Deck the Halls is a lovely second chance romance in the Darling, VT series written by author Donna Alward. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy.

Amy Merck headed to Darling, VT, with one thing in mind: to locate her twin brother’s best friend George and find out exactly how Ian died in combat fifteen years earlier. She entered the Ladybug Garden Center with determination, and faced off with George in a quiet corner of the lot. Realizing her straight-forward questioning was not successful; Amy tried a softer way, by bringing George lunch and agreeing not to discuss Ian’s death.

George refused to talk about Ian, because he felt responsible for his death. His deeply held guilt drove him into homelessness, and until he’d drifted into Darling, he hadn’t known acceptance and friendship in fifteen years – since his days in the Army, when he had the love of the Merck family. Laurel trusted him to work at the Ladybug, and he had recently gotten an apartment and a truck of his own.

I love the Darling, VT characters! The Gallagher family is warm and accepting, and Laurel’s ability to connect with George and lift him up is wonderful. George’s situation is unfortunately too common, veterans discharged with few supports in place, and it’s easy to cheer for him as he slowly begins to heal. I was impressed by Amy’s acceptance of George and of the warmth and forgiveness she offered him from the beginning. This was another enjoyable read from Donna Alward, and I’m looking forward to the next installment of life in Darling, VT.

I received an arc copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion of it and this book was just okay. Amy is searching for answers about the death of her twin brother who was killed while deployed. She finally finds George, who was with her brother when he died. George suffered from PTSD, was homeless and really didn't want to go back to that time when his life was slowly coming back together.

I do love a second chance romance. This one was so sweet. I fell in love with the small town of Darling. It certainly lives up to its name. George has led a difficult life, a veteran who lost his best friend on the job. He feels so guilty it majorly impacts his life. Ultimately it makes him homeless. Thanks to a few kind people, he starts to rebuild his life.When we meet George he is quietly living his life, working at the local garden centre. Trying his best but not really dealing with his ghosts. Georges peaceful life comes crashing down around him when Amy arrives, looking for answers as to what happened with her brother. George doesn't want to relive what happened,he feels too guilty and dealing with undiagnosed PTSD. I really felt for both George and Amy, life hadn't been kind to them. I wanted to give George a hug, he really didn't know what a great guy he was. The ending was so sweet. Highly recommended for fans of second chance romance, small town romance and contemporary romance. ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for a honest review.

The perfect love story for Christmas this book deals with PTSD, homelessness, redemption, self forgiveness, letting go of the past, that family can be anyone who cares for you and finding out that there are all types of love in the world. And that you deserve it...to be loved!

A lot of content is packed into this novella and it will bring tears to your eyes as well as delight the reader as they are taken through the life of George since his friend's death in the Middle East and he came home from duty. Sad to say that this story happens more often than not but it is uplifting on so many levels that it will give people dealing with this medical condition hope that there is a better tomorrow.

Amy's courage to find George and seek closure is also filled with compassion for the George she finds. Her character makes tough decisions on whether what she seeks is worth breaking someone beyond repair.

I give this 4 STARS for breaking my heart and putting it back together with love.

What a lovely story. Beautifully written and told in a wonderful Christmas atmosphere. Quite fantastic.

4 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

I have never read any books by Ms. Alward before, and thus none in this series.  But I had no problems following along with everything.  I will say that if you are a fan of the series, I think you'll love this book too as many of the other couples appear in it (and it sounds like George made appearances in many of those books as well).

This was a solid Christmas romance, with a great redemption plot.  It touches on many serious subjects, from what it's like for returning veterans, survivor's guilt, homelessness, and the struggle to climb out of being homeless.  I especially enjoyed that last bit, as I think we forget that there's so much to overcome mentally and emotionally.  We really got to see how being homeless affected George's self-esteem and his sense of self-worth.

George was a bit of an oddball hero for me.  We meet him when he's so very damaged, and he came across quite meek a lot of the time.  Sometimes I just had a hard time getting a read on his personality outside of his damage, if that makes sense.

