Home for Christmas is the second Christmas book I have read by Courtney Cole. I enjoyed both stories, although last years appealed to me more. Home for Christmas is a time-slip novel set at Christmas time in both stories, one in the present and the other in 1945. Piper McCaulley has just inherited her family's lodge, Great Expectations, in Alaska following the death of her grandmother. Her parents died in a plane crash years before and her grandmother was her last living relative. She isn't sure if she wants to run the business, but for now is doing what she must to keep the business going. When a hunting party is out in a storm, she and her employee, Dan, go out to look for them. She falls into a large snowdrift and gets buried. When she is pulled out, it is 1945 and she finds herself brought to the original family homestead, face to face with her grandmother as a young woman. Once she gets over the shock, she becomes "Pippy" a young woman with amnesia. Not sure if she will figure out how to get back to the future, she makes the most of the situation and becomes part of the family. Along the way, she gives them tips and information they can use to develop the homestead into a tourist attraction and inn, as well as falling in love.
Home for Christmas was a delightful story about family, friendship and appreciating what is important in life. Set near the end of WW2, there is a lot happening emotionally for the characters. You have a young woman waiting for her fiancé to return home, injured soldiers recovering both emotionally and physically, as well as a man feeling guilty that he could not serve. Alaska is a lot wilder than what Piper is used to, so she has to deal with a grizzly that is hungry, a young caribou and finding the hot springs. This is a sweet story about finding your roots, learning what love is, following your dreams and new beginnings. I loved all the characters, especially Piper and her grandmother, as she was as a young woman. They really got to know one another and develop a caring and sisterly relationship. Christmas is the time of year the story is set, so is not a huge part of the story, but Christmas Magic is definitely in play. Overall, I really enjoyed this dual timeline story, and recommend it to those who enjoy stories with self-reflection, new beginnings, some romance, lots of family and a little magic. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Charlotte North. She does a good job giving voice to the various characters and adding emotion to the story. I will watch for more books she narrates. Thanks to Harper Audio for a copy of this audiobook upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.