Member Reviews
Nava A Tale of Redemption by D.P. Conway and narrated by Danielle Gensler is the forth book in the Christmas collection and a lovely start to the Christmas season.
In the heart of the ancient world, a young woman born into a family of Shepherds, faces a tragic twist of fate when she loses her beloved betrothed in a harrowing farming accident.
One day, amidst the shadows of her despair, destiny calls, propelling her on an unexpected odyssey. This journey forces her to confront the very fears that have held her captive. At a moment when the stakes are as high as she will ever face, she must make a life-altering decision that will echo through eternity.
This book is one of a series by this American writer. He put pen to paper during the Covid pandemic but the books read as if they are tales of old, passed down the generations.
Oh my goodness what a story! Its one I will remember for many Christmases. Warning, it is sad but so realistic and full of hope. I read it during the trouble in the Middle East, including hearing about the present-day destruction in Bethlehem. How much more did it make my heart go out to these people.
Nava is a wonderfully portrayed young woman of grit and courage. Her time of depression is something we can relate to and see in our modern day too. Its so refreshing to hear a take on the familiar Christmas story, set back then but also with a modern-day slant. Well done for a wonderful story!
This was a very good audiobook! I really like the narrator and the way the author writes! I plan to read more by this author!
The story was beautiful!
Book 4 of the Christmas collection and possibly the most religious.
A spin on the birth of Jesus. Nava experiences a tragedy and goes to Jerusalem where she meets 3 wise men & a special baby. It was a slow start but it’s one of my favorites of the five stories in this collection.
This book has the PLOT like an actual plot with diverse characters and their story. The story was captivating, heart warming and the pace was good. This story is a mixture adventure, love, courage and hope. Also the narrator was so good, I enjoyed listening to the audiobook. Overall I recommend others to read this book.
***This review, expressing my honest opinion, is voluntary, and I extend my gratitude to BooksGoSocial Audio and NetGalley for providing the Audio ARC***
The storyline, characterized by its lengthy and meandering nature, left me feeling disengaged, particularly when delving into discussions about religion. This audio failed to capture my interest.
Twelve Days, Nava, The Ghost of Christmas to Come, Starry Night and Home for Christmas are five novellas part of the Christmas Collection by D. P. Conway. I listened to them as audiobooks and overall enjoyed the stories (some a little more than the others). We can sense the strong faith the author has in the way he has written each story filled with hope, miracles, second chances and happy endings.
I received an ALC of each book by the publisher BooksGoSocial Audio and the author via NetGalley.
Twelve Days (A Tale of Christmas) (narrated by Danielle Gensler) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Nava (A Tale of Redemption) (narrated by Danielle Gensler) ⭐⭐⭐
The Ghost of Christmas to Come (narrated by Danielle Gensler) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Starry Night (Not all Who Wander are Lost) (narrated by Randy Hames) ⭐⭐⭐💫
Home for Christmas (narrated by Steve Corona) ⭐⭐⭐💫
I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version. I have enjoyed these short story Christmas novels from this author. They do tend to lean more Catholic but they are clean and faith based. Highly recommend.
Nava by D. P. Conway felt like a vintage, throw back to traditional Christmas and it made me feel nostalgic for the past. It was well-written with great characterizations.
I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook, which is a Christmas novella set in biblical times.
The story is about a woman called Nava who loses her beloved and goes into a depression. Her family take her to another area to live, but then they are told to go to Jerusalem. They have some challenges along the way during their travel, but they power through, and help comes for them in the form of three wise men. They are amazed when they reach their destination and meet the baby Jesus and his Mum and Dad.
This is such a gorgeous story, and it is perfect to read at this time of the year. Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.
The story was okay. A nice little Christmas story about the birth. Just another way of telling Jesus birth with some differences.
I received a gifted copy of this book to listen to in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
***AUDIO BOOK VERSION***
Nava: A Tale of Redemption is a classic style Christmas story about the birth of Jesus from Navas POV. This story is both tender, heartbreaking, and captivating, and I thoroughly enjoyed it on audio. The narrator was easy to listen to and helped bring the story to life.
