Day 17 — Terms and Traditions by Morgan Taylor Giesbrecht

Daily Recommendation · No. 017

★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Closed door / No spice | Christian romance

fake datingworkplace romanceforced proximityslow burnfound familysmall townfaith restoration

Sometimes all it takes is one impulsive moment at the office Christmas party to completely upend two years of careful, professional silence.

Stephanie has spent two years keeping her feelings for her millionaire boss Nash firmly to herself. One bold ask later, the two of them are fake dating through the holidays at her family's cabin in snowy Jackson, Wyoming, which turns out to carry an extra layer of complication: Nash comes face to face with his biggest business rival, and that rival just happens to be his own father.

The fake dating and mutual pining here are genuinely sweet, and Nash is the kind of patient, steady male lead who earns your goodwill almost immediately. The Christmas setting is warm and cosy without feeling like a greeting card, and Giesbrecht handles the faith element the same way she does in In Every Chapter, weaving it naturally into the story rather than stopping to announce it. That restraint is something I always appreciate.

My only real hesitation is with the family dynamics, which pile up quickly once everyone is under one roof. There were moments where the cabin drama tipped from festive chaos into something that felt more stressful than fun, and I found myself wishing the book had let the central romance breathe a little more. It is not a dealbreaker by any stretch, but it does keep this one from being a full comfort read for me personally.

If a swoony romance wrapped inside a loud, chaotic, big-feelings family Christmas sounds like your ideal holiday read, Giesbrecht delivers exactly that. Just maybe don't pick it up on a night when you need something low-key.

Not a 5-star read for me, but a rating is just one reader's experience. If the tropes above are your thing, this could be exactly what you're looking for. I'd rather share it than gatekeep it.

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