And so continues my read everything by Alexis Hall quest. This is his most recent publication, and one that I received an ALC of from Libro.fm, though I ended reading this one with my eyes, as it was (as Hall's books have consistently proven to be) fast and fun and sweet and funny and a great choice for travel reading (which are, in fact, the circumstances under which I picked it up). 

 

Sam Becker isn't living a dream life, sure, but he has settled comfortably into his role managing quirky and mildly inept staff at a branch of a bed and bath retailer. The only real problem is that the owner is a git. Said owner, Jonathan Forest, is an unsentimental workaholic, not good with people in the way that Sam is, and definitely doesn't have time for anything other than keeping his businesses running at highest quality. Since Sam's store is underperforming, Jonathan invites him to London to have a tough discussion about next steps, but during the conversation, Sam trips, hitting his head. When Jonathan misinterprets his fuzziness due to concussion as amnesia, Sam takes advantage to try and save his bumbling staff from being fired. But while faking amnesia originally seemed like a great idea, the more time Sam spends with Jonathan (and Jonathan's family...and sees how much his grumpy cat likes Jonathan), the more Sam realizes there is a softer side to him that he keeps deeply hidden away. And maybe Sam is falling for that softer side? So, this "second shot at a first impression" has backed Sam into an uncomfortable corner that he now has to figure out how to get out of without ruining what's turning out to be an actually really great relationship. 

 

 As I said in my little intro, this was fast and fun and sweet and funny. Like, for real, I have never come across a writer whose consistency in style reaches this level before. There is something quintessentially Hall that is present in each of his books I've read. It's that writing that is laugh-snort out loud hilarity of the dialogue and narration (he does not miss on that), mixed with a sort of softness of an impending HEA that you know you'll get because that's what Hall does. It's a perfect balance for entertainment and heartwarming-ness, and really no one does it like he does. 

 

Now, that being said, the amnesia situation is not a favorite of mine, as tropes go, so this just was never going to be a favorite of his books, for me. And I knew that going in, so I adjusted expectations accordingly. And after reading, I remember why. There's just a suspension of disbelief that you have to have, in order to buy into a story where a character can remember some things and not others, and yes, I know the brain is complex, but it's just a lot to ask of this reader. Now, some of that (like why Sam's family, or anyone in his life, doesn't reach out about his well-being for weeks, even in Holiday times) does get more well explained in the end. And when it does, it is heartbreaking and it does fit. But that doesn't change the fact that, for the majority of my time reading this book, it was a question sitting in my mind that affected my overall reading experience. 

 

On the other hand, I am not usually a Holiday romance lover either, and in that case...this book was giving. Like, the absolutely adorable hamster ornament interaction/theme had my heart straight up melting. And the giant Christmas tree through all the floors of Jonathan's house was, honestly, spirit-restoring. Related to this, a bit, but also standing on its own, if you have a  big loud nosy family, this book will feel familiar in all the good and annoying ways. Those vibes were on point and hit the spot. 

 

Tbh, all in all, I'm coming out of this book with the feeling of vibes that were on point and hit the spot. And, though this isn't a new favorite Alexis Hall for me (of note, I'm hard pressed to believe that anything will ever beat A Lady for a Duke), it delivered what I was hoping for and left me quite satisfied.            

“You’ve come into my life like a beam of very annoying sunshine. You talk so much that I miss it when you’re not. You try to fix things I didn’t even realize were broken. You have a dreadful sense of humor to which I’ve somehow become habituated. You care about people so effortlessly it makes me able to put up with them. And then you kissed me and now I…” He lets his head slip further down into his hands. “…I don’t know how I’m supposed to go the rest of my life without being kissed by you again.” 

 

“So I kiss him again. I kiss him the way he’s maybe scared to be kissed and the way I think he deserves to be kissed.” 

 

“And that’s—well it’s jobs, at the end of the day. They’re bigger than you and that’s nice when you’re there. But every connection you make is based on cash and convenience. It’s not a substitute for— For anything.” 

 

“It’s kind of the worst thing someone can say to you. Because you can’t hurt someone unless they care. And you shouldn’t if they do.”