Book 97, 2021

All I Want by Stella Starling

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Last night, I finished the ebook All I Want by Stella Starling. The story is told in alternating (third-person) points of view between the main characters, Elliott Gaffney and Bennett "Ash" Ashby.

Elliott enjoys his job as a retail clerk at Ashby's, a prestigious department store in Chicago. He especially loves it at Christmas, when he and his co-workers transform part of the store into the "North Pole", complete with Santa, nutcrackers, reindeer, and elves. Elliott has always been enchanted by the magic of Christmas, and the ability to make that magic come true for children warms his heart.

Ash would rather be anywhere but Chicago over the holidays. He's meant to be partying with his friends in Aspen, but after his latest public scandal, his austere father has banished him to the Ashby's in the Windy City, where Ash, as "Ben", is expected to don a fat suit and play the part of Santa. However, things begin looking up when Ash meets Elliott, whose sweet sincerity, joie de vivre, and charming innocence soon have Ash falling for him. He knows Elliott would have never considered going on a date with Bennett Ashby, but perhaps he will enjoy spending time in Ben's company.

Elliott can't believe it when the handsome new Santa starts paying attention to him, but Ben is so suave and charming that he agrees to go to dinner with him. Dinner quickly becomes more, and Elliott is caught up in a whirlwind, holiday romance. Just when he starts to think he and Ben could become something more permanent, Ben is outed by the media as Ash Ashby. Feeling betrayed and hurt, Elliott withdraws.

Ash, no longer eager to return to the life of an idle playboy, has some loose ends to tie up before he can return to Chicago and attempt to win Elliott back. It will take some solemn honesty and and a little Christmas magic, but Ash is determined to hang onto the best thing that's ever happened to him.

What a sweet romance. Of course, all along, the reader knows that everything is going to blow up in Ash's face, but it was gratifying to see how well he handled it. His father was a stone-cold bitch, and I really wish Ash would have let him have it with both barrels instead of just one. It was also lovely to read how Elliott's friends became Ash's friends, too--the first real friends he's ever had. Everyone else in his life was just along for the ride that Ash's wealth and fame could bring them. Even Elliott's family embraces Ash, and that's another thing he's never experienced. Add in a scruffy street dog, and this was really the perfect holiday romance.

Favorite lines:
♦ "Every Christmas needs a Grinch."
♦ "The spirit of Christmas is about all of us."
♦ "Christmas lives in you as much as it lives in me."
♦ It wasn't the time to worry about what might be. It was time to enjoy what was.

Tooth-rotting fluff, for the win! Four stars!