"For fans of bondage stories and old-fashioned love stories."

Constance Jayne Bradwell has never liked Christmas. The product of many foster homes, it was never a good time of year for her, and this year isn't any different. She still hasn't found the man to love her and cherish her, and she has given up hope of ever finding an Alpha male who will make her feel adored and protected. She only attends the Children's Home Benefit Chritmas Party out of duty and it males her feel even more like the neglected foster child who slept around in high school, despised by the boys who used her for sex but wouldn't even buy her a cheeseburger afterwards.

Still, when Santa insists she tell him her Christmas wish, she does. Santa turns out to be the only man who ever treated her with respect and offered her friendship -- and he sets out to make her wish come true. Sam, too, is lonely -- a divorced father whose son is far away this holiday -- and he doesn't want to spend the holiday alone. But Constance doesn't want a pity fuck. She wants the Real Thing. Can Sam give it to her? And is Constance capable of recognizing real love when she sees it at last?

Like all of Joey's work, this is a psychologically rich exploration of domination and submission and sexual needs. As Sam makes creative use of Christmas ornaments and gift tie to turn Constance into a living Christmas package, via the ancient arts of shibari bondage, he also teaches her enough to trust him -- and to let go of Jayna, the promiscuous teenager she was and accept the vibrant, lovely woman, well deserving of love, she has crafted from the raw materials of her sad past.

Yes, this is a hot read, with beautifully imagined bondage scenes, but it is first and foremost an old-fashioned love story, with bdsm depicted as the loving, tender relationship it should be. I can't recommend this story enough. Like all of Joey's works, it is lyrically written with a profound understanding of the dynamics of a D/s relationship and of the workings of the human heart. No other writer can capture the longings of the lonely and the broken of spirit like she can.

SENSUALITY RATING: monogamous sex-including bondage and oral sex; VERY sensual.

Reviewed by Gillian Fitzgerald
Courtesy Sensual Romance Reviews
Posted May 9, 2004

Summary

In her misspent youth, Constance used sex as a shallow substitute for the intimacy and love she craved. Fifteen years later, she whispers her deepest wish into Santa's ear at a Christmas benefit, only to discover he is someone who was part of that unfortunate and embarrassing time of her life.

Mortified, she plans an early exit from the party, but Santa has different ideas. Sam Coble always wanted to get to know the girl behind the reputation, and now that she is an accomplished, independent woman, that determination spurs him to action. Constance is going to discover this particular Santa has a soft spot for naughty girls. He plans to give her everything she ever put on a Christmas list...and then some.