Wrapped is a novella connected to the Fit Trilogy by Rebekah Weatherspoon.
Finished on: 31.7.2022

Plot:
Shae hasn’t been divorced for very long and getting back out into the dating world is not exactly easy, despite the various apps. Especially while running her own bakery. When she matches with Aidan, a very hot former colleague, it seems that her Christmas wish for a good date is finally granted. But one date soon turns into many more and maybe things are moving a bit too fast for Shae who is still nursing her wounds from the divorce.

Wrapped is a fluffy bit of writing that was thoroughly enjoyable (despite me reading this Christmas novella in July). The bit of conflict in it wasn’t quite paced right, but other than that I have no complaints.

I haven’t read the Fit Trilogy but the novella stands very well on its own. Still, I imagine that it offers some very nice insight into some of the protagonists of the trilogy for those who have read it. Either way, Wrapped’s focus is definitely on Shae and Aidan and not knowing the background of the other characters doesn’t really change anything about them.

Aidan is pretty much a walking fantasy, while Shae gets to be a bit more well-rounded as a character with flaws and anxieties. That is not a criticism, but a statement of fact – this is a novella for people dreaming of the perfect man while identifying with a woman. All with a Christmassy touch.

The novella is mostly fluffy and sweet, with a couple of steamy scenes. And it would have worked perfectly for me if it had been just sweet fluff, but I have to say that Shae’s anxieties and the resulting conflict, especially the final one, just didn’t work for me. I generally don’t have a very high tolerance for angst – that’s just not my thing. Especially in such a short piece of fiction, the conflict felt almost shoehorned in. The pacing just doesn’t work – while there is certain level of anxiety all the time underneath the fluff, there is an almost obligatory break-up before the HEA that felt like it came out of nowhere and then was resolved too quickly. I could have done without that altogether.

But still, it was a quick read with a good sense of humor, hot sex and likeable characters. There’s not much more to ask from a romance novella.

Summarizing: a nice treat.