Christmas in Pineville

by Tyler Scott Hess

Nick Bishop and his son James moved to the town of Pineville in order to get away from hectic city life and personal tragedy. What they found when they got there was a town in turmoil as an annual Christmas house decorating contest hid Pineville's desperate need for the true Christmas spirit to inspire them.

Genres: Christmas

247 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2020

About the author

Hi. I’m Tyler Scott Hess, a Christ-loving, adventure-writing, Christmas junkie who spends my days raising three kids with my wife, Beth!

My writing journey has taken me places I never imagined I’d go.

I’ve quit my job and abandoned society with Timmy Emerson in my first series, The Dream Saga.

Then I ditched the college life to join up with Adelaide as the new lead singer of a rock and roll band in The Adelaide Martin Duology.

Before I knew it, I was wrapped up in a small-town Christmas tree decorating contest with Nick and James Bishop in my holiday classic, Christmas in Pineville.

Out of nowhere, I slipped through time with Jack and Niko Monroe as they discover what it takes to live the life of the Faithful in The Adventures of Niko Monroe.

Writing is a fantastic adventure and I appreciate all of you who have gone on a ride with me! Let’s connect and see which adventure comes next.

Reviews

[Sydney Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about a recent widower and his son who move back to the father’s home town of Pineville just in time to participate in its annual Christmas decorating contest. Encouraged by the townsfolk to participate, father and son soon come to find out that there’s more at stake than just a prize. As they seek to display the year’s theme of the true meaning of Christmas, the author addresses bullying, service, forgiveness and the gospel, but only touches upon these subjects lightly. I would have preferred more depth but did enjoy the story overall. 3.5 stars.

[Amy Earls · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny, sweet gift of a story that's perfect for the holiday spirit.

[Joy Kidney · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the main characters were a little predictable at the beginning, a widower who moves back to his home town with his adolescent son, but a mystery begins to form. He didn't realize he'd always been thought of as the home-town hero, although that reputation had been pushed by a clan of intimidators. Besides a teenager obsessed with bacon, and a character named Miss Buscuit, there's show-down in the town dealing with Christmas decorations. Not only is there growth and change in those main characters, the real story of Christmas is shared in a winsome manner.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming Christmas Story

I love stories that center around Christmas.
I love reading them all year round.
This one held my attention to the end.

[Joleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll have to say that if I was an elementary or middle school student I might really like this book.

A father and son are facing Christmas in a new town without their recently deceased mom/wife. There are fun moments and some challenges, especially by the name of "Montgomery". I enjoyed that the dad grew up in this town and has a network of old friends.

Santa is not the theme of the whole book but I'm always disappointed when Christian fiction speaks more of Santa that Christ. Fourteen times Santa is mentioned, Christ only once. Just a pet peeve of mine.
The story was pretty good, perhaps the execution was less mature than I'm used to, though. It would make a very clean, sweet Christmas-season book for a younger person.

[B.M. Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Fun Christmas Read

This was such a pleasant, fun, and adventurous read. Although I was sad for James and Nick in the loss of their mother/wife, I enjoyed seeing them work through the hard time of the Christmas holiday with a contest. Competition is always exciting, and I liked how the mysteries in this book were slowly revealed. There were times where I just couldn't stop reading, but had to keep swiping to know what happened next. I look forward to reading more by this new-to-me author.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas in Pineville

Nick Bishop is navigating the Christmas season, with his son James, after the loss of his wife on New Years. Nick, with his son, moves back to his home town of Pineville, where everyone remembers Nick as the high school hero for winning his senior basketball game. The town seems to be hiding a secret, and Nick and his son James are willing to try their hand at finding the true meaning of Christmas to save the town of Pineville.

[Maegan]

DNF'D

I got about 60 pages in but could not push myself to go any further. These characters are forgettable and dull. The writing was telling me information instead of showing me for almost all of what I read. Often times a few paragraphs would be filled with information that had no bearing on the story and would take me out of the scene.

I was just too bored to continue this book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and unique Christmas story

A man returns to his hometown with his adolescent son. They must build a Christmas scene to bring the true meaning of the season back to the divided town. Enjoyable characters in a light, breezy story.

[Caroline Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who doesn't love a Christmas novel?
Tyler Scott Hess brings us a wonderful Christmas tale with Christmas in Pineville. Nick Bishop and his son, James, move to Nick's childhood town of Pineville. But despite the hero welcome he receives, it's apparent there are issues in Pineville. With the help of some of Nick's childhood friends, Nick and James get to work decorating their house for the town's Christmas house decorating competition. But will it be enough to win? Nick and James' story will captivate you as you root for them to discover the true meaning of Christmas. This is a wonderful, feel-good Christmas story.

[Katrina Hamel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this Christmas story and its focus on a father and son. With all the "Hallmark Movies" feel-good style, this book had just enough struggle and a good dose of small-town charm. Tyler Scott Hess's joyful writing style was a delight to read!

[Grace Grose · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun Father - Son Christmas adventure involving bacon (lots of bacon!), Christmas contests, making new friends and triumphing over nasty town controllers.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice Christmas story. I could read Christmas stories all year round.
I like the relationship between the father and son.

[Jennie Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Spirit of Christmas

What is the true spirit of Christmas? I challenge you to read this book and find out, as Nick and James did!!