The Mistletoe Secret

Mistletoe #3

by Richard Paul Evans, Madeleine Maby (Narrator)

Unabridged, 1 audiobook sound file, 5 hours 21 minutes
_______________
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?

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Fiction, Holiday, Audiobook, Adult, Adult Fiction

5 pages, Audiobook

First published November 15, 2016

About the author

When Richard Paul Evans wrote the #1 best-seller, The Christmas Box, he never intended on becoming an internationally known author. His quiet story of parental love and the true meaning of Christmas made history when it became simultaneously the #1 hardcover and paperback book in the nation. Since then, more than eight million copies of The Christmas Box have been printed. He has since written eleven consecutive New York Times bestsellers. He is one the few authors in history to have hit both the fiction and non-fiction bestseller lists. He has won several awards for his books including the 1998 American Mothers Book Award, two first place Storytelling World Awards, and the 2005 Romantic Times Best Women Novel of the Year Award. His books have been translated into more than 22 languages and several have been international best sellers.

Reviews

[Mischenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmmm... Two lonely people find love, Christmastime, I love it! Pretty good story that's not horribly predictable. Good December read. I really like Richard Paul Evans and wish I could've read more of his Christmas fiction this season.

[Taury · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out of all of his books I have read this month this one, The Mistletoe Secret by Richard Paul Evans, is a bare 3. I did not enjoy it. It seems more of a basic romance vs a hidden meaning or inspiration. The most meaning would be play the tape all the way through, don’t jump to conclusions.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a fan of the first two Mistletoe books I couldn't wait for this one. Then it took me by surprise that this third book was not what I expected. The blog part, so boring. I was so disappointed and almost gave up, so glad I didn't. It turned out to be another great holiday book.

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I fell in love with the first two books and assumed I would with this one as well, but it felt so different, and not like it was part of the same series.

My problem was the fact that this guy read a stranger's blog, and felt a connection to her so strong, that he decided to track her down, using details she talked about to narrow down her exact location.

Now sure, this can be considered kind of sweet in a book, but imagine if someone did that in real life...like, I'm sorry, but it's giving stalker. That's not what I was expecting to see in a Christmas read.

When the real LBH was introduced, I instantly knew it would be her, and was waiting for Alex to connect the dots...and waiting, and waiting and waiting and then he went and made the whole thing even worse.

He was sooo unlikeable, and so were his friends. Actually, his friends were my very first problem with the book, I hated every scene they were in, if I wanted to read about dude-bros I would've picked up a different novel.

LBH deserved so much better, she did nothing wrong, and now she's stuck with him forever...free my girl.

On top, this wasn't very Christmasy, but that's a minor flaw when compared to everything else I mentioned.

There were some redeeming qualities, like the writing, the descriptions and the audiobook, but I was expecting so much better from Evans.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Mistletoe Secret is the third addition to Richard Paul Evans's Mistletoe Collection. Although these standalone novels are not necessarily a series, they do tend to have a similar trend in deep themes that bring us all closer in spirit to the holidays. Unfortunately, in my opinion, The Mistletoe Secret doesn't quite flow with the others. The story is much more superficial and it doesn't convey the spirit of Christmas much at all. As a standalone not associated with this beautiful and heartwarming collection, it is a likable although heavily predictable story about the hurdles that loneliness and heartbreak create in one's life and not truly seeing the people who are right in front of us. I liked it overall but I do wish is was not connected to the Mistletoe Collection because I can't help but be disappointed. If you enjoy contemporary stories about the power of human connection, check it out for yourself.

My favorite quote:
"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."

Richard Paul Evans's Mistletoe Collection includes the following standalone novels as of November 2016:
#1-The Mistletoe Promise (2014)
#2-The Mistletoe Inn (2015)
#3-The Mistletoe Secret (2016)

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’ve ever read any of Richard Paul Evans books, this is similar in style.

Predictable, but not completely without any charm, I believe that the front cover of this book actually has a small red circle on it with the words: ”The King of Christmas Fiction” – The New York Times. I would say that is a fair “title” to impose on him, if nothing else in terms of how many of his novels center around Christmas time, Christmas itself, or just the “Spirit of Christmas.”

Loneliness looms in Utah and in Florida in Evans’ The Mistletoe Secret. There’s a lonely young woman in Utah who blogs about how invisible to the world she feels.

