One of the BEST ROMANCE NOVELS OF 2020, Cosmopolitan Magazine “…
Ashley’s supposed to be having the Christmas of her dreams. After four years of working at an upscale jewelry store in Manhattan, she’s finally going to get a little velvet box of her own—from her boyfriend Jeremy, who’s taking her on a romantic trip to Paris. What could go wrong?
Well, everything.
Ashley heads home to Owl Lake instead, falling asleep on the train ride there…and waking up with a beautiful antique charm bracelet on her wrist. Soon, she realizes that each silver charm predicts an event that happens in real life. What does this mean for her and Jeremy…or her and Aidan, her former high school boyfriend, who’s now a local firefighter? Is there still a chance that she could have the perfect Christmas?
This small town Christmas romance includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Spiced Walnut Crust Cookies with Chocolate Ganache and Sea Salt.
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This Christmas story will bring you all the feels!
Christmas Charms is a wonderful and enjoyable read. I loved the storyline. It was a page turner and well written. I loved the characters. It kept my interest throughout the story.
I read and and reviewed an Advanced Copy of this book All thoughts and opinions are of my own. Thank you NetGalley and Hallmark for let me read this book.
As you mature, it’s so easy to lose the awe and wonder of Christmas. That’s what happened to Ashley without her even realizing it. Totally relatable, but that’s pretty much where reality ends, and the Hallmark dream world begins in Christmas Charms.
Ashley thinks she knows which direction she wants her life to go: get a promotion at her job, which happens to be one of the biggest jewelry stores in New York, and become engaged to her boyfriend, who is sweeping her away to Paris for Christmas. When life puts a huge wrench in her plans, she decides to come home, after being away from her family and friends for years. On the train trip home she falls asleep only to awake and find an antique charm bracelet on her wrist. Bizarre in and of itself, but things really get turned upside down when the charms start to mirror what is happening in real life. It is these moments that wake Ashley up, reminding her of her true heart’s desires, and opening her eyes again to the magic and wonder of Christmas.
The premise is really what hooked me (I mean, who doesn’t love charm bracelets!) but I felt like the execution was a little flawed. I know this is Hallmark, and you expect certain things to be a little over the top, but this novel was too unbelievable, and most of it didn’t even have to do with the charms coming to life!
I felt like Ashley was way too much in her head, the repetitive introspection highly annoying. Plus the fact that every single thing, down to the clothes each character was wearing and every food that was eaten, was Christmas related, was overkill for me. I also felt like Aidan’s character was superficial. Though I have a thing for firefighters, and though for sure I’d fall in love with him, I felt like he was one-sided. Sure, he rescues Ashley, and has some swoon-worthy scenes, but there’s no depth. This is the problem I usually have when authors choose to have an entire novel be narrated by one character, and this was definitely a problem for me in this book as well.
In saying all that, Christmas Charms is well written and does have a good flow. This is the first book I’ve read by Teri Wilson, but I can definitely see reading something else from her catalog. She has a great writing style and tempo that does put you into the story. I truly did feel like I was in Owl Lake.
Honestly, I think this novel would be better interpreted as a Christmas movie, giving the story the magic that it deserves, and taking the focus off the trivial things that bothered me. Yes, sadly, Christmas Charms fell a little flat for me, but I don’t regret reading it one bit. The main storyline itself is an adorable idea, the characters warm and inviting, Owl Lake dreamy, and all in all it really was a “charming” read.
*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the publisher through NetGalley. All views and opinions are completely honest, and my own.
I love Hallmark movies so much and this book made me feel like I was watching a movie.
Ashley is going to spend Christmas at her parents’ house after suffering from the disappointment of Jerremy not thinking about marrying her. ends up rekindling the flame that was asleep in her heart.
Upon arriving at her parents’ house, many strange things are happening and she realizes that the charm bracelet she got from a stranger on the train brings with it a certain magic, but she doesn’t want this magic to control her heart and Aidan’s heart.
Aiden and Ashley are very cute together and in addition her dog stole my heart.
