Title: Christmas Hopes
Author: Anna Lee
Publisher: MLR Press
Length: 12,000 words
Genre: m/m, Contemporary, Romance
Heat: 1 – Sweet/None
Sex Frequency: 1 – None
Keywords/Tags: Adorable, Christmas, Co-Workers, Doctors, HEA, Short Story
Rating: Pretty Good

Reviewed by Nikyta

BLURB

Christmas is a time of hope and love, but with a guarded heart Ethan Reed refuses to let anyone get close. Until he meets Trevor Hayes…

Doctor Ethan Reed’s life revolves around the hospital and his patients. Nothing will deter his commitment to his job; not even his new fellow, Trevor Hayes. Ethan is instantly attracted to the handsome doctor and the desire he feels isn’t one-sided. Sparks fly, but a guarded Ethan shoves Trevor away, not realizing that what he really wants for Christmas is to be loved and regain the hope he’s lost. Can Trevor get through to him or will Ethan spend another Christmas alone?

REVIEW

This was a sweet story of two doctors who must work together even though a deeper connection is being formed. I enjoyed the way Ethan and Trevor started off badly. It created some tension between them because Ethan used that to his advantage to push Trevor away so he wouldn’t get hurt by another colleague.

I found this story extremely sweet. Although short, there is still enough characterization and development between their relationship to get to know Ethan and Trevor. I enjoyed seeing them as doctors and the way they handled the kids they worked with.

While I really enjoyed the story, I felt like it needed to be longer. The tension between Ethan and Trevor causes conflict that ultimately changes Ethan very quickly, which I found unexpected and slightly out of character. I would have liked to see a gradual approach to how Ethan changes. As it was, there’s gaps within the story that are glossed over that make it hard to come to terms with his sudden mood change.

In the end, I really enjoyed the book. It’s sweet and left me with a smile on my face. I would have liked to have seen more of Trevor but I still really liked the relationship they created. The ending, however, was absolutely precious, I thought.

Posted by Nikyta in 4 Pretty Good, Authors J-L, Contemporary, Heat 1 - Sweet/None, Romance, Sex Freq 1 - None, up to 15k Tags: Adorable!, Anna Lee, Christmas, co-workers, Doctors, HEA, MLR Press, Short Story