Enjoyed this uplifting story. It gets to the point in no time flat. There is a secret Santa in this town. I was given an advanced copy by Netgalley and am not required to leave a positive review.

I miss the Food Lover Village series and was glad to read this story and catch up with the characters.
Well plotted and entertaining.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I love novellas, those small stories between fully published books. And they give great insight into other aspects of characters and life that are not always covered in a book. This was a quick, an enjoyable read. I love Leslie Budewitz’s work.

The Christmas Stranger is a short story from Food Lover's Village series. It takes place in the town of Jewel Bay. Erin Murphy is the main character who works for the family owned food market called Murphy's Mercantile (Merc). Her grandfather started it. Her mother, Francesca Conti Murphy Schmitt now owns the store and Erin runs it. Tracy is her assistant manager and Lou Mary Vogel is a saleswoman who works there. Adam Zimmerman is Erin's boyfriend.

While at the post office Erin runs into a small man trying to make copies. He did not understand the printer so Erin makes them for him and puts the 40 cents on her account. To thank her he gives her a christmas stamp and also mentioned that he knew her father, Tom, who dies in a car accident.

When back at the Merc Erin mentions the incident and shows Lou Mary the stamp. She tells Erin that she thinks it is valuable. When Erin realizes it could be valuable she starts looking for the little man to let him know that he might have given her the stamp by mistake. Lou Mary tells her that she knows someone who could tell her how valuable the stamp is by the name of Sam Silver. She arranges a meeting for Erin which Erin goes to with the stamp.

Francesca comes to the store to cover while Erin goes to meet Sam. While there she tells Erin that Lynette Barnes, a cleaning woman, was in a car accident. She had been found by a man walking his dog. He saved her life by finding her.

Sam tells her after examing the stamp that it a special stamp issued in a limited edition worth about $1700.00. Since it is in good condition it could be worth more, While trying to find the man Erin finds out that beside saving Lynette's life he did great deeds for people in trouble including Tina, a waitress who he gave a large tip.

While crossing the bridge to get to her car she is almost hit by a truck. She was saved by the little man who she was looking for. She mentioned the good deeds that he had done as well as saving her and giving her a stamp that she could use to help a deserving family. She was interested in the fact that he knew her father. Wanted to know who he was, Another truck passed her throwing snow in her face. When she opened her eyes the little man was not there. There was no sign of him not even footprints. Could this little man be her father?

This was a fun and fast read. It left the reader wondering who he was and if it was her father.

Thank you NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for this ARC.


Thank you NetGalley and

Five stars on top of five Christmas trees is what I rate Leslie Budewitz’ short story, The Christmas Stranger.

With so much to do this time of year, the holidays are the perfect time for reading short stories. I’m so glad The Christmas Stranger is my first of the season.

Inspired by a kind encounter of her own, Budewitz sets this story in Jewel Bay, Montana, home to her Food Lovers’ Village Mystery series and Erin Murphy, whose family has run the Merc, short for mercantile, for more than a century.

Holidays are a busy juggle for us all, managing a retail business during the holidays requires even more skill to keep all of those balls in the air. But when Erin is multitasking, checking on deliveries, while waiting to check out at the post office, she steps out of line to help an older gentleman, a stranger, and helps him figure out the hoops needed to jump through to get an old-fangled copy machine to work. In thanks for her kindness and her offer to pay for his copies so he doesn’t need to wait in line, he gives her a small square of paper and a heartwarming mystery all in one.

I highly recommend A Christmas Stranger for all Leslie Budewitz Food Lovers’ Mystery fans, as well as all lovers of cozy mysteries and holiday short stories. Please note, this short story originally appeared in Carried to the Grave and Other Stories, and is being released as a standalone in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the series. I received this advance reader copy from Beyond the Page Publishing, courtesy NetGalley.

The perfect short read to get you in the spirit for the holidays through Christmas magic and plenty of snow. For lovers of the feel-good Hallmark classics, snuggle up with your favorite blanket and cup of hot chocolate for a message on kindness and good-deeds. I will definitely be re-reading this story once my tree is put up!

A stranger appears in town and seems to always be at the right place and time to offer help. Is he an angel or a Christmas miracle? 🎄✨

It's eight days until Christmas and Erin Murphy is busy shipping online orders at the post office. Erin works at her family's one-hundred-year-old grocery store, The Merc in the village of Jewel Bay, Montana when she meets the strange gentleman.

