Book Spotlight: Christmas in Shady Springs

What's more romantic than a Christmas wedding? How about a book about a Christmas wedding? Only one (or more) problem. Sarah Anne Crouch had a lot of fun including mischief in this sweet new book of hers. See if her stories of weddings gone wrong intrigues you.

Tomorrow—November 25—is release day for A Christmas in Shady Springs!
In A Summer in Shady Springs, Madeleine and A.J. fell in love. Now, in this new installment, wedding bells are finally ringing … and nothing is going quite as planned.
I’ve always adored wedding stories. The chaos, the sweetness, the emotional family moments, the pretty dresses, the decorations. Weddings are such a delightful mix of love and unpredictability. And I love Christmas with just as much enthusiasm: twinkling lights, cookies, carols, memories. So really, what could be more fun than combining Christmas and a wedding into one story?
I’ll tell you what: adding nearly every real-life wedding disaster I’ve ever witnessed into one story.

​All my life, I’ve heard stories of my aunt and uncle’s Christmas wedding—complete with a flu outbreak and an ice storm. At my brother’s wedding, some of the greenery sat a little too close to the candles and caught fire. At my sister’s July wedding in Texas, the air conditioning went out (because of course it did). And at my own wedding, our minister had such severe vertigo he almost had to sit through the ceremony.
Needless to say, I know a thing or two about imperfect weddings.
I felt a lot of pressure to plan a flawless day—while also trying to look flawless. And honestly? That pressure has only intensified for brides in the fifteen years since my own wedding day. But here’s the truth: no one has to give in to the illusion of perfection. Nearly every wedding has a catastrophe, big or small.
What I wanted Madeleine and A.J. to discover, through every unexpected roadblock, is the heart of the story: that God’s light shines beautifully through our imperfections.
So this holiday season, you’re invited to join Madeleine and A.J. in Shady Springs, Arkansas. I can’t promise their wedding will go according to plan—but I can promise a faith-filled, cozy, joyous celebration.

Do you have any stories of wedding plans gone hilariously—or disastrously—awry?
I’d love to hear them in the comments!

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A Christmas in Shady Springs

Madeleine Mullins has always dreamed of a Christmas wedding that reflects her creativity and her deep love for A.J. Young. But with only three months to plan and a budget stretched tighter than a strand of lights, perfection seems impossible.
A.J. wants nothing more than to marry Madeleine, but he’s caught between family expectations, church politics, and his desire to give her the day she deserves. As the pressure builds, they’ll both have to decide what truly matters most.
When unexpected obstacles pile up—an invitation mixup, a winter flu, and a surprise ice storm—Madeleine and A.J. must confront a bigger question: Is a flawless wedding the goal, or is their love strong enough to carry them through the imperfections?
Set in the heart of small-town Arkansas, A Christmas in Shady Springs is a sweet Christian romance about love that holds fast, plans that fall apart, and grace that shines even brighter when everything else goes wrong.

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Sarah Anne Crouch lives in Arkansas with her husband, three children, and thousands of books. She always wanted to be an author, but spent some time as a teacher, earned a degree in library science, and makes feeble attempts to corral her small children as a stay-at-home mom. Sarah loves reading books, recipes, piano music, and emails from readers.

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