all i want for christmas

Charlotte Calhoun is a strong, independent woman. She can take care of herself. She doesn’t need someone to ride in a rescue her. Except for now, when she needs someone to ride in and rescue her. On her way to the ski resort her brother and his fiancée had chosen for their bachelor/bachelorette weekend, she was forced off the road by a semi and is currently the mayor of the Mazda Igloo. She can’t even open her car door. And she hit her head on the steering wheel, and her head hurts.

Charlotte calls her brother for help, and he realizes that the fastest way to get her help is to call his best friend and best man, Hayden Porter. Hayden had left less than an hour after Charlotte and would be at her location soon. Charlotte asks her brother not to call Hayden, but it was too late. Hayden calls her up and tells her that he’s on the way, asking her where she was run off the road, and finally pulling up behind her.

Growing up, Charlotte had always had a huge crush on Hayden, and she even tried to kiss him once. Three years before, they were in the same bar, and she had finally had the courage to kiss him. Hayden had pushed her away, and Charlotte had been devastated. She’d avoided him as much as she could ever since. Her brother’s impending wedding had ruined that for her though. And now he’s literally riding up in his truck to rescue her from her Mazda Igloo.

Hayden always thought the world of Charlotte. He was mortified that night at the bar when he’d had to stop her. He had been thinking about kissing Charlotte for a long time, but she was his best friend’s little sister. Plus, he had just been hired as a baseball coach at the college she was still attending, and if he’d been caught kissing a student, he would heave been fired. And he really needed that job. As a single father of baby Gwen, he needed the stability of a good job. But that had been three years ago. Was there a possibility he could have another chance with Charlotte now?

Once they get to the ski resort, Charlotte and Hayden throw themselves into the Christmas activities that the happy couple had planned. They join in with a series of challenges, like wrapping Christmas presents and creating a holiday cocktail and trying to figure out the titles of the Christmas songs that had been run through Google Translate several times. Meanwhile, under the surface, the chemistry simmers between Charlotte and Hayden. And when they finally do get to finish the kiss they started years before, things heat up quickly between them. They spend a very hot weekend together before needing to head home.

But when they get back to reality, with Hayden having to deal with the struggles of being a single father, and Charlotte trying to get past her school’s boys’ club to get the job of the softball coach, and the upcoming wedding, will they be able to sustain their new relationship under the scrutiny of their families and the pressure of real life? Or will they walk away broken hearted all over again?

Christmas Sweater Weather is a sweet and spicy rom com with a lot of holiday hijinks. It’s a celebration of love and family, hope and healing, and it brings lovers together with bright, witty language. Told in alternating viewpoints, the story of love between Charlotte and Hayden comes together to redefine family and spark steamy scenes.

I enjoyed Christmas Sweater Weather a lot, but in some ways it felt like two books put together. There is the fun atmosphere of the pre-wedding weekend, with the silly seasonal games. And then there is the more serious part of the story, where they are back home and they have to deal with serious issues. I understand the format, and it works okay, but I wish there had been more of the holiday hijinks throughout, as it would have offered some lightness in the second half of the book and provided more of a throughline for the Christmas fun that Charlotte’s family is known for. But that being said, this book is still a lot of fun and the love story is compelling, but there are some extra-spicy scenes, so it may not be appropriate for all readers.

Egalleys for Christmas Sweater Weather were provided by Forever through NetGalley, with many thanks.