Review: Operation: Christmas Hearts (The Heart Stories Book 4) by Kay Springsteen

Print Length: 271 pages

Publisher: EsKape Press (March 26, 2016)

From Goodreads.com: Ashley Torrington never cared much about Christmas before. But this year she’s having a particularly blue holiday because Marine Special Operations Team member, Nick Turner got under her skin just before he was deployed to Afghanistan. With her neighbors’ precocious daughter Bella volunteering Ashley for a special project at school, and a mysterious white-haired stranger named Estelle in town buying gifts from Ashley’s shop, not to mention the odd assortment of presents Ashley’s been receiving from an anonymous source, she shouldn’t have time to worry about her guy. But when he and his team go missing the week before Christmas, she realizes only a Christmas miracle will reunite them. 

Captain Nicholas Turner never backed down from challenges—on the battlefield or in his personal life. But he’d never met a challenge like Ashley, who doesn't want to be anyone’s “girl back home.” Now he’s on the other side of the world, wanting to be anywhere but in Afghanistan for Christmas. About to embark on one of the most dangerous missions of his life, he needs Ashley to know she’s much more than the girl he’d left behind, and he does plan to come home to her. But in the meantime, a little Christmas magic would be appreciated. Little does he know, he’s about to get his wish.           

                                  

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My Rating: 4 stars out of 5

This story is my favorite of the series (so far). There is a level of realism that Kay Springfield manages to reach when portraying the emotional turmoil that is experienced when a loved one is deployed that few other novels can achieve. 

Another clean novel, you are able to experience the relationship between Nick and Ashley via flashbacks while they are currently separated due to deployment. It was a wonderfully sweet story seeing not only how these two managed to find love with one another, but also the clever ways that Nick managed to avoid hitting Ashley's "four date" rule. 

As this story also takes place in the shore town of Lookout Island, we get to catch up with old favorites (namely Dan, Trish and their daughter Bella from Heartsight) as well. And let me tell you, their story is far from over!  

An underlying message throughout this story is angels and believing in miracles (even when we don't see them for what they are), and I felt the author did a beautiful job of getting this message across without the book coming across as "pushing" any one religion on someone (which I know is off-putting for some readers). 

Overall, I highly recommend this story to those who enjoy a sweet and well written romance novel with interesting characters. I would read more from this author! 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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                      Operation: Christmas Hearts is available from Amazon.com