Review of "The Christmas Wreath" by Dr. Dawn Menge

Score: 93/100 (9.3 out of 10)

In The Christmas Wreath, Dr. Dawn Menge crafts a deeply personal and emotionally rich novel that bridges memoir and romance, fantasy and reality. We would classify this as a sort of pseudo-memoir, drawing from what are apparently real-life events with changes here and there to protect the privacy of real people.

With unflinching vulnerability, Menge invites readers into a world where grief and trauma are healed not by erasure, but by love's return—and the courage to dream again.

At its core, this is the story of Harmony—a loving grandmother, teacher, and survivor of emotional devastation—who finds a mysterious Christmas wreath on her doorstep. It contains an anonymous invitation to the legendary Queen Mary, triggering the beginning of a magical journey that blurs the line between memory and miracle. What begins as an elegant retreat soon unfolds into a breathtaking reconnection with her long-lost soulmate, Scott—her “Huggy Bear.”

Their rekindled love story is not a whimsical fantasy—it is forged in fire. Dr. Menge lays bare the emotional wreckage left behind by real-life stalking, harassment, and betrayal. The infamous “Barn Woman” and “Crazy Church Lady” emerge not as caricatures, but as chilling representations of psychological manipulation and the violation of safety. Through Harmony, readers witness how domestic stalking can fracture trust, derail dreams, and force one to live in constant fear.

We'd almost compare this book to a mix between a good Hallmark movie (with a somewhat dark twist) and a Lifetime movie. You get the warm-feeling romance and holiday spirit of a Hallmark movie mixed with the darkness and danger of a Lifetime movie as Harmony must cope with these two crazy stalker women, their ringleader (whom she encounters in a tense phone conversation), and her ex-husband. Harmony sleeps with a taser and her cellphone under her pillow. She also has alarms installed. Now, it is honestly a little confusing as to who hates who and why. Either intentionally or unintentionally, the author uses very vague and somewhat muddled language to describe these bad, mean, terrible people who menace her.

It kind of makes sense because this might be what these people are to her: no longer people, a demonic, ghostly, evil, wicked, faceless force that follows her like a monstrous, ominous shadow everywhere she goes, even prompting her to give up her house to escape them.

At the same time, we would've liked a bit more clarity as to why these women hate Harmony and Scott so much. These are essentially the villains of the book, after all. The impression that we got was that they're kind of like those judgmental, b*&chy hyperreligious women who show up in congregations from time to time who feel the need to control what everyone else does. They tend to be the total opposite of Christ-like, often judging and being severe to others. Maybe they didn't approve of Harmony and Scott being together because they had other plans to marry Scott off to one of their friends? Maybe it was a race thing? Who knows... the author knows, and that's enough.

We've known a few people like that. Many of them seem to suffer from a mental illness. Some are just nasty, hateful, spiteful people. These are the kinds of people who'll send you five-page long rants in your DMs (usually in ALL CAPS) about not being invited to your wedding despite you barely knowing them.

Harmony's struggles with these stalkers is actually very relatable, sadly. Many of us have endured this kind of treatment, both online and in person. We've had our lives threatened as well as those of family members. We've had people from the past write whole blog posts about how much they wanted to kill or harm us for perceived wrongs, accusing us of crazy things ranging from murdering people and hiding the bodies or being part of a "espionaging Jesuit cult." These people clearly suffer from something going haywire in the head, and unfortunately the rest of us have to suffer because of it. Making things worse—as Harmony experiences—police and police detectives are uncooperative, unsupportive, and wont/can't be proactive. They won't do anything until the danger is finally at your front door or aiming a weapon at you. At that point, it's too late.

And restraining orders? Protective orders? Well, those are pieces of paper.

So, that aspect of this book is very poignant and powerful.

But this is not a story of despair—it is a triumphant rebirth. Harmony and Scott's reunion is beautifully paced and earned through years of struggle. From sensual flashbacks of their earliest moments to serene walks on Moonstone Beach, Dr. Menge paints scenes so vivid they feel lived-in. Their beachside wedding, tenderly described with flowing lace and barefoot vows, reads like a dream finally made real.

Speaking briefly of these sensual flashbacks, we appreciate how these scenes are treated with such tact and care. Despite the passion of the characters, this doesn't break down into an erotic or racy story, but rather one that puts the message across that these two people truly love each other and trust each other with their bodies and hearts. Rather than explicitly describing acts or body parts, words like "touching" and "places" are used, which allows this to become a much more accessible book.

The most racy scene is actually a heartwarming and very funny scene in which one of the characters describes another character's pants being pulled off due to the friction on the waterslide. That had us giggling.

Speaking of giggling, this book tells the origin story behind the creation of the OCA award-winning book Dragon's Breath featuring King Teddy Bear & Queen Giggles, who represent and are directly inspired by Harmony and Scott as well as how the characters cope with the darkness that infiltrated their lives (represented by Dragon). That context makes both books extra special!

It's also interesting to note that the reader is briefly told that Queen Vernita, the titular protagonist of the Queen Vernita series (and who is also mentioned in Menge's Dragon books), is said to be Harmony's grandmother! That means this all exists in the same Menge universe!

That kind of begs the question... if Harmony is Queen Vernita's granddaughter, couldn't she just ask Dragon or Precious (Dragon's good daughter) to go deal with those mean, evil women? Could you imagine how quickly that problem resolves once a fire-breathing dragon shows up at their doorsteps?

That also begs the question: doesn't that kind of make Harmony a princess? It kind of makes sense because, despite her life drama and stalking difficulties, she seems pretty financially well-off. She seems to have multiple homes including a vacation home/timeshare.

Moving on...

We will say that Scott comes across in this book as a bit overly squeaky-clean and perfect. He always says the right thing. He almost always does the right thing. He's loving, caring, self-sacrificing, romantic. He takes care of his ailing mom. He goes out of his way for Harmony even after she moves far away.

Early on in the book, it sounds like Harmony blames herself for misunderstanding Scott and abruptly ending their initial time together. In other words, Scott did nothing wrong.

What a Prince Charming.

This might make the reader think that there's more to this than the narrator is letting on. Nobody is that perfect, right? That's what we thought, at least. The book also seems to drag in its last act. The initial parts of the book fly by, then the narrative seems to sandbag, becoming drawn out. Also, more could've been done with the coolness and intrigue of the haunted ship. It seems like it gets introduced as a plot device, then gets dropped. A lot of this book sort of feels that way--fragmented, spontaneous, and random. Guess that's life. 

Menge’s writing is both poetic and grounded. Her prose flows with a natural rhythm, drawing strength from sensory imagery—lavender baths, snowy porches, cotton candy lemonades. But what truly elevates this novel is its emotional intelligence. Every character, from Harmony’s spirited grandchildren to Scott’s dignified mother, feels lovingly rendered. Family is not simply background here—it is the sanctuary where love is celebrated and safeguarded.

We love how it comes full-circle, ultimately hitting home the message that home is truly where your heart is—where your family is. In the beginning, we saw a Harmony who was without her children, grandchildren, and Scott. In the end... well... you'll see.

Check it out on Amazon!