f you are in the mood for something short and sweet that will ignite your Christmas spirit, you can't go wrong with Leslie Budewitz's short story, The Christmas Stranger, which was part of a previous volume of stories related to the author's Food Lovers' Village Mysteries cozy series and is being re-released for the holiday season. In a few chapters, it adroitly captures the sparkle of the season. And the cover is enchanting!

Erin first encounters the septuagenarian stranger of the title shortly before Christmas at the post office, where she is mailing out several boxes of orders from her family's grocery store. She helps him with a minor task, and he gives her something small in return. When the man's gift turns out to be much more than she anticipated, Erin tries valiantly to find him, as he is one of the few people she doesn't know in Jewel Bay. Through the magical realism plot, we learn more about the mysterious stranger and how he affects the lives of some of the town's inhabitants. Happy Holidays!

My thanks to Beyond the Page Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this short story.

This short story is part of a series I haven’t read, but I managed to get the gist. I did think the mc was explaining away her fathers' death in an odd and detached way, but I expect that was explained more in a previous book. The story was cute, a guardian Angel with acts of kindness. Not overly Christmassy, aside from characters wishing each other a Merry Christmas. I expect fans of the series would enjoy it, but it was slightly below average for me.

This unique mystery is a Christmas themed short story is from the Food Lover's Village Mysteries series and is a wonderful addition. Most cozy mysteries always involve a murder, this one takes a different and refreshing approach that is also inspiring as we approach the season of giving! The characters are wonderfully developed and lovable, the plot is a fun twist on the typical cozy mystery and overall the theme is just heartwarming! If you haven't read the series, I do highly recommend starting with book one as you will gain wonderful insight into the characters personalities and motivations as well as the sense of community that is developed throughout the books. If you have read them, then don't miss out on this novella as it will have you sighing with delight and inspired to get a jump on the holiday season!

The Christmas Stranger by Leslie Budewitz is a short story with a bit of mystery and a lot of the true spirit of Christmas. It’s part of the Food Lovers’ Village Mystery but it works very wells as a standalone. A heartwarming tale to welcome in the Christmas season.

I received an arc of this story from Netgalley and Beyond the Page publishers in exchange for an honest review

What a heart-warming short story.

Join your favourites from the Food Lovers' Village Mystery series as they try to figure out who a generous, mystery man is.

Sweet and undoubtedly filled with the Christmas spirit, this story will have you wanting to do good for others and savour the impending Christmas season.

In such a short story, you also gain a sense of renewed faith in humanity, especially in uncertain times. Even the Grinch would find his whole demeanour changed by reading this lovely tale.

Thank you to NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for the opportunity to read this story for free and provide my honest opinion.

The Christmas Stranger s part of the Food Lover's Village Mystery series. I have never read any of the books in this series and this book was a perfect stand alone short story.

I thought that this was the perfect story to kick off the holiday season. It was short but left me wanting to read more stories in this season. Best of all, it brought me to tears because it was so sweet.

The Christmas Stranger by Leslie Budewitz is a heart-warming season read that's perfect to read in the lead up to Christmas.
Through the tale of Erin Murphy's search for the kindly gentleman who gave her a valuable stamp in return for a small favour, Budewitz reminds the readers of the spirit of giving and helping others, not only over the holidays but throughout the year as well. In certain aspects, it brings to mind It's a Wonderful Life.
The story is well-written and easy to read, and is sure to remind you of the spirit of giving.
I received an ARC of #TheChristmasStrangerAShortStory from #NetGalley .

I really enjoyed this book. I feel the stranger is an angel in disguise. He was always around when he was needed.The stamp, the accident and prevented another accident and then there was the fact that no one knew him. I love those kind of stories.

The Christmas Stranger is a delightful with much heart and a little mystery.

When the owner of the Merc, Erin, the store owner is kind to a stranger he returns the favor with an extravagant gift. Erin searched to find him to return the gift and offer her gratitude he seems to have vanished. He does this frequently - appearing and disappearing with no rhyme or reason.

Is it possible he is an angel? The story is about love and community and kindness in a small town where miracles can occur

We'd all like to imagine a benevolent angel or being hovering about to help in our direst times. In this case, think "It's a Wonderful Life" and you've captured the sense of wonder and hope Budewitz offers in this short story. Erin Murphy is kind to an unknown stranger. Her efforts to, first, find the mysterious stranger and, second, return the marvelous gift and thank him, lead her into a bit of a mystery: Who is he and why does he keep disappearing? Even angels, if the stranger is such, can't save everyone but we can take away the idea that kindness, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant, is felt in many ways. We can all make a difference.

I don't want to detail the story further, it's quite short as it is, but will say it made me smile. It left me feeling warm and snug and, well, wishing the story were longer to prolong that feeling. Thank you so much #NetGalley and #BeyondThePagePublishing for sharing this wonderful moment of caring and hope with us all. Sometimes we all need a reminder that life is full of wondrous things, both big and small, and to make our lives a gift to others, too. Now I think I'm going to go find my copy of "It's a Wonderful Life" and sit it aside for later viewing.

The Christmas Stranger is set in Jewel Bay, Montana and is about a man who carries out acts of kindness to those in the small town in need of it around Christmas. This book is part of the Food Lovers’ Village Mystery series but can be read as a stand alone short story.

I really loved the setting of this book and thought the small town in the snow made the perfect backdrop for a wholesome, whimsical Christmas story. The overall plot was very sweet and this book was the perfect, feel good festive story. Despite the length of the book, the descriptions of the characters were all very vivid and I would love to go back and read the rest of the series to see more of these characters.

Overall this was quick, festive read and would be the perfect book to snuggle up with on a cold December’s evening!