Member Reviews
This was a fun sweet holiday story reminiscent of the movie “You’ve Got Mail“... really the perfect book to put you in the festive mood... filled with letters to Santa, holiday cheer, hope, family, and love....
Emotional and romantic with just the right amount of sexuality and innuendo included. Angela is a hopeless romantic who is having trouble with her store. Geoff and his big box stores are her nemesis. Sweetly written romance.
This was like reading a Hallmark Christmas movie. This was sweet and a little sad. I felt we really didn't get to know Geoff, but I still enjoyed this
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer jerjen
Angela runs Heart of Christmas, which she inherited from her grandma, and she is struggling to keep it in the black. She is struggling so much that she is pretty sure she is going to have to close the doors for good. It breaks her heart to admit it, but she just cannot make it work anymore. It will take a Christmas miracle to make things right for Angela.
Geoff runs Christmas Galore, a big box store that sells just about everything. He and his mother keep opening chains all over the country, and they are very successful. His mother has decided that she wants to stay in Pleasant Sands, at least for a few years. Geoff does not know it, but his mom has ties to the community that are very special to her.
After Angela's niece tells her that Santa will give her what she really wants for Christmas, Angela decides to write the Big Man and tell him her problems. As luck would have it, Geoff is answering letters to Santa for his mother and when he reads Angela’s letter, he is intrigued and wants to get to know her better. They become pen pals and although they do not know the other person is involved, they form a bond. When their identities are found out, sparks will start to fly, and not necessarily in a good way. I really enjoyed all the bickering and banter between Angela and Geoff. The characters are well rounded and well developed. I really like both Angela and Geoff, they both had a lot of redeeming qualities. Angela likes tradition and she tries very hard to keep the family traditions alive. Geoff loves his mother and when she becomes sick, he wants to help lighten her load. They are both very generous with their employees and try to make the holidays better for all of them. Now they just have to figure out a way to make things better for themselves.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked that all the chapters of the book started with a Dear Santa letter or some trivia about Pleasant Sands, that made it seem a little more special.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted holiday book. Grab a copy of this book, snuggle up and enjoy.
Angela wants nothing more than to continue to run her family Christmas store. However, there is now a mega-chain in her town who wants nothing more than to make her small business go away. When she starts to use a Dear Santa app, she finds someone she never expected to have feelings for.
I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining.
Dear Santa is a standalone book by Nancy Naigle. It is set in the picturesque beachside town of Pleasant Sands.
Angela Carson owns and runs a decommissioned lighthouse that has been in her family for generations. Now it is used as a very unique shop selling only Christmas items. Beautiful bespoke items. Business hasn't been very good lately, but things go from bad to worse when a new national chain store selling everything including Christmas items at cheap prices sets up in town.
Geoff Paisley and his mother own and manage the chain stores. People love the bargains they can get there even though the quality might not be that great. Geoff's mother loves to play Santa for the store, children write to her and she personally writes back to the special letters. When she falls ill and ends up in the hospital she makes Geoff promise to take over the letter writing until she is well enough to do it again. One of the letters he receives via the store's Dear Santa phone app was from Angela. She writes anonymously just to keep her young niece happy. She just thinks she will get an automated reply so she moans about a new bully in town who is ruining Christmas for her. Geoff's mother had flagged the letter as special and thinking it was from a child Geoff happily answered it. From there a few letters go back and forth between the couple all anonymously. They like each other a lot from those letters.
Angela in her everyday life is fuming at Geoff and blames him for her business losing custom and for the very real threat that her store will have to close for good because finances are suffering. She'll admit that she found him attractive before she found out who he was, and he finds her equally attractive. It is a shock to him that she feels so much enmity towards him. He is determined to get her to like him, will he manage it. Will either of them figure out that they are anonymously writing to each other, what will happen if they do?
The setting of this story was in a lovely place, and the town's characters were lovely. Angela's store is wonderful and if I had a place nearby like that I would always want to be there. I liked the idea of the stores competing and especially liked the idea of the Santa letters. Although the book was written well, it did seem to drag. I don't believe that the ending was entirely believable and it all happened so fast. There was no real romance between Angela and Geoff, they didn't even share one kiss despite eventually owning up to having feelings for each other. I would say this was a nice feel-good Christmas story but wouldn't call it a romance novel.
If you like a nice festive story with lovely characters, some soul searching moments and a happy ever after, but, without so much as a kiss between our couple in love then this will be a perfect book for you.
Dear Santa is a holiday romance by Nancy Naigle. I really enjoyed this book. It was just the holiday pick me up I needed this year. It reminded me of You've Got Mail, which is a classic! I loved this holiday romantic comedy romp. It put a smile on my face, and if you are looking for a light hearted holiday read, I think Dear Santa is a great pick.
In Dear Santa we meet our main character, Angela who is trying to keep her family run holiday shop afloat. It has been a town staple for over three generations, but now when a mega chain store called Christmas Galore comes into town, it is threatening to take down the little family run shop around the corner...I mean Heart of Christmas. (total You've Got Mail vibes, right?) When Angela's niece tells her to write to Santa for help keeping the family store afloat, Angela turns to letters to Santa app. Unbeknowst to her, the app is actually manned by the son of owner of Christmas Galore. Geoff and Angela start off as enemies but through a little Christmas Spirit and magic, their attitude towards each other starts to change. I loved every second of this fun christmas love story.
Angela had a place in my heart right from the very beginning of the story, but I do have to admit that Geoff didn't really give me the warm and fuzzies. Let's just say, I completely understood why Angela was not the biggest fan of him. He did end up winning me over by the end, but it took a lot of work on his part to worm his way into my heart. If you are a fan of You've Got Mail, then you need to check out Dear Santa. I think it will put a holiday smile on your face and give you total Christmas hallmark movie vibes!
