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Santa Wore Combat Boots

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Emma Turner feels like her life ended with the death of her husband. Three years later she’s doing the best she can for her children and moving through life on autopilot. She doesn’t believe true love can happen twice in a lifetime. As a matter of fact, she doesn’t believe in much anymore. Putting her trust in one honest man might be just what she needs to move forward.

Bound by duty Jake Nicklaus never imagined he’d cross the line and fall in love with the woman he swore he’d watch over. If only he’d died on that chopper instead of her husband, she wouldn’t be hurting. The only way to heal her heart is to show her how to live again. Finding the magic in Christmas is the perfect way to start.

Will one kiss under the mistletoe change their lives forever?

81 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 20, 2011

15 people are currently reading
426 people want to read

About the author

Barbara Witek

14 books32 followers
I live in New York with my husband and 2 rambunctious black labs (Max & Marley) There is never a dull moment in our world.

When I'm not writing, I'm enjoying empty-nester life in the cul-de-sac. I also enjoy cross-country skiing and skating, hiking, anything crafty, and competitive game nights with family and friends!

I'm a firm believer in love at first sight and finding lost loves.







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5 stars
106 (20%)
4 stars
157 (29%)
3 stars
183 (34%)
2 stars
57 (10%)
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24 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
Profile Image for UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish.
1,097 reviews1,760 followers
November 22, 2015

I know many of us are looking for holiday themed stories right now, and this one.... well, maybe it's the season, maybe it's because of my love for our military men and women who can't be home in time for the holidays, or in some cases, they'll never come home... I don't know, but this story really got to me.
Cover Blurb: Emma Turner feels like her life ended with the death of her husband. Three years later she’s doing the best she can for her children and moving through life on autopilot. She doesn’t believe true love can happen twice in a lifetime. As a matter of fact, she doesn’t believe in much anymore. Putting her trust in one honest man might be just what she needs to move forward.

Bound by duty Jake Nicklaus never imagined he’d cross the line and fall in love with the woman he swore he’d watch over. If only he’d died on that chopper instead of her husband, she wouldn’t be hurting. The only way to heal her heart is to show her how to live again. Finding the magic in Christmas is the perfect way to start.

Will one kiss under the mistletoe change their lives forever?
This was one of three free ebooks I grabbed from amazon a week or so ago, and I'm glad I did. The story isn't perfect - it's a tough subject to tackle in a novella - but it was more than time well spent just for the message of faith, love, and hope. Romantic, emotional, inspirational... this story has all the things I look for in my holiday reading.

3.5 of 5 stars
Profile Image for Karla.
987 reviews1,109 followers
December 2, 2012

3 1/2 Stars! Very sweet book about losing your true love, moving on, never forgetting, just allowing someone else into your heart. The story relayed a powerful message about loss and healing. A few inconsistencies, but the author did the storyline justice. I had a little trouble believing some of what a 5 year old was capable of remembering. But hey, it's all about love and Christmas magic, so anything is possible. A sad start to this holiday read, but in the end it will leave you with a smile.

Free on Amazon-12/2/12
Profile Image for Beth.
3,102 reviews301 followers
December 19, 2012
Santa Wore Combat Boots was an unexpected twist to the army buddy looking after the wife of a fallen comrade and then they slowly fall in love. Sweet, tender and a fantastic Christmas read, it also added a paranormal aspect of the ghost of the lost husband.

Yes, I cried and cheered! A heart warming novella length Christmas tale!
Profile Image for MsRomanticReads.
788 reviews188 followers
December 10, 2012
This review was originally posted on my blog.

A sweet, romantic tale in time for the Holidays. I enjoyed this quick read for its message of hope, faith, love and forgiveness. Since her husband's death in Iraq three years ago, Emma has had a hard time letting go of her grief, especially around Christmas. Traditions and memories overwhelm her, and also the fact that she sees Larry's ghost every Christmas Eve. For a short time, once a year, she's able to feel close to him again. But it's not enough. She seeks out a medium that could help her contact Larry so she'd be able to have him around whenever she needs him. Okay, I could almost buy into that part. They had a wonderful marriage and were deeply in love. Why wouldn't she be grasping at straws?

Then there's her hot firefighter neighbor Jake Nicklaus. He's been a friend to her ever since he moved in next door. He helps her with odd jobs around the house, listens to her and lets her cry her heart out. He's become her rock. What she doesn't know is that Larry also visits Jake. They once served together, and it's because Jake got hurt that Larry took his place on the helicopter that got shot down. Larry wants Jake to help Emma find her Christmas spirit again, for her sake and that of their children. It's sweet so far. But what bothered me about this story was Emma. I got that she was grieving, but it's been three years, and she doesn't realize that she's kind of putting a damper on everything for her kids? Just because she's miserable doesn't mean they have to be. Then to make things worse, Emma begins to notice that Jake knows things only Larry would have known. She gets it in her head that perhaps Jake is the means to get through to Larry. I felt like she was just going to use him, but to what? A little Ghost re-enactment where Larry's spirit enters Jake's body or the three of them have a sit down and a chit chat? I never understood exactly how Emma thought that was going to play out. She'd feel some attraction to Jake only to slam down those feelings out of guilt, and then she'd start up with her thoughts of asking Jake to help her reach Larry.

