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The Sisters Waskowitz #1
One Christmas Knight
Away in a…truck stop?
FA LA LA LA…LABOR!
Okay, maybe driving solo cross-country in her eighth month wasn't the most brilliant idea Mirabella Waskowitz had ever had. And maybe she should have turned back when she heard the blizzard warnings. But the feisty mom-to-be certainly didn't need advice from that strapping Southern trucker who kept crossing her path….
UNTIL HER WATER BROKE.
Here it was Christmas Eve, and single dad Jimmy Joe Starr wanted only to be home with his young son. Instead, he was snowbound with a beautiful "virgin" who was about to give birth. Jimmy Joe had long ago stopped believing in miracles. But Mirabella and her baby were about to change that….
FA LA LA LA…LABOR!
Okay, maybe driving solo cross-country in her eighth month wasn't the most brilliant idea Mirabella Waskowitz had ever had. And maybe she should have turned back when she heard the blizzard warnings. But the feisty mom-to-be certainly didn't need advice from that strapping Southern trucker who kept crossing her path….
UNTIL HER WATER BROKE.
Here it was Christmas Eve, and single dad Jimmy Joe Starr wanted only to be home with his young son. Instead, he was snowbound with a beautiful "virgin" who was about to give birth. Jimmy Joe had long ago stopped believing in miracles. But Mirabella and her baby were about to change that….
249 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1997
About the author
Kathleen Creighton
95 books40 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
(1)romance author
(1)romance author
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 5, 2009
Reviewed for THC Reviews
One Christmas Knight is a sweet, gentle romance that was analogous to the biblical story of Mary and Joseph. It features an “immaculate” conception and a heroine who is stranded by a snowstorm in a town filled with other travelers and “no room at the inn.” Ultimately, she gives birth on Christmas night in the back of a semi-truck named The Blue Starr with no one to help but the hero. This was yet another of the love-at-first-sight stories that seem to be so common in the romances I've read, but at least the author created a credible emotional bond between the characters by having them share a rather extraordinary experience together. Afterward, they separated for a little while, giving them both a chance to make sure that their feeling for each other were real, and not just the result of an emotional high. These things made the story somewhat more believable to me. The book had lots of descriptive passages and introspection on the part of both Mirabella and Jimmy Joe which made the narrative move at a languid but steady pace. I think the pace could have been picked up a bit, perhaps with the inclusion of a little more dialog, and it might have been nice if the couple would have had a little more interaction and “getting-to-know-you” time following the big event before committing to a lifetime together, but overall, I don't really have any major complaints about the storytelling.
The hero, Jimmy Joe was really the best part of One Christmas Knight. He certainly was a “knight in shining armor,” a sweet, sensitive beta hero who was also a perfect Southern gentleman. I liked him so much it made me want to make a trip down south to see what I've been missing.;-) Jimmy Joe was a devoted single father who had know the pain of loss in his life which made him very sympathetic. His career as a long-haul truck driver and all the fun trucker lingo brought back fond memories of a kind truck driver who “rescued” my mother and I many years ago when our car was stranded by the side of the same highway in the story, and I also have an uncle who also used to be in that same line of work. I think having had these experiences in my life made Jimmy Joe seem more real to me, but it was truly just his charming nature, patience, gentleness and intuitiveness with Mirabella that made him irresistible to me.
On the other hand, I wasn't quite as quick to warm up to Mirabella. It wasn't that I actually disliked her, but I can't say that I enthusiastically liked her either. I think it was just that she was a little too stubborn and independent for my taste, often acting like she absolutely didn't need a man in her life at all. I'm fine with career-minded women who wait until later in life for relationships and family. In fact, I thought that Bella wanting to wait for Mr. Right (but never finding him) was admirable, but what bothered me about her was that she seemed to need to be in control too much. It was in the moments when she was able to let go and be a little bit vulnerable, when Jimmy Joe was able to break through her barriers, that I liked her more. Also, for such an obstinate woman she seemed to say, “I can't” a little too often, which is something that Jimmy Joe humorously pointed out to her at one point. In the end, I still thought that Mirabella and Jimmy Joe were as different as oil and water. It was difficult to see how they were going to “mix,” but I guess opposites attract all the time. I just usually like my heroes and heroines to have a bit more in common, though I'll have to say that readers who enjoy May-December romances with an older heroine should like this one.