Nava and her beloved Aaron are sweethearts set to soon be martoed when tragedy strikes, leaving Nava heartbroken and depressed. Navas grandfather takes her to Jerusalem, where they meet three men along the way who help them with their journey after meeting threats and obstacles on their way. Upon arriving in Jerusalem, they meet a very special baby (Jesus) and discover the importance of their three companions. It was a refreshing take on the birth of Jesus and the life and times of that period in history. I highly recommend this if you enjoy historical, classic stories.
I enjoyed listening to Nava, by D.P. Conway. An exciting nativity experience seen through the eyes of a young Jewish woman, Nava. Her struggles squeeze your heart. Her sacrifices bring you to the cliff. Redemption brings back hope and joy. A lovely Christmas story with Conway’s bitter and sweet twists at the end.
Nava's story was the one I enjoyed the most of DP Conway's Christmas Collection. While the story is set in a time we rarely get right, there are enough of the elements I'm familiar with in the traditional Nativity folklore to overlook some of the modern aspects that show up. . .the heart of the story, and the brave sacrifices of Nava cast her image and story up on the movie screen in my mind.
What are those elements that kept me there, with Nava? The setting - the towns and villages around Bethlehem, Jerusalem, the families and their structure, Nava herself sprang up for me, a girl with a best friend (Leah), her love story with Aaron, her tragedy, her sweet Father trying to help her through, the Wise Men and their helpers, meeting Joseph, Mariam and the baby in the straw. The shadows draw near, as always when the Nativity tale takes a turn to the dark and those mindless soldiers heed the edict of wicked "King of the Jews" - King Herod's relentless evil again plays out (and in every Christmas retelling we kill those poor boys again. . . .in front of their mothers, their families. . . . ) and here comes a brave girl who jumps into the middle of it with her true love's last gift. . .
Total fiction. I get it. But enough conviction clings to me in a deep way that I do believe someone quite like Nava must have made it through long enough to save some of those sweet souls as a messiah was whisked away into Egypt (who would ever think of Egypt as a safe place for a Jewish baby? [hiding in plain sight?]). . .and keep the story in some form or fashion alive for a willing reader. . .
*A sincere thank you to D.P. Conway, BooksGoSocial Audio, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #NavaTheChristmasCollection #NetGalley
Nava, by D. P. Conway, is the story of a young woman of Judaea as she puts aside her depression at the loss of her fiancé to travel back to her Bethlehem home with her father. This will be a journey in which Nava is tested and ultimately fulfills her potential leading her to where she ultimately wants to be.
A very interesting parable about finding one’s strength. Good story!
I am not a very religious person. The tales in the Christmas Chronicles are told in story format rather than preachy.
This was a story of a young girl who lost hope. She is met by the 3 Kings on their journey. It was a beautiful tale.
In comparison to the other books from the Christmas collection by D.P. Conway, this book is a bit more focused on the religious aspect of Christmas.
It has a heartwarming ending, just like all the books in the collection, but it was kinda boring sometimes. It follows the (kinda tragic) life of Nava, a young woman from a family of Shepherds
The fourth story in DP Conway's Christmas Short Story Collection.
A retelling of the birth of Jesus from a young woman's point of view, who ends up traveling to Jerusalem and meets various characters on the journey.
Love and loss, birth and death are just a couple of the themes that are in this captivating story.
DNF. This is way too Christian for me, sorry! I decided to read this after having read Starry Night (which I enjoyed) but this was is just too religious and even if I set the Christian stuff aside it is still rather slow and boring, especially for a short story...
Nava the Christmas collection has many different type stories from a spontaneous love affair to Aaron a handycap boy in Bethlehem who has a secret friendship with the Roman soldier to three others these are sweet stories told in the classic style I thoroughly enjoyed the stories especially the one called redeem but they’re all really great stories and ones I would definitely recommend. I want to think the author books go social and net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.