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A review by kindlelovingmom
Love Me By Christmas by Jaci Burton
4.0
This one was 3.5 stars for me. I loved the hero, but the heroine, not so much. Due to this, I wasn’t as invested as I should have been in their budding relationship.
Ellie Washington lost her husband 5 years ago tragically, near Christmas time. She was pregnant with their son at the time, and had no other family. Her husband’s brother, Nick, moved her into his house, and they grieved together, and took care of each other during their time of mourning. Then, when her son Henry was born, Nick helped her out immensely. He’s always been there to pitch in with Henry’s care, and whenever Ellie needs anything. She’s started to have new feelings for NIck, but she’s afraid that she’s trapped him in a life he didn’t choose, with herself and her son. So, she’s determined to set Nick free, even if part of her feels like she’s losing her own future happiness to do it.
Nick Washington loved his brother, and he grieved his death. But, the last couple of years he’s started to feel a lot more toward his brother’s widow than a normal brother-in-law’s affection. He also loves Henry as if he were his own son. He’s decided that he can’t live without Ellie, and wants to be honest about his feelings, but he’s very unsure where she stands, and he doesn’t want to push her away. They’ve been in a very comfortable existence for the last 5 years, so what happens when he rocks the boat?
Ellie and Nick started as family, and then became true friends, and confidantes, over the last 5 years. They’ve both been comfortable with their arrangement, and didn’t want to cause any waves. They’ve both developed strong feelings for each other, but have not wanted to say anything for fear of everything changing. However, once Ellie realizes Nick’s feelings, instead of being happy, it makes her feel guilty. She’s worried that she’s trapped Nick with herself and her son, and she’s convinced she needs to set him free. How can he know what he feels for her is real when he hasn’t dated any other women in 5 years?
I loved Nick. He was an amazing hero, and he was such a good, sweet, sexy man. Ellie, however, was a different story. I had a hard time connecting with her, and I felt some of her decisions were not only misguided, but flat out dumb. She made some unilateral decisions that hurt both herself, and Nick, and would have eventually hurt her son as well. She thought she was doing the “right thing”, but really, she was just scared. I get that she lost her husband tragically, and anyone would be afraid to move on romantically after that, especially with her dead husband’s brother, and all the drama that could entail. But, mostly, she just made me mad. I wanted to smack her around and tell her how stupid she was being. Her best friend Fran was a great side character, and she was able to say exactly how I was feeling when she and Ellie were discussing Ellie’s issues, and I felt so vindicated.
I typically love Jaci Burton’s books, but unfortunately this one was just OK for me. This was mostly due to my issues with the heroine. I just had a hard time relating to her, and that didn’t grow much better throughout the story. I was glad with the book’s outcome, but getting there was not easy breezy for me. I still look forward to what’s next from this author, as always, especially with her Play-By-Play sports series!
ARC provided by Author in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Megan from Alpha Book Club
Ellie Washington lost her husband 5 years ago tragically, near Christmas time. She was pregnant with their son at the time, and had no other family. Her husband’s brother, Nick, moved her into his house, and they grieved together, and took care of each other during their time of mourning. Then, when her son Henry was born, Nick helped her out immensely. He’s always been there to pitch in with Henry’s care, and whenever Ellie needs anything. She’s started to have new feelings for NIck, but she’s afraid that she’s trapped him in a life he didn’t choose, with herself and her son. So, she’s determined to set Nick free, even if part of her feels like she’s losing her own future happiness to do it.
Nick Washington loved his brother, and he grieved his death. But, the last couple of years he’s started to feel a lot more toward his brother’s widow than a normal brother-in-law’s affection. He also loves Henry as if he were his own son. He’s decided that he can’t live without Ellie, and wants to be honest about his feelings, but he’s very unsure where she stands, and he doesn’t want to push her away. They’ve been in a very comfortable existence for the last 5 years, so what happens when he rocks the boat?
Ellie and Nick started as family, and then became true friends, and confidantes, over the last 5 years. They’ve both been comfortable with their arrangement, and didn’t want to cause any waves. They’ve both developed strong feelings for each other, but have not wanted to say anything for fear of everything changing. However, once Ellie realizes Nick’s feelings, instead of being happy, it makes her feel guilty. She’s worried that she’s trapped Nick with herself and her son, and she’s convinced she needs to set him free. How can he know what he feels for her is real when he hasn’t dated any other women in 5 years?
I loved Nick. He was an amazing hero, and he was such a good, sweet, sexy man. Ellie, however, was a different story. I had a hard time connecting with her, and I felt some of her decisions were not only misguided, but flat out dumb. She made some unilateral decisions that hurt both herself, and Nick, and would have eventually hurt her son as well. She thought she was doing the “right thing”, but really, she was just scared. I get that she lost her husband tragically, and anyone would be afraid to move on romantically after that, especially with her dead husband’s brother, and all the drama that could entail. But, mostly, she just made me mad. I wanted to smack her around and tell her how stupid she was being. Her best friend Fran was a great side character, and she was able to say exactly how I was feeling when she and Ellie were discussing Ellie’s issues, and I felt so vindicated.
I typically love Jaci Burton’s books, but unfortunately this one was just OK for me. This was mostly due to my issues with the heroine. I just had a hard time relating to her, and that didn’t grow much better throughout the story. I was glad with the book’s outcome, but getting there was not easy breezy for me. I still look forward to what’s next from this author, as always, especially with her Play-By-Play sports series!
ARC provided by Author in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Megan from Alpha Book Club