Review: Sweet Christmas romance :D
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 31, 2013
*A free copy of this book was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*3.5-4 starsThis was a pretty good story. I liked the characters and the story was cute with a little hotness thrown in. This is the first story I've read by this author and based on this I'd try more of her work in the future.Dina grew up in New York state and has a step-father, mother and half-sister she's not in touch with because she pissed them off majorly, couldn't face them and moved to L.A. While there, she dates Virgil but he ditches her when she finds out she's pregnant. Dina definitely had some selfish moments in her past but she's not a bad person so she turns her life around to be a good mother for her son, Dash. After getting by on her own for 10 months, Dina decides to find Virgil and demand child support. She ends up on a 5 day bus ride (with Dash) to a town 30 minutes from her home town in New York state on her quest to find Virgil.Ben is a Billionaire with multiple business interests he stays busy with. He was married to his childhood sweetheart but lost her to cancer 9 years ago. He hasn't allowed himself to move on and has buried himself in work, not really living. His brother, Virgil has just died recently and he's feeling very alone when he's informed that a woman with a baby are here to see him. He's surprised to find the woman is an old girlfriend of his brother's and her baby looks just like him (and I mean Ben not Virgil).Dina and Ben met when she was with Virgil but didn't have a very comfortable acquaintance for the short time they were around each other. As they meet again and Dina finds out about Virgil she's unsure what Ben will do but is revealed when (because of the strong family resemblance) Ben accepts that Dash is his brother's son without issue. Ben offers to have her stay the night so they can talk about things further and proceeds to get to know both Dina and Dash better. In them both, Ben sees the family he always wanted but never had. Dina used to be much thinner but now with her curves after having Dash, Ben finds himself very attracted to her but feels guilt over it because of his dead wife. He ends up proposing a marriage of convenience between them and asks Dina to stay with him through Christmas and give him her decision then. Dina thinks that Ben is a good guy and much nicer than he had seemed before but is unsure if she is willing to give up the possibility of love for a marriage of convenience.Regardless of their plans to keep their relationship at just-friends, Ben and Dina find themselves very attracted to each other and they have to deal with that. Dina decides to make Dash's first Christmas a great one and makes things merry for Dash and Ben which makes Ben even more happy but still dealing with guilty over his late wife. It's a short story so the trials and tribulations don't last too long but it's enjoyable seeing them dance around each other and start to get closer. Very quickly they're both in deep and things get more serious than either expect. I also liked Ben with Dash and how he took to him so quickly and wanted to be part of his life. Very sweet. I don't want to go in to too much detail but it's a cute Christmas tale with a sweet HEA.This was an enjoyable story. I really liked Ben, Dina and Dash and liked their story. It's short so things happen kind of fast but it doesn't feel stilted and works well for it's length. I'd recommend this for anyone in the mood for a sweet Christmas romance. :D