A forever vow?
Faced with losing his ward if he remains unmarried, Isaiah Maxwell must find a bride! With spinsterhood beckoning, Felicia Pennyjons is the perfect candidate for a marriage in name only. Which is all it can ever be, after Isaiah renounced love the Christmas Day his mother left him. But Felicia is getting under his skin and, as Christmas approaches, Isaiah's usually painful memories give way to uncharted desire -- for his convenient wife!
Good story. Isaiah will have the worst Christmas of his life since his mother walked out on him when he was a child. For the last eight years, he's raised his orphaned half-sister, but now her paternal uncle and aunt, the Penfields, want to take her away from him. He is sure he has a better chance of keeping Abigail if he is married. When he found an old letter of his mother's to her best friend, talking about a match between him and one of her daughters, it seemed the perfect solution. A marriage of convenience is all he can offer, but hopefully, it will be enough.
Felicia is very close to being on the shelf. She is tall and red-haired as well as forthright in speech. When the viscount's letter arrives, asking for one of the three sisters' hands, Felicia volunteers. One sister is engaged, and the other is very shy, so Felicia feels she is the logical one. As an added benefit, she will have a home and husband of her own.
I liked both Isaiah and Felicia, though he was a bit of a stick to begin with. Since his mother deserted him, Isaiah has disliked everything to do with Christmas. He puts out minimal holiday effort for his sister because of it. Isaiah also tends to be overprotective because of a close call when Abigail was younger. That said, he and Abigail have a close and loving relationship. Losing her would devastate him. Felicia is a young woman with a cheerful personality. She is very close to her brother and two sisters and would do anything for them. She also loves all things Christmas and looks forward to living where there is likely to be snow.
I enjoyed the unexpected first meeting between Isaiah and Felicia. Felicia and her brother had stopped to stay the night in the village, and Felicia visited a dress shop. On the way out, she heard a young girl fussing at her cat, who was up a tree. Felicia offered to climb the tree and get the cat but ran into some difficulty. The girl's brother arrived just in time to catch Felicia, making quite an impression on them both. Of course, the brother was Isaiah, who was stunned to discover that the young woman he'd just rescued was his bride-to-be. I liked the honest conversation between Isaiah and Felicia, as he filled her in on the reasons for the hasty marriage. I loved that he gave her the option of bowing out if she wanted to. Felicia appreciated his honesty, and I liked that she felt comfortable with going through with it.
Neither one expected to be drawn to each other. There were sparks that Isaiah was determined to resist. He closed himself off to love after his mother left and made it clear that love is not on the table. Felicia is willing to settle for friendship, and she and Isaiah quickly discover a comfortable companionship. That ease runs into a big bump in the road when, not knowing his aversion to Christmas decorating, Felicia takes Abigail to cut down a tree. I ached for Isaiah when he first saw that tree and its decorations. The painful flashbacks were heartwrenching. Then came his demand that Felicia remove and destroy it and her refusal. I felt her dismay, especially for Abigail when it was gone the next morning. Her actions were priceless, and I loved the help she had. And oh, the face-off between her and Isaiah when he returned! But Felicia was no pushover, and I loved watching her help Isaiah fight past his demons. He still has a way to go, but things are better. There follow some great scenes with him, Felicia, and Abigail, but the upcoming visit of the Penfields weighs on him.
I was very prepared to dislike the Penfields when they arrived. They showed up early, at a somewhat awkward moment, and the earl was especially unlikeable. I loved that it was Felicia who smoothed things over. That first scene with Felicia and Diana was terrific and gave me hope that things would work out. It took a bit longer for Isaiah and the earl, and I had to laugh at what brought them together. As the days before Christmas progressed, I liked seeing Felicia and Isaiah grow closer and the sparks between them grow stronger. I also liked seeing his heart open, though it took a while for him to realize what he felt.
I was on the edge of my seat, waiting to find out how the tug-of-war over Abigail was going to turn out. The Penfields weren't the ogres I thought they were initially, so it could go either way. I ached for Abigail when she discovered the truth and felt the others' fears when she turned up missing. The subsequent search and all of its results had me glued to the pages until it was all over. I had no idea how it would end until it got there, though I had my hopes. The tension remained high until the last moment, with some unexpected twists. The conclusion was great, and I liked the epilogue.
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