Bestselling author and master storyteller Wade Rouse, writing as Viola Shipman (favorite author) in honor of his beloved grandmother, returns following Famous in a Small Town with his highly anticipated magical holiday novel, THE WISHING BRIDGE —with a charming, quaint Christmas town setting, a tale of family, faith, friendship, choices, and some wise lessons.

THE WISHING BRIDGE will touch your heart —how memories of the holidays shape us. It is a beautiful and nostalgic tribute to our elders, tradition, and history with hope, humor, love, romance, and loads of heart—It is also about the choices we make, some good and bad, but it is never too late to cross that bridge—making this a perfect holiday read and a Hallmark Christmas movie. My favorite Christmas novel!

Can you go home again? Will the bridge lead Henri home?

"Why do we always wait until Christmas to return home and show how much we love one another?"

Meet Henrietta (Henri) Wegner from Frankenmuth, Michigan —a quaint Bavarian charming village. Her childhood boyfriend asked her to marry him over Christmas break during her senior year in college on the charming covered bridge.

She said no. Then, she was offered the job with Tolliver (mergers and acquisitions) in Detroit a couple of days afterward. She broke his heart, and then she broke her dad's heart when she told him she was going to accept the job and move to Detroit. She wanted to leave her family's shadow and make her mark.

Christmas had never been the same since. She has let her job consume her and, now in her fifties, is about to lose her job to the younger generation. The only way to save it is to convince her parents to sell Wegner's Winter Wonderland, the largest independently owned Christmas store, to this giant corporation.

Her parents own thirty acres that comprise the Wegner's beautifully landscaped grounds, and the store covers three of those acres. Her dad (an accountant) worked hard in his grandfather's basement to build this business. He had a dream, a vision, to bring Christmas to life for people.

She felt terrible and guilty and barely visited. She avoids going home because of painful memories, using work as an annual excuse. She does not want to see the hurt on her family's face or face her decisions. Her dad had wanted her to stay there and carry on the family business. She chose to leave.

Now, two weeks before Christmas, her entire life and job are on the line. Does she like the person she has become? What she is planning is wrong, and she will regret it. She yearns to be that little girl who wakes up on Christmas to a home filled with excitement, joy, family, friends, and HOPE.

There is nothing more magical than Frankenmuth in a December snowfall. She had forgotten how beautiful it was. Now, being back, she may realize she made a mistake the day she crossed the Holz Brucke wooden bridge leading out of town.

What will Henri choose to do? Will her father know what she is up to? Time is passing so quickly. How much has she missed? Is she the Grinch? The clock is ticking, and the countdown to Christmas is just around the corner. Henri has only a few days to decide her family's fate, or she will be forever the town rat.

I loved the Epilogue! DAZZLING and awe-inspiring! Nothing like a quaint, charming covered bridge. THE WISHING BRIDGE is a love story to family, friends, love, and magical Christmases.

With a cast of family, old friends, and an ex-boyfriend—a beautiful story of complex decisions, a touching father/daughter relationship, Christmas miracles, and learning what is essential in life. The little things matter.

There is also a lot of fun and wit with Sofie and Hannah, Henri’s BFF and childhood enemy, whose families own the dueling chicken restaurants in town, and Henri going back and forth with what to do with her life. Plus, Shep was married, but now he may be divorcing. Will there be a second chance?

I enjoyed the cast of friends and family. Bea, Sofie, Shep, Mouse, Finn, Clare, Ethan, the mom and dad, and Hannah. I loved Gertrude Heinrich (Granma Gert), 90 years old, who taught high school art, and when she retired, Henri's father hired her to run the store's new personalized ornaments business—never married, married to her work, and a true artist. I also loved the glockenspiel! I must visit this town. It sounds like Helen, Georgia, but quainter. I miss the covered bridge in Big Canoe, GA, where I lived years ago. Each time you go under the bridge, your stress level melts.

The Wegner's Christmas catalogs remind me of those old Sears and Montgomery Ward Christmas wish books that kept my sister and me occupied for hours.

As always, Viola Shipman creates memorable settings with flawed characters you can relate to. He has a rare gift for storytelling that will make you laugh, cry, and think. For many of us stuck in South Florida and unable to travel to the northern states we love so much at Christmas, with snow, cold weather, and charming Christmas towns, the author transports you to a magical setting without leaving your home.

I highly recommend all of his books. I particularly love his Christmas books that resonate with my childhood, traditions, parents and grandparents I have lost, those special holidays with my sons that I miss, and Christmas tree farms/stands.

THE WISHING BRIDGE would be a perfect Hallmark movie and a spectacular book club pick. A long-time fan, I adore Viola/Wade's book and have read all his novels and one of his memoirs. An excellent writer with a rare talent, each one is unique and has a special takeaway message. Time is precious. Do not waste those moments with family. They will be gone one day. We often forget what matters most: Family, friends, holidays, forgiveness of ourselves and others.

