Holiday romance. Holly is the single mom of 10 you Danny andworks in a charity consignment thrift whop, which she loves. One day, going through donations, she finds a charm bracelet. Because she also owns one, she knows this jewelry is dear and wasnm't meant to be donated. With her friend and son, they start to uncover the meaning of some of the charms. Greg thought he knew his fiancee when he left his brokerage job to take up photography, but his fiancee ditched him. So he joins his Dad for a New Year's Eve gala, that Holly just happens to be working at, and in a series of just in time moments, meets her - and we know from the ending that he's the one for her. ( )

A sweet story with a very kind lead character and a surprise at the end.

Holly has a charm bracelet that is her prized possession. It was given to her anonymously. For years, charms arrive commemorating the biggest moments in her life.

Holly works at a vintage clothing store and finds a charm bracelet in the pocket of one of the donated pieces. She knows how much her charm bracelet means to her and she imagines that the owner of this bracelet must be devastated to have lost it. So she sets off on a bit of a wild goose chase to find the owner by trying to figure out the meaning behind each charm.

Greg is the other main character. He has quit his job to pursue his dream of being a photographer. He is also planning to propose to his girlfriend.
Greg's girlfriend is pretty irritating and from the first time meeting her in the book I was already rooting for them to break up.

We nearly got the break down on every charm on both charm bracelets which felt a bit much at times.

But it was a sweet story and had a nice New York at Christmastime setting too. ( )

The book is slow to start with the first part containing a bit of backstory about Holly working at a vintage clothing store and about her charm bracelet. Set up for when Holly finds a charm bracelet in a coat that's donated to the store. Because Holly values her own charm bracelet so much and feels that each charm represents something in her own life, she decides that the bracelet's owner must be missing it and sets out to find her.

Holly uses the charms on the bracelet as clues to the owner and several charms yield clues that set her on the path to finding the owner. (We also get stories about various charms on both Holly's and the other charm bracelet--how they got them and what they mean.)

I did guess the owner of the charm bracelet before it was revealed in the book, though there is a nice little surprise at the end that I didn't expect. A bit of a fairy tale ending. ( )

Title: The Gift of a Charm
Author: Melissa Hill
Publisher: St Martin's Griffin
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 5
Review:

"The Gift of a Charm" by Melissa Hill

My Thoughts....

This was a beautifully told story of 'Christmas love to restore your faith in miracles.' I liked how this author was able to present us a story that started with a 'charm bracelet' being found at 'The Secret Closet' [resale shop] and with Holly's desire to return it to its rightful owner. Why did this charm bracelet mean so much to Holly? Who was this 'mysterious benefactor' who has been sending Holly these charms? The characterization of each one in the novel were all well developed, defined, well portrayed and believable and with this happening around the holiday season was the perfect setting.

This novel will be about two stories...one dealing with Holly and her son and the other being about Greg and his family. I will say it was quite a journey as Holly goes on these hunts trying to find the rightful owner of this charm bracelet. Now, how this all comes out will be a quite interesting read where you will have to pick up this good read to see how well this story is presented. If you are looking for a good holiday read or maybe a good read at anytime, I would recommend 'The Gift of Charm' to you.

I received a copy through NOR in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I don't typically read feel-good sentimental romance stuff but I figured that since the holidays were here and the weather was getting colder I wanted to try something a little different from what I usually aim for...The Gift of a Charm seemed pretty amazing and so I went for it.

A feel-good story, the main character Holly working in a fabulous vintage clothing store in New York, comes upon a charm bracelet hidden in an old coat. Feeling impelled to seek out the owner she is on a mission. Then there's Greg on a mission of his own...leaving the corporate world in order to follow his passion of photography. True to romance stories, we get a lovely little connection between Holly and Greg and that's the end of that story...only that's so not true!! There are little twists and turns throughout..a lovely unique read.

Again, I don't typically read romance tales but the ones I have read I liked and this book goes right along into that grouping. Just in time for the holidays...it's warm..entertaining..lovely, a light read. I enjoyed it.

Thanks to Melissa Hill for making it possible for me to win via giveaway this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )