ARC Review: Deck The Halls by Donna Alward

Title: Deck The Halls

Author: Donna Alward

Release Date: October 3, 2017 (ARC)

Publisher: St Martin’s Press

Category: Contemporary Romance

Type: Digital

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Donna Alward Website

Blurb:

With shades of It’s a Wonderful Life, one man must face his past to find his future this Christmas.

In the last year, George's life has drastically changed. The formerly homeless veteran now has a job he likes, a family in the residents of Darling, VT, and for the first time in years, a home. But while his present is good, he's still haunted by the past, a past that appears shortly before Christmas when the older sister of his brother-in-arms hunts him down and finds him in Darling, working at the Ladybug Garden Center.

Amy’s looking for closure for her family after her brother's death in the Middle East, but the serious man she finds working in Vermont doesn’t resemble the soldier she remembers from years before. This man is hardened and yet somehow fragile, too, and in her desire to find out what really happened to her brother, she learns more about George than she ever expected.

With a little Christmas magic and the whole town supporting them, can these two bruised hearts make a future together?

 Favorite Line:

Amy’s throat clogged. “I didn’t. Oh, dammit .” She sniffed. “I yelled at him and he gave me a Christmas tree.”  ~  Amy

Dialogue Highlight:

“The wreaths,” she said, changing the subject. “You make them all yourself? That’s what you were working on yesterday, right?”

He nodded. “I mentioned wanting to do it one day, and Laurel ran out and got me the forms and wire and more ribbon than I knew what to do with. I like it, though. I like working with my hands a lot.” He finally took another bite of his sandwich, chewed, and swallowed. “And how about you? How long are you in Darling?”

“Until Christmas Eve.” She hadn’t realized she meant to stay the whole two weeks until she just said it, but the decision felt good. “I rented a house over on the other side of the creek. Like one of those Airbnb things.”

He tilted his head. “On Sycamore?”

“That’s the one. Why?”

He grinned. “So that’s your Toyota. I shoveled your driveway this morning.”

“You’re the one?”

“The owners hired me to do it while they’re south for a few months. I wondered who had rented it when I saw your car in the yard. I’m a few streets over, in a little apartment building. Eight units.”

It gave her a funny feeling to think he’d been the one clearing the snow while she’d been tucked in bed, sound asleep. She’d assumed it was some company that the owners had hired. The thought of him cleaning off her car was surprisingly intimate. “Well, thank you. It was nice to not have to worry about it this morning.”

She reached into the bag and took out the cookies she’d bought to go with their meal. “Here. I was told these are the best.”

Excerpt:

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“This café is really cool. Has it been here long?”

He began opening the wrapper. “A few years, give or take. The owner is Laurel’s best friend.”

“Laurel is . . .”

He nodded to the storefront. “My boss.”

“I see.” She took a small bite of her sandwich and found it delicious. “Wow. This is yummy.”

“Willow cooks up some weird stuff, but it’s always delicious.” He took a huge bite of his roast beef, then wiped his lips and fingers on the recycled paper napkin. “She owns the yoga studio, too. She’s here a lot.”

“You like working for Laurel?”

His brows pulled together a bit, and he hesitated. This, she understood. He was weighing his response. Deciding how much he wanted to tell her. She reminded herself to be patient.

“You want to know where I’ve been, Amy? I’ve lived on the street for a lot of years. Last summer, Laurel . . . well, she and her husband gave me the nudge I needed. She gave me this job. And Aiden hooked me up with some assistance. So there you go. I’ve been homeless. I work here now, but for a lot of years, I sat on street corners begging for money. Spent nights at the shelter. Went hungry. All this?” He waved a hand in the air, moving from the top of his head to the floor. “This is all new in the last six months.”

“But why . . .”Her throat tightened. He’d been homeless? Living on the street? For how long, and why? She tried to picture it and couldn’t. Not the dynamic, charming guy she’d known as Ian’s best friend. Her stomach felt as if it dropped to her toes. No wonder he hadn’t wanted to answer questions yesterday.

“My lunch break isn’t long enough for that story,” he said sharply. “But now you know. I’m a minimum wage laborer in subsidized housing. A real success story.”

“You don’t believe that,” she replied, putting down her sandwich. “God, George. I don’t have to know why you were living on the street to know that it’s got to be a huge challenge to . . . to . . .”

“To what? Be normal? To be a contributing member of society again?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“I know.” This time he sighed. “Listen, Amy, I understand why you’re here but I . . . I can’t go back there, okay? I just can’t. So don’t ask me to.”

“George,” she said softly, wondering how to say what she was thinking, wondered if it would be best to just come right out with it. “George, do you have PTSD? Is that what you’re dealing with?”

He got up from the table abruptly, the chair scraping loudly against the concrete floor. “I should get back. Thanks for lunch.”

Review:

Amy Merck has been searching – searching for closure regarding her brother’s death; searching for a way to cope with the blows life hands out; searching for a way to lessen her parent’s grief; searching for George Reilly. Having finally found George, she realizes she isn’t going to just get the answers she is looking for without building some trust – a difficult feat given the circumstances George has dealt with over the past few years. She never imagined the guilt of her brother’s death had weighed so heavily on him – or that he blames himself. Pair that with likely PTSD and a reluctance to muddle through the past, Amy might not ever be able to find the closure she desperately seeks. But an unexpected turn of events has Amy wondering if there could ever be a future for the two of them. They had liked one another once upon a time, but trying to get that back might be futile.

George Reilly has not had an easy life since returning from active duty. He ended up homeless after drinking his money away and has had to rally back – literally picking himself up from the streets. Help from some new friends in a new town has brought about a change in him and he started wanting to live again – at least as much as one can live when carrying around the guilt of responsibility for his best friend’s death. He had promised Amy and her family that he would keep Ian safe, but failed them all. Amy’s unexpected arrival threatens the tight rein George keeps on his simple existence. The past – revelations she wants him to confide in her – could be a point he cannot come back from. No one ever got comfort from regurgitating the past and he’s going to try like hell not to go there. But Amy has also kindled something within him that he had thought long gone. Maybe, instead of his demise, she could be his salvation.

I really enjoyed my time spent with this book! Deck the Halls dealt with a bit more serious topics than I am used to, but also topics that are very current and real in these times. While addressing serious issues, the author was able to successfully craft a balance between the negative and positive so that a dark shadow was not cast over the entire story. I felt like Amy and George were people I would know, or could easily meet one day. Their characters were very real and raw. Also enjoyed were the secondary characters who, from what I gather, have stories of their own in the quaint little town of Darling, Vermont. While not the kind of HEA I am accustomed to, the story remained a sweet romantic novel. Ms Alward was careful to remain true to the characters and allow them time to get to know one another even in the midst of their growing attraction. A few tame romantic scenes are all you will have to contend with between these pages – and I thank Ms. Alward for that. I believed that this was a positive and forward-moving decision that lent credibility to these characters and their truths. Set around the Christmas season, this story of second chances; belief in human kindness; and the determination to rise about life’s punches is sure to please any reader who picks this story up. Get in to your season feel goods, or read it any time of year. Either way, you will not be disappointed with this heart-felt, romantic, holiday gift.

Kindle version provided by NetGalley/St Martins Press in exchange for an honest review.