There’s nothing like a Christmas-themed romantica to get you in the holiday spirit. Okay, not really. I generally prefer more wholesome holiday stories, but A Year of Living Shamelessly does have a decent romance alongside the sex. I just wish other parts were more smoothly written.

Katie Kramer has been in love with Ryder Scott, her brother’s best friend, honorary Kramer, and resident Bad Boy, for years. Every New Year, she makes a resolution to make a move on him – but invariably chickens out. Ryder has always seen her as a “good girl,” and his best friend’s naive little sister. Now, though, her time is limited: at a Christmas party, she learns that Ryder is planning to move to Dubai on January 1. She has just a few days to follow through with her resolution. When she hears that he’s into BDSM, she isn’t deterred… Katie is determined to prove to him that she is what he needs.

Ryder and Katie do have rather sincere feelings for each other, which is refreshing. I don’t often believe the “romance” part of “erotic romances.” I felt real angst and longing coming from both of them, and I got very emotionally involved. Despite the somewhat kinky sex, the romance has a sweet side. Ryder and Katie fit well together and had great chemistry. Both of their characters annoyed me sometimes, though; Katie’s brother often called her a brat, and I don’t blame him a bit.

The plot was a bit disjointed, and there were some uneven patches in the story. There were a few awkwardly self-conscious pop-culture references that just seemed forced and out-of-place, and some of the story was paced poorly.

This book also has one of my biggest pet peeves: the Evil Ex-Girlfriend. Ryder’s exes are all smoking hot, all trying to get back in his pants, and all crazy bitches. Other than Katie, the women in this book are flat characters, and do nothing but wear slutty clothes and manipulate other people. It does women no favors to cater to the catty, two-dimensional archetype of the bitchy female—nor does it say much about the hero’s taste in women and overall judgment. It drives me crazy, and was one of my biggest problems with this book.

Despite my problems with the book, I mostly enjoyed it. It had its ups and downs, but somehow manage to remain, ultimately, romantic.