This is one of those stories with Christmas in the title yet only a sprinkling of Christmas content, so don’t go into it expecting a big dose of that festive feeling.

I have no problem with sexuality in books, but I do prefer some subtly and definitely more variety in the descriptions than this offered, the hero is in a seemingly constant state of arousal and the heroine’s responses to him are mostly felt in her breasts, her breasts were mentioned with such frequency that they’re pretty much all I picture when I think of Rosie’s character and since I’m not a thirteen year old boy that wasn’t ideal. I just feel like there are ever so many more ways to convey attraction and lust than this book employed.

I loved the idea that Rosie is a ski instructor, I thought that was pretty unique for a romance but the book didn’t spend much time with her at work and the occupation is made to seem like it’s a flighty choice rather than young, cool, and fun.

While I like a good fake dating scenario, this novel featured less than a handful of scenes where these two had to fake their relationship in front of people so that potentially humorous/tense aspect of seeing them keep up the ruse wasn’t utilized to the extent that it could have been. Without going all in on the fake dating trope there wasn’t much else going on in the plot and character arcs and conflicts weren’t particularly clear or present either.

I struggled to get a handle on who Rosie is, it’s tough to reconcile that someone who made rebellious choices with her boyfriends, employment, and traveling the world would also be that insecure and concerned about other opinions. Those just seem like such diametrically opposed personality traits that it’s hard to imagine both in one person, I kept wanting the author to pick a lane with the character and stick to it. I would have loved to see Rosie be all rebel, proud of her nomadic lifestyle and as reluctant as Matteo to settle down, instead I was never sure what she wanted other than the guy which made for a less well-rounded heroine than I would have liked.

Matteo wasn’t my favorite either. At one point Rosie’s thoughts turn to how charming Matteo is but that wasn’t evident to me. If you’re someone who enjoys the ultra Alpha type who is bossy, superior, and non-communicative until the last five or ten pages Matteo might appeal to you more than he did to me. I feel like that is something I should emphasize to close out this review, that the majority of my complaints here (aside from the lack of plot) were personal preference issues, so if your preferences are the opposite of those I mentioned here, this romance may work better for you than it did for me. ( )

Tycoon hero Matteo (who is 32) and ski instructor heroine Rosie (23) agree to pretend to be romantically involved during the Christmas season. Matteo is in the middle of an important deal with a couple that believes in family, and Rosie is trying to put off her family from setting her up with a guy she isn’t interested in. It’s just for a short while, but the sparks fly and Matteo and Rosie find themselves falling for each other.

I really enjoyed this “opposites attract” romance. I loved the setting… the chalet, the snow, the skiing, the Christmas season. I thought Matteo and Rosie made a sweet couple.

Another very enjoyable read by Cathy Williams. ( )