The vibes were excellent, and I'm shocked that this wasn't truly intended to be a Christmas story (you gotta get the enhanced edition for great insight and Q&A from Milan!), because it felt like a romance retelling of A Christmas Carol with Bob Cratchit as our main character. The premise for the couple's intimacy is coercion, with a bit of a twist. Our female main character's sense of assurance and desire is grounding throughout, even when the male main character's action are desperate and dark. The plotting is tight and the conclusion/conflict resolution works well for a novella. Recommended for those looking for non-aristo MCs, too! All in all, I loved the concept, even if the romance itself won't be the most memorable for me. You can see the glimmers of Milan's character work and plotting here, and it's fascinating to see where she started.