I loved that the story takes place in the authentic village of Frankenmuth, Michigan, a beautiful Bavarian Christmas wonderland inspired by Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, the largest Christmas store. The novel also includes the bonus novella Christmas Angels, a favorite.

INTERVIEW: Stay tuned for my #AuthorElevatorSeries special Elevator Ride Q&A Interview with Wade/Viola, where we go behind the book and the author, coming Pub day, Nov 7, 2023! Sign up for my newsletter (website) for delivery to your inbox.

Many thanks to Graydon House via NetGalley for an advanced reading copy. Get your holiday Christmas book on Nov 7th! Ideal for holiday gift-giving.

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Pub Date: Nov 7, 2023
My Rating: 5 Stars +
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This is a great holiday story about coming back home and reevaluating life. Henri is a great main character who is trying to figure out what she’s doing with her life. It’s nice to have a middle-aged woman as a lead. The town is a fantasy Christmas come to life. The side characters were great to get to know as well. Highly recommend this one!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me access to the ARC of The Wishing Bridge.

This is a heartwarming Christmas story about family, friends, love, childhood dreams and memories, family traditions, and second chances. I felt like I was transported to Frankenmuth, Michigan during the holiday season, it was that descriptive.

Henri, the main character, had some difficult decisions to make but she had a lot of help from her friends and family. I laughed throughout and even cried near the end as Henri navigated through her past, present, and future. This is the perfect Christmas holiday read. This is also my first Viola Shipman book, but will not be the last. I am looking forward to reading more.

Publication date: November 7, 2023

Viola Shipman shows once again a complete understanding of the experience of being a middle aged woman- which is incredible consider Wade Rouse is the author’s given name! This well crafted, feel good Christmas novel is bound to leave you smiling.

Viola Shipman once again gives you a heartwarming holiday read. It will transport you to Frankenmuth, Michigan, which you will surely want to visit. Henri Wegner is torn between impressing her boss by convincing her family to sell their beloved iconic Christmas store or restoring her estranged relationship with her family. Henri returns home for Christmas and reconnects with childhood friends and a man she turned down for marriage years ago. As the days to Christmas tick away, you will enjoy the visit to Wegner's Christmas store and feel Henri's heartstrings tugging in the decisions she needs to make whether to save her job or choose a new path. A wonderful holiday story you will want to read in one sitting.

What a wonderful holiday story! I was immediately pulled into this story when the setting was Frankenmuth. I have visited Frankenmuth and loved it so this story really resonated with me. The values behind this story are awesome and really envelop the magic and wonder of Christmas. As with many of Shipman's books this book has all of the emotions and traditions that families share during the holiday season. This story talks about how life and family is never perfect but one should never take either for granted and one should enjoy all of the blessings you have in your life especially during the holiday season. A great read!!

Another heart-warming Christmas book by Viola Shipman. Makes me want to go to Michigan and experience the wonder of Frankenmuth the Christmas town. Certainly this book is about Christmas, but also about the importance of family, friends and traditions.

Title: The Wishing Bridge
Author: Viola Shipman
Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:
"The Wishing Bridge" by Viola Shipman

My Sentiments:

'The Wishing Bridge' was a good story with well-developed characters...from Bea, Sofie, Shep, Mouse, Finn, Clare, Ethan, the mom, dad, Hannah, and others l may have left out. This was a beautiful story of 'many decisions that may be changed, along with a father/daughter relationship with Christmas miracles and, among all, being able to learn essential things about how life can go for you.' Be ready for a beautiful storyline and romantic possibilities [old flame] in this sentimental Christmas read.

What decision will Henrietta make that will affect her family this Christmas, and why is she doing this?
We find Henri has left her hometown to take a corporate job after graduation. Now, her new boss is threatening to fire her, and that's when she promises him that she could get her dad to sell their iconic Christmas store to him or be fired. Wow, what a betrayal this will be to her parents! How will this turn out? Be ready for a little bit of it all from 'Christmas, family traditions, dreams, decisions, childhood memories, aging parents, family business, corporate buyouts, best friends, family strength, forgiving oneself, secrets, second chances, dreams, self-worth, and so much more' that will give the readers a pretty exciting and intriguing read all the way to the end of this perfect Christmas read. The reader will get a good read that Henri will learn much more when she goes home and learns what family and friends are all about in this nostalgic Michigan town. By the way, what will be learned about 'The Wishing Bridge.'

This is where you will pick up this sound, heartwarming story to see how this author brings it out to the readers with an absolutely perfect ending.

