Terrific, sweet Christmas story. Hannah moved to Sweet Briar three years earlier to start a new life after finding her fiancé in bed with her sister. That was just a few days before Christmas, and she hasn't enjoyed a holiday season since then. She has a successful boutique selling the clothes she designs and has sold a few dresses to the rich and famous. She's stunned when her ex-fiancé, sister, and mother show up in Sweet Briar, expecting her to design her sister's wedding dress. Besides flat-out refusing, all she wants to do is get them out of town before they embarrass her in front of the whole town.

Russell arrives in Sweet Briar to spend the holidays with his family. He faces some big decisions about his future. After twenty years in the army, a recent injury made him unable to continue his career, and he faces a medical discharge. Russell feels lost without the vocation that has defined him for more than half his life.

I loved the first meeting between Hannah and Russell. He was so eager to reconnect with the woman he met briefly during the summer that he didn't even unpack his bags, just headed straight for her shop. He arrived in time to hear her confrontation with her family and jumps in, pretending to be her boyfriend. Though initially not very appreciative, Hannah quickly realizes the benefits and asks Russell to continue the charade. For reasons of his own, Russell happily accepts her proposal.

I loved seeing Hannah and Russell start as co-conspirators, become friends, and then grow into something more. Russell was a sweetheart, stepping up to help Hannah in her boutique, cooking for her, and standing up for her against her family. I loved his response when Hannah's mother appealed to him for his opinion. There are plenty of sweet scenes between Russell and Hannah, like the winter festival, as they get to know each other. As they grow closer, their walls begin to crumble. After being the stoic soldier for so long, I liked seeing Russell open up to Hannah about his injuries and his confusion over his future. Hannah also opens up to Russell about what caused her lack of Christmas spirit. I enjoyed how Russell tried to revive Hannah's joy in Christmas until he pushed a little too far and too fast.

I ached for both Russell and Hannah at this point. While Russell's intentions were good, Hannah felt blindsided and that he had disregarded her feelings. There were some harsh and hurtful words exchanged that each one quickly regretted. Both had some soul-searching to do, and I enjoyed seeing them each realize why their fight was so painful. I liked Russell's conversation with his parents and how it helped him accept his future and see how much he wanted Hannah to be part of that future. I loved seeing Hannah's self-examination and release of her past. The ending was fantastic. Hannah's big moment was sweet, and I loved the effect on Russell. An epilogue would have been nice, but I have high hopes of seeing them in future books.

The secondary characters were well done. Hannah's mother and sister were well-portrayed as the selfish, insensitive people that they were. I loved seeing Hannah stand up to them every time. The restaurant scene near the end was fantastic, and I loved the support Hannah received from her friends. I liked Russell's family members and the obvious closeness between them. I sort of understood Russell's desire to work through his issues without them, but I think he underestimated them, too. I need to go back and read his brother's and sister's stories. ( )