Christmas from the Heart

Sheila Roberts

Sep 2019 · MIRA

About this ebook

A Scrooge-like executive clashes with a smalltown charity director in this charming holiday romance by a USA Today–bestselling author.

Olivia Berg’s charity, Christmas from the Heart, has helped generations of families in need in Pine River, Washington, but this year might be the end of the road. Hightower Enterprises, one of their biggest donors since way back when Olivia’s grandmother ran the charity, has been taken over by Ebenezer Scrooge the Second, aka CFO Guy Hightower, and he’s declared there will be no more money coming to Christmas from the Heart.

Guy is simply being practical. Hightower Enterprises needs to tighten its belt, and when you don’t have money to spare, you don’t have money to share. You’d think even the pushy Olivia Berg could understand that.

With charitable donations dwindling, Olivia’s Christmas budget depends on Hightower’s contribution. She’s focused her whole life on helping this small town, even putting her love life on hold to support her mission.

When Guy’s Maserati breaks down at the edge of the Cascade foothills, he’s relieved to be rescued by a pretty young woman who drives him to the nearby town of Pine River. Until he realizes his rescuer is none other than Olivia Berg. What’s a Scrooge to do? Plug his nose and eat fruitcake and hope she doesn’t learn his true identity before he can get out of town. What could go wrong?

Praise for Christmas from the Heart

“The literary equivalent of watching It’s a Wonderful Life with a mug of hot chocolate and a plate of cookies.” —The Booklist Reader

“A deftly crafted and delightfully entertaining novel from the pen of an author with a genuine flair for originality and the creation of memorable characters.” —Midwest Book Reviews

Ratings and reviews

Christmas from the Heart was an okay small-town romance, but it didn't quite live up to its potential. It does have its moments of levity, and there were some sweet scenes between the characters as well. In fact, I could easily see this one playing out in a made for TV movie on the Hallmark channel. That said, the story is more drawn out than I felt entirely necessary, and I ended up skimming part of it, especially when the story started to lag. Some of my disappointment can be attributed to my feelings about Olivia. Try as I might, I just couldn't warm up to her. She was irritating and came across with one of those 'all about me' attitudes.' I understand that she was trying to build funds for her nonprofit, so it was really all about the people she could help, but her attitude left something to be desired. The nonprofit was important to her as well as the people depending on it, but she was just plain rude when she didn't get what she expected. In my experience, you don't 'expect' a donation, you ask for one and hope for a good return. You certainly don't school those who donate even if it's way less than you think it should be. I assume the back and forth between Olivia and Guy was meant to be witty banter, which is usually something I like, but Olivia's snark just left a bad taste in my mouth. Surprisingly, I did like Guy even if he was a little self-absorbed. Then we come to the conclusion of this romance, which should be the big work it all out, exchange I Love Yous, and fall into the big kiss. The problem is that after all that buildup and the lengthy storyline, the conclusion felt a lot rushed. The secondary characters and their interactions with Guy are what saved this one for me. The ladies at the fruitcake competition, Morris and his jealousy, even Olivia's dad. These secondary characters stole the show. There quirky and fun, and I loved reading about them. In the end, the romance just didn't work for me. It's hard to get behind a romance when you don't like one of the characters involved. I did like the other parts of the story, and Roberts does a good job with the small-town feel, so I ended up somewhere in the middle.

I enjoyed the premise of the story; Holiday time is the perfect time to give to others and that’s what this book is all about. Christmas from the Heart is the name of this novel but also the name of the organization that Livi runs as a non-profit to bring joy and love to families at Christmas. The only trouble is that this year it has been very difficult raising the money to make this possible. To top it off, Hightower corporation has refused to give a donation, and they have been the main contributors since her grandmother's time. Livi herself lives on a shoe string; she lives at home with her Dad and scrimps by with very little. Guy on the other hand - the CFO of Hightower has his own swanky apartment and lives rather well. He is rather cautious though of women who have their eye on his money, which that leaves him a bit cynical; including Livi, the do-gooder. To be fair he is hardworking and the Hightower business is struggling despite all the long hours he works. Sometimes you need to look beyond the big picture to see what really matters. Ms. Roberts wrote a feel good, spread good spirit, charming Christmas story in Christmas from the Heart; a nice hallmark movie in book form. This story was a bit bland for me but I thought the message was nice. I thought it was a little repetitive in the beginning. Livi was unable to get over the fact that she lost her largest donor and Guy struggled to get over his guilt about it. After it was repeated a few times, I had to skim through certain sections. Also, Livi also made me mad in the way she led on Morris even though she didn't really have feelings for him! I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Christmas from the Heart by Sheila Roberts is a pleasing Christmas story that will leave you with a happy feeling. Christmas from the Heart is a story with realistic character and a sweet small town. Olivia is a warm character who misses her recently deceased mother. She has taken over running the non-profit her mother started, and it is her sole focus. Olivia is thoughtful, caring, a hard worker, generous and persistent which are all traits needed in her line of work. She loves her father and is worried about him since he has retreated from life since the death of his wife. Guy Hightower is a hardworking man who is smart and caring. He is trying to save Hightower Enterprises, but he keeps butting up against his older brother’s. Christmas from the Heart has Sheila Roberts engaging writing which drew me right in. I like the humor sprinkled throughout the story and the lovely town of Pine River. I wish I lived in such a warm, helpful community. I like how they help each other out. There was more going on in Christmas from the Heart, but you will have to find out the rest for yourself. I enjoyed reading Sheila Roberts latest Christmas story and look forward to her next book. Christmas from the Heart is a charming Christmas tale with a caring community, a needy non-profit, tempting treats, a benign beau, frightful fruitcake and happy holiday happenings.

About the author

Sheila Roberts lives in the Pacific Northwest. To date, she has seen over three million books sold both at home and abroad. Several of her books have been adapted for film by Hallmark, Lifetime, and GAF, including her holiday perennial, On Strike for Christmas, The Nine Lives of Christmas, with a sequel The Nine Kittens of Christmas, and most recently, Christmas on Candy Cane Lane.