Once Upon a Winter's Heart by Melody Carlson

A family seems like it's being torn apart with little hope of reconciliation.  A lot of thoughts were circling around about the "grass being greener on the other side" and love that hasn't been invested in over the years, as well as mistakes made and forgiveness not being offered.

Emma was jaded in the love department but she was my favorite.  Her sister, Anne, drove me nuts with her false claims over Lane.  Her mom did, too, for practically taking sides over sisters.  It reminded me of Cinderella and the stepsisters some!

This was a cute Valentine's Day story.  It was a fun holiday novella that got me in the mood to celebrate a holiday that I normally gloss over.  I can't remember ever reading a Valentine's novella before so it was refreshing to celebrate a smaller holiday!

I have always liked Melody Carlson's books.  They are sweet and fun reads that are a nice escape.  The shortness of the book was a good change for me too after reading really long books.  Sometimes it's nice to read something in a few hours!

_____________________

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.

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

_____________________

I received this book free from CFBA and Bookish Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.