If there was anything really good about this story, it was Jake's relationship with the children. He was caring, sweet, attentive. He had his heart in the right place. The ending was very touching and left a great visual. Overall this romantic fantasy was short and sweet, but I do wish Emma hadn't been quite so .... needy. If three years hadn't already passed, I'd have bought her selfishness a little easier.
Profile Image for Anne OK.
4,100 reviews553 followers
December 16, 2012
A Christmas romance that was sweet and tender. A soldier's widow and her children receive help from Santa's helper next door. While it's difficult to say good-bye and move on, this story has a little help from the past.

The story led me to believe there would be more sizzle to the holidays so I felt a little disappointment. Even so, it was a nice treat at this time of year.
Profile Image for Jae.
693 reviews178 followers
December 17, 2012
Thank goodness this was free from Amazon. I'd hissed and howled bitterly if this was purchased from real money.
Can't believe I actually waisted my reading time for this, just because of that hot abs.
Profile Image for Kelly.
5,665 reviews227 followers
December 2, 2012
I originally picked this book up for the cover. What? I like shirtless men on book covers. I'm not ashamed to admit that. That said, this book didn't quite hit the spot for me. It was sweet and the romance was nice but... it didn't quite work. (Admittedly, I might have been expecting sexy times and there are no sexy times in this book. Just sexy kissing. Which is nice and everything but... I wanted more.)

Here's the thing, I like overall the idea behind ghostly visitations and letting go of the past and all that but I had a hard time believing that everyone who saw ghostly Larry was just... okay with it. I'd freak if something like that happened. Here, everyone was just like "Oh, hai. I'm just going to go about my business and stuff. Yep. Nothing to see here. We're cool."

This was a cute book with the underlying message that Emma had to let go and move on and learn to live again after her world was shattered. It wasn't what I was looking for when I picked it up, but it was... nice.

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
Profile Image for Awilk -never sleeps- .
1,033 reviews6 followers
December 28, 2012
Emma lost her soldier husband, Larry, while he was stationed overseas. She has just been doing the minimum for Christmas as she can get away with ever since. Emma can't completely ignore the holidays, as she has two small children.

Jake Nicklaus (and I admit that his name did bug me) served with Larry, and had promised to watch over his family if anything happened to him. He has been Emma's neighbour for years, keeping his promise to Larry.

Larry, unlike most people who have passed away, still visits Jake, making sure he is keeping his promise to look after his wife and children, and trying to bring her love of the holidays back.

Emma realises that she is actually starting to have feelings for her very special neighbour, and that maybe she is ready to start living a full life again. Larry isn't really ok with this, and this was the best part of the book for.
Of course, by the end Larry understands that Emma and Jake deserve a chance of a happy life together, and he shows himself to Emma, so that she can go after her happy ending.

This short story was super quick to read and very sweet
Profile Image for Nancy Crocker.
230 reviews6 followers
December 1, 2012
Hard to believe this was a free download from Amazon. Every once in a while you find a gem. This is the story of Emma , her two children, her neighbor and the spirit of her late husband. Her husband was killed in the war when his helicopter was shot down. And his spirit enlist the soldier who's place he took, to watch over her and the kids to help her with her grief. What they had not planned on was the Emma and the kids falling in love with Jake. By the last chapter I was in serious tears. What a really good Holiday story.
Profile Image for Judi.
475 reviews49 followers
December 2, 2012
Ho Ho Ho that cover model can come over to my house...baring gifts in his big red bag any time he wants. Merry Christmas! I’m not going to lie Mr Hot Pants is the reason I started this book...and it was free at Amazon.

Santa Wore Combat Boots is a story about letting go, moving on and allowing yourself to love again. Throw in some cute kids, a smokin' hot fireman neighbor, the spirit of the holidays and it’s a sweet as Christmas cookies little seasonal tale proving that Christmas miracles really do come true.
Profile Image for Sofia Grey.
Author 60 books281 followers
December 5, 2012
I picked this up as an Amazon freebie. From the cover and title I figured it would be a combat soldier returning for Xmas and surprising a girlfriend or wife... I was wrong.

Instead, it's a sweet ghost story, of love, loss and redemption, all wrapped up in a lovely festive Christmas package.