One Christmas Knight is the first book in The Sisters Waskowitz series. It introduces Mirabella's best friend, Charly, who becomes the heroine of the next book, One More Knight, in which she is paired with Troy Starr, who I think may be one of Jimmy Joe's brothers, though I don't believe he was mentioned by name in this book. Also, Mirabella's two sisters, Sommer and Eve, the heroines of the other two books in the series, One Summer's Knight and Eve's Wedding Knight, receive a brief mention. In addition, One Christmas Knight spawned a spin-off series, The Starrs of the West, which features other members of Jimmy Joe's family as heroes and heroines. One Christmas Knight was a light, easy novel that was a nice way to wrap up my holiday reading. It was my first book by Kathleen Creighton, and I liked it well enough to explore other books from both series in the future.
One Christmas Knight is a sweet, gentle romance that was analogous to the biblical story of Mary and Joseph. It features an “immaculate” conception and a heroine who is stranded by a snowstorm in a town filled with other travelers and “no room at the inn.” Ultimately, she gives birth on Christmas night in the back of a semi-truck named The Blue Starr with no one to help but the hero. This was yet another of the love-at-first-sight stories that seem to be so common in the romances I've read, but at least the author created a credible emotional bond between the characters by having them share a rather extraordinary experience together. Afterward, they separated for a little while, giving them both a chance to make sure that their feeling for each other were real, and not just the result of an emotional high. These things made the story somewhat more believable to me. The book had lots of descriptive passages and introspection on the part of both Mirabella and Jimmy Joe which made the narrative move at a languid but steady pace. I think the pace could have been picked up a bit, perhaps with the inclusion of a little more dialog, and it might have been nice if the couple would have had a little more interaction and “getting-to-know-you” time following the big event before committing to a lifetime together, but overall, I don't really have any major complaints about the storytelling.
The hero, Jimmy Joe was really the best part of One Christmas Knight. He certainly was a “knight in shining armor,” a sweet, sensitive beta hero who was also a perfect Southern gentleman. I liked him so much it made me want to make a trip down south to see what I've been missing.;-) Jimmy Joe was a devoted single father who had know the pain of loss in his life which made him very sympathetic. His career as a long-haul truck driver and all the fun trucker lingo brought back fond memories of a kind truck driver who “rescued” my mother and I many years ago when our car was stranded by the side of the same highway in the story, and I also have an uncle who also used to be in that same line of work. I think having had these experiences in my life made Jimmy Joe seem more real to me, but it was truly just his charming nature, patience, gentleness and intuitiveness with Mirabella that made him irresistible to me.
On the other hand, I wasn't quite as quick to warm up to Mirabella. It wasn't that I actually disliked her, but I can't say that I enthusiastically liked her either. I think it was just that she was a little too stubborn and independent for my taste, often acting like she absolutely didn't need a man in her life at all. I'm fine with career-minded women who wait until later in life for relationships and family. In fact, I thought that Bella wanting to wait for Mr. Right (but never finding him) was admirable, but what bothered me about her was that she seemed to need to be in control too much. It was in the moments when she was able to let go and be a little bit vulnerable, when Jimmy Joe was able to break through her barriers, that I liked her more. Also, for such an obstinate woman she seemed to say, “I can't” a little too often, which is something that Jimmy Joe humorously pointed out to her at one point. In the end, I still thought that Mirabella and Jimmy Joe were as different as oil and water. It was difficult to see how they were going to “mix,” but I guess opposites attract all the time. I just usually like my heroes and heroines to have a bit more in common, though I'll have to say that readers who enjoy May-December romances with an older heroine should like this one.
