The Santa Run

The feel-good second entry in Pugh’s contemporary Pine Valley Holiday series (after The Valentine Proposal) follows a small-town woman as she fights to keep a Christmas tradition alive. Eliza Lee Elliot has helped run the Appalachian Express, a small railroad line in Pine Valley, Ky., for two years, but after it’s purchased by McCoy Railroad, she fears changes are coming. Meanwhile, Bennett Olsen works for his father at McCoy and longs to repair the tumultuous relationship they’ve had since Bennett’s mother died when he was a teen. He travels to Pine Valley to survey McCoy’s new acquisition and sparks fly between him and Eliza. However, Bennett is torn between his father’s Scrooge-like spirit and trying to help Eliza with the Santa Run, her pet project that distributes Christmas gifts, candy, and clothing to the poor from an Appalachian Express train. Bennett’s father directs Bennett to cancel the event, which puts a strain on his budding romance with Eliza. She prays for God’s help and organizes a fund-raising effort to save the program, but she realizes she’ll need Bennett’s help, leading her to put her trust in God to rescue the Santa Run and her relationship with Bennett. The story may be formulaic, but readers will root for Bennett and Eliza’s happy ever after. Fans of Hallmark Christmas movies will enjoy this sweet holiday tale. (Sept.)