Review: Sweet, Sweet Closure
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 10, 2013
Wow, I didn’t realize how much I missed Maggie and Clay until I read Warmth in Ice. This is quite honestly one of my favorite contemporary series. I truly love their story and the journey they took together. It’s a tumultuous one and they have been through a lot together.  This book warmed my heart because I have always been rooting for them and to see everything start to fall into place is heartwarming.Warmth in Ice starts a few months after the end of Light in the Shadows but before the epilogue. Clay is in Florida and working hard to get better for Maggie while Maggie is getting ready to start college in D.C. Being apart is really hard for them and the insecurities that have plagued them both start to resurface. They both feel like the other is pulling away from them but when Maggie surprises Clay on Christmas Eve and they spend their first Christmas together, they are never more sure about each other.I loved that this novella was still deeply emotional despite it being so short. From the moment I met Clayton Reed, he has owned my heart and as I watch him struggle with his emotions, it breaks my heart a little. I love how much Clay loves Maggie and how far he has come. However, he will always struggle for control and some of his old ways threaten to surface the longer they are apart. Maggie has come a long way too and she knows what Clay really needs to get better. Sometimes it seems easier to just placate him like she used to but she knows better now and I liked that she can call him on his shit now and it is actually better for Clay.When Maggie surprises Clay for Christmas, it was so adorable how excited he was to see her and you could tell that he had never really had a good Christmas growing up because he was like a kid in a candy shop as he celebrated the holiday with Maggie. Everything she did to make the holiday special for him was so sweet and it was obvious that all of the fears and worries they both had been having melted away and they wouldn’t be coming back. It only took 3 days together to solidify everything they knew to be true and I think this is what Clay really needed to really begin the healing on his own. He would always have Maggie’s love and support no matter how far apart they are. The way Maggie’s parents showed their support of her and Clay was really nice and I think it also truly helped Clay to move forward on a positive note. The gift Clay made for Maggie was beautiful and brought tears to my eyes. To quote Clay, “Best. Christmas. Ever.”The epilogue fully closed out Clay and Maggie’s story and while I’m sad to say goodbye, this was the perfect closure. While this is a Christmas novella, it was so much more than that. If you haven’t read this series and met Maggie and Clay, you should definitely read them now. They will take you on an emotional journey that will make you laugh, cry, and root for their happiness to the very end.