A Christmas in the Alps, by Melody Carlson, is a delightful journey of self-discovery, family secrets and romance. The story begins in the USA but after finding a long lost letter from her deceased grandmother, Simone Winthrop finds herself on a flight to Paris.

From there, Simone begins to look for whatever her grandma meant when she said she’d left treasure for her in a small mountain village. Her search quickly takes a turn that rocks Simone to the core when she discovers her grandma’s family still living in the village, running the local watch factory.

Meanwhile, the charming Kyle Larson, who helped nervous traveler Simone stay calm on the plane, shows up trying to learn about the clock and watch business. Is it time (see what I did there) for Simone to discover more than unknown relatives?

This story of family reunion and self-discovery is fun, and Melody Carlson is certainly one of the most prolific Christmas novella authors our there. I have to say that while I enjoyed the book, I didn’t love it. I wasn’t sure I trusted Kyle to start, and there’s an unpleasant character who seems to face no real consequences for her behavior.

But it’s happy ending and a beautiful escape to the French Alps at Christmas, so what’s not to love?