5/5 stars
This was a sweet Christmas story of love lost and maturity. Ashley has been away from home for eight long years. She has missed so much. Ashley thinks that her boyfriend of three years is going to propose before their trip to Paris but she is very disappointed to find that he finds the idea of marriage to be ridiculous. He said why should we get married we have everything we want. This shines a bright light on Ashley that is hard to ignore. Since she already has vacation time set up she decides to go home for Christmas. Along the ride home she meets a magical woman who ends up playing a huge roll in the rest of her vacation.
Aidan is the boyfriend from back home and boy has he grown up! Can they reconcile their differences and forgive each other for their past mistakes?
I loved this magical story of love found. I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs a little happiness booster! I felt good all over while reading this book!
A fun story full of great characters – predictable in a Hallmark sorta way, but a fun Christmas magic book
I really liked the book. was a mystery and very interesting. Didn’t want to put it down.
Favorite Quotes:
You should have dumped your pizza on his head and smeared the tomato sauce in his hair… He deserves way more than public humiliation by way of cheese.
Let me tell you, drawing things with frosting is a lot harder than it looks. My poor gingerbread firemen look like they’re wrestling yellow snakes instead of wielding fire hoses. Happy holidayssssssssssss.
I should probably stop getting enchanted by the idea of a perfect holiday date and concentrate on living in the real world. The last time I thought I was going to have the ultimate Christmas date, I ended up breaking up with my boyfriend of three years. I’m still haunted by the thought of mozzarella cheese.
My Review:
This was a whimsical, light, and pleasantly amusing holiday second chance romance featuring a magical charm bracelet, small-town rituals, and a chance meeting with a lovely woman who just may have been Mrs. Claus. I enjoyed the sweet Hallmark Christmas flavor, wry humor, and lovable characters. The Santa Skate was brilliant, I don’t know if that is a real thing or not, but it certainly should be if it isn’t, even though I have never strapped on a pair of ice skates in my entire life.
very slow going. too much detail. Fans of Hallmark movies will probably adore it.
Christmas Charms is a delightful holiday tale by Teri Wilson. Ashley James left her small town of Owl Lake, New York, to study jewelry design, the. Found work with the major jewelry company of Windsor Fine Jewelry. While working in the charms department where Ashley helped customers design the charm bracelet of their dreams, she had little time for working on her own vintage designs. However, Ashley felt moving up in the company was her foothold to getting to her goals.
But Ashley is thinking of other lofty goals as she prepares for the Christmas of her dreams spent with boyfriend of three years in Paris. However, when Jeremy admits marriage is not on his mind the evening before they are set to leave, Ashley calls it quits, soon deciding to go home to Owl Lake for Christmas with her family.
On the train ride home, Ashley encounters a Mrs,Clause like lady named Betty and spills her story before a deep slumber. When Ashley awakens, she finds herself at her destination and Betty gone but the charm bracelet she had admired is in a special knitted stocking Betty left for her. Once Ashley puts the bracelet on so as not to lose it, she finds it impossible to remove. She also finds the charms coming to life as different encounters occur.
However, the most important occurrence is when she again encounters Aidan Flynn, now a firefighter but once her devoted boyfriend. It seems the more Ashley tries to leave Owl Lake to get back to Manhattan for a promotion interview, the more she is detained and ultimately returned to her parents’ home by Aidan, often in full fire brigade form.
This is a lovely holiday tale showing the effect of a magical bracelet that leads our heroine to follow her heart and true path. I loved the bit of mystique of the story and Ms. Wilson did a lovely job of weaving this plot. I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it!
So you’re on a train and a lady who looks like Mrs. Santa Claus leaves you with a charm bracelet and then disappears. Not just any bracelet- a magic bracelet. Ashley, a frustrated jewelry designer working a sales clerk job in a jewelry store in New York City goes home for Christmas and jingle jingle things start happening. She runs into old heartthrob Aiden, a love she chose to leave for her career, and a beautiful Christmas romance has the chance to unfold. If you love Hallmark movies, Christmas Charms will delight you!
A fun, sweet, feel-good read that leaves you warm and fuzzy ready for Christmas.
Teri Wilson is quickly becoming one of my go-to Christmas authors that are a must-read. I love the whole idea of a magic charm bracelet. For me it made the story of boy-girl meet up again after a disastrous breakup into something fun and new. I really hope a movie is in the future.
