Once Upon a Winter's Heart by Melody Carlson

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Once Upon a Winter's Heart
(Center Street - January 7, 2014)

by
Melody Carlson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Over the years, Melody Carlson has worn many hats, from pre-school teacher to youth counselor to political activist to senior editor. But most of all, she loves to write! Currently she freelances from her home. In the past eight years, she has published over ninety books for children, teens, and adults--with sales totaling more than two million and many titles appearing on the ECPA Bestsellers List. Several of her books have been finalists for, and winners of, various writing awards.

She has two grown sons and lives in Central Oregon with her husband and chocolate lab retriever. They enjoy skiing, hiking, gardening, camping and biking in the beautiful Cascade Mountains.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Emma Burcelli has suffered over a decade of dating disasters. But she concludes that love is officially dead when her grandfather Poppi suddenly passes, leaving her grandmother Nona devastated. To help out, Emma works in the family bookstore, which Nona insists must be decked out in sweetheart décor as Poppi would have done for Valentine's Day. Although she feels like a V-Day Scrooge, Emma quickly learns to enjoy the task with the help of a handsome family friend, Lane Forester, who shows her that hanging hearts is much more fun when done to the tune of Dean Martin. As Emma and Lane share time and memories of Poppi, she reconsiders the notion that romance is alive.

My thoughts:

I'm always excited when Melody Carlson comes out with a new holiday novella. I especially liked that this once centered around a different holiday than she usually writes about - Valentine's Day.

Italian food, Dean Martin music, and a swoonworthy leading man named Lane Forester make this a delectable story. Emma's past has soured her on love and she's definitely not looking for romance of any kind - especially since no love story could compete with the love that her recently deceased Poppi shared with his wife, Nona. Adding drama to the story is Emma's parents having marital difficulties and a sister, Anne, who has her sights set on winning Lane's love.

I enjoyed the immediate chemistry between Emma and Lane, and Anne's conniving character was written to perfection. So if you're looking for a Valentine's Day story with plenty of fireworks...both good and bad...then get a copy of this book. It's a romance lover's delight!

My sincerest thanks to CFBA and Center Street Publishing for generously providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Once Upon a Winter's Heart, go HERE.