Hoping for the normal life she was denied as a child of the streets, school nurse and social worker Mallory Phillips has moved to quiet, charming Chandlerville, GA, for a fresh start and the Christmas she’s always dreamed of but never had. When motherless seven-year-old Polly Lombard shows up at her house in the middle of the night hiding near the Christmas tree, Mallory knows she needs to help, whether Polly’s recently widowed and still grieving EMT fireman father, Pete, likes it or not. As she works to help Polly, Mallory helps Pete with his grief as well. Still it isn’t until Mallory finally comes to terms with her past that she finds love and acceptance and truly “comes home.” VERDICT: Issues concerning mothers and daughters, family, and grief are at the heart of this intense, heart-wrenching, yet uplifting romance that would make a solid book club choice. DeStefano (Secret Legacy) lives in north Georgia.
