When newly-divorced Ivy Perkins buys an old farmhouse sight unseen, she is definitely looking for a change in her life. The Four Roses, as the farmhouse is called, is a labor of love—but Ivy didn’t bargain on just how much labor. The previous family left so much furniture and so much junk, that it’s a full-time job sorting through all of it.
At the top of a closet, Ivy finds an old Santa suit—beautifully made and decades old. In the pocket of a suit she finds a note written in a childish hand: it’s from a little girl who has one Christmas wish, and that is for her father to return home from the war. This discovery sets Ivy off on a mission. Who wrote the note? Did the man ever come home? What mysteries did the Rose family hold?
Ivy’s quest brings her into the community, at a time when all she wanted to do was be left alone and nurse her wounds. But the magic of Christmas makes miracles happen, and Ivy just might find more than she ever thought possible: a welcoming town, a family reunited, a mystery solved, and a second chance at love.
![The Santa Suit: A Novel by [Mary Kay Andrews]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41-eXclYNNL.jpg)
Ezra is not only her neighbor but the man who sold her the house. He feels bad that she didn’t know the true situation, so he steps in to help her not only organize the house but with some of the renovations as well. When Ivy finds a heart wrenching note in a Santa suit it sends her down a path that not only allows her to find love but the magic of the holiday season as well.
I really enjoyed the friendships she developed with the town residents as well as how the puzzle behind the note was solved and this uplifting story is sure to leave you with a smile on your face.