As much as I love a nice and tidy HEA in my romance books, I can appreciate stories that have sloppy HEAs. Or really, HFNs. Each of the books in this series give Anna, the MFC, an HFN. I’ll warn you, although I don’t post spoilers in my reviews of the book I’m reviewing, a series like this that continues with the same main character may have spoilers for the previous books.

One of the misconceptions people have about the romance genre is that every story ends with marriage and babies. That’s so not true. The requirement is for there to be a happy ending between the MCs, whatever that means for them. For Anna, this story deals with her struggle to name what her relationship with Aiden is instead of enjoying what they have. She’s not ready for kids or even marriage, but wants to know that’s a possibility for the future of their courtship. Let’s face it, things are always crazy in their lives so she isn’t quite sure when she should have this talk with Aiden.

As usual, Anna finds herself sucked into some off the wall situations in this story. In most cases, it’s not Anna’s fault. She’s like a magnet for trouble. This time, everyone is having a hard time separating the crazy things happening due to her current Santa-playing client and the possible stalker issues with the man who abducted her when she was a child. When is she in danger because of who she is and when is she in the wrong place at the wrong time?

There is a lot going on in this story, but it all plays out to a satisfying conclusion. I love Anna’s hunt for the perfect Christmas gift for Aiden throughout this story. It’s a lot of fun to see the reactions of those around her as she struggles to get something just right. She hits the nail on the head in the end, which I believe is that much more special after being privy to her misses along the way.

Aiden and Anna fit together in just the right way. Sometimes I wish Anna would have more confidence in her worth to Aiden, but I also appreciate the author showing these little insecurities. I also like that Aiden understands Anna’s need to prove she can stand on her own two feet while also trying to convey to her that accepting help and protection from him does not make her weak in any way. I missed some of the fire with this couple, but the sweetness more than made up for tempering of the heat.

You can find more of my reviews at All In Good Time.