Hello everyone!
To be fair, I started last week already with Hermione Moon's book, but I feel like this week it's more official, you know?
After all, it IS December now!
So I was waffling between wanting to give you something sweet and a little steamy, and a murder mystery, because not even Christmas can escape that particular niche.
And in the end, I figured sweet and steamy might work a bit better, however there will definitely be some sleuthing going on here as well, just not this week.
For now we are returning to my first love when it comes to contemporary books, the work of Serenity Woods. This is one of her older ones, but she IS releasing a new Christmas-themed romance soon and you bet that I will be bringing you the scoop as soon as I can!
Right now, it's time to check My Christmas Fiancé first.
There will be a list of other Christmas works I've already reviewed from Ms Woods at the bottom of this page, as always, because at this point, I think it would be really funny if I were to make a list of ALL her books and figure out if there's any I haven't checked out yet.
That's a New Year's resolution, right there!
But before we go into that, we're going into My Christmas Fiancé.
The beginning of the authors Love Comes Later series, this story introduces us to the Katoa gaming company and the people who started it, Stratton, Teddie and Rich. Stratton and Teddie are brother and sister, and Rich is their best friend. There used to be a forth one, Will, Rich's twin brother, but sadly he is no longer with them when the story starts, and that's impacted all of them in a big way.
The twist, however, isn't that: the twist is that Stratton needs to hire a fake fiancée to ensure he gets his ex off his back. His ex is a bit of a piece of work in this one, thoroughly obsessed with him and refusing to recognize they're actually done, claiming this is some sort of break to teach her a lesson before he takes her back.
This is where Meg comes in.
Meg is Stratton's PA and has been for the past four months, and secretly she likes him. Really, really likes him - but unfortunately, she's married, so she's going to help him find someone else instead. This leads to a hilarious moment with an escort service until we get to the point: Meg thinks she sent an email about her fantasy concerning Stratton to her friend, and instead sends it to the ENTIRE OFFICE BUILDING.
Luckily, Stratton's a pretty nice guy all around, especially as another truth is then revealed: Meg isn't actually married - her ex, who shows up in that moment, was simply emotionally abusive and she left him with her thirteen year old, Oscar, after Bruce pushed her and she ended up at the hospital.
Stratton takes both Meg and Oscar to his place, where Meg tells him the truth, and he then asks HER to pretend to be his intended, because, the way he sees it, it could solve both their problems: the ones he's having with Natalie, and the ones she's having with Bruce.
Meg eventually agrees, and it's fairly obvious right from the get-go that there's more to it than meets the eye, as the two of them begin not only a fake relationship, but sort of begin dancing around each other as well.
Both of them are attracted to one another, and now they know they're both single, the door IS open for something to really happen, not that they're going for it right off the bat. They're just ... sampling, I suppose you could call it?
Natalie, as expected, is less than thrilled and tells Stratton so over the phone, not that he takes the bait, and instead he asks Meg to accompany him to Wellington and the charity Christmas ball there, where she has an unsettling encounter with Natalie herself. Let me tell you, I sincerely hope I'm never in a position so desperate to spout the things she says to poor Meg. No man is worth THAT.
Anyway, Stratton dismisses those claims, especially the ones saying he's into pain (he points out that he's a wuss about getting the flu shot, how would he stand any kind of other pain?) and the two of them then spend the rest of the night dancing before retiring to their room to make love.
So they return to Auckland a little bit more connected and both Rich and Teddie can see it, though Teddie warns Stratton he has to talk to Meg before starting an actual relationships, as he's sworn he won't have kids, but she may want some still.
Why doesn't he want kids?
Well, when Teddie was young, they discovered she'd inherited a gene which affected her eyesight, and she lost both eyes, rendering her blind. It's entirely possible that Stratton is also a carrier of it, and he doesn't want to risk a child under the circumstances.
Though it could be moot point when Bruce sends Meg flowers and catches them in the car park.
He's insisting he's changed and wants her back, and that he wants Oscar back, but he reveals his true colours when he states he wouldn't want another man's son - something Stratton is prepared to do since, you know, Meg and Oscar are a package deal. Meg puts her foot down and they all leave to spend Christmas with Stratton's parents, who like her immediately.
Stratton and Meg also finally have a talk which clears the rest of the confusion away and decide to give their relationship a real go, with Oscar happily beside them and no other children in the future.
Yet another lovely, Christmassy story that makes you feel warm and cozy, not to mention brings out all the feels! Hands down the best scenes are with Stratton and Oscar, though the discussions Meg and Stratton have are also worth paying attention to. It's about how you tackle a relationship when you're not in your twenties anymore, when you want more in life, and when your partner might come with baggage of their own. How do you cope with all that?
And how do you break off a relationship when the other person doesn't want you to?
It's a really, really lovely book to read, especially around Christmas time, with a lot of really good lessons hidden in there.
Plus, come on, a hot and altruistic billionaire who just so happens to be a gaming mogul? Where do I sign up for this???
xx
*images not mine
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