If I look at the book objectively, Amara did a great job with the holiday theme and the book is well-written; it's the stuff I bring to the reading experience that knock the book down for me. I find the law partnership as obstacle to coming out a little forced. In my experience, in small firms partners don't have to like each other or be BFF, they just need compatible practices. And it's extremely hard to keep Big Secrets of any sort in a close enviro like that, including an office affair, gay or het. If Lance isn't read to be out, that's fine, that reason didn't work for me. The Big Mystery felt off to me, the result of unprofessional behavior and an anachronistic plot point. A note on the door? Not inside their own inn? No voicemail? Couldn't be bothered to contact the people whose holidays they were ostensibly ruining? Hard to find sympathetic or realistic. MMV, tho.

Re disclaimer, I've looked at a couple older books, including a BDSM rom, and there isn't one in the header. So I'm even more curious now about when the language was added.


Edited for their/there fix.