Can real life compare…

To the love in their letters?

When Emma first used a pseudonym to write to Captain George Weston on the front line, it was because she felt responsible for his broken engagement.

Yet his letters became a light in the darkest hours, and she shared more of her desires than she ever dared before, never imagining they’d actually meet.

Now that he’s home for Christmas, she longs to see him, but that means revealing who she really is… 

This is a romance that includes no swearing, no violence, and no sexual content (beyond a few light kisses).

Stand Alone Title

Booksprout ARC

Title:  The Captain’s Christmas Homecoming
Series:  Stand Alone Title
Author:  Lauri Robinson
Genre:  Historical Romance
Published:  October 25, 2022
Publisher:  Harlequin Historical Romance
My Rating:  4.5 stars

The Captain’s Christmas Homecoming takes place shortly after World War I, with a couple who quickly grabbed my emotions and drew me into their unique romance.  For some reason, Emma is convinced that George’s broken engagement is her fault.  It’s not, but the mind is a powerful thing.  She begins writing letters to George, but not using her real name never realizing just how much those letters of conversation, tidbits of the happenings back home in their small town, and getting to know each other perhaps better than in person would have been could come to mean so much to George.  In fact, they began to fall in love through those letters… but now that the war has ended and George is returning home Emma knows she has to reveal who she actually is.  And risk losing the man she’s come to love because she’s been convinced that she’s just not good enough for this war hero, this man not of her station in life.

This story is set in a time period that I don’t read much about.  Because of that fact, I really appreciated those tiny details of everyday life that were woven throughout The Captain’s Christmas Homecoming.  Those bits of information and emotions allowed me to step back in time a bit easier and understand the situation that George and his fellow returning soldiers faced after years away at war, never knowing if they’d return in one piece or at all.  I love a story that can let me feel as if I’m right there with the characters, it adds so much to my enjoyment of the story.

I loved George and Emma both individually and as a couple.  Of course, there are a few twists to their romance, yet watching this couple come to love each other through their words and then face the reality of being together in person was quite a wonderful experience.  I adored Emma, she might not always seem like it but I found her to be feisty and determined.  She’s taken quite a risk both for her personality and the time period.

If you love a well-written romance full of possibilities, a few twists, laughter, and tears, as well as a couple you’ll be happy to cheer on to their happily ever after – then you’ll want to pick this one up soon.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or author’s team via Booksprout. The opinions expressed in this review are my own -good, bad, or indifferent.* I’ve also purchased a copy for my own collection.

Available for your favorite e-reader