Big Nick Energy by Morgan Elizabeth

5 Stars Jan 10, 2024

My review

5/5 stars

I tried to get into more festive reading this year, and stumbled across this on social media. Turns out it was available as part of my Kindle Unlimited subscription, so it was a no-brainer for my month of Christmassy books.

Shae was an interesting character, with her evidently strong facade of not wanting to let anyone in. She has obviously been through a lot and is hellbent on being self-reliant, at the expense of her own health and wellbeing as a result; I related to her in that respect.

In contrast, Nick is further along in his single-parenting journey and has learnt the value of community, so is determined to help Shae as much as he can. That determination only seems to grow stronger as he gets to know her better, which was lovely to read and a very admirable quality. While there were times that I felt Nick's character had been over-exaggerated and become almost a caricature of kindness and selflessness, I appreciate why this was done and ultimately still found myself being swept away by it.

The relationships that both Shae and Nick had with the children in the story was endearing and lovely to read. As a parent, I enjoyed seeing the two girls feature so prominently in the story, especially as it was set so close to Christmas and Christmas is all about the children; I particularly loved the idea that the whole plot hinged on the relatively recent Elf of the Shelf tradition.

The plot obviously had some heavier elements peppered into it, as well as being a cosy Christmas romance, and I felt that they were handled very sensitively. The domestic abuse was approached realistically, with Shae clearly still feeling the effects in all aspects of her life even though the immediate danger had passed; I particularly appreciated how the author showed an impact on the children as well, as that could have been easy to miss. While all of this was true, I also welcomed the fact that it didn't dominate the storyline - ultimately the book is a Christmas romance so it needs to feel upbeat. The darkness and drama served to highlight just how different Nick was, and why Shae was struggling to trust Nick's intentions.

Couldn't put this down, which caught me by surprise, as the description of single-mum cowboy romance was a little off-putting at the start.

Book blurb

When Connor Finch insists his one-time Tinder match, Shae, comes to his dad’s house for Thanksgiving with her two daughters, it’s because he refuses to let them be alone on her first-holiday post-divorce.

But when she arrives at the Christmas tree farm and ranch he grew up on, she meets his father—the crazy tall, built, golden retriever cowboy who tells her girls all about the magic of the stupid elf on a shelf.

Of course, when she later corners him and tells him thanks a lot for nothing and that she’s way too overwhelmed to have to deal with yet another responsibility, he feels terrible.

So terrible, he finds himself driving two hours every night just to deliver an elf, move him about, and create some Christmas magic for her girls.

But what happens when he decides meeting her the way he did was some kind of Christmas miracle, and he needs to convince Shae to give him a shot?