Series: Hamilton (Book 2)
Holly hates the yuletide season more than ever since she inherited her mother's Christmas novelty store, but her childhood pal Sean's determined to warm her up -- to Christmas and to him. When they uncover a diary concealing secrets involving both their families, this could be the Christmas that changes their lives forever...
Sweet and speedy holiday story. Holly was shocked when she found out that her parents had decided to retire and move to Florida. She was even more flabbergasted when her mom turned over her Christmas and antique store to her. Holly has never been a big fan of the holiday season. Born on Christmas Eve, her birthday always got lost in the holiday season. Not only that, but Christmas was an all year, 24/7 event. As she put it "When you hear the words 'Santa is watching you', it was the literal truth. There were Santas everywhere." It was bad enough that when she graduated from high school, she went to college in England and stayed there, returning home only once or twice a year. Now she has taken time off her job to come home and decide what to do with the store. Keep it open, lease it, or sell it? Within moments of arriving at the store, she encounters Sean, her high school crush, who runs the restaurant across the street.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Sean and Holly. Sean was a couple of years older and had been the popular sports star who always had a crowd of people around him. He has a large, boisterous Irish family. Holly was the quiet, nerdy, only child of older parents. She had a huge crush on Sean, but was too shy and intimidated to do anything about it. Though he'd smile and wave at her, she never felt that she was his type. Unknown to her, Sean had just as big a crush on her. He may have been popular, but always felt that he wasn't the type to appeal to someone so smart. Not wanting to risk rejection, he didn't pursue his interest. When he saw Holly arrive, he was determined not to let the chance slip through his fingers.
There are sparks between Sean and Holly from the start. Sean quickly learns about Holly's antipathy toward Christmas and is determined to show her how wonderful the season can be. Holly resists Sean's advances at first, as she doesn't expect to stay in Virginia once she deals with the store. But Sean's persistence, coupled with the sparks between them, starts to break down her defenses. I loved the sweet way he'd look out for her, bringing her meals and getting her to take breaks. Things start to heat up between them, but Holly is still not sure she's ready to risk everything by making that big of a change. The discovery of a diary containing a big secret brings them closer together as they search for the truth. I loved seeing Holly realize that staying in Willow Creek might be exactly what she needs if she can let herself take the chance. I loved the twist that gave her the push she needed.
I enjoyed the mystery of the diary. This is a continuation of the secret that made its first appearance in the earlier story, Unleashed. Sean and Holly were surprised by what they found out and not sure what to do with the information. I liked the way they worked on it together. There was an appearance by Trevor and Emma from the previous story, as they discussed the ramifications. I'm looking forward to the next story to see how it all works out.
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