Adrian Blackstone built a million-dollar business with hard work and determination—and by remaining professional at all times. Denying his longtime attraction to his beautiful executive assistant hasn’t been easy but it’s necessary. She’s indispensable, and he can’t stand the thought of losing her if things didn’t work out.
For more than a year, Rachel Carter has been quietly dreaming of all the ways she’ll never seduce her sexy, buttoned-up boss. She’s worked too hard to get where she is to cross that line, no matter how badly she’d like to act on her fantasies. But then a wicked snowstorm leaves them stranded in a romantic winter wonderland…
What begins as a single kiss and a few bad Santa jokes turns into a weekend full of breathless passion and hopes for something more. But with Monday comes a return to their complicated reality—and Adrian must prove that promises made are promises kept, especially at Christmastime.
FTC: I have no relationship with the author and was given this book for a fair and honest review.
This is one of those books that I requested on the author name alone. I love Shannon Stacey’s previous work and, as this one was a holiday story, I didn’t think I would be able to go wrong with it. What I got was a lovely, easy read that was full of heart warming moments and made me get all excited for the holiday season.
Adrian is the typical millionaire hero. Driven, slightly aloof and, of course, completely besotted with his assistant, he is a man that you want to see fall. He has decided that is completely inappropriate to feel these things towards Rachel and so keeps her at arm’s length. Well, that is until Mother Nature steps in and a freak snow storm keeps them locked together at an idyllic retreat. The familiarity of this trope is like a hug in a book to me; I knew what was coming but I didn’t care as it made me feel so damn happy. I really did like Adrian’s character; he was a bit of a beta character (far too nice to be alpha) but I loved seeing him revealed to Rachel as the man behind the suit. It was very cute.
Rachel is the assistant who wants to ruffle her boss’s feathers. I liked her and I understood her reasons why she didn’t want to make a move on him; even if he didn’t fire her, it would be pretty awkward the day after. What I did enjoy was her decision not to second guess herself and her actions. This wasn’t that book, the one where we have pages and pages of angst about the “line” they have crossed. Instead, I got to enjoy the development of their relationship and the revealing of their characters to each other and for that I am incredibly grateful. In their heads there is an expiration date on this relationship but never once did I feel that it was a hindrance on their romance. This is a book I will pick up again just to get that warm and fuzzy feeling that floated around me from cover to end.
This is a short, feel-good read that hit all my criteria for a holiday romance. With cute characters and a lovely story, it had me smiling all the way to the end. Recommended for those winter nights leading up to the festive season as it will get you right in the mood.
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