I really enjoyed it. Go grab it while it's free :-)
Profile Image for Amanda.
222 reviews10 followers
December 16, 2012
Not the book I would normally read but one I very much enjoyed. Not only a sweet romance but a short story about finding Christmas spirit again, loving life and your kids and finding new hope after the loss of a loved one.
Profile Image for Laurie.
220 reviews6 followers
December 10, 2012
What a great Christmas romance story!

Emma's husband, Larry, died in Iraq in a helicopter crash 3 years ago. Emma has died a little each day since then. Holidays have been celebrated minimally because Emma couldn't bear them without Larry. She wishes her daughter remembered more of him. Her son was a baby when Larry died. Larry comes to visit her each Christmas eve. She can't see him, but she can feel him. She has been using Mediums to attempt to contact him, but they are all fakes. Thank goodness she has her neighbor, Jake, to help her with things. He is always so helpful. Emma has lost her Christmas spirit.

Jake, former military man who, unbeknownst to Emma, served with Larry. Larry made him promise to take care of Emma and the kids if anything happened to him. Larry visits Jake a lot. Jake can see Larry. Jake has feelings for Emma and the kids, but his promise and honor keep him from acting upon them. Larry tells Jake to help Emma find her Christmas spirit again. Emma is so sad, so empty, and he just wants her to be happy.

Jake does everything he can think of to show Emma her missing joy. Everything seems to be going good and when that happens, a few white feathers float down onto the floor each time there is a happy moment.

Much more happens, but that would be spoiling it for you. I even shed a few tears and let out a couple shivering breaths near the end.

My review does not do this book justice. This is a sweet and moving Christmas tale of loss, joy and of love. Suitable for all readers.
Profile Image for Jackie's Bookbytes.
567 reviews48 followers
December 2, 2012
What would you do if you saw your husbands ghost? How could you ever go on loving another man?

Larry was a soldier who died in a helicopter crash. Jake should've been the one in that helicopter, but instead he made a promise to Larry to watch over his wife and kids. It's been three years and Larry's ghost is still hanging around not being able to let go of Emma.

Jake has always wanted a family and if he was honest about his feelings for Emma he'd have made her his a long time ago but he made a promise and his duty came first.

The more time Emma spent with Jake, the more her feelings grew into something electrifying. He was so good with her kids. Christmas for Emma had slowly lost meaning apart from Larry. Jake knew what he needed to do to bring back her Christmas Spirit. I loved it when they went out looking for the perfect tree. It was a magical place where they all enjoyed a trip down a large hill on a toboggan.

The book only takes a couple hours to read. A perfect time to cuddle up with hot coco next to the fire.
Profile Image for Angie ~aka Reading Machine~.
3,746 reviews135 followers
December 15, 2012
What a wonderful and heartfelt story about finding love after great loss. Emma Turner was sure she'd never feel the Christmas Spirit again. It's been three years since her husband Larry died in Iraq. Emma gradually loses more of her Christmas Spirit every year. Her neighbor Jake Nicklaus does many helpful things around Emma's house but tried to stop himself from falling in love with her. Jake thinks that Emma is the perfect woman and mother of her two children Sarah and Ben. Jake tries to bring the Christmas Spirit back into Emma's life at her deceased husband request. Larry tells Jake it's his job to get Emma's Christmas Spirit back not just for her but for their children too. Jake showing Emma all the ways she's missing out on by believing and having faith things will work out. Emma doesn't realize how much of the Christmas Spirit she's missing until she sees it in her children. Can Emma let go of Larry? Can Emma get the Christmas Spirit back? Will Jake let Emma know how he feels? Is there really magic in Christmas? Your answers await you in Santa Wore Combat Boots.
Profile Image for Katt Hansen.
3,844 reviews108 followers
December 26, 2012
I'm having a hard time with my review for this one. On one hand, it was a free book on Kindle meaning I wasn't expecting a whole lot. But on the other, it just wasn't very good, even with my trying to add in a dose of Christmas generosity.

The ghost element felt tacked in for the most part, and honestly got downright annoying. The story would have functioned just fine without the presence of the former husband, and honestly might have been stronger without what felt like a cheap device designed to tack this story into the Paranormal Romance category.

On the other hand, I liked the relationship between the two soldiers and felt that complexity might have been expanded on.

So a little Christmas Spirit or not? I just don't know. But the way this was written just didn't quite work.
Profile Image for Yona Racheva.
1,267 reviews251 followers
November 14, 2013
The spirit of the dead husband who made Jake promise to take care of his wife and children but they(Jack and Emma) started to fall in love and the spirit of Larry is angry, because he thinks Jack is taking everything away from him although he died more then three years ago and he wants his wife to be happy and to find the Christmas spirit again. But Larry doesn't want to let go. But then realizes his mistake and appear in front of his life to tell her that she need to move with Jake. And HEA with the spirit appearing on Christmas.