Dear Universe,

This morning I was walking in to work from my car and I looked up to see a single orange balloon floating into the sky. I was late for work but something made me stop and watch it get smaller and smaller, until it disappeared into the clouds. I guess I felt like it needed a witness, someone to stand there and say ‘I saw you float away. I saw you disappear.’ I wish someone would do that for me.
--LBH

In Florida, there’s a man who is divorced and his buddies are badgering him a bit to go out and find himself a woman of his very own. A Google search brings him to LBH’s blog after he’s filled out a dating site profile, and he’s intrigued. Drawn to this vulnerability. He figures out what area she lives in, flies there with nothing to go on more than she’s a lonely female who lives in a town where they hold annual “Swiss Days” and that her initials are LBH.

Does he find her? Or does he just think he’s found her? Or maybe does he just find someone who awakens those feelings for him once again?

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alex, bitter from his divorce, prefers the company of his buddies, not ready to seek a new relationship. Encouraged by his friends he signs up for an online dating service. What he finds himself drawn to though is a blog written to "The Universe" by a lonely woman. The message is spoken in heartfelt honesty. By some clues given in the blog, he locates the hometown of the blogger. On a whim, Alex travels there, determined to find the writer. What he doesn't expect is to fall in love with a waitress at the local diner, awakening his heart to new possibilities. But what of his search for the blogger?
Not my favorite of the Mistletoe series. There is a sense of melancholy to the story, but I believe it addresses the issue of loneliness that for so many is more prevalent during the Christmas season.
Really 3.5 stars.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first started this book, I loved it. I honestly thought I was going to like it better than the first two books in this series. However, the more I read, the story became less engaging and I found myself loosing interest in the story. I am glad I was able to finish this series, though. My favorite of the series would have to be, The Mistletoe Promise.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I give it two stars for the great writing.

However, the overall story is creepy; a guy travels to find a woman he only knows via her blog? Talk about disturbing! Add to that some crude moments from the protagonist's friends, not to mention occasional immodest dress and profanity, plus the completely predictable plot...yeah, this one wasn't a winner for me.

[Brandie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cheesy and predictable like all RPE books, but always a feel good story perfect for the holidays.

[Peter Monn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cheesy but a very good read! Check out my full review on my booktube channel at http://www.youtube.com/peterlikesbooks

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this third book the Mistletoe Collection, main character Alex is divorced and becomes enamored by the thoughts of a blogger. I didn't see the pull of the blogger (a rather depressing blog about loneliness), however, the premise of finding someone in that fashion was a good one. Another sweet Christmas story by the author.

[Vannetta Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm becoming a real fan of Richard Paul Evans. This book made me laugh out loud in many places, and although it closely follows the romance genre, there were plenty of twists and turns to keep it interesting.

A nice read during the hot days of summer.
Highly recommend.

Note: I think I would call this a mainstream novel, but I believe fans of Christian fiction would enjoy it as well. I don't remember any language. There's one suggestion of a sexual scene, but nothing overt, and there's a nice faith message woven in.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful... christmas romance...loved it

[{MyDearestClementine} · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this sure. But. There’s more to suicide than just finding someone to distract you.

[Eliza · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 / 5

Let me start off by saying while I didn’t enjoy The Mistletoe Secret, I would still recommend it to others — especially during the holidays. That being said, it wasn’t a book for me. Although I’m currently into romance-y reads, this one felt too unrealistic, cheesy, and dull.

The story revolves around Alex who is recovering from a bad divorce and is ready to start looking for another woman to date. Okay, I will admit that the beginning (the prologue specifically) I enjoyed, but then everything quickly became awkward. Naturally, Alex decides that after one day of reading this anonymous woman's blog that he “likes” her. Makes sense, right? It takes him less than a month (or week?) to decide that he wants to fly out to meet this random woman. She has no picture of herself and no address on her blog — yet he finds her location by putting pieces together from her blog entries (which I personally thought was freaky, not cute) and gets a plane ticket to find her. It felt wildly unrealistic.

And let's not even start on how I don’t understand what Alex found so “alluring” from this woman’s blog. Her entries were so unoriginal — and least they felt that way to me.

Then Alex meets Aria during his pursuit of his “mystery woman.” Aria is a waitress who is beautiful and nice and interesting and has a wonderful smile, yada-yada … but oh-no she doesn’t see her own beauty! Therefore, rather than liking her, I immediately disliked her because of that (especially since she was described to be more beautiful than magazine models). And while Aria isn’t a bad character, I’m just tired of these reused and recycled characters.

Additionally, there were some phrases that made me cringe because I’ve countlessly seen/heard them used. I just wish the writing/dialogue/characters could have been more original in certain places. Then again, what do you expect from a “romantic Christmas novel.” It’s like one of those Netflix Christmas movies — you don’t really go into it expecting stellar acting and original dialogues. Well, at least I don’t.