Amy, on the other hand, was very straightforward!  I loved how strong she was in so many things, how she wouldn't give up on George no matter how many roadblocks he tried to put between them.  And I liked that when they would have disagreements, she never held onto a grudge, and she was quick to try to see things from his perspective and adjust her expectations.  But at the same time, she wasn't afraid to push him a bit.  I also appreciated that she had her own bit of damage, but that she was a bit further along the healing path...not healed, but with more mental tools I guess.

All in all this was a sweet love story, with a very satisfying ending.  I was a bit bummed that there wasn't more to the "It's a Wonderful Life" bit that is mentioned in the blurb, but there was enough else in the story to make up for it.

Did not request, not interested.

A love story with some serious issues to overcome. The ending gave me a cozy Christmas ending that also gave the ending a new start. One sitting read while curled up with your cozy blanket.

Back to Darling, VT for a novella length Christmas Romance. No one in Darling deserves a HEA more than George. This was an emotional and sweet romance. George was until recently homeless, until he was given a chance by Aidan and Laurel now he has a job and a place to stay. George's homelessness was sort of self imposed after coming home from service he had so much guilt he couldn't deal with it and his life started on a downward spiral. He finally feels like he can move on and rebuild his life but the sudden appearance of his best friend's twin sister in Darling has him all confused and even more guilty. Amy and her family were given only the barest of details when it came to her brother's death and she has spent the last couple of years waiting for George to show up and give them some answers. Amy finally tracked him down and now she wants answers. She never expected how hard it would be for George to relive what happened that day.

George and Amy have a long way to go before everything is alright but together they can do it. George is so sweet and Amy when she realizes the severity of things with George understand completely and is willing to stand with him while he deals with it. Overall, it was a good read a great emotional and heartwarming read with a good bit of Christmas cheer.

This is an absolute tearjerker novel with complex and beautifully written characters who are not perfect but still deserve happiness in their lives. This story about George and Amy is about a season of miracles and second chances when you thought you had none. I would recommend this book and get that box of tissues out as you will need it to read this lovely story of hope and love.

* I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

This isn't your usual sugary Christmas story, it delves into some very emotive subjects but it is very well written & kept me turning the pages. I really enjoyed the story & the characters.

I haven't read any other books by this author but will definitely look out for more after reading this.

This is another one of Donna Alward's books about a series that takes place in Darling, VT. This time the story is about George, a former homeless veteran who has been befriended by some of Darling's residents. Laurel, his boss, gave him a chance to clean up his act and make some forward progress in his life. Willow, the cafe owner in town, has tried to help him work through his PTSD symptoms and provide him with a safe person to talk to when he is ready. Then Amy showed up.

Amy is the twin sister of his best friend, Ian, who was killed by an explosion when they were serving in the Middle East. That event caused George's downward spiral because he felt he was to blame for his friend's death and that he didn't deserve to be happy. Amy helped him see that he was dishonoring Ian's memory by not going after the happiness he deserved in his life.

This was a sweet story about forgiveness and redemption and grief and was beautifully written.

I was given an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Part of the Darling, VT series, this book has George facing his demons and finding true love over Christmas. He has been working at the Ladybug Garden center and found a small apartment. He's no longer homeless and living on the street. One day he sees Amy. She is the sister of his fallen combat buddy and he's felt nothing but guilt since it's happened. Gives an honest look at vets and their issues when returning from war. A nice love story set over the holiday season.

Loved this sweet and heart-warming holiday novella! Fantastic!

George’s life has been a series of ups and downs, his lowest point was when he was homeless. His life had finally started looking up about a year ago when he met some people that had faith in him. His life is about to get shaken up when Amy, the twin sister to his best friend, shows up wanting details about his death, a horrible situation when they were serving that permanently scarred George.
This was a very sweet story. It was about a veteran who had been through so much and was finally trying to live again. The slightest glimpse of happiness has him ready to completely retreat back into himself. My heart cried for him and had me start off not liking Amy when she first appeared. Luckily the author didn’t disappoint and I was rooting for their happiness in the end. I highly recommend.

