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Santa's Secret
Maddie Richmond: Single, broke, jobless, lives with a cat.
It wasn’t always like that. Not long ago, she was an employee for a digital marketing firm, dedicated to her work. Today, it’s the end of October and she’s learned the company has folded. Now, she’s jobless and potentially homeless, just in time for Christmas!
Hell-bent on finding another job, she pounds the streets in search of a business — any business — that might be hiring. Thinking her dreadful luck has finally changed for the better, she discovers the job she’s interviewed for at Dimblebly’s Toy Store is as a Christmas Elf. And a temporary one at that!
Torn between protecting her dignity and needing to make rent, she accepts the job. Dressed as an Elf from sunrise to sunset, it’s the most humiliating job she’s ever done —until she meets the store’s dedicated Santa, Josh.
Handsome and attentive, there’s something about him that has Maddie utterly enthralled. However, when their working relationship takes an unexpected turn, she realizes this Santa has a secret.
Will Maddie recover from the heart-stopping embarrassment when her family turns up at the store, unaware that her new job involves pointy ears and bells on her toes? Will Josh ever feel he can share his secret with Maddie? Will they be able to pull off the big Christmas event at Dimbleby’s? What will happen to their new relationship when her contract ends at the store?
Santa’s Secret is a heart-warming, comedic read that contains some coarse language and mature themes.
It wasn’t always like that. Not long ago, she was an employee for a digital marketing firm, dedicated to her work. Today, it’s the end of October and she’s learned the company has folded. Now, she’s jobless and potentially homeless, just in time for Christmas!
Hell-bent on finding another job, she pounds the streets in search of a business — any business — that might be hiring. Thinking her dreadful luck has finally changed for the better, she discovers the job she’s interviewed for at Dimblebly’s Toy Store is as a Christmas Elf. And a temporary one at that!
Torn between protecting her dignity and needing to make rent, she accepts the job. Dressed as an Elf from sunrise to sunset, it’s the most humiliating job she’s ever done —until she meets the store’s dedicated Santa, Josh.
Handsome and attentive, there’s something about him that has Maddie utterly enthralled. However, when their working relationship takes an unexpected turn, she realizes this Santa has a secret.
Will Maddie recover from the heart-stopping embarrassment when her family turns up at the store, unaware that her new job involves pointy ears and bells on her toes? Will Josh ever feel he can share his secret with Maddie? Will they be able to pull off the big Christmas event at Dimbleby’s? What will happen to their new relationship when her contract ends at the store?
Santa’s Secret is a heart-warming, comedic read that contains some coarse language and mature themes.
150 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 6, 2017
83 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
J.L. Heritage
6 books13 followersJ.L.Heritage, born in Kent in the 1980's, is a British, female author specialising in Women's Fiction. Having lived in both Canada and Oxfordshire, she now resides on the Kent coast. Her debut novel, Dreaming of Dillon, was released in eBook format in November 2016. Set to be the first of a series of works, and with another stand-alone piece in the latter stages of editing, 2017 should see impressive growth for the author's bibliography.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 13, 2017
Reviewed on behalf of 3 Degrees of Fiction Blog
This review is sitting in my head for quite a long time now. The book was easy to read and the writing style made it possible for me to follow the plot and the storyline without any problems.
My problems were with the characters. I have never encountered a character so unlovable (for me) as Maddie. She came across as a total snob who has a serious envy problem. Instead of being happy for her sister or her family or whoever is around her, she’s envious of everybody who has it better than her (in her opinion). And then her thoughts concerning Josh. He isn’t worthy of having a relationship with her, because of his job? Not cool, Maddie, not cool at all.
Josh on the other side was great I liked his character a lot. What I couldn’t understand was why he fell in love with Maddie. As mentioned above, she didn’t strike me as very likeable.
All in all it was a fast paced read with a known storyline that held not a lot of surprises (for me). I found it rather obvious what Josh’s job was and that Maddie did not guess that, was just another point against her in my book. I would have wished for a more Christmassy feeling. That came up a bit short.
I’m giving this book 3 stars, because it wasn’t good nor bad, for me. I think it might be a nice book for other people, but it wasn’t the right one for me.
This review is sitting in my head for quite a long time now. The book was easy to read and the writing style made it possible for me to follow the plot and the storyline without any problems.
