A Collar for Christmas by A.E. Lawless

A Collar for Christmas by A.E. Lawless

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I absolutely loved A Collar for Christmas. It’s an odd thing to say about a BDSM romance, but it was an unbelievably sweet story and one I can see myself reading many, many times again. Ms. Lawless created an extremely powerful Prologue that served to illustrate the devastating effect that Liam’s panic attacks had on him, while at the same time showed where his relationship with Aaron started. While momentarily awkward when the book jumps ten months forward with the first chapter, Liam’s reaction to an online article and his subsequent actions filled in the pieces rather quickly as to how their relationship had evolved over that time. Any remaining gaps were filled in as the book progressed through memories, musings, and conversations between Liam and Aaron.

As the story is told from Liam’s point of view, the reader gets a firsthand look at how the changes in their relationship have both helped Liam and exacerbated the situation. While Aaron’s presence and his ability to exert the control over Liam that he needs have helped reduce Liam’s anxiety in dealing with the world at large, his increasing dependence upon Aaron causes a separate set of anxieties for Liam as he worries about what will happen to him should Aaron ever refuse to be a part of his life. Add to that Liam’s ever increasing need for “more” from Aaron despite Aaron having clearly stated that there could be nothing more, well it’s no wonder Liam is a confused bundle of emotions. While the scene in which Liam finally tells Aaron that he needs more than what they’ve been doing was heartbreakingly devastating, it was good to see Liam confront Aaron about what he wanted and needed.

The emotional rollercoaster ride that A Collar for Christmas took me on was heightened by how fully I connected to Liam. I felt his anxiety, fear, and heartbreak when he confronted Aaron; I felt his calm seep in when he went home for Christmas and spent time with his family; I felt his anger and worry when Aaron called him with his drunken confessions; I felt his hope when Aaron showed up at his house on Christmas day; I felt his submission during THE sex scene that was off-the-charts hot; I felt his relief and happiness at his family’s easy acceptance of Aaron; and I felt his love for Aaron. The author has managed to encompass a ton of emotion within the pages of this novella and I loved every bit of it. I cannot wait to check out more of Ms. Lawless’s writing.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the #ChristmasInJuly: A Collar for Christmas blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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