As I read along, a movie, You've Got Mail flashed in my head. I groaned because I remember how upset I was with the movie and I was NOT happy with the movie. I did not understand why a lot of people liked it. I didn't. It was NOT cool how it played out. With that being said, I was debating whether I should finish the book or not. I did not want to get angry over something that's not worth my time. What got me going was the heroine and the Dear Santa letters. I LOVE her. So, I plowed on.

I love how the lighthouse was turned into a cute store named Heart of Christmas. I love how there's a daily fact at each chapter about the town. I love the Dear Santa letters in each chapter.
Sure the hero has a change of heart. But I can't believe it would be in real life or even realistically ever or in a short span of time.
With that being said, I enjoyed some parts of it and some I was very disappointed. You can blame my guarded heart and the movie, You've Got Mail.
This book gets a low stars rating from me.

I recieved this unrealistic eARC from St. Martin's Press through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased and honest review. Thank you.

Having read one other Nancy Naigle book, I was thrilled to be able to review her newest Christmas book. Sadly I was left disappointed. I felt that the love\hate relationship between Angela and Geoff consumed way too much of the plot that it did not give the characters long enough to have a realistic romance.

The "Dear Santa" letters was a good plot device but there were too few of them to establish a basis for a relationship that felt rushed toward the end of the novel.

Having said all that, this is a clean romance suitable for all ages.

This is the second one of Nancy Naigle's books that I have read. So far, I just love her stories. This is well written and the flow/pace is "spot-on". It left me with that "good feeling" when I finished. There are often have common social issues addressed in her stories, along with some romance thrown in. I feel that they center around family and then touch on current issues in today's society.

Our story begins on Thanksgiving day and we learn that Angela is about to lose her family business in a small South Carolina coastal beach town. She is heartbroken over it. We take the journey with her as she goes through the five/seven stages of grieving. Her sister, brother-in-law, and niece are all there for her in differing degrees (obviously). Knowing that the family store is on it's "last legs" and then having a Christmas superstore come into town is "the straw that breaks the camels back". Angela sees them as the enemy and takes her hurt and anger out on the manager; when she meets him accidentally.

This was such a perfect put you in the mood for Christmas read. It was just full of fun, and letters to Santa and festive holiday yum. I so enjoyed my time in this sweet little town with these lovely characters.

Dear Santa, written by author Nancy Naigle, is a contemporary romance book that takes place during the holiday season. At the beginning of each chapter, there is a "Dear Santa" letter...something that actually plays a role throughout the story. Dear Santa is a heartwarming holiday romance that perfectly captures the magic of Christmas.

Angela Carson wants nothing more this holiday season than to save her struggling business, Heart of Christmas. This is a holiday store that is located in an old decommissioned lighthouse, and has been in the family for generations. The small tourist town of Pleasant Sands, North Carolina, is now home to the new mega store chain called Christmas Galore...the direct competition of Heart of Christmas. Her sister, Marie, thinks it is time for Angela to move on to something new and to close Heart of Christmas for good. However, her niece Chrissy has another idea...she wants Angela to write a letter to Santa through an app on her iPad. Angela plays along, and asks Santa to help her save Heart of Christmas.

Geoff Paisley is used to moving every year, but the new store in Pleasant Sands has him temporarily putting down roots for the next two years. He was not initially sold on the idea of opening a new Christmas Galore in Pleasant Sands, but his mother Rebecca was determined. It is now Thanksgiving, and Geoff is surprised to learn that his mother has already been busy answering the "Dear Santa" letters...something he never really understood. But if it makes his mom happy, who is he to tell her otherwise. However, circumstances suddenly change, and Rebecca makes Geoff promise to answer every "Dear Santa" letter personally.

The story that unfolds is truly a wonderful story that captures the holiday spirit, especially with the "Dear Santa" letters. I love how Angela and Geoff are rivals by day, but unknowingly become friends though their email correspondence at night. Angela is an amazing character, desperate to keep the store open that was passed down to her from her beloved grandmother, Momma Grace. I love the little details the author adds to the story, such as Angela writing a daily message on the chalkboard outside the front of her store. It is a fun way to learn little facts about the town, and adds overall charm to the town as well as the story. Angela truly loves Heart of Christmas and everything it stands for, especially the Christmas traditions. Her sister never had that same love for the store, and her tough love approach was not an easy thing for Angela to understand.
As for Geoff, I initially had mixed feelings, but as the story progressed, my opinion quickly changed. After all, Geoff and Angela both want the same thing...they each want their own store to be successful.

Overall, this was a wonderful and heartfelt holiday story. The whole concept of the "Dear Santa" letters was an integral part of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and the only thing that kept me from giving it a five star rating is that I felt the ending between Geoff and Angela seemed a bit rushed. However, I still strongly recommend reading Dear Santa.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book. My views are my own and are in no way influenced by anyone else.

Oh my goodness, talk about putting you into instant Christmas spirit mode. I loved this book, i really wish it were a movie I could watch every year, it made me want to fast forward to Christmas time on the Hallmark channel.

