A woman uncovers family secrets and romance while liquidating an estate at Christmastime in this novella by the author of Sold on a Monday.
Toss, repair, sell, repeat. Most of the time, people are grateful for estate liquidator Jenna Matthews’s organizing services. Not Reece Porter, her new client’s handsome but grouchy grandson. As far as he’s concerned Jenna is a vulture, picking through his late grandfather’s treasures, during the holidays, no less. Personally, Jenna isn’t one for Christmas nostalgia, or any kind of nostalgia. Plus, she’s just doing her job.
But when she and Reece are drawn together in an emergency, it becomes clear there’s a whole other kind of tension between them, one that’s pure electricity. And when Jenna discovers keepsakes that suggest an intriguing Porter family secret, unwrapping the mystery leads both Jenna and Reese to the greatest gifts of the holidays—and the truth in their hearts . . .
Previously published in A Winter Wonderland.
Praise for the writing of Kristina McMorris
“Will grab your heart on page one and won’t let go until the end.” —Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times–bestselling author on The Edge of Lost
“An absorbing, addictive read.” —Beatriz Williams, New York Times–bestselling author on The Edge of Lost
“Impeccably researched and beautifully written.” —Karen White, New York Times–bestselling author on Bridge of Scarlet Leaves
“An absolutely lovely debut novel filled with endearing characters and lively descriptions.” —Kristin Hannah, New York Times–bestselling author on Letters from Home
Release date:
October 31, 2017
Publisher:
Zebra Books
Print pages:
120
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“Kristina McMorris’s novel moves masterfully between past and present and locks us straight in the heart with a love story, a story between a mother and son, and a story of healing. The Pieces We Keep gripped me from the first page and didn’t let go.
Alyson Richman, bestselling author of The Lost Wife
“Readers will have a hard time putting this absorbing book down.”
RT Book Reviews
“Kristina McMorris has written an utterly absorbing novel, which takes us from present-day Oregon to World War II London, and touches on profound themes. This is a beautifully woven story, at once gripping and uplifting.”
Margaret Leroy, author of The Soldier’s Wife
“An expertly woven and richly satisfying work of historical fiction that will touch any reader who has experienced love, loss, tragedy, or the impact of family secrets.”
The Boston Globe
“From the past to the present, The Pieces We Keep is a compelling tale with memorable characters, written in McMorris’ elegant and captivating prose. I didn’t want this novel to end.”
Erika Robuck, bestselling author of Call Me Zelda
“Combined with true-to-life stories of German saboteurs on American soil from World War II . . . it is a story that is guaranteed to captivate and enthrall readers to the very end.”
Times Record News
“The past collides with the present in this sensitive and multilayered story where the discovery of long-held family secrets leads to healing. The contemporary twist will be a treat for fans of World War II historical fiction.”
Beth Hoffman, New York Times bestselling author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
Bridge of Scarlet Leaves
“McMorris’s second novel gracefully blossoms through swift prose and rich characters….This gripping story about two ‘brothers’ in arms and a young woman caught in between them hits all the right chords.”
Publishers Weekly
“A sweeping yet intimate novel that will please both romantics and lovers of American history.”
Kirkus Reviews
“Impeccably researched and beautifully written, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves is a story of loss, triumph, and awakening—and of forgiving those who have injured us the most. I highly recommend this book!”
Karen White, New York Times bestselling author of The Time Between
“Rich in historical detail, peopled with well-developed characters, and spiced with tension and drama, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves is a novel to savor, and then to share with a friend.”
The Historical Novel Reviews
“Fascinating and moving…an absolute pleasure to read.”
Whitney Otto, author of How to Make An American Quilt
“An unputdownable love story…[McMorris’s] attention to detail is meticulous, the East meets West clash between cultures—revelatory.”
Lesley Kagen, New York Times bestselling author of Whistling in the Dark
“A wonderfully poignant tale, it’s at times terribly dramatic and others beautifully gentle.”
RT Book Reviews
“A beautiful, timeless love story, rich in detail and emotion, Kristina McMorris’ words reach right off the page and grab at your heart. An altogether comforting and satisfying read.”
Sarah Jio, author of The Violets of March
“Readers of World War II fiction will devour Kristina McMorris’s Bridge of Scarlet Leaves, a poignant, authentic story of Japanese and American lovers crossed not only by the stars but by the vagaries of war and their own country’s prejudices.”
Jenna Blum
Letters from Home
“This sweeping debut novel is ambitious and compelling….will appeal to historical fiction fans hungry for a romance of the ‘Greatest Generation.’ ”
Publishers Weekly
“The tale is emotionally moving and the end is heartwarming. This is a tough book to put down!”