One Christmas Knight is the first book in The Sisters Waskowitz series. It introduces Mirabella's best friend, Charly, who becomes the heroine of the next book, One More Knight, in which she is paired with Troy Starr, who I think may be one of Jimmy Joe's brothers, though I don't believe he was mentioned by name in this book. Also, Mirabella's two sisters, Sommer and Eve, the heroines of the other two books in the series, One Summer's Knight and Eve's Wedding Knight, receive a brief mention. In addition, One Christmas Knight spawned a spin-off series, The Starrs of the West, which features other members of Jimmy Joe's family as heroes and heroines. One Christmas Knight was a light, easy novel that was a nice way to wrap up my holiday reading. It was my first book by Kathleen Creighton, and I liked it well enough to explore other books from both series in the future.
October 22, 2011
One Christmas Knight had a heroine who could be quite frustrating with her need for controlling everything but despite that I couldn't completely dislike her.
Mirabella Waskowitz is eight months pregnant and hopelessly behind in reaching her parent's place. Mirabella wasn't always pretty in her teenage years and that made her grow a chip as far as men are concerned and she likes being all dignified and now after all careful planning she realizes there isn't anything dignified about giving birth and though she doesn't admit it she is scared. She looks at Jimmy Joe at a truck stop and finds him good looking and young.
And learns that looks can be deceiving, not only is Jimmy Joe almost thirty but he also has a eight-year old son. Despite not wanting to she lets him help and her and part way when the road seems better.
Jimmy Joe Starr is a truck business owner, father and has a huge family he loves. He took on responsibility too young and wonders about Mirabelle. Things happen that they get stranded with Mirabelle about to give birth and that kind of forces some kind of intimacy between them with Jimmy telling her about his failed marriage and Mira confessing that though she may be giving birth she is a virgin.
After everything is over, Jimmy knows he is in love and so does Mira but does that all have to do with their forced proximity? I really liked Jimmy Joe, he was a very kind and simple hero who didn't get frustrated with Mirabelle and her quirks.
Though I did feel that Mirabelle had no basis for her problems, with a good loving family.
Mirabella Waskowitz is eight months pregnant and hopelessly behind in reaching her parent's place. Mirabella wasn't always pretty in her teenage years and that made her grow a chip as far as men are concerned and she likes being all dignified and now after all careful planning she realizes there isn't anything dignified about giving birth and though she doesn't admit it she is scared. She looks at Jimmy Joe at a truck stop and finds him good looking and young.
And learns that looks can be deceiving, not only is Jimmy Joe almost thirty but he also has a eight-year old son. Despite not wanting to she lets him help and her and part way when the road seems better.
Jimmy Joe Starr is a truck business owner, father and has a huge family he loves. He took on responsibility too young and wonders about Mirabelle. Things happen that they get stranded with Mirabelle about to give birth and that kind of forces some kind of intimacy between them with Jimmy telling her about his failed marriage and Mira confessing that though she may be giving birth she is a virgin.
After everything is over, Jimmy knows he is in love and so does Mira but does that all have to do with their forced proximity? I really liked Jimmy Joe, he was a very kind and simple hero who didn't get frustrated with Mirabelle and her quirks.
Though I did feel that Mirabelle had no basis for her problems, with a good loving family.
December 10, 2013
This is exactly the kind of sentimental goo I love to read during the Christmas season. My regular critic will return in January.
December 31, 2012
For some reason this novel was a bit weird for me but I still enjoyed it. The heroine got impregnated via test tube and went into labor on the highway where our hero was a big rig driver. He delivered her baby and they fell in love. Happy ending!
