Another super cute little read from the Rainbow Advent Calendar (https://jamielynnm.wordpress.com/2022/12/09/free-rainbow-advent-calendar-story/), this is apparently a mini-sequel to a book called An Endless Sea of Stars, which I haven't read but will be putting on my TBR now. Just like the author promised, the story worked perfectly well as a standalone. I never felt lost on any of the setting/situation details, and the characters were fleshed out enough that I easily found myself invested into their ongoing relationship. 

There's not much here in the way of plot—it's pure holiday fluff: a Christmas party on an interstellar ship, a long-distance call with family, lots of sweet romantic times for the main couple. The small bits likely hinting at the plot of the main novel (the cat-like aliens, the universe around the characters, the whole point of this big space journey) are intriguing enough that I'm likely to pick that book up. I found the prose to be a bit awkward at times, like maybe the story hasn't been proofread enough times, but hey, it's a free offering, so I can't complain! Regardless, this was a pretty enjoyable experience that made me smile a lot. I like smiling.