RT Book Reviews
“Letters from Home is an absorbing debut, combining the emotional power of The Notebook with the stirring history and drama of Saving Private Ryan. An evocative and compelling storyteller, Kristina McMorris gives us a novel to savor and remember.”
Ben Sherwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud
“McMorris gives readers a poignant and resonant ‘Greatest Generation’ story of love and loss during wartime.”
Booklist
“McMorris writes of the people and the period with a great deal of insight and compassion. Through the three heroines she captures a cross-section of the myriad experiences and coping mechanisms of the women left behind with their hopes and dreams and fears.”
The Historical Novels Reviews
“This poignant novel digs deep into the emotional and physical effects of war and is well written and well researched….highlight[s] the harsh realities of both war and human nature.”
New York Journal of Books
“A tender and heartfelt glimpse of a time long past. While wholly original, it’s filled with characters as beloved as your own grandparents. Propelled by the epic sweep of world war, yet warmed by intimate human moments, this story will linger in the reader’s memory long after the last page is turned.”
Susan Wiggs
Note from the Author
Dear Reader,
Only upon completing this novella did it occur to me that my literary journey has indeed come full circle. After all, it was a family Christmas gift that had sparked the idea for my debut novel, Letters from Home. The fact I had “borrowed” two characters from that story in order to create The Christmas Collector, though now as their elderly versions, seems all the more fitting.
You see, I was in the midst of interviewing my grandmother for the biographical section of a homemade cookbook, intended as a Christmas present for the grandkids, when she revealed a shocking detail: She and my grandfather had dated merely twice during WWII before uniting in a marriage that lasted until his passing, fifty years later. Until then, I had no idea their courtship had blossomed almost entirely through heartfelt letters, each of which Grandma Jean then retrieved from her closet to share.
Captivated by their relationship and a fading era, I soon sat down to pen my first novel, based on the question: How well can you truly know someone through letters alone? What formed as a result was Letters from Home, in which a WWII soldier falls deeply in love through a yearlong letter exchange, unaware that the girl he’s writing to isn’t the one replying. Unique cases of loved ones separated by war have since continued to fascinate me, as proven by my second novel, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves. Again inspired by a true account, the story follows a Caucasian woman who, refusing to be separated from her Japanese American husband, moves to an internment camp by choice. In many ways, the struggle of living between worlds, seeking out one’s true identity, is a common thread among my books—as are themes of redemption and forgiveness, loss of innocence, the complexities of family, and the importance of memories. I hope you enjoy The Christmas Collector for all these reasons and more!
With warm holiday wishes,
Kristina McMorris
For 1940s holiday recipes, special book club features, and excerpts from the letters by Kristina’s grandfather, visit www.KristinaMcMorris.com.
Chapter 1
She tried to ignore him throughout dinner, but the squatty monk held Jenna’s focus in a fisted grip. He seemed to be mocking her with a half smile curled into round rosy cheeks, his hand resting on the wide shelf of his belly. Traditionally a symbol of self-sacrifice and frugality, he instead radiated sheer overindulgence.
The fact he was a mere saltshaker didn’t lessen Jenna Matthews’s anxiety. She shifted in her seat, forced down another bite of instant mashed potatoes. She knew without question the Friar Tuck collectible was new to her mother’s house. In a brown robe, his hair forming a silver wreath, he stood amid the Thanksgiving dishes as if staking his claim. A matching pepper shaker and sugar bowl flanked him on the dining room table. Candlelight flickered over the trio, casting shadows across the floral vase and oval doily.
New vase. New doily. New condiment holders. All signs that Jenna’s mother, Rita, had potentially relapsed.
But the woman gave no other indications. Over their holiday meal of turkey TV dinners—her mom’s standard menu, now accustomed to cooking for one—she was rattling on about a film she had seen with a friend from her days in group therapy. Jenna feared those sessions might now be needed again.
“I just don’t know why they insist on doing that.” Her mother used a melodramatic tone for emphasis. “It ruins a perfectly good movie, don’t you think?”
At the expectant pause, Jenna reviewed the discussion she had caught in disjointed pieces. “What does?”
“When they have those corny endings.”
“Oh. Right.”
“I swear, I can’t recall the last time I saw a romantic comedy with a realistic ending. Some character always has to give an over-the-top speech in front of a reception hall, or even a whole baseball stadium. As if big revelations only come when you’re holding a microphone.” She puffed a laugh that jostled her hoop earrings. “Honestly. When have you ever seen that happen in real life?”
Forging a smile, Jenna shrugged, and her mother moved on to the next topic: a Thanksgiving conspiracy by U.S. turkey farmers, based on her doubts over the pilgrims’ actual supper. From a marketing perspective, Jenna hated to admit, the theory was intriguing enough to contemplate. She tried her best to listen, but her surroundings were of greater concern.
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