Ashley James is living the dream: an apartment in Manhattan, a great roommate, a job with potential at the world-renowned jewelry store, Windsor’s, and a boyfriend of three years standing that “gets her.” But an embarrassing misunderstanding with Jeremy on the eve of their trip to spend Christmas with his family in Paris leaves her doubting that dream, and she breaks it off with him.

Crushed at the realization that Jeremy didn’t see their future together, including marriage, Ashley heads home to spend the holiday with her parents in upstate New York, something she hasn’t done in eight long years. The fact is, she hasn’t been home at all since she left for college; her parents always visiting her in the City. Always with a good reason, a school internship, work demands, Ashley also knows she’s avoided returning to her small, everyone-knows-everyone-else, hometown because she also left behind her heartbroken, high school sweetheart, Aidan Flynn.

On the train ride up, she and her seatmate, Betty, strike up a conversation regarding the unique, old charm bracelet the older woman is wearing. Ashley has always had a love of vintage jewelry and had spent her precious little free time back in the City, scouring local flea markets and dusty shops for pieces she could use to craft beautiful, one-of-a-kind, upcycled creations. She dreams of becoming a jewelry designer for Windsor’s one day. As Ashley relaxes, she shares her life and dreams with her kind listener, and soon the chat, her emotional state, and the rhythm of the train soothe her into sleep. When she awakes at her stop in Owl Lake, she finds that Betty has quietly disembarked and left her the charm bracelet and a note telling Ashley to have the Christmas of her dreams.

But thinking the Christmas of her dreams just left on a plane to Paris, Ashley is still pleased to find her hometown relatively unchanged, her childhood home beautifully decked out for the holidays with a strange golden retriever no one seems to own on the porch. Later, Ashley discovers the bracelet won’t come off and has two charms on it that depict the decorated house and the dog, right down to the red ribbon around his neck. Ashley begins to wonder if there is some Christmas magic working overtime this season.

This latest story from Teri Wilson is warm and wonderful and ushers in the holiday season with all its magic and the possibility of miracles and second chances. I loved how the author introduces the reader to Ashley and her life, a successful one she feels, but a feeling which, in reality, is much like the fable of the frog in the cookpot that doesn’t perceive the problem of the slowly heating water. Her roommate, Maya, is great, but that apartment, her job, and that boyfriend? Subtle mentions of the conditions surrounding each, though not remarkable to Ashley – she’s living the dream! – very cleverly make you pause.

It was amusing to watch Ashley’s repeated attempts to get back to her life in the City. Nature, itself, magically works against this happening until she opens her eyes, and her heart, to what she left back in Owl Lake all those years ago, including the boy she left behind. Aidan, now a firefighter and deeply involved in his community and extended family, had struggled when his own dreams were dashed by  Ashley’s refusal of his marriage proposal when they were fresh out of high school. I liked that the author shows that the proposal was premature for Aidan and Ashley and that they both needed some time and growth before committing to each other.

CHRISTMAS CHARMS is a delightful holiday-themed diversion that brought out all the warm feelings as well as a tear or two. It is a perfect story to get into the holiday spirit though it would be a charming tale to read any time. The premise is fun and magical, and there are a lot of truly wonderful moments throughout. I recommend this book to contemporary romance readers, readers that are ready for some Christmas charm, and anyone that loved those home-for-the-holidays coffee commercials that touch you right in the feels.

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