Angela has the most nostalgic little Christmas store in her hometown but the big bad box store owned by Geoff and his mother is pushing her out of business, or at least that is what she is blaming her situation on. Facing giving up something sh loves so much is tough but her feeling for Geoff keep growing despite everything.

Wonderful story that leaves you with that wonderful happy feeling.

Angela's beach front Christmas store in a historical lighthouse is suffering after a big box store moves to town. She's so desperate to save the business she inherited, she takes her niece's advice and writes to an online Santa. Santa takes a special interest in her and they email back and forth. Meanwhile, the hot guy she's interested in turns out to be part of the big box chain.

Geoff and his mom run the big box Christmas store, and his mom started the app for Christmas letters to Santa. He's rather bah humbug about the whole thing, but when he's forced to take responsibility after his mom's health scare, he inadvertently becomes pen pals with the competition. Aware of her situation, he doesn't tell her the truth until it's almost too late.

The writing is on the wall, and Angela must find a way to close her business and start a new career. Unlikely help comes from Geoff, if she can forgive him.

Can Christmas magic and a little help from Santa help Angela and Geoff find the heart of Christmas again?

ARC for honest review with no compensation, received from Negalley and St. Martin’s Press

Angela is the owner of Heat of Christmas, a store that has been in her family for generations. She has seen the times changing but when another store comes to town, Christmas Galore she knows she can no longer compete. She knows she has to make the hardest decision ever and when her niece tells her to email Dear Santa and ask for help and a miracle she does. What she doesn’t expect is to get a personal email back which then starts a wonderful romance until the truth comes out as to who Dear Santa really is....Geoff the owner of Christmas Galore!!

This book is what Christmas is all about...hope, holiday spirit and love!!

If you are looking for a holiday christmasy book then look no further found the book just for you! This new release by Nancy Naigle will give you all those Holiday feels you've been looking for to get into the spirit. This was such a bittersweet and entertaining book. It was sad watching Angela going through her family business going under and it was interesting how she handled everything. Working at the shop was something she always thought she'd do and really never came up with a back up plan. I loved the uniqueness of a Dear Santa app that was such a cute idea. I love a good hate to like thing that was going on with the main characters and I also loved getting the point of view from both sides of the story. Geoff from Angelas side seemed heartless greedy but with his point of view you really get to see what was up with him and seeing that her view on him was a bit bias. You know what there was plenty though to love about this book and plenty of holiday things going on to get you in the spirit and I really recommend you lovely readers to check this book out.

We're heading to Pleasant Sands, North Carolina in Nancy Naigle's holiday novel, DEAR SANTA (St.Martin'sPress). That's where Angela Carson wants nothing more than a "Merry Christmas" and for her shop, Heart of Christmas to stay open past the Holidays. But it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

Her third-generation family has run the shop for over sixty tourist seasons, weathered major hurricanes, and urban sprawl, in their old decommissioned lighthouse. But a national chain store moves into town with more Holiday products and much cheaper prices. Can Heart of Christmas survive?

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 store's Dear Santa letters for her. 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?

Eventually Angela finds out Geoff is "Dear Santa." Will she be able to find true love with her "mortal enemy?"

DEAR SANTA reminds me a lot of the film, "You've Got Mail." Angela is Meg Ryan's "shop girl" and Tom Hanks' is the big, bad "Fox Books" in the film. Each chapter begins with a "Dear Santa" letter and Nancy captures the voice of young children who believe in the big guy in the red and white suit. DEAR SANTA gives the reader, or at least it gave this reader, a big warm fuzzy. It puts you in the Christmas spirit and you really want Angela and Geoff to end up together, even though they're both such sticklers.

Dear Santa was a heart-warming Christmas Story from author Nancy Naigle. It is a retelling of one of my favorite movies, You've Got Mail and Ms. Naigle did an amazing job with this story.

Angela Carson has been running her family store, Heart of Christmas since her grandmother passed away. The store sells high quality Christmas decorations and has been in trouble for some time. When Christmas Galore, a mega-chain discount store moves into town, Heart of Christmas seriously has very little chance of staying open. I loved that Angela's adorable niece talks her into writing to letter on the "Dear Santa" app to ask for a Christmas miracle. Unknown to Angela, none other than Geoff Paisley, one of the owners of Christmas Galore takes over answering the Dear Santa letters from his mother and starts communicating with Angela not knowing who she actually is. I absolutely loved while they were each fighting for their companies; they were becoming fast friends through their email communication.

Dear Santa gave me all the happy feels as I read it. It was truly just such a feel-good story with a slow building romance between two people who look at business pretty differently, yet were each attracted to the other from the first moment they saw each other. They really just seemed to get one another via email message in a way they couldn't react in person because of their businesses. I love the banter between Angela and Geoff and especially love the slow moving sweet romance. I've said it many times before, that Nancy Naigle writes stories that are absolutely perfect for Hallmark movies and have to reiterate it here. I know when I pick up a book from Nancy that I'm going to get a solid romance that is going to leave me with a smile as I read it.