Also, there is a bonus novella...Christmas Angels which was a very heartful and beautiful story.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Grayson House for the opportunity to read this book.

I have enjoyed previous books by this author, but this one fell short for me. I feel like it is loosely based on a popular Christmas movie that airs every year, and talks about bells and angels. You know the one I mean.

Henrietta, or Henri as everyone calls her, is a woman in her early 50’s, with a horrible boss. She loved working for his father, but when he died, Benji took over and is making Henri’s life terrible. In a last ditch effort to save her job, Henri volunteers to make her parents sell their beloved Christmas all year business.

This is where it started falling apart for me. I don’t feel like Henri, or her friend Sophie or ex-boyfriend Shep act their ages at all. Henri, who has had a great career in negotiating mergers and acquisitions should have had more confidence, and frankly, money, and been able to tell her boss to shove it. Instead she acted like a young girl, and was ready to sacrifice the relationship with her family.

I don’t write spoilers, so I can’t tell you what eventually happens. If you want a quick family story set at Christmas, give this a try. It’s not bad, just maybe not for me.


Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

This had all the elements of a book I'd love - especially the Hallmark levels of sappy holiday goodness.

But it just didn't click for me. I found the main character to be almost insufferable and her attitude/job focus felt much younger than the 52 year old she was supposed to be. This coupled with some glaring anachronisms in her 1975 flashback scene, kept this from being more than three stars for me.

This was a tough read at times. Henri left her hometown for life in the big city. When she finally comes home at Christmas it is to convince her parents to sell their karge Christnas store to another company. She knows what will happen to the store and it will separate her from her family forever. Is a job and success in the business world worth the cost? She struggles with her decisions once home but does she really want to stay? Are family ties stronger than she thought?
Very well written and it pulled at my heart strings. You can feel Henri's angst when faced with the reality of being home again.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange fir my honest review.

3.5 stars Henri grew up in the small town of Frankenmuth, Michigan where her family owns the world's biggest Christmas store but after graduating college she chose a different path accepting a position in Detroit with a mergers and acquisitions firm and turning down a marriage proposal from her high school boyfriend. Henri is now in her '50s, has never married and hasn't been home for the holidays in years as her career always takes priority. Unfortunately, her job is now in jeopardy unless she can convince her parents to sell their beloved business to a firm that would gut everything in the name of profit so Henri heads back to Frankenmuth for the holidays in order to gather the intel she needs to make the deal happen.

The Wishing Bridge is a heartwarming holiday story about the importance of family and of being a good person combined with a sweet mid-life/second-chance romance. The characters are surrounded by Christmas in a charming small town that's a winter wonderland in December so this is a very festive read. The setting was my favourite part of this book - I have never been to Frankenmuth, Michigan but I sure want to visit now!

The Wishing Bridge by Viola Shipman is a lovely Christmas story that brings you back to holidays filled with family and good friends and reminds you of the power of goodness and love. The perfect read for this time of year! Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read this heartfelt story.

Henrietta Wegner is not the hot, young executive in the cutthroat world of Mergers and Acquisitions. There is always a fresh, young thing just waiting for her to drop the ball.

So when her boss lets her know that unless she pulls in something spectacular, she can start the new year looking for a new job. What better way to buy time than to lie? And what a whopper it is. She things she can talk her family into selling the family business in Frankenmuth, Michigan. A Christmas Store no less!

Off she goes to talk her parents into selling out to a big soulless company. Only everyone is suspicious and the closer she gets, the less appeal selling out has.

Don’t we all just love a satisfying holiday story? And Shipman never disappoints. This is no different. I loved it.

I have spent many winters in Detroit, going to Frankenmuth with my inlaws and it is magical!

Netgalley / Harlequin Trade/ Graydon November 07, 2023

Call this my obligatory Christmas read, albeit early. I don’t read a lot of Viola Shipman but when I do it is because my sister will tell me when one is good and because they are always set in a part of Michigan I have known earlier in my life. The Wishing Bridge lacks the quirky character or two that most of her books have and the main character is a bit of an anti-hero, but it is a good Christmas book. It is sweet, almost to saccharine level but not quite, and has the morals and family ideals expected. Set in Frankenmuth, Michigan and with the renamed businesses that town is know for, wayward daughter returns to film-flam her family into selling the family business in order to save her own job where she orchestrates mergers and acquisitions. This is a milder version of the Scrooge story, but that’s what we want in this genre. P.S. I like Mabel the best.

Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy of The Wishing Bridge by Viola Shipman. I always enjoy Viola Shipman's books, especially the Christmas ones but unfortunately The Wishing Bridge wasn't for me.

