas; and so the quartet of friends—including Beatrice, Louise and Jessie—all pile into the funeral home van owned by Beatrice’s husband, Dick, who is the funeral director.  The second thing Margaret wants is to see their former pastor, Charlotte Stewart, who moved to Texas to run a shelter for battered women.

Dick reports the funeral van as stolen because he has no idea that his wife and friends took it and headed all the way to Texas!  The journey is touching and enlightening as all of the women learn more about friendship than they ever believed possible.

This is a very touching and emotional book and I believe adult women of all age ranges will relate to the characters.  Beautifully written, the sadness of Margaret’s illness is not morbid even though she knows she is going to die soon.  I recommend this book for the feelings it may instill in the reader and also for the delicious recipes included!  All in all a good holiday read.