I love good Christmas short stories. The Christmas Stranger is short and sweet and it'll warm your heart. It's part of Food Lovers' Village Mystery Series but perfectly fine to read on its own. This is my first book by the author and I enjoy the characters and this small Montana town that I'd love to check out more of her books.

Thank you Beyond the Page Publishing and Netgalley for the DRC.

Oh my gosh. This is totally not my usual type of book (short story, sweet, Christmas-y). However, it was so satisfying to read. I read it in one sitting. What a great short story to get folks in the Christmas spirit!

This short story was originally published in the Carried to the Grave and Other Stories anthology.

The story provides a charming take on "It's A Wonderful Life" movie. Merc grocery owner Erin Murphy does a simple favor for a mysterious older gentleman who gifts her with a valuable postage stamp. Despite Erin's inquiries, no one in the village of Jewel Bay has can identify this stranger. Then in a weird twist of fate, two other lives are saved thanks to the kindness of an unknown presence.

Recommend this story and others in the Carried to the Grave anthology.

A heartwarming festive short story that is full of the traditional themes of goodwill and yet also embraces contemporary issues.

Despite the hustle and bustle of running a shop and completing the other necessary chores during the busy run-up to Christmas, a woman finds the time to help a stranger in a mundane task. An elderly gentleman needs help with some photocopying and she is happy to oblige and even pays for it herself. He seems to know her and yet she has no idea who he is. He repays her in a way she doesn't understand and the repercussions filter through the small community.

In an attempt to find out who the stranger may be, many other tales of his good deeds come to light. Yet nobody is sure who he is or why he is there. The message is a simple one: be kind to others. We can all spare a couple of minutes in our busy schedules.

A quick, light read with timeless hope, a bit of Christmas magic and a snowy landscape. Just what we need after a hard day of rushing around and standing in queues. Recommended with a mug of cocoa or a glass of mulled wine.

This was a wonderful VERY short read. Reminds you of the kind of Christmas miracles you might have wondered about as a child.

A wonderful story to read over a lunch hour. It won't take much longer than that from start to finish. A very 'feel good' story and one that makes you want to do good for others. Perfect for the season.

The Christmas Stranger: A Short Story part of the A Food Lovers’ Village Mystery series by Leslie Budewitz.

This was a heart-warming, feel-good short story. I will definitely be re-reading it closer to Christmas.

Thank you to the author, Beyond the Page Publishing, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This was such a Cute short story! I enjoyed reading this book. I love Christmas stories and this short story was great!

This is an interesting Christmas story with a great message along the lines of someone spreading Christmas cheer in the form of a Christmas miracle where someone is in need. It is hard to get very deep in a short story, so it was okay that I haven't read this series because otherwise I would have been lost. This would be good to read as a break during a busy time for a holiday lift. I also got a glimpse into the Food Lovers' Village Mysteries series.
I received a copy for the purpose of an honest review. These are my thoughts.

I'm feeling bad that I requested an ARC of this. I'm not generally a short story person and I don't think I realized this was one until after I got it.

I'm not a fan. This is book three. I don't know if the other 2 give more to this story but I felt lost and confused a lot. Maybe my head isn't in the right space for it and that's why? I'm not sure what happened here for me. I stopped half way through for that reason.

I might have to try again later.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions are mine and mine alone.

The Christmas Stranger by Leslie Budewitz is a welcome feel good story for the holidays. The characters are fun and the coincidences tying them all together are enjoyable to read.

#TheChristmasStrangerAShortStory is a short story that will warm your heart as we head into the holidays.
I found this story easy to read, and it was a fast paced, fun, cozy mystery.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.

An enjoyable Christmas short story with a bit of a puzzle element. I love a good "feel good" holiday story and this one, set in Montana, fits the bill. Now I want to start reading the author's mystery series involving these characters, from the start.

A wonderful short story worthy of a second read. A mysterious stranger who provides assistance
uncalled for and unassisted is especially heartwarming during the holiday season. Thanks to #NetGalley and #TheChristmasStranger for advanced digital copy.

I love this short story set in the world of the author’s Food Lovers Village mysteries. It’s Christmas time and the main character encounters a stranger who arrives just in time. Erin Murphy looks for someone who knows the stranger. The tale that unfolds reminds us to look for angels whether human or heavenly.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.