GRR Reviews The Secret Santa Wishing Well by Nikki Lynn Barrett

The Secret Santa Wishing Well tries to infuse a bit of Christmas magic but the unclear motivation of an evil ex made the whole story confusing instead.

Jacob has a sister in the hospital with very aggressive cancer and no one knew how long she'd last even with the best treatment possible. But she wanted him to get some holiday spirit and volunteered him for Secret Santa at the mall. Jacob encountered a little boy Ben who made a very special wish... well, two wishes. Ben was Cheyenne's son. Cheyenne was struggling to raise two kids after her BF ran off, and the BF even refused to acknowledge the baby daughter. But Ben's own kind actions brought Jacob into her life, and the two were attracted to each other. Jacob was forever worried about his sister in the hospital, and Cheyenne is worried when her ex suddenly showed up demanding to reconnect with Ben, when her ex clearly has no idea how. He even brought his pregnant girlfriend along! Can the two let go of their ghosts of Christmas past and make a life together, when things took a turn for the worse for both of them?

I still don't get why the evil ex showed up. It really made no sense whatsover. Maybe I just missed something. Overall, the book has some good points, but mostly "meh". All in all I can only rate this average.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Can a mall's Secret Santa grant a wish or two for the boy and his single mom, also caring for a baby daughter?

Tropes: different worlds, single parent, holiday, triangle, sibling problem

Overall Rating:  3/5