The book was very strangely written and I can't say I liked it.
Profile Image for Suzanne.
1,443 reviews24 followers
December 12, 2012
3.5 stars
A sweet Christmas read! Emma is mourning the loss of her husband and is desperately trying to hang on to his memory and keep up with the day to day struggles of raising a young family. Along comes Jake and unbeknown to Emma he is fulfilling his promise to her husband to look after his family for him. Not as straight forward as he thinks! In trying to get Emma to embrace the Christmas spirit, he gets more heartache than he bargained for. Only 1500+ words (?) which is easy to sneak in to this crazy, busy time of the year :)
Profile Image for Jax O.
1,737 reviews131 followers
December 11, 2012
Christmas story with a paranormal twist. Awesome for helping you back into the spirit of christmas. Emma has been struggling for years since her husband was killed in Afganistan. With the help of her neighbor Jack she has managed to keep everything afloat, but little does she know that life has been just passing her by. With Jack's help she will find herself, and the spirit of Christmas that was unknowningly lost. What begins as an innocent mission to help a longly woman find the spirit of christmas becomes a story of love and healing.

~BookWhisperer Reviewer JO~
Profile Image for SheLove2Read.
3,104 reviews203 followers
December 1, 2012
I know what the author was trying to convey with this short Christmas themed novella, but for me it was just sad. Sad as in this woman had issues. I can understand not wanting to move on after the death of her husband but for me, her actions & thoughts seemed just short of being on the edge of losing touch with reality. The ending was incredibly rushed and left me thinking WTF? Did I miss an entire chapter somehow? Cute cover model though.
1 star / D-
Profile Image for Jackie.
3,956 reviews128 followers
December 3, 2012
Sweet holiday 2nd chance romance, this one is all about promises made, wishes fulfilled and dreams come true.
Jake's character is such an all around great guy, his honorable actions in fulfilling the vow he made to take care of his commanding officers wife and children upon his death will strike a chord with readers as they enjoy this lovely tribute to what Christmas is truly meant to be!
Profile Image for Char (1RadReader59).
3,204 reviews20 followers
December 3, 2012
I am so glad I read this book. It is so easy to get into self. That we forget about those we love especially when times are hard. Like for this mother of two who's husband died in service. This may be for some an overly dramatic depiction of how God helps us but never the less this is a way I loved. The characters were all so sweet. Jake & Sarah were my favorites.
11 reviews
December 10, 2012
Got this free on Amazon and read it in one day. It's only 81 pages and truthfully, that's enough. It's a holiday themed story of a woman trying to come to terms with her deceased husband and rekindle the Christmas spirit. Literally!!! It's a cute story that left me with tears in my eyes at the end.
209 reviews
December 10, 2012
Story is about Emma Turner who loses her soldier husband Larry in a helicopter crash. His Army commrade, Jake Nicklaus, promises Larry that he will help the widowed Emma and her two children whenever they are in need. Larry's ghost appears to Emma on Christmas Eve and appears more frequently to Jake. This is a sweet Christmas story with a happy ending.
Profile Image for pinK.
479 reviews8 followers
December 15, 2012
This book is so cute. I really enjoyed reading it. It's fairly short, and I was able to read it fairly quickly, but I loved it. The children were so well written, they made me smile so many times. I liked the little extra paranormal aspect to it, I also liked that the paranormal aspect didn't take over the story.

This was an adorable story, and perfect for this time of year.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
589 reviews34 followers
December 5, 2012
This is a very cute, sweet novella about a widow who's lost her Christmas spirit since the death of her husband. With a little help from her hunky soldier next door neighbor and a certain spirit, she has a second chance at love. Short and sweet.
Profile Image for Rachel Skinner.
57 reviews69 followers
December 7, 2012
It was the title and cover that sold me on this book, no question, an unfortunately I ended up loving them more than the story itself. The first half developed nicely, but the conclusion felt rushed and there were a few plot things that I didn't care for. Overall, still a pleasant holiday read.
3,065 reviews13 followers
December 8, 2020
'Santa Wore Combat Boots' is a lovely Christmas book about finding love and moving on.
In keeping with tradition there is also a ghost (though the book could have worked just as well without it).
Emma Turner's husband, Larry, died three years ago in Iraq, leaving her with two young children. She's been struggling, particularly around Christmas.
Jake Nicklaus, her next door neighbour, unbeknownst to her was also a soldier, served with Larry, and swore to look after her should anything happen.
For three years he's been there when she needed help - this time Christmas is going to change everything.
Any more detail would be giving away too much.
Suffice it to say it's a fine short book with lots of heart and a sincere Christmas message.
Profile Image for Kris.
474 reviews15 followers
June 1, 2017
Predictably cheesy but cute.
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