If you are after a Christmas romance story, then Brownwell’s tale will fulfil that wish. For me, I thought the story was lacking and focussing too much on the romance, with little room for any sub-plots to be developed.
When the story opens, we meet Kasey about to bail on her thirtieth date organised by her mother. It transpires that Kasey is desperate to win her mother’s approval and has even allowed her to dictate her relationships if it means her mother will show her some affection. But date number thirty is too much for Kasey to stand and she calls on lovable character, Francesca, to save her from this disaster. But, the next date turns out to be lucky number 31 and Tobias hits all the right notes. Trying to leave behind her mistrust from previous relationships, Kasey feels like she has struck gold, even if her mother’s attitude does not change in the slightest.
Brownell’s description of Kasey’s relationship with Tobias reveals that he is also feeling incredibly insecure, worried about being hurt again. Both characters struggle to trust one another, leading to the inevitable delay in them letting their barriers down. I grew frustrated by the incredibly slow pace of their relationship, even down to a proper kiss, and wanted Brownell to move things forward quicker. There’s a lot of forehead kissing and I was just bored by how platonic they were progressing – surely they don’t want to be ‘friend-zoned’?
My frustrations with this relationship were not just about the pace. When Tobias and Kasey eventually move things forward, there’s a lot of ‘hissing’. Totally. Throughout the novel, it is like the writer felt this was a perfect verb to describe the pent-up emotions of the couple. Me? I thought there might be a snake lurking in the background and certainly did not associate it with romance and positivity. It makes me cringe, even now, just thinking about it.
The entire story felt dominated by Tobias and Kasey, ‘will they? won’t they?’. Will they ever grow to trust one another? Will Kasey stop being jealous of the ever-present ex? Urgh, too many questions. I felt the entrance of Tobias’s ex-girlfriend to be a bit cliched and something I have seen before. She is presented as like a cat who won’t remove her claws from her possession, sending Kasey spiralling into doubt about her relationship with Tobias. Come on, girl, surely you can see he really likes you?
Kasey’s family are despicable and I hated the way they treated her. Once again, we are presented with a protagonist who has been ostracised by her family and Kasey cannot do anything to please her mother or sister. It felt equally tiresome and spiteful and I did not like this part of the story at all. It made me feel really uncomfortable and also not very original: I think this idea of fragmented families seems to be a bit of a theme with writers at the moment.
Despite these criticisms, it is a sweet love story, if you can forgive the slow pace. There is nothing ground-breaking here and there are a few steamy scenes too. If you are a true romance fan, this is likely to prove incredibly satisfying, especially with the festive backdrop. Personally, I thought the story lacked depth and I wanted some more originality with the characters.
With thanks to Bloodhound books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.