Maria Rose's Reviews > Three Nights before Christmas

Nominated for a 2016 RITA Award in the category Contemporary Romance: Short!

Lacey and Austin have a pretty unpleasant history. He was the arresting officer in a drug case that Lacey inadvertently was involved in due to her relationship with the man in charge. Imprisoned for three years, she's finally free to try to pick up the pieces of her once thriving life. Working at her family's tree farm with her brother is a chance to rebuild, but for one reason or another Austin seems to always be around. Despite their best efforts to stay uninvolved, there is a strong attraction between them and they can't resist giving in. But can they develop the trust to put their troubled past behind them?

Kudos to Lacey for embracing the real spirit of forgiveness because I'm not sure that I would have been able to consider developing a relationship with a man who was responsible for the worst three years of my life. But Lacey is determined to move on, and Austin is realizing that things might not have been what they seemed, to his (most likely) everlasting guilt. The friendship they develop starts out very slowly, but eventually they find a space where they can just be themselves at the moment, and not what they were to each other before. I really liked both characters, Lacey's strong will and determination balancing well with Austin's dedication and wish to make amends. They share some steamy scenes together, and the spirit of the Christmas season definitely shines through. 4 stars for an entertaining, sometimes bittersweet, but eventual happy ending story.

Note: a copy of this story was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review.

This review also appears at All About Romance: http://allaboutromance.com/book-revie...