My problems were with the characters. I have never encountered a character so unlovable (for me) as Maddie. She came across as a total snob who has a serious envy problem. Instead of being happy for her sister or her family or whoever is around her, she’s envious of everybody who has it better than her (in her opinion). And then her thoughts concerning Josh. He isn’t worthy of having a relationship with her, because of his job? Not cool, Maddie, not cool at all.
Josh on the other side was great I liked his character a lot. What I couldn’t understand was why he fell in love with Maddie. As mentioned above, she didn’t strike me as very likeable.
All in all it was a fast paced read with a known storyline that held not a lot of surprises (for me). I found it rather obvious what Josh’s job was and that Maddie did not guess that, was just another point against her in my book. I would have wished for a more Christmassy feeling. That came up a bit short.
I’m giving this book 3 stars, because it wasn’t good nor bad, for me. I think it might be a nice book for other people, but it wasn’t the right one for me.
January 14, 2023
"But you're too fit to be Santa," I blurted out... "I mean, Santa's fat and old, and you're hot...NOT! I meant, not!"
3 stars
Santa's Secret is a cute little novella to read during the holiday season. Maddie has lost her job and accepts a retail position working as Santa's Elf at Dimbleby's toy shop. She feels degraded dressing up as an elf, and the only highlight to her new job is meeting the extremely hot Santa - Josh. What follows is a short but sweet romance between the two, and yes, there is some smut.
"Sorry. I don't sleep in PJ's," he said, grinning, the minty toothpaste on his breath intoxicating. "Good," I mumbled, going pink as soon as I realised what I said. "I mean... s'okay."
Whilst a quick and entertaining read, it was a little difficult to build a connection to the characters, and their romance seemed almost too quick to be believable. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it - I really do love the predictable Christmas romance theme, and Santa's Secret definitely got that right. I just think this novella could have been fleshed out a bit more, as I was craving more back story from not only Maddie, but Josh as well.
I'll leave this review with my favourite quote, which just made me giggle.
"He tasted like chocolate peppermint and smelled like the outskirts of heaven."
3 stars
Santa's Secret is a cute little novella to read during the holiday season. Maddie has lost her job and accepts a retail position working as Santa's Elf at Dimbleby's toy shop. She feels degraded dressing up as an elf, and the only highlight to her new job is meeting the extremely hot Santa - Josh. What follows is a short but sweet romance between the two, and yes, there is some smut.
"Sorry. I don't sleep in PJ's," he said, grinning, the minty toothpaste on his breath intoxicating. "Good," I mumbled, going pink as soon as I realised what I said. "I mean... s'okay."
Whilst a quick and entertaining read, it was a little difficult to build a connection to the characters, and their romance seemed almost too quick to be believable. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it - I really do love the predictable Christmas romance theme, and Santa's Secret definitely got that right. I just think this novella could have been fleshed out a bit more, as I was craving more back story from not only Maddie, but Josh as well.
I'll leave this review with my favourite quote, which just made me giggle.
"He tasted like chocolate peppermint and smelled like the outskirts of heaven."
December 21, 2024
Rife with f-words. Great cover.
It was difficult reading the first half of this book due to the profane language used by Maddie. Using Christ inappropriately and multiple f-words took me away from the story. Why do authors think that this makes the writing better? It detracts rather than enhance.
The characters of Maddie and Josh were well drawn and sympathetic. Towards the end Maddie was a bit dense, not understanding the offer being made. Josh was easy to like and it was easy to understand his motives. Maddie's family were somewhat exasperating and condescending, just as they were meant to be. Their reactions to seeing Maddie at her temp job showed them just what they thought of her.
Thankfully, the more intimate details were off page for the most part.
Claude, the cat was delightful. He pushed his way into Maddie's life and took over her heart. It should be said that feeding a cat canned tuna is a huge mistake and can lead to serious health problems.
It was difficult reading the first half of this book due to the profane language used by Maddie. Using Christ inappropriately and multiple f-words took me away from the story. Why do authors think that this makes the writing better? It detracts rather than enhance.
The characters of Maddie and Josh were well drawn and sympathetic. Towards the end Maddie was a bit dense, not understanding the offer being made. Josh was easy to like and it was easy to understand his motives. Maddie's family were somewhat exasperating and condescending, just as they were meant to be. Their reactions to seeing Maddie at her temp job showed them just what they thought of her.
Thankfully, the more intimate details were off page for the most part.
