Review - The Mistletoe Secret by Richard Paul Evans

Book Summary

The master of the holiday novel presents the moving story of two people who brave loneliness and loss to find love.

Dear Universe,
Is anyone out there?

Thinking no one is reading, a blogger who calls herself LBH writes about her most personal feelings, especially her overwhelming loneliness. She goes from day to day showing a brave face to the world while inside she longs to know how it would feel if one person cared about her.

Alex Bartlett cares. He’s reading her posts in Daytona Beach, Florida. Nursing his own broken heart and trust issues, he finds himself falling for this sensitive, vulnerable woman whose feelings mirror his own. Following a trail of clues LBH has inadvertently revealed, he discovers that she lives in the small town of Midway, Utah. He makes his way there just after Thanksgiving, determined to find LBH. Maybe she’s a Lisa, Lori, or a Luanne. Instead, he finds a woman named Aria, a waitress at the Mistletoe Diner, who encourages Alex in his search while serving his pie along with some much-needed sympathy and companionship.

Alex finally finds his LBH, a woman who is as beautiful and kind as he imagined she would be. How can he tell her that he knows her secret? What’s holding him back? Could it be his feelings for Aria?


My Review - 5 stars

I bought this as part of my book club's gift this year and read on Kindle in case they talk about it.  This is my first book by Richard Paul Evans and I really enjoyed it.  Once I got into the story I couldn't stop, I stayed up late last night finishing it with a smile.

Holiday stories are predictable, there is some sadness but they always end in happiness.  This to me is an expectation.  I really liked how the author tried to put a wrench in the story-line, having you second guess your thoughts and then it all turns out for the best, I enjoyed this spin.

Alex is out with his friends and they tell him to stop moping, why don't he go online and meet someone, join a dating site.  As Alex decides why not, he come across a blog 'Is Anyone Out There' that captures his interest.  A lady only known as LBH writes a honest blog about being lonely and it touches Alex.  Instead of going on dates from the site he decides to try and find LBH.

What if the world's best-kept secret was that the whole world was lonely?  Kindle 44%

I enjoyed the style of sharing the blog posts and could see how Alex was touched by the writing.  Off he goes and ends up with a list of 18 names with the initials LBH in Midway, Utah.  He comes across some interesting people during his search.  A really lovely book with sweet characters.  Some fell the ultimate romance story and others were very weary about a stranger looking for a woman without knowing her name, a little creepy.  This all made it real and a sweet story to read.

Along his search he meets a beautiful waitress Aria.  Does Aria keep him away from truly continuing his search?  Does he find possible love with LBH or Aria?  The new LBH stands for Loved By Him.   A beautiful holiday story and I look forward to reading more by Richard Paul Evans.

It is the end of the story but I loved this quote and want to share.

We fear jumping because we fear falling.  We fear being broken.  But still, jump we must, because it's only in jumping that we'll ever find someone to catch us.