Christmas at the Havenwood Diner by Sophie Bueno

Sent to a small town by his father, the owner of a large restaurant conglomerate, Alex begins working at the Havenwood diner, seeking to prove himself to his father as someone ready to take over the organization. He thinks he knows everything he needs to know about the best way for a small restaurant to be run, but soon discovers that his book-learned and boardroom knowledge is vastly different than what actually working in the restaurant is like. What Alex doesn't realize, though, is that father actually sent him there to learn more than what it takes to run the business. He sent him there to learn who he is and who he wants to be. And once he meets Grace, a single mother who has also been badly hurt by someone she trusted, he begins to learn a great deal about himself, another side of the restaurant business, life in a small town, and love.

I read a review copy of this book and absolutely loved it. It was described to me as a story written in the style of a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie, and it did not disappoint. This story showed the journey of two broken hearts slowly finding healing and learning to trust and love again. And if you are familiar with Hallmark holiday movies, this book follows the pattern that many of their Christmas romance movies tend to follow, from meeting the two main characters, through their budding romance and healing hearts, to additional complications and heartbreak, and then the expected conclusion.

I could easily imagine seeing this book as a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie and how it might play out on the screen. (And in case you are wondering, yes, I am someone who enjoys watching the Hallmark Channel holiday movies, even though my husband sometimes enjoys teasing me about watching them.) And because I enjoy them, I was very impressed with this story. It was well written and well edited. And by hitting all the expected plot points, it evoked both some happy tears as well as heartbreaking ones at various points in the story.

I believe that anyone who enjoys romance novels or watching Hallmark Channel holiday movies, of any season, will enjoy reading this book as much as I did. Recommended.