A very sweet fated mates/shifter story. It had its tropes, but I was actually impressed with its emotional maturity in most places. Jasper isn't the typical snarling, aggressive, paranormal alpha. He's gentle and generous. He's always considerate: How can he be helpful, how can he make today special, how can he make the people he cares about feel cherished... He is the perfect personification of Christmas. And Abigail was the perfect flipside to that coin: Her dealing with seasonal depression hit me right in the feels! There is a deep person there who is clearly still working through some trauma. She's her own harshest critic, and she self-sabotages. But she knows her brain's emotional deceptions, and she is trying to limit her exposure to triggers, master her spirals, and trust other people not to abandon her over mistakes. The way that Jasper and Abigail inspire each other to reach out with kindness, creativity, and security, is truly heart-warming.

The book does have its flaws, though. A lot of typos. And it IS a short story, there is no fleshing out of WHERE this takes place, or WHAT Jasper does for a living, or WHO Abigail wants to be besides Mrs. Jasper. They are shown to be strong, sensitive people, buuuuut a lot of their romance does revolve around mutual sexual attraction XD. And the magical bondage gets introduced with dubious consent. PLUS, for a book with magical bondage, the sex scenes were kind of vanilla, and repetitive; the final 40 pages were putting me to sleep.

But typos and simplicity aside, this at its core was a story about how emotions can be overwhelming, especially during the holidays, and it's important to treat people with tenderness, even yourself. I think that's a positive message for any reader, but especially for the paranormal romance fan who, too often, sees surly and catty leads. No matter your gender, or your baggage, it is ok to be vulnerable and to expect kindness.