As much as I enjoy His Christmas Pleasure, I do not love it. Based on the library’s Christmas recommendations, I chose this book. I rarely read romance novels. Despite that, I would like to expand my reading genres.

The book tells the story of Abigail’s decision to elope so that she would not be married to a man twice her age. Andrés, a man notorious for his reputation, is the man she has chosen as her groom. Andrés thinks he is in a marriage of convenience with a charming, very wealthy young woman. As they discover the truth about one another and old wounds are revealed, he will do anything to earn her love.

The book was not what I had hoped for. It’s important to note that the heroine was completely airheaded. She acted like a spoiled brat and behaved foolishly. After standing up for herself, she made a foolish choice. She eloped after her father refused to change his mind. Abby was determined to elope, so she made it hard for them to leave. She got in Andrés’ way while he tried to get them out.

I saw her main flaw as her refusal to share with Andres. She expected him to open up completely. She also had awful and inconsiderate parents. Before she took such drastic measures, they would have forced her into the marriage they had planned for her. Only after she eloped did they say they would have allowed her to avoid the marriage they arranged for her.

Sometimes, Abby appeared to understand Andrés’ feelings. But her selfishness made her seem worse. She came across as callous and immature. The grand gesture occurred on Christmas Day, but it fell short of the heartwarming story I expected.

In romance stories, I favor the girl, but in this situation, I favor the guy. Andrés, despite his poor reputation, genuinely worked to connect with Abigail. He sought to be open and vulnerable with her. He entered the marriage with no expectations of affection, yet he made repeated efforts to bridge the emotional gap between them. His openness and patience with Abby’s immaturity made me more sympathetic to him.

The limited time we spent with Andrés and Abby while building a home was filled with enjoyment. The couple teamed up to make things work for them. I noticed their feelings for each other were growing, and that made me happy. I was here to watch these two grow up, and it was finally happening. Then came the Christmas party and that ridiculous love test, which messed everything up. Although I applauded Abby’s parents for admitting their mistakes, I do not believe they would have forced her to marry the man with thirteen children, based on their behavior.

Also, I do not think her father’s manipulation of her and Andres after their marriage was justified or acceptable, since it was just another instance of Andres being judged by his circumstances and appearance rather than being given a chance. After enduring that sort of treatment his whole life, getting this ridiculous love test from the woman he had fallen in love with made me feel so bad for him. I did not expect this, nor look forward to it.

Overall, this was an okay book. I had hoped for a more satisfying ending. Yet, the drama felt forced, and the characters did not change, leaving me disappointed. The story had potential, but forced conflicts and unanswered questions made it feel flat.