Review

The second I read the blurb for The Christmas He Loved Her, I desperately wanted to read it. Nothing like a bit of unrequited love to tug at my heart—especially when it’s the hero doing a bit of pining.

In this case, we have Jake Edwards, a former soldier, who returns home to Crystal Lake after an eighteen-month absence. It’s the first time he’s been home since the death of his fraternal twin brother Jesse, who was married to Raine, the woman Jake’s been in love since they were young.

I have to tell you, when he shows up on Raine’s door, that scene just got to me and completely hooked me right then. Raine is angry. Angry that he basically disappeared for the last year and a half—and during the time she needed him the most. You’ll find out what that’s all about later in the book.

Now I’m not one for the whole brother going after his dead brother’s widow. On the most part, it’s one of those too-close-for-comfort situations for me. Juliana Stone does a fantastic job in not making me feel uncomfortable about this. The relationship between Jake and Raine goes back to childhood and the reader can immediately see the love between the two. And of course there’s the guilt that is completely weighing on Jake. He feels he’s betraying his brother, which is a completely natural reaction.

But as much as Jesse is a huge wedge between them, he doesn’t take over the plot. This is very much Jake and Raine’s story and how they get past the baggage of the past...and the couple of skeletons in the closet.

Raine’s one of those strong yet vulnerable, straight-from-the-hip heroines. Yes, she has a couple of secrets but on the most part she’s pretty open about her feelings. She doesn’t have the same sort of guilt about loving Jake as Jake does about loving her. And she’s not afraid to show her feelings, her hurt, her jealousy (Lily is the source of that) and eventually her love.  I really loved being inside her head and boy did I feel for her. She’s been through some bad stuff—and not just the death of her husband.

Jake is my favourite kind of hero. He’s dark and brooding and he’s completely in love with Raine. And he’s tortured but not so the put-a-gun-to-his-head-to-end-his-misery kind of tortured. That’s the kind that leaves you wondering how the hell are you supposed to escape when you’re reading something so depressing? No, this is the achy, wrench-my-heartstrings kind of tortured. He fights the good fight in trying to resist her but…well you know, it doesn’t work. Thank goodness.

The Christmas He Loved Her is the second book in Ms. Stone’s Bad Boys of Crystal Lake series. The first book is The Summer He Came Home, which featured Cain Black and Maggie O’Rourke. If you’re like me and love to follow up on characters from prior books, you’ll be happy to know you find out how Cain and Maggie are faring. You also catch up with Mac and meet Lily, who will be his love interest in the next book. From the glimpse I got of them in this book, I’m already champing at the bit to read their story.

All in all, I loved this book. I loved Raine and Jake and the twisty turns and surprises that came up on my journey to their HEA. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a great sexy, emotional, heart-tugging romance.