Spotlight – Too Good to Be True

25 Friday Jul 2025

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Too Good to Be True

by A. S. Kelly

Publication date: July 23rd 2025

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

Blurb:

Seth Graham needs help. His eccentric job and troubled past will not help him get custody of his nephews. With their grandmother now stepping in to claim them, Seth needs a solution.

Seth can’t bear another loss. He has already said goodbye to too many people; he can’t give up the only family he has left.

Rowan Kennedy doesn’t need anything, especially not another lost cause. His career is finally taking off, and the last thing he has time for is helping a young single father desperate to keep his kids. He has no interest in getting caught up in a custody battle, especially when he’s never even had a real family of his own. He doesn’t know what it’s like to have someone willing to fight for you with everything they have.

But Seth is desperate, and Rowan seems to be his only chance, and these children need a home, love and something Rowan never had: a father who would give anything to see them happy. Plus, Seth is bloody adorable, with his dimples and his blue eyes and the way he creates chaos even when he sleeps, and his sweetness and his desire to be the father the children deserve. And then there’s the way he practically begs Rowan not to walk away now that falling in love might actually be on the table…

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/236606769-too-good-to-be-true

Amazon: https://shorturl.at/5oWoE

Kobo: https://shorturl.at/Aj02m

Apple: https://shorturl.at/MRdVY

Google: https://shorturl.at/iIOdH

Nook: https://shorturl.at/iXpB

*****

Excerpt:

“I don’t know what… I’m not usually emotional.”

It’s bullshit. I’m usually so emotional. 

Why do I lie? Why do I care what he may think of me?

“Try taking deep breaths and drinking some more water.”

I do as he says while he takes off his glasses and lays them on the desk, revealing his beautiful green eyes to me. 

I had not noticed them before.

I have a weakness for green eyes.

And I have a soft spot for strong men, with strong arms and tough looks, the kind you hope will be tender inside and in private and only with you.

Am I fantasising about my lawyer? 

“First, starting tomorrow, please switch to decaffeinated.”

“What? Oh, the coffee. Sure. Decaf. Duly noted. Sorry. I was distracted for a moment.”

“Second, stop apologising. You won’t go anywhere with that attitude.”

“Oh… O-okay, I’ll try.”

“Will you try?”

“I will do my best.”

He sighs, his face tense.

“They will tear you apart in court.”

How does he think this revelation will help my agitation?

“Work on it. A lot.”

“I will work on it,” I assure him.

“And third…”

Oh God! Is there also a third point? I don’t think I can even do the first two!

“I’m very sorry for your loss.”

“Oh.”

I didn’t expect this, and I don’t react well to unexpected things.

“Please don’t cry again.”

“I’m sorry.”

The lawyer gives me a dirty look.

“Oh god! I’m so, so sorry!”

He shakes his head several times, but I could swear I see him lifting one corner of his mouth.

“I’ll calm down, I swear.” I take another tissue and blow my nose again. “I can’t control my tongue and tears when I’m agitated. I will do my best to be careful. I solemnly promise.”

“I’m not comfortable with tears.”

“Oh, sure, I understand. I’m not comfortable with tears, either. Especially if they are my own.”

This time, he laughs. He can’t hide it!

Although it was not my intention to make him laugh, I must say that I don’t mind him in this role at all.

There. Another point against me.

Mr Kennedy can laugh, and he does it well. I don’t know if it’s possible to do it badly. I mean, that’s something positive in itself, isn’t it? Unless he laughs at me, then it becomes something else entirely.

*****

Author Info:

A. S. Kelly writes Rom-Com, Romantic Fiction and Family Saga.

Avid reader, hopeless romantic, lover of yoga, knitting and home baking.

She was born in Italy but lives in Ireland with her husband, two children and a cat named Oscar.

https://www.authoraskelly.com/

https://www.instagram.com/authoraskelly/

https://www.facebook.com/ASKellyAuthor

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/a-s-kelly

https://twitter.com/askelly_writes

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21195166.A_S_Kelly

Newsletter: authoraskelly.com

*****

Giveaway:

$25 Amazon gift card

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d04251235993/

*****

Spotlight – Lead Me Knot

25 Friday Jul 2025

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Lead Me Knot

Peachtree Pass #2

by S.L. Scott

Blurb:

Sometimes the temptation is too much to deny.

Falling into bed with my best friend’s brother was an accident.

What happened right after… not so much.

With abs more defined than the Texas Hill Country and a killer smirk I can’t ignore, the “boy next door” is all grown up and too hot for his own good.

My heart races for a man who’s forbidden.

My breath catches each time his hand brushes against mine.

His heated glances melt me, leading me closer to temptation.

One night together has us desperate for more. But we have no desire to give this small town something to talk about—or worse, upset his sister.

But when a new tyrant of a landlord threatens my family’s business, I need a miracle.

Call it a marriage of convenience or a friendly favor, but he comes through for me. The diamond ring on my finger gets me out of a jam but also has us confronting our feelings.

Did I just make a deal with the devil? Or am I actually falling in love with my husband?

New York Times bestselling author, S.L. Scott, brings readers her newest sharp-witted, great banter filled ranch romance. With characters causing quite the stir in their small town of Peachtree Pass, readers are going to fall in love with not only this setting but along with the characters in this coming home story.

Buy Link:

https://geni.us/LMKAm

Available in KU

*****

Author Info:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, S.L. Scott, writes character driven, heart-racing suspense, and swoony romances that will leave you glued to the page. With stories ranging from witty beach reads to heart wrenching and heart healing, her stories are highly regarded as emotional, relatable, and captivating.

Her books are more than escapes for the voracious readers of today. They are journeys of the heart that always come with a happily ever after reward at the end.

For more information, visit her website and sign up for her newsletter. She also loves to connect with readers on social media.

Connect with S.L. Scott:

https://linktr.ee/s.l.scott

~

Spotlight – Falling Stars

24 Thursday Jul 2025

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Falling Stars

Wild At Heart Series

by Lex Martin

Blurb:

Falling for the guy who broke my heart years ago wasn’t on my to-do list when I snuck into his condo. 

Maverick Walker was my best friend, my safe place—the boy I trusted with my whole heart—until one reckless kiss in high school ruined everything. Now, he’s an NFL football player, and I’m a struggling small-town hair stylist, newly single and expecting a baby. With my ex gone and someone vandalizing my business, my life feels like it’s crumbling beneath me. 

When my best friend Paige suggests hiding out in Maverick’s swanky condo to regroup while he’s recovering from an injury in New York, it seems like a lifeline.

Except he comes home. Unexpectedly. When I’m half-dressed.

Now I’m stuck in his orbit again, unprepared for the way he still makes my heart race. Maverick is charming, ridiculously hot, and as off-limits as ever. But I have bigger problems than his smoldering smile—like figuring out who’s targeting me and why they won’t stop. 

As the threats escalate, so do Maverick’s protective instincts. But with his life in New York and mine in Texas, our worlds couldn’t be further apart. And yet, with danger closing in, his arms are the only safe haven I have left.

But how do I let him protect me without risking my heart again—when loving him feels as out of reach as a falling star? 

Falling Stars is a single mom, forced proximity, friends to lovers romance with second chance vibes. If you enjoy charming cowboys, sassy heroines, or secretive small towns, this book is for you!

Buy Link:

EBOOK: https://geni.us/FallingStarsEbook

PAPERBACK: https://geni.us/FallingStarsRegPPBK

DISCREET PAPERBACK: https://geni.us/FallingStarsDiscPPbk

Available in KU

*****

Author Info:

Lex Martin is the USA Today bestselling author of Varsity Dads, Texas Nights, and the Dearest series. She writes contemporary romance novels, the steamy kind she hopes readers love but her parents avoid.

She’s always been obsessed with writing, starting in elementary school when she would pen short stories and make her father read them. (Afterward, he’d have to take her tests, but he was a good sport and did them without complaint.) 

In high school, when she wasn’t playing basketball, she wrote emo poetry (that won awards, go figure) and worked on the school newspaper.

She later became a nationally-certified high school English teacher and freelance journalist but decided she’d rather write romance novels than tests or city hall articles.

Lex loves coffee, rom coms, pen hoarding, planners, and college football. She married her almost college sweetheart (they met right after graduation), and she’s still obsessed with him, especially when he writes her songs.

She currently resides in her hometown of San Antonio with her husband, twin daughters, a bunny, and their new puppy. Drop her a line at lex (at) lexmartinwrites.com. She loves hearing from readers.

Lex is represented by Kimberly Brower of Brower Literary & Management.

Connect with Lex Martin:

https://shor.by/6VIR

~

Review – Don’t Clause a Scene

21 Monday Jul 2025

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Don’t Clause a Scene

Love In Maplewood #10

by Lee Blair

Blurb:

The world expects us to hate each other, but fate has other plans.

As a member of a Maplewood founding family, I’ve always known what I’m supposed to do with my life:

Take over Red’s, the diner that’s been in my family for generations.
Support the community, which usually means helping out with the town’s almost-monthly festivals.
Hate everything about, and everyone involved with, Sparky’s Diner.
For the most part, it’s been an easy destiny to fulfill, even if sometimes I wish for something else. Something more. Maybe that’s why I take a chance on Halloween with a costumed guy who shouldn’t look so good in a mullet wig.

I’m stunned when his costume comes off and I see the one man I can’t have anything to do with. The man who’s temporarily back in town and working at his family’s diner. The man I can’t get off my mind.

No worries. It’ll be easy to avoid Amos—I’ve been doing it my entire life. Except Amos and I are voluntold to plan an event for the big Christmas festival. Together.

When others on the planning committee say we couldn’t possibly pull it off, we decide to prove them wrong. It turns out stubbornness is just the beginning of a long list of things we have in common.

The more time we spend together, the more I realize my life is sweeter with Amos in it. I begin to wonder how deep this rivalry goes, how long Amos plans to stay in Maplewood, and what matters more: my destiny or my freedom.

Don’t Clause a Scene is a low-angst, small-town story about an introvert and extrovert finding a groove, secrets—so many secrets—and a well-meaning town that cares maybe a little too much.

With the highest percentage of LGBTQIA+ residents in Vermont, Maplewood is a town where everyone belongs. And with festivals year round, there’s always something fun happening! This multi-author, low-angst queer series features ten standalone romances—each set against the backdrop of a different festival. Come for the celebrations, stay for the happily-ever-afters!

*****

Review:

This book has all of the slow burn feels and sweetness I could ask for. I so so so loved Amos and Mickey together. The way their shared experience as kids of the diners and their love of geeky things help them connect in a special way. And I felt for them so much, not only for what is going on now – having to hide the feelings for “the enemy” – but also seeing how the family feud affected them when they were young. Those missed opportunities to be friends well before this point. But they have each other now, at a time when they really need support from someone that truly understands them as they have to make big decisions about their futures.

Not everyone is going to like the secrets and lies portion of the story but I can kinda see how easy it was for everyone to get caught up in things. While I wanted to give a few people a swift kick for not realizing how things could affect this generation I kinda appreciate how it all plays out. It wraps up in a way that gave me all sorts of warm and fuzzies.

Review – Only One Island

20 Sunday Jul 2025

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Only One Island

by R. Cayden

Blurb:

Castaway with his boss’s son.

HANK

I’ve attended some dreadful company parties, but getting lost at sea marks a new low for a work event.

My only companion on this life raft is Elliot. He’s ten years younger than me, wildly chaotic, and mostly responsible for getting us in this mess.

The fact that he’s also my new boss’s son is just a cherry on top of this terrifying, near-death sundae.

We crash on a small island, stranded somewhere off the coast of Seattle.

Elliot and I are exhausted, battered, and hungry. We lost half our clothes in the desperate swim to shore, and there are more storms on the horizon.

But we made it, and surely, we’ll be rescued soon.

If only we can agree on a survival strategy.

I’m an amateur naturalist and detail-oriented person, while Elliot is… creative.

Maybe it’s a survival instinct, but as the nights pass, Elliot and I find comfort in each other’s arms.

He becomes everything to me, my other half.

Until we get rescued, that is, and the real world comes to pull us apart.

Only One Island is a 70K M/M romance, loaded with heat and geeky fun. Our opposites-attract heroes danger-bang their way to survival and a well-earned HEA, with plentiful nature facts and constant disasters along the way. Enjoy!

*****

Review:

There’s not a lot of drama here, outside of how horrible Elliot’s family treat him and how & when they will get off the island. While enjoy feels like the wrong word I liked the first half of the book for their struggle to survive, trying to find food & shelter & rescue, and as it turns into a case of if it can go wrong it will go wrong. Unfortunately it doesn’t get that much easier for them once they do get saved.

But they’ve developed a connection and it’s one strong enough to get them through whatever life throws at them. I like that they recognize that things they’ve been thru could create a trauma bond but after time recognize that they have real feelings and work well together. They are opposites and Elliot brings lightness & fun to Hank who does a good job of providing the support & confidence that he needs.

I’m not sure if I’m disappointed or delighted by how things turn out, most especially with the issues at Hank’s office. I can definitely say I thought it was going to go in a different direction. But I do like where everyone ends up so I consider it a win. And the epilogue is just the sweetest.

Review – Sweet Thing

17 Thursday Jul 2025

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Sweet Thing

Chicago Players #1

by Kate Meader

Blurb:

My dad’s teammate needs a nanny and I need a job. Sounds perfect, right? Except for my massive crush on him … the one he knows all about.

LARS

I just found out I’m a dad.

My one-night stand dropped a baby bombshell in my local bar where I was celebrating my team’s win. Then she fled, leaving me holding my new daughter.

Thank God for Adeline. The daughter of my teammate and closest friend on the Chicago Rebels, she practically raised her little sister and knows exactly how to deal with this situation. I need a nanny; she needs a job. Problem sorted, right?

Not so fast …

ADELINE

I think you’re the sexiest guy alive.

That’s what Lars Nyquist overheard me say while recounting my embarrassing crush on him. Yeah, that Lars Nyquist. Defenseman for the Chicago Rebels. Owner of the thickest thighs in the league. More than a decade my senior. Oh, and my dad’s teammate.

My only option? Leave the country, of course. Luckily, I’d already planned a round-the-world trip with my bestie and by the time I returned to Chicago a year later, I expected my blunder would be long forgotten. Shows what I know. Now I’m lying awake in the bedroom next to his while playing nanny to his surprise little girl. But I can ignore this stupid infatuation. I have to. Even though the sight of Lars learning to be a dad leaves me breathless and takes that crush to a whole other level.

One that has the potential to break my sorry little heart …

Sweet Thing is the first book in the brand new Chicago Players hockey series from Kate Meader, the USA Today bestselling author of the Chicago Rebels and Rookie Rebels series.

https://geni.us/sweet-thing

*****

Review:

I’m a little conflicted about this one. I liked the slow burn and the characters are interesting, with their hangups and troubles (although I do wish both of them had gotten some professional help). Plus his daughter, and the relationship he develops with her, is just the absolute cutest. I also like the idea of Addy and Lars together, the way they are brought together and even the way things are resolved between them. It is a little predictable but aren’t most romances 🙂

I did find the age gap a little much for me, just a personal preference when its anything over 10 years and one of them is that young. It helps that Addy is a bit of an old soul so most of the time I didn’t even really think about it unless they brought it up. Some others found issue with the friendship between her dad and Lars but it didn’t really bug me all that much. I found their relationship kinda fatherly anyway.

Overall I liked these two together, loved little Mabel, and enjoyed them figuring out a way to a HEA. There are some hints leading to future books, including a cliff-hangerish moment in the epilogue. I’m definitely intrigued and excited to see where Meader is going to take things.

(There’s a lot of characters that returning readers will know but I got a little jumbled for me as a newbie. But the romance itself will stand on its own.)

*****

Author Info:

Originally from Ireland, USA Today bestselling author Kate Meader cut her romance reader teeth on Maeve Binchy and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Harlequins thrown in for variety. Give her tales about brooding mill owners, oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron, a fire hose, or a hockey stick, and she’s there. Now based in Chicago, she writes sexy contemporary romance with big-hearted guys and strong heroines – and heroes – who can match their men quip for quip..

Connect with Kate Meader:

https://www.katemeader.com/links

~

Review – Tempting Me

15 Tuesday Jul 2025

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Tempting Me

The Asher Family #3

by Jami Rogers

Blurb:

Luca Asher is my brother’s ex-best friend, the best contractor in our small town of Lovers, a walking dream when he doesn’t have a shirt on—heck, with it on, too, and he was the first boy I ever loved.

He just doesn’t know that last part.

On the rare occasions I converse with him, I get a comeback for everything.

Our banter is my favorite thing. He’s so clever and quick and, again, sexier than any man I’ve ever met.

But none of that changes the fact that he betrayed my brother. My family. Me.

And none of those facts would matter except for my one little problem.

I had this plan to save my family’s marina, which backfired. Now, my parents have given me a deadline to prove to them it’s still worth saving. If I don’t make it, they’ll sell everything, and I’ll lose my dream to keep the place.

They gave me one rule: do not hire that Asher boy.

At this point, I have only one option left to make this happen.

Hire Luca and beg him not to tell a single soul about it.

My heart forgave him years ago, but my head knows better than to trust the enemy.

And yet, in a matter of weeks, he starts to remind me of the old us, and I find myself falling for him all over again.

The idea of me and Luca is … tempting.

Tempting Me is a small-town, steamy, enemies to lovers romance with his ex-best friend’s sister, lots of banter, and a secret agreement.

Buy Link: 

https://geni.us/AmazonTM

Available in KU 

*****

Review:

I liked Luca and his blunt truthfulness. His straightforwardness is refreshing and leads to some fun (and awkward) moments with Shay. And I can’t blame him for his hurt over the past and the want to feel like enough as he is. Who doesn’t want to be trusted and liked for all they are.

Shay definitely comes across as a bit childish in spots. Especially in her treatment of Luca. I understand where she’s coming from, trying to hide her crush and follow the wishes of her family. But come on girl! I do feel for her with the way her parents treat her attachment to The Marina. The way that plays out is harsh … but also sweet.

This is my first book by Rogers and I enjoyed it. I found the characters a little immature in some places and I felt like a few places needed a bit more resolution, but I’m definitely interested in more from her.

*****

Author Info:

Just a girl who loves to write small town romance books and wants to share them with the world.

Connect with Jami Rogers:

https://linktr.ee/authorjamirogers

Spotlight – Penn

15 Tuesday Jul 2025

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Penn

Pittsburgh Titans series

by Sawyer Bennett

Blurb:

Penn Navarro is the best player in the league—unstoppable on the ice, untouchable off it. But the moment the game ends, so do the celebrations. Because no amount of goals, no number of wins, can silence the demons that haunt him.

Hockey is my life. It’s what I was born to do. That’s not ego talking, just fact—I’ve spent years honing my skills, earning my place among the elite. But talent doesn’t erase my mistakes, and no amount of success will make me forget the damage I’ve done. It’s why I keep my distance from my teammates, because if you never let anyone in, you’ll never get hurt. Or those are the lies that I tell myself.

Mila Brennan represents the darkest parts of my history. She’s a ghost I’ve tried to bury, the reminder of everything I’ve lost. When she shows up in Pittsburgh looking for me, I know nothing good will come of it, because our sins don’t stay forgotten. They fester, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, and Mila’s arrival means my time is up.

