Christmas at Twilight (Twilight, Texas #5) by Lori Wilde

CHRISTMAS AT TWILIGHT is one of the most emotional holiday stories I've read. It's poignant, angsty, and heartbreaking, but it's also hopeful and joyous! Meredith and Hutch are two amazing people who get more than Christmas magic, they get a miracle - the kind that comes from finding your soul mate, just when you thought you'd forever be alone.

The blurb...

It's Christmas in Twilight, Texas. The Cookie Club is baking, the town is decorated, and Delta Force Operator "Hutch" Hutchinson has finally, reluctantly, returned home . . .

. . . only to get pepper sprayed by the delicious- looking stranger who's taken over his house. She says her name is Jane, and she immediately sets down ground rules. Top priority: no touching. For Hutch that isn't easy—he was wounded in action, but one part is still working very well.

Then Hutch learns the truth. Jane harbors a frightening secret—she's really Meredith Sommers, on the run from a dangerous ex-husband and desperately in need of the safety Hutch can provide. In that moment, he vows he'd do anything in his power to protect her. And as Christmas approaches, they discover that their love can conquer the past and overcome any obstacle—but what price will they pay?

My thoughts...

It seems to me that more often than not Christmas themed romances are on the lighter side, with minimal angst and a sweet happily ever after. It's what I've come to expect, and what I look forward to in my holiday reads. That said, Christmas At Twilight is not light, and while there's angst, it's the real life, to-be-expected kind of angst that military men and women live with after serving their country with honor. And yet, while it's not what I expected, not what I look forward to, I loved every minute I spent reading!

Such an exciting, romantic, and passionate story! But best of all, Hutch and Meredith's happily ever after was hard fought, well deserved, and a truly beautiful thing.

Note: This is the 5th book in the Twilight, Texas series but works very well as a stand alone.

An ARC was provided by Avon Books.