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Dear Santa
One Sexy Secret Santa...
With strong shoulders to lean on and deep, dark eyes to drown in Vic Maltese was a package any woman would want under her Christmas tree. But beneath the gorgeous wrappings - and his padded Santa suit - lay a heart-wrenching family secret. A secret that left him a pushover for women and children in need...
When Katherine Fairchild met two kids in terrible trouble, she instinctively turned to Vic. The tough but tender man offered protection - and passion. In Vic's strong arms, Katherine knew she could face any danger...and maybe even make her Christmas wish of a family of her own come true.
- GenresRomance
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1998
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Alice Orr
22 books52 followersMy Name is Alice & This is My Story.
Growing up as an only child until I was nine had a lot to do with making me a storyteller. I wasn’t really alone because I had my imagination and spent loads of time there.
I also had Grandma and she did two amazing things for me. She told me stories of her own and she listened to mine. I’d sit at the table in her warm kitchen and kick my toes under my chair because my feet didn’t yet touch the floor. I'd talk while Grandma listened with a twinkle in her eye behind her rimless glasses. Because of Grandma I love to tell stories.
In the eighth grade I had a teacher named Mrs. Mahon. I was a restless, troublesome student. Then she assigned a writing project and I wrote several pages without a restless moment in any of them.
When Mrs. Mahon handed back the graded papers she dropped mine on my desk & said “You know how to write, girl.” I figured that must be true. Mrs. Mahon wouldn’t have complimented bad-student me unless she meant it. At last I had something I loved to do that I was good at doing.
Still it was decades before I talked about my dream to anybody but myself. My husband Jonathan asked me a question that changed my life. “If you could do anything at all what would it be?”
I couldn’t answer right away. I was afraid that if I spoke the words out loud they'd shatter in the air and my dream would shatter with them. Finally I said “If I could do anything at all I’d be a writer.”
Those words did not shatter and everything I’ve done since has been about pursuing them.
Growing up as an only child until I was nine had a lot to do with making me a storyteller. I wasn’t really alone because I had my imagination and spent loads of time there.
I also had Grandma and she did two amazing things for me. She told me stories of her own and she listened to mine. I’d sit at the table in her warm kitchen and kick my toes under my chair because my feet didn’t yet touch the floor. I'd talk while Grandma listened with a twinkle in her eye behind her rimless glasses. Because of Grandma I love to tell stories.
In the eighth grade I had a teacher named Mrs. Mahon. I was a restless, troublesome student. Then she assigned a writing project and I wrote several pages without a restless moment in any of them.
When Mrs. Mahon handed back the graded papers she dropped mine on my desk & said “You know how to write, girl.” I figured that must be true. Mrs. Mahon wouldn’t have complimented bad-student me unless she meant it. At last I had something I loved to do that I was good at doing.
Still it was decades before I talked about my dream to anybody but myself. My husband Jonathan asked me a question that changed my life. “If you could do anything at all what would it be?”
I couldn’t answer right away. I was afraid that if I spoke the words out loud they'd shatter in the air and my dream would shatter with them. Finally I said “If I could do anything at all I’d be a writer.”
Those words did not shatter and everything I’ve done since has been about pursuing them.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 28, 2017
For me, the characters were a little flat. Vic had this mysterious past, which wasn't all that mysterious. Katherine had lost a stepson, and the author made it out to be a bigger issue than it was. Not that losing a stepson is not a big issue, but the author made it feel that Katherine had dealt with a lot more in her life than that. You get no backstory of her except for that issue. Her storyline about an ex-husband amounted to a single sentence. I found Vic as a character was better developed than Katherine's character. The ending get wrapped up nice in pretty much a half of a page with little explanation.
I did like where they worked though. They are an inner city children's center that at Christmas, was trying to find needy children/families to help out financially. That was the great part of this book.
The scary part of this book, was that a young boy sees something he shouldn't have, and is being chased by bad guys, so he ultimately goes in hiding on the streets. At Christmas, on cold streets with a flimsy jacket on is scary. You get an inkling of why Coyote and Sprite, his sister, are staying at a friend of the families house, but you don't really get to see why. All you know is that the mother is sick. But not really from what or why.
I did like where they worked though. They are an inner city children's center that at Christmas, was trying to find needy children/families to help out financially. That was the great part of this book.
The scary part of this book, was that a young boy sees something he shouldn't have, and is being chased by bad guys, so he ultimately goes in hiding on the streets. At Christmas, on cold streets with a flimsy jacket on is scary. You get an inkling of why Coyote and Sprite, his sister, are staying at a friend of the families house, but you don't really get to see why. All you know is that the mother is sick. But not really from what or why.
November 1, 2017
A very good read. I enjoyed every chapter.
April 16, 2018
Alice Orr's "Dear Santa" pales in comparison to her last Christmas mystery, "Protect Me, Love." It begins with a great thread, with two kids trying to keep the secret that the "aunt" they live with isn't related to them at all. But just when Coyote Bellaway is on the brink of getting the money to save him and his sister, he witnesses something that puts his life in danger. It's up to two adults from the local children's community center--Katherine Fairchild and Vic Maltese--to save the boy from the danger stalking him and his sister.
Unfortunately, the story becomes less interesting as it goes along. The pace isn't helped by Orr's endless paragraphs, which basically amount to one and a half paragraphs per page, but there's also the fact that the bad guys stay in the background far too long and the wrap-up happens far too fast. Plus, the bantering between Katherine and Vic is given too much time, leaving less time for plot development. I liked the characters and cared about what happened to them, but Vic's big secret is somewhat of a letdown (I don't know what the back cover copy is talking about, but it is not certainly not heart-rending.) There are also some plot holes: Katherine's stepson is mentioned early and brought up a lot, yet it's never explained what happened to her ex-husband. I had far too many questions when I was finished. Orr has written better books before. Some sweet moments, but not much more.
Unfortunately, the story becomes less interesting as it goes along. The pace isn't helped by Orr's endless paragraphs, which basically amount to one and a half paragraphs per page, but there's also the fact that the bad guys stay in the background far too long and the wrap-up happens far too fast. Plus, the bantering between Katherine and Vic is given too much time, leaving less time for plot development. I liked the characters and cared about what happened to them, but Vic's big secret is somewhat of a letdown (I don't know what the back cover copy is talking about, but it is not certainly not heart-rending.) There are also some plot holes: Katherine's stepson is mentioned early and brought up a lot, yet it's never explained what happened to her ex-husband. I had far too many questions when I was finished. Orr has written better books before. Some sweet moments, but not much more.
April 24, 2010
Great story and mystery
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews