I love Christmas books...and this one didn't disappoint. George is a recently fired, 2nd time father, 50 years old. He is looking for a Do Over. His first marriage ended in divorce, and does not have a great relationship with his 2 children from that marriage, thanks in part to his ex-wife. He is now married to Mary, and they have a daughter Megan. Megan is a very bright 4th grader who is questioning the existence of Santa. George, has bad memories on this subject, so he will do anything in his power to make sure Megan believes as long as she can. He goes to the more fuss and bother than most parents would, at the expense of his marriage and Megan's miserable 4th grade teacher. As crazy as George is, he has a good soul and loves his family. The ending really makes you smile! ( )

I could not put this book down. It was an AWESOME story with a lot of Christmas spirit. The part I like best is how it tells how far our society falls short of what Christmas is all about and it does it in such a non preachy way and incorporates all our pop culture to boot. A warning on the language for those of you who may be offended, but if you can get past that you will not regret the really great Christmas story it is. ( )

George Kronenfeldt loses his job just a couple of weeks before Christmas. To make things worse, he finds out that his daughter’s teacher has been telling her class that Santa is not real. He doesn’t want his daughter to lose the magic of Christmas yet. But now Megan says the only way she’ll believe in Santa is if she can video tape him and post the video to YouTube.

George goes to ridiculous lengths to make this happen for his daughter, nearly bankrupting himself and threatening his marriage. Quite a number of unexpected mishaps occur along the way making for a look at the crazy things parents will do to keep their children happy.

I liked that the protagonist was able to reconnect with the children from his previous marriage whose belief in Santa he had destroyed at the same age that Megan was. I liked the growth in George’s character in relation to all of his children throughout the story.

I don’t know much about reindeer, but I appreciated the humour that the author inserted into the story with them. I can just visualize the look of the yard the next day. Oh boy!

I liked the pace of the book. It was neither too fast or too slow. Though the book is about Santa, I would not consider it a children’s book, but would put it at least in the young adult category. There is some mild to moderate profanity in it. Other than that it is quite clean.

Real Santa was a pleasure to read. Anyone who loves stories about family and Christmas should enjoy this book. I gave it a rating of 4 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the publishers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion is not required. All thoughts are my own.

This review is published on my blog Shelf Full of Books http://kathrynsshelffullofbooks.blogspot.com/2014/12/real-santa-blog-tour-and-gi... ( )

Real Santa is a lighthearted modern Christmas story that will easily put the reader into the holiday spirit. Author William Hazelgrove weaves a delightful tale that follows unemployed engineer George Kronenfeldt as he goes to great lengths to keep the Spirit of Christmas alive by proving that Santa Claus is real to his nine year old daughter Megan, who has begun to doubt his existence.

The author weaves a touching story of one father's passion to keep the innocence, tradition, magic, and spirit of the holiday alive for his daughter. This story lovingly embraces the reader and takes them along for the ride as George's mission to become the "Real Santa Claus" is filled with drama and humor. You can't help but get caught up in the excitement as the story unfolds, and it has such a wonderful holiday message that will resonate with you for a long time. Real Santa is a heartwarming Christmas story that will make you laugh and put a smile on your face. I could easily see this story being made into a Hallmark Channel holiday movie.

Real Santa is such a fun holiday-themed story that embraces the wonder and spirit of the holiday season, it could easily become an annual Christmas tradition that your family would enjoy.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the publisher / author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by I Am A Read Book Tours.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2014/12/real-santa-by-william-hazelgro... ( )

This is an amazing book about a father's love for his children, and his determination to keep the magic in Christmas. His over the top plan to keep his young daughter believing in Santa provides plenty of humor, but it also causes serious problems with his wife as he puts their home and their future in jeopardy to pay for everything he needs. In the end, lots of lives are changed for the better as they are touched by the Christmas spirit. I would love to see this made into a movie, as I am sure it would become a must-watch yearly tradition in many homes.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.** ( )