November 16, 2017
B+
I was pleasantly surprised by this book since I had given up on categories years ago. But I tried One Christmas Knight because of a great review on AAR. It was a little cheesy at the end but I loved the hero, and his big rig. And I loved the plot - mother in labor in a snow storm, trucker rescues her, baby born in the truck. The CB radio chatter was fun too. This was a fun quick read and I recommend it.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book since I had given up on categories years ago. But I tried One Christmas Knight because of a great review on AAR. It was a little cheesy at the end but I loved the hero, and his big rig. And I loved the plot - mother in labor in a snow storm, trucker rescues her, baby born in the truck. The CB radio chatter was fun too. This was a fun quick read and I recommend it.
December 21, 2022
This is a story about a trucker and a pregnant woman, each traveling on Christmas in a bad snowstorm and how he comes to assist her in her virgin birth (really!). Creighton perfectly captures the sense of isolation a snowstorm brings, and I loved the running CB radio commentary (remember that?). This is a charming, if dated, read that's perfect for the holiday season.
September 22, 2017
4.5 Stars
November 27, 2022
A sweetly improbable Christmas story, but why not? Very emotional and very heartfelt.
November 27, 2010
I bought this book because I loved Kathleen Creighton's Christmas novella, THE MYSTERIOUS GIFT found in Silhouette Christmas Stories 1990 collection. Since I love Christmas romance, I figured a full-length novel by the same author would be a sure thing.
But I was a bit disappointed in ONE CHRISTMAS KNIGHT. While I have no problem with an older woman/younger man premise, the author harped on their age difference so much that it started to bug me. The heroine is nearly a decade older than the hero, and the author kept mentioning how young the hero looked, and how he was still in diapers when she was in junior high school, etc, etc. I started picturing a graying woman with a baby-faced teen not yet shaving. It made it a bit icky. And when the heroine started putting herself down, it felt like she was using a plot to get the hero to compliment her.
One thing that also got on my nerves was the heroine. She was very stuck-up. She thinks the world entitles her anything she wants, which made her seem spoiled. The way she was always walking around with her nose in the air (and I never understood what she was so high-and-mighty about) made me want to take her down a peg or two. And her flipping the bird to another driver because he honked at her (when she was blocking traffic) made her seem crass. Frankly, I thought the hero needed someone sweeter and more ladylike.
One other big stumbling block for me: the heroine was about to become a single mother...by choice. She wasn't a woman who'd been widowed, or the victim of a man who refused to take responsibility for his child. No, she had decided that she wanted a child, so she went to a sperm bank to buy herself one. This just didn't sit well with me. I don't believe in anyone actively choosing to deny a child of a father. (If it is out of the mother's control, like the father refuses to be a part of the child's life, that's a different story, and I would never look down on a woman in that situation.) But to choose to deny your child of a dad? That just doesn't seem right to me. Of course, not everyone feels this way, so you might enjoy this story if that plot point isn't a problem for you.
But even if you put that whole issue aside, I still didn't feel like the hero and heroine were a good match. I thought that he was too nice for her, and that if they did end up together, she would walk all over him. I thought that she needed someone who'd be firmer with her, and he needed someone who was nicer.
One last little complaint: this story felt very dated, even though it was published in 1997, so only ten years ago. Mentions of Soupy Sales, Princess Di, and a "newfangled" technology called email. Not really annoying, just kind of funny, in a "I'm not even 30 and this makes me feel old" way.
Maybe I just expected too much, since I'd enjoyed this author's work so much before. I don't know. Still, the bottom line is that I don't recommend this book. There are better Christmas romances out there.
But I was a bit disappointed in ONE CHRISTMAS KNIGHT. While I have no problem with an older woman/younger man premise, the author harped on their age difference so much that it started to bug me. The heroine is nearly a decade older than the hero, and the author kept mentioning how young the hero looked, and how he was still in diapers when she was in junior high school, etc, etc. I started picturing a graying woman with a baby-faced teen not yet shaving. It made it a bit icky. And when the heroine started putting herself down, it felt like she was using a plot to get the hero to compliment her.
One thing that also got on my nerves was the heroine. She was very stuck-up. She thinks the world entitles her anything she wants, which made her seem spoiled. The way she was always walking around with her nose in the air (and I never understood what she was so high-and-mighty about) made me want to take her down a peg or two. And her flipping the bird to another driver because he honked at her (when she was blocking traffic) made her seem crass. Frankly, I thought the hero needed someone sweeter and more ladylike.
