Review: Warmth in Ice by A. Meredith Walters #HoHoHoRAT

Warmth in Ice

(Find You in the Dark #2.5)

Author: A. Meredith Walters

Publisher: Self-published

Publication Date: October 26, 2013

Genre: Contemporary/Holiday

Source: Purchased

~Synopsis~

It’s Maggie and Clay’s first Christmas together…

***Spoilers for those who have not read Find You in the Dark or Light in the Shadows***

Clay and Maggie have gone through the dark and come out on the other side. For the first time, they are on this journey together. Fighting for something they both need and can’t live without…each other.

But a long distance relationship is hard. Particularly for two people who are still trying to build something solid on a shaky and troubled foundation. Clay is finally out of treatment and is living in an out patient halfway house. He struggles with what he wants to do and where he wants to go. Questions he worries he will never have the answers to. Maggie is trying to transition into college life and learning how to create a future with someone who is over a thousand miles away.

As the months pass and they struggle with being a part, old insecurities and fears take root and threaten a love that has come so far.

When Maggie decides to fly to Florida as a surprise for Clay on Christmas, she is unsure whether it will be the first step toward what they both desperately want or whether it could possibly be the end of it all.

But with the holidays approaching, Maggie and Clay are reminded that even when the days are coldest, you can still find the warmth and that hope and love are the greatest gifts of all.

~Review~

Wow, I didn’t realize how much I missed Maggie and Clay until I read Warmth in Ice. This is quite honestly one of my favorite contemporary series. I truly love their story and the journey they took together. It’s a tumultuous one and they have been through a lot together.  This book warmed my heart because I have always been rooting for them and to see everything start to fall into place is heartwarming.

Warmth in Ice starts a few months after the end of Light in the Shadows but before the epilogue. Clay is in Florida and working hard to get better for Maggie while Maggie is getting ready to start college in D.C. Being apart is really hard for them and the insecurities that have plagued them both start to resurface. They both feel like the other is pulling away from them but when Maggie surprises Clay on Christmas Eve and they spend their first Christmas together, they are never more sure about each other.

I loved that this novella was still deeply emotional despite it being so short. From the moment I met Clayton Reed, he has owned my heart and as I watch him struggle with his emotions, it breaks my heart a little. I love how much Clay loves Maggie and how far he has come. However, he will always struggle for control and some of his old ways threaten to surface the longer they are apart. Maggie has come a long way too and she knows what Clay really needs to get better. Sometimes it seems easier to just placate him like she used to but she knows better now and I liked that she can call him on his shit now and it is actually better for Clay.

When Maggie surprises Clay for Christmas, it was so adorable how excited he was to see her and you could tell that he had never really had a good Christmas growing up because he was like a kid in a candy shop as he celebrated the holiday with Maggie. Everything she did to make the holiday special for him was so sweet and it was obvious that all of the fears and worries they both had been having melted away and they wouldn’t be coming back. It only took 3 days together to solidify everything they knew to be true and I think this is what Clay really needed to really begin the healing on his own. He would always have Maggie’s love and support no matter how far apart they are. The way Maggie’s parents showed their support of her and Clay was really nice and I think it also truly helped Clay to move forward on a positive note. The gift Clay made for Maggie was beautiful and brought tears to my eyes. To quote Clay, “Best. Christmas. Ever.”

The epilogue fully closed out Clay and Maggie’s story and while I’m sad to say goodbye, this was the perfect closure. While this is a Christmas novella, it was so much more than that. If you haven’t read this series and met Maggie and Clay, you should definitely read them now. They will take you on an emotional journey that will make you laugh, cry, and root for their happiness to the very end.

~IPOD Picks~

“Mistletoe” by Colbie Collait

“The Night Before Christmas” by Brandon Heath

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE