Steena Holmes

Every year a group of friends who call themselves The Tinsel Travelers visit the Christmas markets in a new country. This year their plan is to visit Belgium. Mara had no plans to go this year because her mom (and part of the travel group) had recently died and she didn't feel like she could make the trip without her. Her friends refused to leave her behind and called her two days before their trip to tell her to pack and get ready to join them. She's quite conflicted about whether she should go but decides that her mom would want her to go. One of the women in the group, Lucy, had been good friends with Mara's mom and has letters from her mom to Mara to be given to her as they travel. Each letter reveals another thing about Stella's life and Mara begins to wonder if her whole life had been a lie. The more letters that Lucy gives to Mara, the more she realizes that she is going to find out the real story of her past.

I love travel and really and enjoyed reading about the places that the Tinsel Travelers visited on their trip to Belgium. I also enjoyed the fact that they were all in love with chocolate -- and they were all filling their suitcases up with chocolate to take home. I've never been to the Christmas markets in Europe but have traveled to many of the places in Belgium mentioned in the book and enjoyed the memories of my travels that were brought back reading about the group travels. My one negative about the book is that I wish we'd have learned more about the other members of the group but since this is a series, we'll probably learn more about them in future books.

If you like to travel and you like chocolate (and who doesn't), you don't want to miss this book.… (más)

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. Emma had been missing for two years. When she’s finally found and returned to her family at 5 years old, they realize that she wasn’t very far from their home. Unfortunately, over those two years, Emma has changed. She’s now a quiet subdued child and doesn’t speak very much. To make matters worse, she barely remembers her parents and misses “Grandma” and “Papa”. Her mother, Megan, is overwhelmed with bitterness and hatred for the people her daughter now holds dear, while her father works extra long hours and now suddenly her best friend is distant. An unexpected visit in town changes everything for Emma and her dad Peter has found a way to get Emma to open up. But, by keeping this secret, Emma is happy. Now he must choose between his daughter’s happiness and his wife’s trust.

This was a very moving novel. There were moments when I wanted to scream at Megan to stop being so selfish. I spent a lot of time wondering why she kept expecting Emma to be the person she was two years prior. I loved this book. Usually, you see books where a kidnapping takes place and the search thereafter. This time, it’s a unique look at what happens after the victim has been found. All in all, this is a fantastic summer read, but be sure to have some Kleenex handy, you’ll need it! Most definitely a five heart read!

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