One other big stumbling block for me: the heroine was about to become a single mother...by choice. She wasn't a woman who'd been widowed, or the victim of a man who refused to take responsibility for his child. No, she had decided that she wanted a child, so she went to a sperm bank to buy herself one. This just didn't sit well with me. I don't believe in anyone actively choosing to deny a child of a father. (If it is out of the mother's control, like the father refuses to be a part of the child's life, that's a different story, and I would never look down on a woman in that situation.) But to choose to deny your child of a dad? That just doesn't seem right to me. Of course, not everyone feels this way, so you might enjoy this story if that plot point isn't a problem for you.
But even if you put that whole issue aside, I still didn't feel like the hero and heroine were a good match. I thought that he was too nice for her, and that if they did end up together, she would walk all over him. I thought that she needed someone who'd be firmer with her, and he needed someone who was nicer.
One last little complaint: this story felt very dated, even though it was published in 1997, so only ten years ago. Mentions of Soupy Sales, Princess Di, and a "newfangled" technology called email. Not really annoying, just kind of funny, in a "I'm not even 30 and this makes me feel old" way.
Maybe I just expected too much, since I'd enjoyed this author's work so much before. I don't know. Still, the bottom line is that I don't recommend this book. There are better Christmas romances out there.
December 30, 2014
Old series romance reprint. Unbelievable circumstances of stranded 9 month pregnant woman trying to get to her dying father at Christmas when she is trapped on the Interstate during a snowstorm. With no father in sight and no rooms available, a kindly stranger, a trucker also trying to get home to his young son for Christmas, goes out of his way to make sure she is safe. Of course, this means the baby will arrive a few weeks early and on the side of a snow-banked highway. Medical assistance arrives after the fact. The trucker sees her safely to a hospital and slips away.
They are both miserable and it becomes a question of who bends first to reach out to other even though they have known each other for less than a week.
They have their happily ever after. Who doesn't love those serial romances!
They are both miserable and it becomes a question of who bends first to reach out to other even though they have known each other for less than a week.
They have their happily ever after. Who doesn't love those serial romances!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2017
It's important to realize that this was originally published in 1997. Little internet. Cell phones optional. Etc.
My biggest issue with the book was its insta-love/lust. Mirabelle even tries to explain it away as hormones and oxytocin. I also couldn't believe she'd be ready to have sex 3 weeks after giving birth but every woman is different and at least it took into account the milk leakage/drop down/whatever you want to call it that happens when she and Jimmy Joe finally go to bed. Kudos for a breastfeeding heroine.
I had no problems with the age difference. Jimmy Joe is an old soul. And it's not every day a heroine is a 38-year old virgin who's had in vitro done. Bonus points for a trucker hero and CB talk at the beginning of each chapter.
Maybe not a traditional Christmas romance, but an easy read that shouldn't be judged too harshly.
My biggest issue with the book was its insta-love/lust. Mirabelle even tries to explain it away as hormones and oxytocin. I also couldn't believe she'd be ready to have sex 3 weeks after giving birth but every woman is different and at least it took into account the milk leakage/drop down/whatever you want to call it that happens when she and Jimmy Joe finally go to bed. Kudos for a breastfeeding heroine.
I had no problems with the age difference. Jimmy Joe is an old soul. And it's not every day a heroine is a 38-year old virgin who's had in vitro done. Bonus points for a trucker hero and CB talk at the beginning of each chapter.
Maybe not a traditional Christmas romance, but an easy read that shouldn't be judged too harshly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2014
My sister, Kathy, introduced me to this book. I loved the story line and the authors writing style! It's one of those books you don't want to put down. However, it could have benefited from a good editing. There were a lot of misspelled words throughout that became distracting at points in the novel. I'd still read it again, though. It was that good.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews