Well, it’s about time for the Christmas stories to begin showing up and I, for one, love the twists and turns and creativity so many authors manage with the Christmas season as a context. This is a fun read involving two very professional people who have strong ethical standards for not mixing business with their personal lives. But mutual attraction really doesn’t acknowledge the boundaries that individuals set and it is so in this case. There’s also a long-time friendship and a working relationship that is prized, both of which are at stake if any romantic involvement blows up (and we all know that happens sometimes rather easily.) So now they find themselves “stuck” in more ways than one–by the blizzard that snows them in, by time on their hands when their business meeting fell through because of the weather, and by their attraction that has simmered and gone unanswered for years.

This is a story that could easily be styled as a “fireside” read or as it is still warm, a poolside read. It’s a short novel and one that will pass the time in an entertaining way without being heavy or complicated in nature. Yet the characters are interesting and the love story has some heat to it. Of course, there is the usual miscommunication that always seems to plague lovers and that is especially true when the two people in question are trying to keep their affair under wraps. No matter how you plan it, this is romantic fiction and something is sure to go awry. Most of all, I felt badly for these two people whose ideas of life were so wrapped up in their need to keep the lines between them straight. Careers are important and in today’s world with its shifting financial foundations keeping everyone on edge, it is especially important to keep one’s professional life intact. But it seems to me to be sadder than sad when the most fulfilling part of life, that relationship that brings verve and joy to all the other aspects of living must take a back seat. Perhaps this story is really about two people who needed to be jolted out of a set of priorities that would definitely give them financial stability, but sleeping with a paycheck doesn’t promise much fun.

Ms Stacey definitely knows how to write an entertaining story and this short novel will not be a disappointment to those who have enjoyed her work in the past. Both these main characters are crafted with a sense of reality that gives this story the feel of something that really happened rather than being a fictional tale. Thus, it is the kind of romance that keeps the reader interested throughout the book. I also liked the fact that even though they were each well aware of their urges and physical needs, they were mature enough to know that adult living is built on balance, especially if one wishes for a relationship to have staying power.

A fun read with lots of color and some considerable heat. The kind I think most of us will really enjoy! I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.