Is the cover not beautiful??? It drew me in immediately and made me want to dive right in and experience Christmas in Owl Lake.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Hallmark Publishing, through NetGalley. Any opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.
Because who doesn’t need a perfect Christmas romance right now? Five stars!
Lovely Hallmark-style Christmas romance. Could totally see this being made into a Hallmark movie. Very sweet!
I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an advance reader copy of this story.
Christmas Charms, by Teri Wilson, is available at booksellers on 10-6-2020. Writing for Hallmark Publishing is perfect for Ms Wilson. Sweet stories with great endings are her forte. Charms is a wonderful second chance story. I liked all the characters, even the goofy ex. I became invested in Ashley’s journey and was pulled into the image of Owl Lake, a perfectly lovely small town. I truly wish someone would give me a terrific second chance like this one. I can only hope.
#TeriWilson #ChristmasCharms #HallmarkPublishing #Netgalley #Romance #ContemporaryRomance
I received an ARC from Hallmark Publishing through NetGalley for an honest review. Ashley was working in the charms department at Windsor Fine Jewelry in New York. This year she wasn’t going to be going home to Owl Lake to spend Christmas with her parents, she was going to go to Paris with her boyfriend to visit his family. Before they went she bumped into her first love Aidan and was surprised to see him in New York.
After some miscommunications and a serious talk with Jeremy, he goes to Paris and she goes home to Owl Lake. After she boards the train she sits next to an elderly woman who is wearing an antique charm bracelet, She falls asleep and then when she wakes up she is at the Owl Lake train station. with the charm bracelet on her wrist.
She tries to take the bracelet off when she gets to her parent’s house but she can’t get it off.
We have some Christmas magic leading Ashley one way but a job opportunity to be a manager in the charms department leading her in another direction. But Ashley had another dream and maybe this one would give her everything she wanted. Ah, the magic of the Christmas season is still alive.
Christmas Charms is such an uplifting story full of Christmas, romance, possibilities, and believing in yourself – even if that means stepping off of the path you thought was the right one. Plus just a touch of magic that delights at every twist and turn of Ashley’s and Aidan’s journey.
First off, the cover is simply stunning and screams small-town Christmas to me, so visually I was hooked before I even read the first page. Then I was completely engaged as Ashley’s hopes for her future with her boyfriend are dashed and she makes the choice to return home to Owl Lake. A stranger on the train ride home will give us the magical touches with a charm bracelet with a mind of its own. Add in a second chance to get love right with Aidan, the ex-boyfriend Ashley left behind when she set out to follow her dreams and you’ll have all the ingredients that are necessary for a lovely romance, a glimpse into the future, and a love worth fighting for this second time around.
To be frank, I don’t need a lot of words to simply say… this is a heartwarming, touching romance set around Christmas that will capture your imagination and your heart from beginning to the end. I loved every moment of Ashley’s and Aidan’s romance, their struggles to see each other as they are now, and the belief that love never truly dies. Christmas Charms is filled with the holiday spirit, interesting secondary characters, and the feel of stepping into a winter wonderland of emotions.
If you simply love a really good Christmas Romance (any time of the year, but especially right now) then Christmas Charms is exactly the gift you should give to yourself this Christmas season.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Hallmark Publishing via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
A magic charm bracelet brings Ashley the Christmas and future of her dreams, if she’s brave enough to follow the signs. The perfect, feel-good, Christmas novel with lots of magic.
Another winning book from Ms. Wilson. She does a fine job of lacing humor and the spirit of Christmas into a story meant for the season of believing. Ashley was a character with a bubble personality and a heart of determination, I only wish we knew more about Aiden (it was written only in Ashley’s POV). Looking forward to the next book by Ms. Wilson soon!
A charming Christmas story of holiday magic. Such a unique storyline. I hope this is made into a Hallmark movie. The author has a talent for creating whimsical moments that inspire you to live your own dreams. This is the first time I have read a book by this author but I can guarantee it will not be the last. Looking forward to more from this talented writer.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hallmark Publishing for this advanced review copy. In return, I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.