I LOVED this book. The sweetness of Christmas with people bumping heads until they can meet in the middle.
Angela Carson is the third generation to run the family store, Heart of Christmas. It is housed in a decommissioned lighthouse, that has been part of the community for over 60 years. When the bigbox store, Christmas Galore opens in Pleasant Sands, NC, it looks like this might be her last year in business. When her niece convinces her to write a letter to Santa, she logs on to the app and writes a heartfelt letter about the new bully in town causing problems. Geoff Paisley and his mother own and operate Christmas Galore. They are also behind the app "Dear Santa". When his mother has a heart attack, Geoff is left to answer the letters. He in intrigued by the letter from Anita C. Miracle (aka Angela) and they begin a letter writing relationship. Soon, he realizes the woman he's been corresponding with on Dear Santa is Angela and can't believe that this woman who grates on his every nerve in person, is the one he is falling for in his letters.
Dear Santa is a classic holiday romance with the couple hating each other and then, through a series of holiday "miracles" realizing how much they love each other. Geoff was a bit of a miserable, bully like character during the first part of the book and I was rooting for Angela to sort things out, but things happened to make him change, you might say his heart grew three sizes. This is a perfect Hallmark Movie. There are cute kids, some angst, supportive friends, a quaint small town with small town celebrations and meddling family and friends. I love Christmas romances with the bit of magic that end in a happily ever after, and Nancy Naigle is a pro at writing these wonderful stories. I definitely recommend this one.
In a way it seems like a "you've got mail" sort of a story. Dear Santa starts with a situation and family dynamics to interactions with a true small town logistics. Total warm fuzzys to suggle up in a comfy chair with a nice glass of wine or even hot chocolate. Nancy Naigle you did a good job! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!
It is no wonder that so many Nancy Naigle books end up as Hallmark movies. Christmas Angels isa another one of her heartwarming Christmas stories. With wonderful characters and that small town welcoming vibe, be sure this book is on your TBR list!
This was a cute fluffy holiday read. I love the movie You've Got Mail and was excited to read a Christmassy romance retelling of it. It was okay, but not super memorable.
I enjoyed this book. I really like Christmas stories and I am a sucker for Hallmark movies and this book was the best of both worlds. I felt like i was reading a Hallmark movie. Battling Christmas stores it was a lot of fun.
I tried reading this last month or in November and really could not het into the book, I'm not sure what it was. I know I have read several books in the past where the main character owned a Christmas-related store and just was tired of that trop. I know from past experience that I must leave a star rating. Therefore to be fair I'll only give it a 3 since I neither hated it nor loved it and I will not be leaving a review on Goodreads nor Amazon.
DEAR SANTA - Nancy Naigle
BUSINESS CONFLICTS and SMALL TOWN HOLIDAYS - 3 stars
Plot - 3 stars - When Christmas Galore comes to town, Angela's family business, Heart of Christmas, is threatened. Since she's never known any other life, she is having a hard time dealing with its potential failure, and she lashes out at the handsome owner of the new store in town.
Writing - 3.5 stars - I was caught up in the story right away, and I loved the format of having a Dear Santa letter as the prelude to each chapter. The writing was smooth and comfortable, and a very enjoyably quick read.
Characters - 2 stars - Unfortunately this is where the story faltered for me. We catch Angela at an unhappy time of her life, of course, so I suppose we can excuse some of her behavior for that reason. But she was a depressing character who seemed to take her anger out on others rather than facing her own problems and trying to make changes. Her immediate reaction was to shut down the store within a few days, without even trying to make any modernizations or business improvements. And even though she said she had time to relax and regroup, she spent a lot of time complaining about her store and how she was such a failure, letting down her grandmother. Geoff was a better main character, but even he didn't handle the confrontations very well. He works with his mother, but he came across as patronizing and not as a particular team player. Their initial attraction set the stage for their eventual romantic relationship, I suppose, but it all seemed to happen very quickly and felt contrived.
Title - 3.5 stars - The title is fine--definitely describing a large part of the story.
Cover - 3.5 stars - A very Christmas-y cover that sets the mood. Having a stack of brightly-colored envelopes sends us in the right direction, even though the book actually describes letters sent via an app.
Overall - 3 stars - I enjoyed the premise of this book, but I felt that the angry and antagonistic characters took away from the Christmas-y spirit. The Santa letters were cute, and the fact that they started each chapter really set the scene and started each chapter with a smile. Unfortunately, Angela is a depressing and unhappy character, certainly not showing any Christmas spirit, even though she is supposed to be carrying on the warm legacy set of the town by her ancestors.
Dear Santa is a easy read. A struggling Christmas shop ends up having to close shortly after a big store opens in town and the owners collide! From the very beginning it’s like a hallmark movie.
I’m a sucker for almost every Hallmark Channel movie, and I felt like I was actually reading a version of one of the Christmas movies. I liked Angela and geoff’s antagonistic relationship and how their mutual trust took time to evolve. Every so often, it’s nice to read a more wholesome, sweet romance novel and this one doesn’t have me dreading winter’s impending arrival.
Angela Carson wanted nothing but to save the business that had been in her family for generations. It was up to her to continue the legacy. Imagine her defeat when she made the decision to close her business all due to the arrival of Christmas Galore into their small seaside town. Heeding the advice of her niece she writes a letter to Santa not knowing it would change how she would overcome her new situation but introduce to the man behind the letters.
So sappy sweet and exactly what a girl wants when reading a Christmas-time romance. It has all the things you come to expect from a small-town romance. I adored this book and can't wait to read more from Nancy Naigle!