I requested the ARC because I could not resist the blurb–but obviously, the idea of a man who could not even remember the name of the woman he deflowered the night before would require either that there be an alternate hero, or a damned good reason for his ‘forgetfulness’.
Turns out, I’ll never find out.
Reader beware: very sweary ranting by yours truly, taking apart the plot and characterization up to 25%, when I gave up.
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This month’s TBR Challenge theme is ‘baggage’; as SuperWendy notes, ‘baggage’ is the bread and butter of genre romance, so I was spoiled for choices. Which of course meant that I couldn’t think of anything.
However, this book has been inching its way up the towering pile of print TBR books in my nightstand for a while (a long while–I’ve had this signed copy since 2009, gog help me), and with a hero who survived the 1812 siege and subsequent pillaging of Badajoz, “baggage” was a given.
Reader beware: descriptions of battle scenes, PTSD, attempted rape, sex on the page.
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Wendy made me do it.
No, really, she did.
This is a very short story, just under 60 pages; death of parents (off page), serious illness, and my least favorite trope: the estranged couple.
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I can hear you groaning all the way over here. “Az, haven’t you hated on Christmas romances enough already?” and indeed, I have. But, hear me out:
This one is lovely.
(And I owe the author an abject apology for not reading and reviewing it on time for its release–see footnote 1)
It’s absolutely a Christmas novella, and absolutely the holiday matters, but it’s not preachy in a “your lord and savior” and “hell and damnation”, but in a, “cherish the moments with the people in your life, for they are fleeting” way, and oh, it’s lovely. (Yes, I’m aware that I said that already.)
Reader beware: death of a parent (backstory), death of a character (not on page, not unexpected), mentions of parents disowning queer offspring.
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Her Hands, My Hands 