Holly’s Gift, Small Town Christmas Wishes series book # 5

Holly Kim is a piano teacher who is missing a student. She enters a homeless shelter searching for the student. She finds the building inspector, Tim Stewart, closing the place down due to unsafe wiring—just in time for Christmas.  He swears he’s just doing his job, but Holly is convinced he is simply a bad man. Tim has known bad people, bad times, and homelessness in his life. And he knows God pretty much stays away from all that. Until he runs into Holly’s steady faith, and as it slowly erodes his tough outer shell, he might catch himself praying for a Christmas miracle too…and Holly’s gift.
This is a standalone novella, fifth in a series. It’s a clean, sweet Christmas romance. This is a story that has such strong bones!Unfortunately, there are a few drawbacks, such as:  The misunderstanding that drove Holly and Tim apart seemed forced and too convenient. While being a clean novella, at times Holly’s faith came across as too pushed.  Several instances where a chapter began, only to drop into numerous pages of backstory before picking back up where the chapter began. At times, the characters, especially Tim, made assumptions that seemed inconsistent with their character or unrealistic within the plot. Beyond these small and easily fixed problems, though, readers seeking a wholesome Christmas romance to enjoy any time of the year will be satisfied with a visit to Snowflake Colorado and Holly’s Gift.
Emerson Matthews