Okay, so we’re not even past Halloween yet, but when it comes to holiday romances, I don’t think there’s a timeline. And since Netgalley has a deadline with which they archive things, I had no excuse not to jump on this one right away.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
One-Sentence Synopsis
A young woman hurt by a breakup is determined to be independent, which means convincing herself that she needs to not get too involved with an ex-soldier turned gardener. For a full synopsis, see this book’s Goodreads page.
The Good Stuff
I kind of love me some damsel in distress, and there’s a touch of that in this book when Faith hears something outside her apartment one night and Connor insists on staying at her place to make sure she’s safe. Connor is alpha male, but not over the top. He’s also a damaged hero who has things in his past that, while not necessarily secrets, are not things he wants to talk about.
I enjoyed the banter between the two, and my heart kind of broke for Faith who had never had a real Christmas but had done her best to enjoy it in previous years. Connor did everything he could to make the holidays special for her, and I’m like “Girl, you gotta marry him! Now!”
Things That Made Me Go Hmmm
I wanted the damsel in distress thing to go on longer than it did, because the whole alpha male in protection thing was really doing it for me. Alas, it ended too soon, but that didn’t detract from the romance of the rest of the story, and there was still plenty of conflict to deal with in other areas of both their lives.
Faith is constantly eating sugar. Constantly. When she’s upset, she eats sugary cakes. When she’s happy, she eats sugary cakes. Of course she’s blessed with a good metabolism, but I still couldn’t help thinking that she was walking that sugar coma/diabetic tightrope. I know, I know…it’s just a fun romance and I shouldn’t take it so seriously. And it didn’t really detract from my enjoyment of the book, but still…diabetes.
Oh, and I spent most of the time reading the book craving a damn cupcake, so there was that too.
The Romance Factor
Reluctant love at its finest. Faith doesn’t want to lose the sense of independence she’s started to cultivate, even when Connor gives her an ultimatum. And we all know how well ultimatums go when it comes to these matters. 4/5
The Steam Factor
There is definitely some hot scenes in this book, often times standing up. There’s nothing taboo, but the sexy times in this one could use a hand held fan at the least. 4/5
Final Thoughts
Once again, I’m late to the party, because even though I know I have at least one of the other books in this series, I haven’t yet read it. And now I have to, because of course there were hints at a future story in this series and I have to get caught up. But this book still worked at a standalone, and rather than feeling lost with regards to plot, I was tantalized by the other characters and the hints of their stories.
The Romance Factor 