A Wish for Winter by Viola Shipman takes us to Petoskey, Michigan, a lakeside community where we meet Susan, her grandparents and their employees at the family bookstore, Sleigh By the Bay. Susan’s grandparents have a unique love story, and Susan has been searching for her own Kris Kringle. The tale that unfolds will delight you…..
by Viola Shipman
Genres: Women's Fiction
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Heat Level:
Despite losing her parents in a tragic accident just before her fourteenth Christmas, Susan Norcross has had it better than most, with loving grandparents to raise her and a gang of quirky, devoted friends to support her. Now a successful bookstore owner in a tight-knit Michigan lakeside community, Susan is facing down forty—the same age as her mother when she died—and she can’t help but see everything she hasn’t achieved, including finding a love match of her own. To add to the pressure, everyone in her small town believes it’s Susan’s destiny to meet and marry a man dressed as Santa, just like her mother and grandmother before her. So it seems cosmically unfair that the man she makes an instant connection with at an annual Santa Run is lost in the crowd before she can get his name.
What follows is Susan and her friends’ hilarious and heartwarming search for the mystery Santa—covering twelve months of social media snafus, authors behaving badly and dating fails—as well as a poignant look at family, friendship and what defines a well-lived and well-loved life.
Viola Shipman has been on my radar thanks to blogger friends, so I grabbed A Wish For Winter for the Ho-Ho-Ho readathon as a winter selection, but it has a strong holiday theme as well. Susan’s life has been filled with tragedy, love, books and a childhood wish to meet her own Kris Kringle.
This is very much a women’s fiction selection, and I loved the small-town charm, rich, colorful characters and character growth. Susan has a tightknit group of friends and family. I loved the bookstore from events to celebrations.
The central storyline surrounds a Santa race where Susan meets a man in a Santa suite who might just be the one. Only he fails to meet her after. Her friends help with the hunt to find this Kris Kringle and along the way we see character growth, healing and more. The tale takes us through the major holidays, health emergencies, blind dates, and book events as the search hits the media. I could see the story as a Hallmark movie or motion picture.
A touching story from beginning to end, all set with a bookstore as the backdrop. While romance is central, the story is more about friendship, family and personal happiness. I loved the cozy independent bookstore and small-town in a big city charm. I highly recommend to fans of holiday chick-lit with well-developed characters and depth.
In A Wish for Winter Viola Shipman, bookstore owner Susan, searches for her own Kris Kringle. #WomensFiction #HolidayRead #bookreview #NewRelease #romance Share on XAbout Viola Shipman
Viola Shipman is the pen name for Wade Rouse, a popular, award-winning memoirist. Rouse chose his grandmother's name, Viola Shipman, to honor the woman whose heirlooms and family stories inspire his writing. Rouse is the author of The Summer Cottage, as well as The Charm Bracelet and The Hope Chest which have been translated into more than a dozen languages and become international bestsellers. He lives in Saugatuck, Michigan and Palm
Springs, California, and has written for People, Coastal Living, Good Housekeeping, and Taste of Home, along with other publications, and is a contributor to All Things Considered.
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
Carole @ Carole's Random Life
I have not read this author yet but this sounds like a great read!
Kimberly
It’s fun trying new authors. I hope you get a chance to try him.
Greg
Ooh Petoskey! I love it that Shipman keeps writing these books set in Michigan. 🙂
Kimberly
Hehehe…
Katherine
This author has been on my TBR for ages but I’ve yet to pick up any of their books. This looks wonderful. I love when books focus on relationships between all the characters. I’m looking forward to reading this one soon.
Kimberly
I hope that you do Katherine.
Carla
Nice review, Kimberly. I really enjoyed this one, it was so festive, yet had some serious issues. Viola Shipman is an auto-read for me.
Kimberly
I plan to read more of his books.
Sophia Rose
I thought this was a real charmer, too, and loved the bookstore family.
Kimberly
Yep, I am a sucker for a bookstore setting.
Lover of Romance
I have been seeing lots of good things about this one too from the blogging community so I definitely need to try it out even if its womens fiction, still sounds like the romance is done so well.
Lovely review!
Kimberly
Thanks Renee. Yes, the romance is there throughout.
Nadene
I am looking forward to reading this one. So glad you enjoyed it.
Kimberly
I look forward to your thoughts, Nadene.
Anne - Books of My Heart
An interesting premise with realistic feelings. Thanks for sharing.
Kimberly
Thanks Anne.
Debbie Haupt
Oh man this book is high on my shelf and I want to read it NOW 🙂 Thanks for sharing Kim
Kimberly
I can totally sympathize with you, Debbie. I look forward to your thoughts.
Wendy
I enjoyed this one very much too. Viola Shipman knows how to write a good heartwarming book.
Kimberly
Yes, I look forward to reading more from him.