The fourth book in the Maple Falls series by Kathleen Fuller is a warm and cozy romantic story between Olivia, a rigid woman who is a stickler for routine and Kingston, an easily influenceable, busy doctor who can’t say no.

Though Olivia is his sister’s best friend, neither Kingston nor Olivia had ever thought of each other in a romantic light for the longest time. Things suddenly change for them one fine day when both find themselves being attracted to each other and seriously contemplating a relationship. But their own lives and restrictive natures put a stop to Kingston’s efforts twice, leaving Olivia with an extremely negative view about Kingston.

What follows is a play of push and pull between Olivia and Kingston, as they try to resolve their feelings for each other and move on with their life one way or the other. Will these two lovely, sweet people overcome their own insecurities and habits to risk love and contentment? This is the crux of the story.

The story starts off in a moderate pace and maintains it throughout the length of the book. But the lead pair lacked real spark and the way they stayed firmly in their errant ways even after a turning point was tedious to read. The author also brings in small instances of relationships between other people in the town as well, and amongst them, the old pair were my absolute favorite. In fact, I found myself smiling at that pair’s antics more than I did the main pair.

To sum it up, though the story falls short of excellence, it still is a very good story, told in a sweet way, which brings its characters alive. I would recommend this book for a light, breezy read, particularly for those looking for a good time-pass during the holidays.

This book gets 5 out of 5 stars.