[Rhonda B · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading a book by this author I always feel so good. This story takes one from the spark that starts the alignment of two peoples universe to where this couple now flow on the same plane. It is so enjoyable to know that a good relationship first needs to go through a few rough patches before finding the correct path.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are times when I need to read a story that ends happily, and Christmastime is one of those times. Last year a friend told me about The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans which I then read. I thought it was a grand book. So this Christmas I decided to read The Mistletoe Secret also by Richard Paul Evans. This book is a 'happy ending' book which is what I needed to read as it is Christmastime, one of the times I need a 'happy ending' book. There were some tough spots, but over all it provided me with the happy feeling I like to have at this time of year. I will forever thank my friend for introducing me to Richard Paul Evans. If you are looking for a 'feel good' book, I recommend Richard Paul Evans' Christmas book as The Mistletoe Secret or The Christmas Box.

[Sherri Thacker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great short book to read! Perfect for the holidays!! Loved it!!

[Sandra Walker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. Possibly the worst book I’ve ever read.

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one a lot.

[Peter Wright · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'll start off by saying I didn't finish this book. Maybe one day I'll try coming back to this one, but it started out so very annoying. The first two novels in this Mistletoe series were from the point of view of the woman, but this one changes it up and is from the POV of the guy. He has two friends and when they sit around in a group, they talk about how horrible women are. Every comment is disparaging toward women. I guess this is setting up a drastic change usual with these kinds of stories, but trying to sit through this initial bashing of women didn't work for me. The moment when I decided to quit the book was when the guys were sitting around talking about women on dating sites. Women are always 5's pushing to 8? All women on dating sites? The bulk of the beginning was just these three bitter guys hating one women and it just didn't work for me. Adding to my frustration was the tendency of the author (the narrator of the audio book) to mumble, causing several words to be missed. That's just not a great reading style for an audio book! I liked the first two books in this series, but I just couldn't get into this one.

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lonely, female blogger with only the initials LBH captures the attention of lonely Alex Bartlett. As he continues to read her blog while nursing his own broken heart and trust issues, Alex is drawn to her. With clues from her writing, he knows she lives in the small town of Midway, Utah. So he heads there to try and find LBH. But as he hunts for her, he meets Aria, a waitress at the Mistletoe Dinner, and is drawn to her sweet, warmhearted, sympathetic nature. Will LBH or Aria, be the one to capture his heart.

Another good book from Richard Paul Evans. It had an interesting, but predictable plot. Evans does an amazing job of developing the small town feel and populating it with a host of unique characters that you would love to meet and visit. The plot contained several fun side stories that added to the overall tone of the story.

This book completed the Mistletoe series for me. The Mistletoe Promise was my favorite of the three books. I would definitely recommend this series for a Christmas read.

[Angella · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like to read a light fun Christmas romance every year and this one was recommended to me. I haven't read any others in the Mistletoe collection.
The story was predictable of course but that was fine with me. I do wish the story had more to do with Christmas; it coincidentally took place over Christmas but had nothing to do with the holiday. The biggest negative for me was the main character, Alex. I didn't find him likable at all and I frankly didn't feel like he deserved a happy ending.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars

First of all, Evans could've made this about 1/3 of its size if he had cut out all the extraneous detail. Scenes like the very long, detailed tour of the inn did absolutely nothing to further the plot. The writing felt stilted and a bit dorky (not in a good way). The storyline was predictable, and the hero's actions that led to the Dark Moment were uncharacteristic. A disappointing read.

[NaDell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I kept cheering these characters on and hoping they would be able to figure things out!
Always a great time to read Christmas stories during the holidays.
Richard Paul Evans's writing is always a homerun!

[Trent Mikesell · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say? I like me some cheese at Christmas time. I won't apologize for it. :)

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really sweet Sleepless in Seattle trope. A woman named LBH writes a blog about loneliness and a guy reads it and decides to go find her. He figures out what city she lives in but has no idea where to find her. While on his search he becomes friends with a waitress named Aria and she helps him on his search. When he finds LBH it’s not what he expected and the rest of the story goes from there.
Sweet, heart warming, and lightly Christmasy.

SPOILERS AHEAD:
He finds a woman with the initials LbH who fits a lot of the qualities so he starts dating her but there’s no chemistry. Turns out it’s all a coincidence and Aria is actually LBH and they live happily ever after.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy RPE stories. This one made be laugh out loud a few times, then had some emotional parts. Nice clean Christmas time story.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas romance. Predictable and sweet. Clean read.