Written Love: Review: Dear Santa by Nancy Naigle / @nancynaigle @StMartinsPress

From USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle, Dear Santa is a heartwarming Christmas story about finding your passion for life and love.

Angela Carson wants nothing more than to be the third-generation to run her family’s holiday store, Heart of Christmas, successfully. They’ve weathered over sixty tourist seasons, major hurricanes, and urban sprawl, in their old decommissioned lighthouse. But the national chain that set up shop in their small North Carolina town of Pleasant Sands may be more than Heart of Christmas can survive.

Encouraged by her niece to ask Santa for help through the Dear Santa app, Angela gives in and lets the words fly in a way that, if Santa were real, would no doubt land her on the naughty list. What’s the harm when it’s just a computer-generated response?

Geoff Paisley has been at his mother’s side running the mega-chain Christmas Galore for the last ten years. When his mother falls ill, Geoff promises to answer the Dear Santa letters in her stead. Soon he realizes the woman he’s been corresponding with on Dear Santa is Angela. How could the woman that grates his every last nerve in person have intrigued him so deeply through those letters?

When Geoff reveals that he’s her Dear Santa, will Angela be able to set aside their very public feud to embrace the magic of the holiday and possibly find true love?

Old school meets new school in the most interesting way, and the result is a friendship that grows online despite real life hesitations.

Angela's store is sinking. Times have changed but the store and Angela (surprisingly) haven't. The final nail in the store's nearly assembled coffin is the opening of a chain Christmas store in her small town. It's difficult to compete against a store that size that offers more than she can. It's quality versus quantity, livelihood versus nostalgia. Unsure of what to do next, and at the insistence of her niece, she writes a Dear Santa letter on the same named app. What follows takes both her and Santa by surprise.

Answering Dear Santa letters is something Geoff's mom has done for years. As she's unable to do so this year due to illness, Geoff steps up to the plate, adding it to his list of responsibilities of running Christmas Galore. It's there he sees a side of Angela he's not privy too yet. Oh, the attraction between them is definitely present but Geoff's company evokes such strong negative emotions in Angela that their meetings are less than attractive. But her Dear Santa letters? They offer a glimpse into the woman he wants, maybe even needs.

I enjoyed this story. A mesh of old and new, of getting with the times while maintaining a grip on the past. The move with progression isn't easy; I know from personal experience in the office I manage. It's necessary but it doesn't mean loss of the company's heart and soul. It was interesting to see Angela come to that realization only to be shell-shocked by Geoff's revelation that he is her Dear Santa, and that maybe, just maybe, he could be her everything if she lets him.

This is a feel good Christmas romance. It's a gentle reminder that self-discovery is good at any age, at any time of the year, and that what can be found can lead to a future that that is more than one ever though possible.

USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle whips up small-town love stories with a dash of suspense and a whole lot of heart. She began her popular contemporary romance series, Adams Grove, while juggling a successful career in finance and life on a seventy-six-acre farm. She went on to produce works in collaboration with other authors, including the hilarious southern fiction G Team series. A Romance Writers of America Honor Roll author, her books have been translated in multiple languages and received favorable reviews from major trade journals.

Crown Media is bringing two of Nancy's novels to Hallmark's holiday programming. Nancy is also currently working on original novels for Hallmark Publishing.

Nancy is proud to be part of the Main Street Romance family, a partnership with bestselling authors Addison Cole, RaeAnne Thayne, and Chris Keniston, bringing sweet happy-ever-after love stories to the Main Street Romance community. Join them at www.MainStreetRomance.com ~ open 24/7 just for you.

Now happily retired from a career in the financial industry, she devotes her time to writing, antiquing, and horseback riding with friends. A Virginia girl at heart, Nancy now calls North Carolina home.

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Review: Dear Santa by Nancy Naigle / @nancynaigle @StMartinsPress

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