Christina “Lynn” Scott & Gavin “Paul” Holloway met a few months ago on a cruise and had a no strings attached affair for the length of the cruise. Each had used their middle name and not given their last name so they could not have found each other again if they wanted to. Neither had forgotten the unbelievable chemistry they shared. Now Gavin just discovered that his “Lynn” was really his friend Jacob’s sister, and Christina just figured out that “Paul” is her brother’s friend and landlord. Both of these two have been betrayed in relationships before and now each suspects the other knew who they were and is up to something. Can these two ever learn to trust again and do they stand a chance of a relationship with one another or are they better off moving on?

The Priceless Gift by Anna Kathryn Lanier is a cute, short, Christmas romance. The main characters of Christina and Gavin are wounded souls that need a miracle to get over the damage caused from former bad relationships. Each of them had been betrayed by someone who was supposed to love them. Ms. Lanier does a good job setting up the conflict in this story. I almost felt sorry for both of them until the character’s stubborn streaks come out; then I just wanted to kick them for being so hardheaded. This is a very short story, but Ms. Lanier quickly gets the reader into the crux of the problem and twists your emotions with sympathy for these two wounded souls. I really wish it had been a longer story. I liked these characters and would have liked to read more about them than this short format allowed. For me, the ending of this story came much too soon. Maybe Ms. Lanier can write a story about Jacob and mention Christina and Gavin in Jacob’s story so we’ll know what happens next!

Reviewed by: Stephanie B.