tamaranth | 2024/175: Wrapped Up in You

2024/175: Wrapped Up in You — Talia Hibbert

Will was an expert in the theory of wooing, having attended the premieres of many period dramas. [18%]

Soft and fluffy holiday romance novella. Will is a film star who's decided to stop being Captain X (aliens; spandex) and fly home to Britain to woo childhood friend and longtime secret crush Abbie, who's spending Christmas with her grandmother and a horde of felines in snowy Scotland. (There is also a dog, but it's presumably hiding from the cats for most of the story.) Abbie is just beginning to open up to friends and family again after a bad marriage and a painful divorce: she's very aware that her emotions are Too Much for anyone. Abbie's twin Jason is also Will's friend, and provides useful commentary and encouragement.

Most of this novella takes place in the heads of the protagonists: Will fretting about whether Abbie likes him at all, Abbie fretting that Will just wants something light, which is something she can't do. Luckily they do eventually manage to communicate, albeit in a blizzard while hunting for Gravy (a pregnant cat, not a condiment). And all live happily ever after, except Will's agent.

This was a sweet read, though often frustrating: I really appreciate the way Hibbert can sketch past abuse, mental health issues and unhelpful thought patterns without drama or emotional overwhelm, but I am frequently vexed by romances where the 'antagonist' is the protagonists' inability to communicate. A nicely seasonal read, though, cheerful and gentle, with plentiful kitties.