A charming story by Donna Alward, Deck the Halls, a Christmas novella in her Darling, VT series, is a retake on the classic “It’s A Wonderful Life”. George Riley drastically changed his life over the last year going from being a homeless vet with PTSD, overlooked by people passing by to having a job, a truck, an apartment and contact with the VA. Amy Merck had been searching for George, trying to find closure to the death of her twin brother in the Middle East. When she finds him in Vermont he didn’t resemble the soldier she remembered being friends with her brother. Amy and George spend time together in a town filled with some Christmas magic along with lots of support for them, hoping that these two bruised and lost people can create a future together.

I loved reading this story, despite crying for these two lonely people. Ms. Alward is an excellent storyteller, keeping me interested in this story so that I had trouble putting it down. I highly recommend this outstanding book to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

4 Heartfelt Stars

I really enjoyed Deck the Halls by Donna Alward.
The storyline was well written, emotional, sweet, romantic and my interest was kept all throughout the book.
I loved George and Amy together, they found comfort and love after years of unhappiness and pain.
These two truly deserved their happily ever after.

The Darling, VT series has been a joy to read, each book can be read as a standalone and I highly recommend them all.

*Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the advance copy.*

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

I am a sucker for happy ending Christmas stories. Deck the Halls is the first book I have read by Canadian author Donna Alward. I predict that it will not be my last ☺ I look forward to picking up the remainder of the series. I was surprised and happy to note that there were no issues reading this book without having read any others in the series. It is a stand alone story.

Deck the Halls begins with Amy driving down to Darling VT in hopes of connecting with George to finally get some answers regarding Ian’s (her brother) final moments. George and Ian were best buddies and stationed in Iraq together. Unfortunately, during a routine mission, an IED exploded and Ian did not survive. George was injured both physically and emotionally. He felt responsible for Ian’s death as he had promised Ian’s family he would look after Ian.

George has had it very rough since coming home and now, fifteen years later, he is finally on the path to recovery. He has a job he enjoys, a great boss and a home (though sparse of furniture) to call his own. Things are finally turning around. It is not an easy road to mental health recovery after going to war, but George is getting there, especially with the help of some very kind people in Darling. Then walks in Amy – Ian’s sister. And she wants answers. And answers bring up the past and all the angst that goes along with remembering the fighting over in Iraq. What Amy is seeking are the last moments of Ian’s life, some closure for her and her parents. One poignant part was when Amy lets George know he is not responsible:

“I wish it hadn’t taken fifteen years for me to tell you that it’s okay and that…I don’t forgive you because there’s nothing to forgive.”

George does not want the past disrupting all that he is built so he is not overly receptive to this intrusion into his orderly life. But as life often does, a curve ball is thrown and George must indeed deal with Amy. Over the next two weeks that Amy is in town, they re-connect and discuss all that happened, both in Iraq and since then. To read about George’s story was very emotionally draining and hard to hear.

What we learn early on is that there is “romantic history” between Amy and George, albeit a very brief romantic history…one kiss when they were both very young. But chemistry was there then and it is still there fifteen years later. That part of the story is also told very well. Some cute “first date” scenes with the usual awkwardness…and a bit of fun.

I loved how each of the main characters leaned on each other in their healing process. Very heartfelt and draining all at the same time.

And let’s not forget about the Christmas miracle. Oh…you must read the book to find out all about that ☺ It is worth the effort.

The cover art is great – I love the snow covered Adirondack chair next to a well decorated Christmas tree.

I found Deck the Halls a great introduction to the writing of Donna Alward. A definite heart warming, Christmas time book with depth and warmth. Just a few of the things I appreciate in a good book.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

It took me a while to finish this book, I'm not sure why but I just kept putting it down. It was a sweet story of redemption for a former soldier who thought he'd been responsible for his best friends death while serving overseas. George has many ghosts from his past that he's trying to get past. He was abandoned as a child, & grew up in group homes & when old enough he enlisted in the army. The horrors of war left him damaged & when he returned home he fell through the cracks. Amy his best friends twin sister has come for answers concerning her brothers death & she wants George to share. What she doesn't know is that he lived on the streets for yrs until recently being helped by some nice people of the town he lives in. When he's finally able to, George tells Amy how her brother died & it's now up to her to prove to him that he wasn't responsible. The story was a slow development of the tender relationship between George & Amy & how a life can be changed with the show of affection.