Review: warm heroine, vulnerable hero, great relationship
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 19, 2012
I keep coming back to this author because she does great relationships.  Especially married couples relationships.This novella is a sweet take off of the O.Henry classicThe Gift of the Magi.  Eric and Nia are young marrieds who aren't exactly rich.  He is a resident at a local hospital, she is working two jobs so they can pay off their student loans and keep debt low.  They are also stupid in love with each other, with each not quite believing their luck having landed their soul-mate.  At Christmas, both make a sacrifice of something special to make sure that the other gets a wonderful Christmas gift.I totally bought Nia and Eric as this loving couple.  There was a rhythm to their dialogue that made me feel like they really knew each other.  Actually all the dialogue across the book was great.  I felt like I was listening to real people talk esp. with the peppering of pop-cultural references and the light humor throughout.  Nia was an especially great character, she was warm and optimistic without seeming overly naive.  Eric was a little more closed, but you also felt the sense of strain in him that came from his overwork and tiredness and his disaffection with their current life situation.  You could also tell he felt more vulnerable in the relationship, which I thought was also a nice realistic touch and a change because for once the heroine wasn't the one having the emotional journey.Oh yeah, the sex was also hot!Good book.