As she has done with her previous books, the author has once again captured the magic of Christmas and family traditions...and with reindeer in the mix, of course. In Velvet Snowflakes, we also get to experience the glamour of velvet wedding gowns, and the interesting life of Ivy Nolan.
As always, what I liked best was the reindeer. In this case, the dear Walter. His story is touchingly told and it illustrates the precious bond between humans and their pets.
What I also liked was the focus on mentors and their importance in the shaping of the lives of young people. Ivy credits three such people for her determination and success, and it's her gratitude toward these individuals that starts the whole story off.
Once again, Briggs Ward writes a heartwarming holiday story that focuses on the importance of having cherished family and friends in our lives.
Read my reviews of her previous novels...The Reindeer Keeper, The Snowman Maker, The Candle Giver, and The Tin Cookie Cutter.
About the book
Home remains in one’s heart forever...Stopping in front of a house that was once her family’s home, Ivy Nolan recalls a particular Christmas Eve, sitting in the dark on the edge of her bed, looking out her window at the neighbor’s place where tree lights were glowing and family gathering. There was no celebrating at Ivy’s. Her parents had divorced. It was their last Christmas in their house on the lane.
That was over twenty years ago.
Recently awarded the coveted title, “Wedding Gown Designer of the Year,” her exquisitely detailed velvet gown wowing the judges, Ivy has returned to her hometown to thank three individuals who had influence in her life, especially her childhood neighbor. That neighbor was a veterinarian with a barn behind his home where he cared for the animals.
Walking down the lane once again, Ivy sees reindeer in a fenced-in area alongside the barn. She is not surprised. She always considered that neighbor to be Santa Claus. Will she find her old friend still at work in his barn? She never thought otherwise.
So many memories. So many loose ends that need tending. Some lead Ivy to unexpected places—and people.
Christmas is near.
Barbara Briggs Ward is a writer living in Ogdensburg, New York. She is the author of a Christmas trilogy for adults featuring The Reindeer Keeper, released in 2010 and selected by both Yahoo’s Christmas Book Club and the Riverfront Library Book Club in Yonkers as their December, 2012 featured Book of the Month. Barbara completed the trilogy with the release of The Snowman Maker in 2013 and The Candle Giver in 2015. In 2017, her first work of Amish fiction, A Robin’s Snow, was released.
Her articles and short stories have appeared in the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, Christmas Magic and Family Caregivers, plus Ladies’ Home Journal, Highlights for Children and The Saturday Evening Post online.
In 2018, Barbara’s work of fiction, a short story titled, “Sleigh Bells Ring Again,” earned first place in Watertown, New York’s Jefferson Community College Writing Center’s annual Writing Festival. She has been a featured writer on Mountain Lake PBS in Plattsburgh, New York and at Target Book Festivals in Boston and New York.
Barbara invites you to visit her website at www.barbarabriggsward.com. She is on Facebook under The Reindeer Keeper.
Always in spirit...
