One Christmas Eve (Cedar Street) – ARC Review

One Christmas Eve
by Shannon Stacey
Release Date:  November 11, 2019
Publisher: Carina Press
Book #2 in the Cedar Street series
Number of Pages:  118
Kindle Edition
Source:  Net Galley ARC
Contemporary Romance/Holiday M/F
Rating:  NC-17
Read 11/9/19

 

Zoe Randall is busy living her life as she damn well pleases. She’s back in her favorite town, her divorce in her rearview mirror, and living out her childhood dream of running a bookstore with her cousin. She has no interest in the uptight nerd who opened his boring-ass business next to her shop…until he complains about one of her sexy window displays.

Then it’s game on.

Preston Wheeler knows he takes life a little too seriously. But when the saucy bookseller next door starts pushing his buttons, he can feel that changing. Beautiful, vivacious Zoe challenges him in all the best ways, and soon he’s pushing her buttons right back: teasing and flirting all the way through the holiday season.

As Preston loosens up and Zoe is treated to the man behind the suit (particularly his forearms), she realizes she’s more interested than she cares to admit. And Preston comes to see the beauty—the absolute delight—in adding Zoe’s bright splashes of color to his once very black-and-white existence.

I’ve gotta say, I love this series so far.  The stories are short and sweet while being romantic and steamy.  The author does an amazing job of pulling you in immediately and forging a connection between the characters almost as fast.  Yes, these are short stories so it’s definitely insta-love.  But it’s dealt with in a fun and quirky way.

My goodness, Preston is a dream. It really tugged my heart to know that any woman had ever made him feel bad about himself. He may be a bit straight-laced when it comes to work and he likes things to be a certain way, but he’s interesting and amazing and fun to be around.

As for Zoe, any man trying to tamp her flame doesn’t deserve her.  She’s sexy and smart and deserves all she craves.  Unfortunately, her ex-husband made her feel bad about voicing her wants and needs and she has a shield up around her heart when it comes to any many she thinks might be passing any sort of judgement on her. 

While Zoe has to learn to trust and not jump to conclusions, Preston needs to learn to have confidence that he is enough for the right person.  They go on this journey together, with some inevitable bumps along the way. I loved it all.

5 stars

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**