Make the Yuletide Gay by Ivy L. James
Synopsis
"Junior editor Grace Taylor is doubling as the temporary assistant to senior editor Nicola Valentine…and harboring a secret crush on her. Grace is devastated when a work conference forces her to miss her big family Christmas. However, she gets a gift she doesn’t expect when a snowstorm strands her and Nicola at a small B&B.
Nicola has no idea how to handle sharing a room with her gorgeous, vibrant assistant. As she learns to share her heart as well, her fear threatens the blossoming relationship. Can she let Grace in, or will Nicola’s past sabotage her chance at happiness?"
My Thoughts
I loved this one a lot. But then, I'm a sucker for cute holiday romances and this sapphic novella did not disappoint. Despite being such a quick read, it managed to pack in some of the best tropes for our reading pleasure: a grumpy, older editor is the boss of a younger, sunshiney assistant, get stuck in a snow storm AND there's only one bed. Loved it, give me more!
This book really was super cute and I loved the buildup of the relationship of these two. While also tackling feelings of low self worth based on past abuse and neglect. It's a lot to fit into a little novella but James did it so beautifully. The story is told from the two characters points of view which never really took me out of the story. My single criticism is that because it was a novella we kind of jump right in to the story after both characters have been crushing on each other for awhile now. I would LOVE to have seen the scene where they first met.
I definitely recommend this one if you're in the mood for a short, steamy & sapphic Christmas romance!
Free digital copy of this book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Genre: lgbtqia+, romance, adult
Representation: lesbian/sapphic, BIPOC
Content Warnings: mentions of child abuse, mentions of child neglect, graphic sex