Once in a lifetime

Vanessa Hayes has dreamed of spending Christmas in Paris for as long as she can remember. When her lost passport spoils her holiday plans for a trip to France, she never expects it to eventually arrive at her doorstep. Or that she would become so involved with the woman who returned her passport and the woman's terminally ill brother, Ronald. When her new friend reveals that Ronald's last chance is an organ donation, Vanessa must decide whether to offer herself as a prospective donor, knowing that her independence and dreams for the future will change forever. Monroe's newest holiday romance is a charming read; its conversational narrative style will have readers feeling as though they're enjoying the story as told by a friend over a cup of coffee. Monroe affectingly captures the precarious waiting game and painstaking process of transplant medicine, albeit with creative liberties regarding patient and provider confidentiality. Her keen sense of the emotional toll on those directly involved in organ donation, as well as their family and friends, brings substantial realism to the tale and balances well with its heartwarming conclusion.