A Gift for Santa has all the elements that make a terrific & cozy Christmas story! Reindeer farm. Adorable little boy. Family. Romance. Small town. Snow. And, of course, Santa.

Marissa is in a unique situation, thanks to her ex-boyfriend/ex-boss who stole the money from their foundation and escaped to who knows where. While she tries to figure out how to clear her own name, she heads home to her aunt & uncle’s reindeer farm … to find that things are in worse shape there than she imagined. The guy who can save the day? Her former fiance Chris. I really liked these intriguing elements to Marissa’s character. It gave her type-A personality some softer edges and gave her a lot of layers to explore. Her Aunt Becky and Uncle Oliver are people I want in my own family – what sweeties and still so in love!

For his own part, Chris is a great guy who had a rotten childhood. And while he maintains that he would be a horrible father, thanks to his own abysmal example, he can’t help but take a neighborhood foster kid under his wing. And y’all this is what makes the book unputdownable. The romance is swoony and sweet, but Ryan adds a whole other level of sweet and precocious and endearing. The babysitting scene will leave you laughing for sure. Poor Chris...

Bottom Line: A Gift for Santa by Beth Carpenter really must be read with a plate of yummy Christmas goodies and a steaming mug of hot cocoa. It is a Hallmark Channel worthy story of love and family and Christmas. The characters quickly feel like old friends, and the setting is vivid and intriguing. There’s a bit of suspense thrown in to round out the mix, and overall this is just a perfect story for the holiday season!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

Marissa has returned to her family's reindeer farm in Alaska to lick her wounds after her boss and boyfriend has disappeared with all the company's money. She is perceived by the public to be an accomplice and feels terrible since her family has invested all their money in the company and are all facing financial ruin. With Christmas fast approaching and no snow on the ground the farm's most productive season is going down the drain even with neighbor Chris helping out by playing Santa. A nice love story with a few twists.

What would your reaction be If you haven’t seen someone in 10years? Beth is a talented writer and puts her characters in quite a few interesting situations before the very last page.

And now I want to move to Alaska! What a beautiful scenery and charming lifestyle the author paints to the reader's mind.
This story pulled me in and it was another late night (or an early morning) for me as I didn't even realize how time flew as I was visiting Alaska and enjoying each moment of it.
Marissa Gray and Chris Allen have an old history that left both of their hearts wounded. Now facing each other again, after ten years, they soon find out that those old feelings never really died, but have been simmering on a low heat over the decade. The road ahead of them is not easy or an obstacle-free, yet there seems to be more determination to make the relationship work and willingness for compromises, as there was at the younger age.
The story is not only about the romance developing between Marissa and Chris. There are several secondary storylines that smoothly take the plot forward and gave Marissa and Chris a chance to see new sides of each other, learn more about them as older, more mature adults.
The bond Chris develops with Ryan, the little, temporary foster-son of his neighbors, and the adorable friendship that flourish from that and takes more of a form of a father-son relationship, it just melted my heart. That relationship more than anything showed how much Chris had grown up over the past decade even though there were plenty of other signs of that as well. He is a good man, generous and kind, always willing to help others and take care of things.
Marissa has always been a very career oriented person, but her life has been devastated by the betrayal of her boyfriend that was covered in the national news. Her 'five-year plan' is off the track, and no one is willing to hire her because of the scandal. Her help is desperately needed at home as well at the ranch, the newly awaken feelings towards Chris and the life they could build together in Alaska are weighing in her mind. There are decisions to be made and priorities to be set to see where life will take them from here.
Truly a heartwarming story about life with its many hurdles and how we can learn from them and use them to grow. A story about love, family, hardship, and hope. Highly recommended to any and all romance readers
~ Five Spoons

An endearing Christmas romance! With the second book in her Northern Lights series, Beth Carpenter delights us again with a touching story showcasing a second chance reunion as well as the loving qualities of a close-knit family. The characters are rich with strife and turmoil and are super easy to connect with. We watch love re-develop between these lost loves and hope they can believe long enough this Christmas season for magic to happen!

Wildlife biologist Marissa Gray hasn’t been home Alaska for a long time and after just losing her job, she decides it’s a good time to check in with her family. She finds things not running as smoothly as she would have expected for Christmastime on their reindeer farm. Struggling to get through the holiday season, she should be happy when help falls into her lap … but given the fact that it’s coming from her ex-fiance, she’d give just about anything to be able to say no!

Fisherman Chris Allen never quite got over Marissa walking out on him, and seeing her again brings it all back. A decade has passed since they went their separate ways, but it feels like just yesterday that she was his. Will their past take them for a ride down memory lane or will it all just fester up and make them realize why they couldn’t make it work in the first place?

If you are looking for a cutesy holiday read then this book is for you. I enjoy a good second chance at love types of books and are heartwarming and this book was perfect for it. I loved that there was a bit of drama wondering whats in store for Marissa and her family and how she was dealing with things after her ex. I loved seeing Chris and how he was with children and just seeing his perspective and why things happened in the past the way it did. This was such a cutey holiday book and I'm sure glad I read it.

I loved the Alaskan setting in this book, especially at a reindeer farm! The author wrote with authority of the various aspects of Alaskan life and I loved the details that opened my eyes to the realities of living in snow... or without it when it's needed. Chris owns a snow plow business and with a snowless forecast he was struggling with making ends meet. It was great to read the story of Dana's brother and she and Sam from the first book in the series were incorporated into this story seamlessly. You don't need to read them in order, but I loved The Alaskan Catch so don't miss it!

Marissa has a Type A personality, but laid-back Chris was the yin to her yang. They have a history fraught with angst over disagreements about children in their future and a broken engagement. They have both matured over the years though, and when Chris volunteers to take over playing Santa for her ailing uncle, they have ample opportunity to get reacquainted. I loved that Chris was so helpful and compassionate with Marissa's family and also Ryan, his neighbor's foster child. It really showed the way he was changing. He and Marissa have good chemistry and banter, it was fun to watch them grow closer together again.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions expressed in this review are my own)