Henri's family owns a Christmas store in the Christmas capital of Michigan and she has wonderful memories of her childhood. She usually avoids a Christmas at home as an executive in a mergers and acquisitions company. When her boss threatens to fire her she convinces him that she can get her parents to sell. So she heads home for Christmas. But once Henri arrives and she sees the magic in her hometown, she starts to question everything.

My biggest struggle with this one was Henri. I didn't really like her as a character. I like that Viola Shipman's books usually have older characters but it just didn't work for me. The ages seemed off for all characters. I would have preferred this if she was in her 30s vs 50s.

I love the Christmas setting of Frankenmuth, which I'd love to see at Christmas!

I look forward to reading the next book!

Book: The Wishing Bridge
Author: Viola Shipman
Rating: 5 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Graydon House, for providing me with an ARC. I can’t remember the last time I gave an ARC a five-star. This book put me in the holiday spirit even though it is only October.

In this one, we follow Henri, who is living her best life. She has escaped from her small town and is the daughter of the man who owns the largest Christmas store in the state. She has gotten away from being an elf and all the corniness that goes along with being her father’s daughter. She works in the corporate world, where she buys and sells small town businesses-very much like the one her family owns. The Christmas season is quickly coming and Herni thinks she can score her company the deal of a lifetime. Her parents are getting older and they are going to start struggling to keep up with the demands of the store. Henri tells her boss that she can convince her father to sell Wegner’s. If she doesn’t do so, she will be out of a job. Herni packs her bags and sets off for home. Right away, the family can tell that something is up. She hasn’t been home for Christmas in years, but they look the other way. Time is not on Herni’s side. However, the longer she is at home, the more she comes to realize that life may take you in directions that you didn’t think it would and the very thing that you were running away from may be the very thing that you need.

I enjoyed Herni’s character, even though there were many times that she wasn’t the most likeable character. However, I do get where she is coming from. Her entire life has been centred around her father’s store and Christmas. When she was younger, she did enjoy it. However, as she got older, she came to want more beyond the store and her small town. She wanted to see the world and see what it had to offer. When she first talked about this, she was a teenager. Most teenagers talk like this. They want more than what is in front of them. She goes off and makes her own life. She also doesn’t come home. She has her life and her family has theirs. However, fate has this funny way of giving you what you need-even if you don’t think you want it. The more that Henri is back home, the more we start to see that this is where she probably belongs. Her cool demeanour starts to melt and she starts to become happy. We can see that she still doesn’t want to admit it and fights just how happy she is. It’s a hard place to be in. She had the life she wanted, but she wasn’t happy though she would not admit it. Sometimes the places that you belong and what you need are not what you think it is. That is the case with Herni.

All of this is done through Violet’s writing. The writing and the way that everything is presented pull you into the book. You are there at the Christmas store and seeing all of the magic and the wonder. You get to see how it is all done and some things never change. Sometimes change is good, but it is also good to be able to come back and know that things will always be the same. The wonder and magic of the holiday is brought to life here. It wraps you in a warm blanket and pulls up the Hallmark movie. You get to see how something like a Christmas tree can change someone’s life. I just loved what it made me feel. It was these feelings that pulled me in and made me want to keep going. Sometimes all you need to cheer you up is a little bit of holiday magic and this book did that.

Overall, this is the perfect read for the holiday season.

This book comes out on November 7, 2023.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/eTF2YMyyJ1E

Loved this story about the Wegner family.. Henri went to work for a company that bought companies and sold them.. Henri had been with her company since after college and was a top employee for buying companies. Her family owned a family business in a bavarian city in MIchigan which had grown into a big business. He bioss Benjie challenged her to get her family to sell by Christmas or he would fire her. Her assistant and friend told her not to do it. This is a must read book to actually see what happens. How the impact of her going home plays on emotions and her mind on what she must to do to save her job or does she really want that job. A VERY GOOD READ.

Cute story and would make a great Hallmark movie seeing the Christmas town come to life as well as all the time spent on the Christmas bridge. I didn’t like how Henri treated her parents and was going behind their back to sell their lively hood. By the end the story was cute and had a sweet ending.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read and review an advanced copy of this book.

Henri (a middle-aged woman experiencing early stages of menopause) has had a successful career with the company she works for, buying businesses and turning them into profitable entities. When the owner died and his son took over, the atmosphere changed. Now, it was buy and liquidate, with many people losing their jobs. She is no longer meeting her quota, and out of desperation, she promises that she will get her parents to sell a very successful Christmas store in Michigan. Going home for the holidays (after many years of absence) she has to hide the real reason she is there.

Getting back together with old friends, seeing her old high school sweetheart, interacting with her parents and brother, and regaining the spirit of Christmas leads her to a final train wreck (lose her family or lose her career. Overall, Christmas wins again.

The short story at the end, The Tree Topper, was also an enjoyable read.