What do you think?
Rate this book
The Wishing Tree
~ A very special short contemporary romance setting by bestselling author Cheryl Pierson; a Christmas story enjoyable at any time of the year ~
Pete Cochran, a war veteran with both visible and invisible scars, is mostly a loner, rather than scare children. Then a special woman with a son walks into his life as he works at his father's Christmas tree lot – a woman with problems he can't ignore.
Maria Sanchez and her son Miguel eke out an existence on her part-time earnings, but share an abundance of love, except when terrorized by her drug addict relative. When she meets Pete, she sees him not as a frightening man, but a wounded hero returned from war. Her son seems immediately drawn to the unusual Christmas tree vendor.
Will a special tree – a wishing tree – contain enough magic to fulfill all their Christmas desires?
Pete Cochran, a war veteran with both visible and invisible scars, is mostly a loner, rather than scare children. Then a special woman with a son walks into his life as he works at his father's Christmas tree lot – a woman with problems he can't ignore.
Maria Sanchez and her son Miguel eke out an existence on her part-time earnings, but share an abundance of love, except when terrorized by her drug addict relative. When she meets Pete, she sees him not as a frightening man, but a wounded hero returned from war. Her son seems immediately drawn to the unusual Christmas tree vendor.
Will a special tree – a wishing tree – contain enough magic to fulfill all their Christmas desires?
- GenresNovellaShort Stories
71 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 21, 2013
4 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 20, 2013
What a great Christmas novella.
Pete came back home from Iraq with scars you can see and some you can't. He works at his family's Christmas tree lot and looks forward to two times of the day; the two times she walks past.
Ria and Miguel's acceptance of Pete's scars warmed my heart. This short novella will go in the collection of Christmas books I will look back to each Holiday season. I enjoyed Pete, Ria and Miguel and would certainly read another book which they were characters in.
A great right before bed read that I picked up from Amazon.
Pete came back home from Iraq with scars you can see and some you can't. He works at his family's Christmas tree lot and looks forward to two times of the day; the two times she walks past.
Ria and Miguel's acceptance of Pete's scars warmed my heart. This short novella will go in the collection of Christmas books I will look back to each Holiday season. I enjoyed Pete, Ria and Miguel and would certainly read another book which they were characters in.
A great right before bed read that I picked up from Amazon.
December 8, 2018
Oh boy! This story gave me all the warm fuzzy feel goods of a Hallmark Christmas movie!! Maria and Pete lit up the pages with their sweet and their sparks. Add in a charming little boy and your heart can't help but melt!
We meet Pete at a tough moment in his life, facing judgment and fear due to war injuries visible on his face. But along comes Maria, with her soft, open, and loving heart, shocking him with how much she sees past the outward scars and nestles into his heart quickly. I loved watching how, with Maria and Miguel, Pete was able to believe in himself again, and see he was still all strong protector. We also see a hint of him grasping ahold of more than one dream he thought he had lost.
Maria absolutely captured my heart, and I connected very quickly to her and Miguel. I felt her struggle and fears, and her relief that she found a man she could trust in her and her son's life. She desperately needed someone to be by her side, have her back, and someone who could jump in danger's way and make her feel safe. Her sweet and abundance of love just poured off the pages.
Miguel - his heart held such beautiful child like love and faith. His belief that there was something special going on that Christmas brought treasured moments to life. If only more kids (and adults) had such innocent beauty in them!
With a splash of danger, a dash of spice, and a whole lot of heart-warming beauty, The Wishing Tree is the perfect little Christmas story to snuggle up with.
We meet Pete at a tough moment in his life, facing judgment and fear due to war injuries visible on his face. But along comes Maria, with her soft, open, and loving heart, shocking him with how much she sees past the outward scars and nestles into his heart quickly. I loved watching how, with Maria and Miguel, Pete was able to believe in himself again, and see he was still all strong protector. We also see a hint of him grasping ahold of more than one dream he thought he had lost.
Maria absolutely captured my heart, and I connected very quickly to her and Miguel. I felt her struggle and fears, and her relief that she found a man she could trust in her and her son's life. She desperately needed someone to be by her side, have her back, and someone who could jump in danger's way and make her feel safe. Her sweet and abundance of love just poured off the pages.
Miguel - his heart held such beautiful child like love and faith. His belief that there was something special going on that Christmas brought treasured moments to life. If only more kids (and adults) had such innocent beauty in them!
With a splash of danger, a dash of spice, and a whole lot of heart-warming beauty, The Wishing Tree is the perfect little Christmas story to snuggle up with.
December 28, 2024
A sweet Christmas short novella. There is a little spice, but it remained closed door. The relationship moved very quickly, which the characters even admitted, and the backstories hit a lot of tropes. But the relationship was so supportive, and I found myself cheering the characters on.
November 19, 2014
Tender and full of hope, THE WISHING TREE is a short, but very touching and satisfying, Christmas-themed novella. Ria, a troubled single mother, Miguel, her little boy who still believes in Christmas magic, and Pete, a scarred and lonely army veteran, all yearn for love and a happy future. Will love and hope have the power to heal their wounded hearts? (Well, of course they will! This is a Christmas story, after all, but the fun is in getting to the Happily Ever After.)
Cheryl Pierson is a gifted storyteller whose characters leap to life from the page. She writes with insight and a clear eye, but also with tenderness and compassion. THE WISHING TREE is simply a lovely, lovely story.
Cheryl Pierson is a gifted storyteller whose characters leap to life from the page. She writes with insight and a clear eye, but also with tenderness and compassion. THE WISHING TREE is simply a lovely, lovely story.
September 1, 2013
Pete Cochran joins an honor roll of Cheryl Pierson’s wounded leading men. A one-eyed war hero, Pete tends his father’s Christmas tree farm and sales lot in Oklahoma City.
Maria Sanchez is struggling to provide for her five year old son, but her drug-addicted brother keeps taking her money.
Her son’s wishes for Christmas are beyond her means, but the Christmas tree, the wishing tree, he insists upon just may be the magic they need.
A feel-good story from an author I always enjoy reading.
Maria Sanchez is struggling to provide for her five year old son, but her drug-addicted brother keeps taking her money.
Her son’s wishes for Christmas are beyond her means, but the Christmas tree, the wishing tree, he insists upon just may be the magic they need.
A feel-good story from an author I always enjoy reading.
January 24, 2014
This was a great quick read. I adored Miguel the little boy in the story. His mother Maria was a kind person and Pete was a great guy who just needed to meet someone who could see past his scars. Thank goodness Maria and Miguel could do just that. I was so happy that they all found each other. It was a very sweet story.
May 31, 2016
A new favorite
A new favorite author...The Wishing tree is a great story. Wishes really come true in this short Christmas story. If I could make a wish on the wishing tree it would be to have a companion story to this one to finish it.
A new favorite author...The Wishing tree is a great story. Wishes really come true in this short Christmas story. If I could make a wish on the wishing tree it would be to have a companion story to this one to finish it.
January 23, 2014
Cute instalove read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews