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Eben Marley is a cold driven man. He only wants money, and there can never be enough to suit him. He treats women as objects, one night only, and then goodbye without another thought; except for one woman, Cara Winston, an administrative assistant in his company. Cara has been on his mind ever since the Christmas three years ago when she and he got hot and heavy in the office elevator, and then at a fancy hotel for the night. He still remembers the blank look in her eyes when he told her his driver would take her home the next morning. He made sure she was transferred to a different area of the company so he wouldn’t be forced to have too much contact with her.
Cara fell in love with Eben that night, and her feelings are still strong.
She felt crushed when he rejected her that morning.
Eben receives visits from three Christmas spirits who show him how bleak and
empty his life is. When he wakes up, it’s still Christmas Eve so Eben immediately begins to make changes.
He finds himself driving in a poor area of Louisville, and seems drawn
to a homeless shelter. To his surprise, he finds Cara there, serving.
Afterward, he and Cara make up their differences in a steamy way. He takes her back to his home for the night, the first woman he’s ever taken there, or let spend the night. The love scenes are explicit, and almost seem secondary to the story line. Obviously their reunion is an important part of the story, but the descriptions are earthier than the rest of the tale.
Perhaps I’m a purist, and don’t expect love scenes in A Christmas Carol type tale. I loved the story, but found myself uncomfortable with the bluntness of the words used to describe the sex scenes. As I’m usually not prudish about language, I suspect my reaction has more to do with my expectations than the author’s writing. I hope to read more from Shiloh Walker soon.
Reviewed by Nancy Riggins-Hume
for The Road to Romance
December 23, 2004
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