Claude, the cat was delightful. He pushed his way into Maddie's life and took over her heart. It should be said that feeding a cat canned tuna is a huge mistake and can lead to serious health problems.
December 17, 2017
Wow!!!
If you after a funny, sweet, sexy Christmas read then look no further than this book!! Hands down I loved this story and didn’t want it to end.....I enjoyed the whole story....the characters where amazing and worked so well together.
I absolutely adore Jemma’s books, everyone she has written has never failed me yet, she is one of my most loved authors and I look forward every time to every book she writes.
I can’t stress how wonderful this book is, she brought Christmas to an amazing story. Definitely deserves 5 ⭐️ from me.....one I recommend to everyone.
If you after a funny, sweet, sexy Christmas read then look no further than this book!! Hands down I loved this story and didn’t want it to end.....I enjoyed the whole story....the characters where amazing and worked so well together.
I absolutely adore Jemma’s books, everyone she has written has never failed me yet, she is one of my most loved authors and I look forward every time to every book she writes.
I can’t stress how wonderful this book is, she brought Christmas to an amazing story. Definitely deserves 5 ⭐️ from me.....one I recommend to everyone.
January 21, 2019
This was a good story. The best part was Josh hiding who he truly was. I couldn’t stand how Maddie’s family treated her in the beginning, but it seemed that by finding the right guy, they were much better.
December 14, 2019
Ok
It was an ok book. It droned on and whined quite a bit. The secret wasn’t Santa. It gave attention to detail in the weirdest ways, and wondered why that topic was chosen. It did not have an ease of flow to it. It wasn’t horrible, but it felt like it would never end.
It was an ok book. It droned on and whined quite a bit. The secret wasn’t Santa. It gave attention to detail in the weirdest ways, and wondered why that topic was chosen. It did not have an ease of flow to it. It wasn’t horrible, but it felt like it would never end.
December 22, 2019
I found this book just OK. It was a little too predictable to me. Add in Maddies's constant bad attitude towards taking a job just to pay her rent, and snotty comments and thoughts toward the company that actually may want to hire her in the new year, and I almost gave up on it several times.
November 25, 2020
Josh and Maddie
This was a pleasurable story. I was looking for something to read with a Christmas theme and it did not fail. It's fun to catch some English phrases and let my imagination go with the English accent. Good job!
This was a pleasurable story. I was looking for something to read with a Christmas theme and it did not fail. It's fun to catch some English phrases and let my imagination go with the English accent. Good job!
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February 21, 2023Fun
A cute romance. An intelligent but, socially clueless heroine. Set in London, the descriptions of costumes were sometimes difficult to picture, her elf costume in particular. Still I gathered it must have been very embarrassing to wear.
A cute romance. An intelligent but, socially clueless heroine. Set in London, the descriptions of costumes were sometimes difficult to picture, her elf costume in particular. Still I gathered it must have been very embarrassing to wear.
December 27, 2017
A quick Christmas read. I enjoyed it ok but did not particularly like Maddie. For someone who is supposed to be smart I found her rather dim.
November 5, 2018
Go for it!
Are you asking yourself if you should or shouldn't read this book? The answer is YES! It is definitely worth your time.
Are you asking yourself if you should or shouldn't read this book? The answer is YES! It is definitely worth your time.
December 24, 2019
Super Cute!
This book was absolutely adorable! I loved the dynamic between Josh and Maddie!
My only complaint is that it wasn’t long enough lol I would love More from these two 😍😍
This book was absolutely adorable! I loved the dynamic between Josh and Maddie!
My only complaint is that it wasn’t long enough lol I would love More from these two 😍😍
December 26, 2019
Perfect Christmas romance. Some mystery and crossed fingers involved, but interesting enough to keep you following this contemporary British romance. Fun read!
December 27, 2022
Decent book
A young woman gets hired as an elf. The person playing Santa is......... You will need to read the book for that.
I enjoyed this book.
A young woman gets hired as an elf. The person playing Santa is......... You will need to read the book for that.
I enjoyed this book.
January 12, 2024
📚Kindle | Ingen unik handling. Man får det man kan förvänta sig: förutsägbar plot & cheesy-ness utan dess like. Knepigt val av bok från min sida då det inte är min typ av bok, men gratis är gott & ibland kan man behöva testa lite nytt.
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December 23, 2017💝 FREE on Amazon today (12/23/2017)! 💝
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews