by: Anne Calhoun
Genre: Erotic Christmas Romance
Release Date: February 11, 2025
Publisher: Carina Press
Christmas is the perfect time for firefighter Ronan O’Rourke to take things to the next level with his sexually adventurous girlfriend. He knows she has feelings for him--and he’s sure of his feelings for her--but when Thea refuses his invitation to sample Christmas in New York City because what they share is nothing more than sheet-burning sex, Ronan sets out to change her mind.
Deep down Thea Moretti knows she cares for Ronan, but she can’t move past her grief over her late husband. Loud music and sex with Ronan are the only things she’s got that make her feel alive, so she takes as much of both as she can get. She knows Ronan wants more, but during the darkest time of the year finding her way won’t be easy.
Ronan gambles everything and challenges Thea: one night of passion with him and another man. Can he prove to her that what they share isn’t just great sex but an emotional connection strong enough to last forever?
Thea and Ronan are two very likeable characters. I fell for them both immediately. Thea is pretty much "dead" to the world because her husband was killed in a car accident shortly after Thanksgiving two years ago. Thea and her late husband Jesse loved the Christmas holidays. Christmas was a big thing for them and both of their large families. Ronan is a firefighter who has the classic “rescuer’s syndrome”. He lost his uncle, who he was extremely close to, on 9/11 and his best friend, a fellow firefighter, three years ago during a building collapse.
Thea’s family, including her in-laws have absolutely no idea how hard the death of her husband has been for her. No one understands how hard it is for her to deal with Christmas and the holiday season while she has to watch them go on with their happy lives. They are constantly pushing for her to move back to the city where her hopes, dreams, and pretty much her whole world came to an end.
Ronan knows Thea is using him to avoid dealing with her issues and problems. To a certain extent he is or was okay with that, but not any more. Now he wants more. He thinks they both deserve more.
Thea and Ronan are two people who need each other. They met almost two years after Ronan lost his best friend and he is coming out of his own fog, ready to start living again. Thea made Ronan feel alive for the first time in years. She needs Ronan to teach her how to live and love again, without all of the darkness surrounding her.
My favorite quote from the book isn’t romantic or heated, but it’s truthful. “The second year of grieving. It’s harder than the first. Everyone remembers the first anniversary without a husband or the first Thanksgiving without a father. By the time the second one comes around, you’re supposed to be over it. Everyone else is, but you’re not. So it’s harder. Lonelier.”
Oh silly me...I forgot about about the other man, not really. He’s 6’5” how could you possibly forget him? Tim Cannon is Ronan’s good friend and fellow rescuer. Yeah, he seems like a jerk at first, but he really isn’t. It’s all just an act he puts on. Unbeknownst to Thea, Tim helps to provide the start of the turning point in her life. Because of him, he realizes what Ronan means to her.
~ Favorite Quotes ~
"The second year of grieving. It's harder than the first. Everyone remembers the first anniversary without a husband or the first Thanksgiving without a father. By the time the second one comes around, you're supposed to be over it. Everyone else is, but you're not. So it's harder. Lonelier."
**Received a copy from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed it.**
Rating: 4.5
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