The past isn’t just knocking at my door—it’s kicking it down, crumbling all the walls I’ve built around myself in the process. And when the danger comes for us both, I’m forced to do the one thing I swore I never would. Let her in.

Buy Link:

https://geni.us/SB-Penn

*****

Author Info:

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.

A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to her wonderfully naughty dogs.

If you’d like to receive a notification when Sawyer releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter (sawyerbennett.com/signup).

Connect with Sawyer Bennett:

https://geni.us/SawyerBennett

Spotlight – Karma’s a Beach

15 Tuesday Jul 2025

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Karma’s a Beach

by Samantha Chase

Blurb:

It’s bad enough I have to fly home for a funeral.

Not just any funeral either. My ex’s funeral. Where I have to give the eulogy.

Let’s just say he was an ex for a reason, and I’d much rather write a speech about his flaws than wax poetic about what a great person he was. But I just couldn’t bring myself to say no to his mom when she asked.

So here we are.

I just have to get through the funeral and then it’s a whole month of relaxing on the beach with my oldest friends.

But of course, nothing ever goes according to plan.

Entitled passengers, flight delays, lost luggage. Everything that could wrong went wrong. And I might have had a little too much wine and spilled my entire life story to the man in the seat next to me. The incredibly nice, incredibly sexy man sitting next to me.

It’s a good thing I’ll likely never see him again.

Or so I thought.

The stranger who awkwardly comforts me at my ex’s funeral? Airplane guy.

And I’ll give you one guess about who shows up at the beach house.

Kill. Me. Now.

This was supposed to be a relaxing vacation, but now I have to worry about how attracted I am to a man who knows entirely too much about me and only seems to catch me at my absolute worst.

Or maybe I’ll get lucky and he’ll be into hot messes.

Buy Links:

https://geni.us/KarmaBeach

*****

Author Info:

Samantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance that’s hotter than sweet, sweeter than hot. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than eighty titles under her belt – including THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE which was a Hallmark Christmas movie in 2017 and THE WEDDING SEASON which was a Hallmark wedding movie in 2023! She’s a Disney enthusiast who still happily listens to 80’s rock. When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Solitaire when she should be writing, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of 32 years and their two sons in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

Connect with Samantha Chase:

https://linkin.bio/samanthachaseromance

Review – Scrooge You!

14 Monday Jul 2025

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Scrooge You!

Christmas Falls series

by Brigham Vaughn

Blurb:

Joel McArthur thought he knew everyone in the small town of Christmas Falls. He’s been running Ginger’s Breads bakery for more than a decade, after all. But who is the mysterious runner who’s been passing by his shop every morning?

Hayden Bradley’s post-college plans fell through, landing him in this stupid small town he can’t get out of fast enough. He hates Christmas and he’s tired of the endless holiday cheer. But as Hayden finds himself spending more and more time at Joel’s bakery, he’s forced to admit that he’s developed a taste for the ginger-molasses cookies and the handsome ginger-haired baker who makes them.

Christmas Falls is a multi-author M/M romance series set in a small town that thrives on enough holiday charm to rival any Hallmark movie.

Scrooge You! (Christmas Falls Season 1) – Audiobook

*****

Review:

I got the audiobook of this one and I really enjoyed it. It’s a little Christmas in July treat with all sorts of holiday fun, read by James Edward Jones who has a smooth voice and gentle cadence. He helps make it a soft and comfy listen.

I like both Joel & Hayden and enjoyed seeing them figure things out. Hayden is a fun grump to Joel’s more sedate sunshine. A sunshine that slowly gets Hayden looking at the holidays in a more positive manner and evaluating exactly what he wants for his future.

Scrooge You! is non-angsty, easy to read with no real drama other than the expected over whether Hayden will stay or find a job somewhere else. It has characters that feel real, with real problems and real relationships, and a romance that slowly works its way to a HEA. That cozy kind of read is one of my favs, especially in a holiday romance.