Army intelligence officer Alex Stevens has been trying to prove his father didn’t desert during WWII so his mother can receive survivor benefits. He’s followed every lead until it ran dry. Then Violet Poplovich, the daughter of another soldier who deserted at the same time as Alex’s father, walks into his office with a check she thinks came from the army. But the army doesn’t issue checks from the First National Bank of North Pole, Alaska. All Alex wants is the truth, and he wants Violet to help him find it.
Violet doesn’t want to believe her father’s a deserter, and she certainly doesn’t want to believe he’s been sending cashier’s checks for fifteen years without ever trying to contact her. Except maybe he has…disguised as Santa. When she receives some mysterious gifts, Violet is forced to consider that her father may be alive.
Both of them are looking for the same man, and the only person who can help is Santa.
I have read some really good novellas lately, but Letters From Santa by Becca Whitham is one of my favorites. The characters immediately befriended me, and the unique plot captured my attention. I wanted to know too – who is this mysterious benefactor that has been sending money and letters to Violet and her mother since her father’s death? Could it be her father or even Alex’s father after all this time, hiding from a desertion charge? Were they both deserters? Or did one go after the other and meet an unfriendly end? I really had no idea how it was all going to play out but I was swept away in the intrigue and couldn’t put it down.
Besides the sweet romance and everything I mentioned above, it is Becca Whitham’s stellar writing voice that makes Letters From Santa stand out from the Christmas novella masses. Her turn of a phrase here and a smart aside there create a truly enjoyable reading experience.
From the humorous:
“Sit. I’m going to lecture you, and I don’t intend to be looking up your nose when I do it.”
to the poetic:
An odd tranquility settled over her spirit. A distance between facts and how she should feel about them. Like she’d become the narrator of her own story.
Becca Whitham crafts Alex and Violet’s story with grace and warmth and lots of heart.
Of all the churches in all of Fairbanks, he would walk into hers. Or she into his. Whichever. It was still a Casablanca moment.
Bottom Line: I so enjoyed Letters from Santa! The characters, the writing, the story itself. All just top-quality fiction. If you are looking for a cozy historical Christmas read for tonight or tomorrow, your search is over!! Letters from Santa will be one of the few novellas on my favorites shelf for years to come.
(I received a copy of this book in exchange for only my honest review.)
Extra special bonus: Letters from Santa is only $0.99 for Amazon Kindle/apps right now and FREE for Kindle Unlimited!!! (Do check the price before you buy though, in case the sale ends before you discover this review.)
My Rating: 5 stars / In a class by itself!
KissingBook Level: 3 / May forget to breathe on occasion
About the Author:
Becca Whitham (WIT-um) is a multi-published author who has always loved reading and writing stories. After raising two children, she and her husband faced the empty nest years by following their dreams: he joined the army as a chaplain, and she began her journey toward publication. Becca loves to tell stories marrying real historical events with modern-day applications to inspire readers to live Christ-reflecting lives. She’s traveled to almost every state in the U.S. for speaking and singing engagements and has lived in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Alaska.
Visit her website to learn more – http://www.beccawhitham.com/
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