I've enjoyed each of the stories I've read from Nancy Naigle since I first discovered her books many years ago. I have to say that Dear Santa is absolutely one of her best stories to date. I highly recommend Ms. Naigle's books to readers who enjoy sweet romances with lots of emotion.

Rating: 5 Stars (A)

A perfect Christmas present of a book. Just darling! Highly recommend.


Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Nancy Naigle has worked her magic with this wonderful feel-good romantic comedy, inspired by one of my all-time favorite movies, “You’ve Got Mail”.
Angela and Geoff start off on the wrong foot. They are both passionate about their business and they also happen to be competitors. The anonymity of Dear Santa letters and emails brings them together, but in real life they can’t help but antagonize one another. While despising each other in person, they continue to grow closer in cyberspace.
I found their evolving relationship and romance just endearing, the build up from hate to love was delightfully paced. Angela is an adorable heroine, and I rooted for her. Geoff was not a picture perfect hero, but he grew on me. He is a shrewd businessman whose sole focus has been on his family’s company and his bottom line. Handling Dear Santa’s letters is completely out of character, but it is a welcome change. It is time for him to put down some roots, to take the time to build a relationship with Angela.
I took this little fantasy joyride and had fun. I only wish we got more storyline with Angela and Geoff once they confessed their attraction to each other.

Angela owns a Christmas store named The Heart of Christmas. It’s been with her family nearly a hundred years. When Geoff moves to town and opens Christmas Galore, Angela’s store is already struggling.

He doesn’t see his store as competing with hers. Her store sells high quality, expensive items. His store is like Walmart with a few Christmas items.

But because of the timing, it’s the final straw for poor Angela’s store.
At first she is inconsolable. But her sister and her coworkers encourage her to start thinking about what’s next for her.
And her niece encourages her to write an email to Santa.
She assumes it’s going to force an auto generated reply. But the Dear Santa emails are actually answered by employees of Christmas Galore. This time, it’s Geoff’s turn to answer.
When he answers Angela’s email, he doesn’t make the connection. And of course Angela doesn’t know Geoff is responding.

In day to day life, they keep clashing with each other. But Geoff doesn’t want to fight, he wants to make amends with Angela.

I think the book painted a very vivid picture of this town, Pleasant Sands. It also really gives off a Christmas vibe.

It definitely deserves to be compared to You’ve Got Mail. It’s a fair comparison. You might like that or might not. I love that movie. And there were times where I enjoyed the similarities but some parts of the book felt way too much like the movie. For instance, wasn’t the scene with the daisies almost exactly like You’ve Got Mail? She called them “happy flowers”, is it just deja vu? Or did Meg Ryan actually say that in the movie?

This is a nice happy holiday book. I would shop at Angela’s store if it were real. And the author must be a foodie because she made me want basically every food, cookie or beverage mentioned in this book.

I got to read an early edition e book from NetGalley. Thanks!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

This was an enjoyable read. It really gets you in the mood for Christmas. It was a little depressing that Angela was losing her store that had been in her family for several generations though. The romance took some time in developing and that was very realistic (none of that insta-love generally seen in romance novels.) The story and the romance developed over time and was interesting to read about. Angela at times seemed a little mean spirited but she had a lot on her plate so it made the character so believable. I truly enjoyed Geoff's character though. He was so busy with work and having his mother having a heart attack really helped him to "stop and smell the roses."

Having the book written in a dual POV, helps me the reader to understand the character's actions and speech so much better. Again I really enjoyed this story!

This book was sweet and for the most part well-written, but I still struggled to stick with it at times. The author was very good at including descriptive details in the story, but she seemed to repeat some of them in subsequent chapters, which made the story drag a bit. It didn't help that there was basically no progress in the romance between Angela and Geoff for the entire first half of the book.

Things improved when Angela and Geoff finally started to get closer, but the speed of their courtship was kind of suspect given the level of Angela's animosity towards Christmas Galore. However, they really did seem happy by the time the epilogue rolled around, and I was happy that Angela was able to find a new job that suited her so well.

Overall, while I can't say that I would necessarily recommend this book to a friend or read it again myself, I would pick up another Nancy Naigle book in the future.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

What a sweet story. The community of Pleasant Sands is so cute and quaint and I want to take a vacation there! Geoff and Paisley were good foils - their businesses and lifestyle were seemingly diametrically opposed at first but as they got to know each other, they were more and more compatible. Although the ending really accelerated their romance (had they even kissed yet?), I still really enjoyed this holiday-themed novel.

The Christmas spirit, this is the main character of this adventure written by Nancy.
When two people who can not get together in the same environment find out that they have been corresponding for some time (she made a wish to Santa Claus, and he was the one who answered), all the anguish dissipates and what remains is a great and strong feeling , with a chance to become true love.

A book to help you get into the Christmas spirit.
4 stars

I loved this story. I curled up with my hot chocolate and did not want to put this book down. This is a really great holiday based romance. Great characters and witty writing make this a joy to read.

This story was a sweet, clean Christmas read. The story was slow for me at times but when Angela and Geoff got together I couldn't put it down. I did enjoy all the Dear Santa letters. I will continue reading more stories by this author.