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The elven days of christmas, A.K. Caggiano

Summary:

Piper MacLean’s Christmas is a ho-ho-horror show, but she’s used to all that by now, five years into becoming the de facto matriarch of the family, if still single and childless much to everyone else’s chagrin. But she does have one indulgence every year: finding the perfect Christmas tree.

While searching the national forest, Piper is led to a beautiful spruce by way of magic. Well, not actual magic—magic, of course, doesn’t exist—but it sure feels magical when she hears the voice of her deceased mother floating on the wintery winds, telling her just which tree to chop.

Unfortunately, that very tree actually is quite magical, and accounting for it is the last task that half-elf Kol needs to complete before turning in his annual reports to the Elven Perennial Association. When he discovers the pilfered spruce, he simultaneously finds that the only way to return order to the forest is to endure a human holiday alongside a grumpy and overburdened woman who does not want him around.

Kol doesn’t belong in Piper’s world, but it’s her fault that he’s there, so he doesn’t intend to make things easy for her and announces to her family that he’s her boyfriend, come to visit for Christmas. Surely that’s the perfect cover for his presence and not at all the start to a ridiculous romance that will either tie up both of their hearts in pristine bows or rip them apart forever.

Review:

I know it's not possible for another human to read someone's mind, but I swear AK somehow reads mine and then writes the most perfect books for me.

This book was a complete joy, both of the main characters are complex and very likeable and they just work so well together, I found myself straight up giggling and laughing at some many scenes, and of course the smut was absolute perfection.

Even if AK was trying to tell a silly christmas story, she also managed to bring in serious topics, like how complicated grief and misplaced guilt can affect us for years, and she did a wonderful job navigating that while keeping things heartwhelming, and soft, and festive.

I always adore the dinamics she creates with all of her characters, how different, and natural they feel and this book nailed it completely, exploring the chaotic ways families can be and yet how much we still cherish and love them within that chaos.

And always worth menitoning, how does she always comes up with the best chapter titles? Truly one of the best parts of her books, always.

This books is already on my list of comfort reads, and I'm sure I'm gonna find myself coming back to it when I need some cheering up.