Thursday, December 20, 2018

Advent Reads Day 20: Hope at Christmas by Nancy Naigle

Read for: Mount TBR

Synopsis: "A recently divorced woman and her daughter look for a fresh start by moving to a small town that embraces them in ways that only fate and the magic of Christmas can explain.

Sydney Ragsdale is divorced, but her husband is still calling the shots. In an attempt to shake free from his hold, she and her daughter, Ray Anne, head for tiny Hopewell, NC to the only asset her ex has no control over – a decaying farmhouse that once belonged to her grandparents. She finds solace at The Book Bea, the bookstore she’d loved as a child during her summer stays. 

Kevin MacAlea, Mac to his friends, is the local high school history teacher and baseball coach. Father of a twelve-year-old son, he’s Hopewell, North Carolina’s most sought after bachelor. His young bride abandoned him and his son just before Christmas and has never come back. It has left his son bitter about Christmas which is hard for Mac who loves the magic of the season. He’s been the Santa here in Hopewell since the year Seth was born. 
But when a catastrophe forces The Book Bea to close before the end of the year, everyone in the small town is feeling the loss. While Sydney is already off-balance by the bad news, her ex-husband breaks a promise to their daughter that sends Ray Anne running away. As Sydney tries to figure out what her next steps are she discovers all of the answers are right here in Hopewell."

My Review: I have been anxiously waiting to read this for a whole year, I wanted to read it right before the movie premiered on Hallmark channel. I was not disappointed! I love how much this one centers around a bookstore. It has a great cast of characters and that small town holiday feel that I love in my Christmas themed books. I enjoyed the development of Syndey and Mac's relationship, even with all the ups and downs, Nancy gaves us as much of a slow developing romance as possible in a stand alone novel. This book will take you on an emotional ride full of happy warm moments, frustrating moments, sad moments and most important an overall feeling of hope. A great holiday read to cozy up with on a winter night.

My Rating: I really enjoyed this book and the characters, I particularly enjoyed the fact that while it is a romance novel and you do get a happy ending, so things are rushed a bit, but it isn't so completely over the top unbelievable.  I give it a rating of Four Paws!



Note: I haven't gotten to see the movie yet! I don't have the Hallmark Channel on my cable so I downloaded the Hallmark Now App on the Amazon Fire Stick but it doesn't have any of the new movies on it, so don't go that route if you want to see the movie!!

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