Book Review: Operation: Enduring Santa by Tara Chevrestt

USAF fighter pilot Janet Kerrigan is not having a good Christmas. It's bad enough she is stationed in Balad Air Base, Iraq and away from her three-year-old son, but to make matters worse, she has to spend her Christmas day on Combat Air Patrol.

A friend and fellow pilot tells her to make new Christmas memories, and much to Janet's surprise, she does, though not the kind of memories she expects. While flying her F-16 Fighting Falcon in the Iraqi skies, Janet is faced with a difficult choice: follow orders and have the glory or ruin her Air Force career to save Christmas for boys and girls everywhere.

Where to Buy

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Tara Chevrestt is a deaf woman, former aviation mechanic, dog mom, writer, and editor. You’ll never see her without her Kindle or a book within reach. As a child, she would often take a flashlight under the covers to finish the recent Nancy Drew novel when she was supposed to be sleeping.

Tara is addicted to Law & Order: SVU, has a crush on Cary Grant, laughs at her own jokes, and is constantly modifying recipes and experimenting in the kitchen. Her theme is Strong is Sexy. She writes about strong women facing obstacles—in the military, with their handicaps, or just learning to accept themselves. Her heroines can stand alone and take care of themselves, but they often find love in the process.

My Thoughts


Janet is a fighter pilot stuck in Iraq for the holidays. She's also a single mom whose missing her little boy. Feeling a touch of the holiday blues, she confesses to a fellow pilot that she never liked the holidays. Not long after, the two of them are in the sky. When an unidentified flying object appears in her path, Janet can't believe her eyes. This is no enemy aircraft, but she  has orders to shoot first and ask questions later. Will she follow orders or find the true meaning of the holidays in time to save Christmas?


Operation Enduring Santa is cute holiday story that reminds us all that their is still a little magic left in the world. I appreciate the way it touched on the loneliness our soldiers feel when they are serving our country overseas, especially during the holiday season, as well as the detailed descriptions of what it was like on the jet. It may be a short story that's easy to finish in one sitting, but there certainly is a lot going on. If you are looking for a story with a little action and a lot of  holiday cheer, this is the tale for you.