Merry Me by C.R. Jane

She thought she buried her past…until it shows up in a Santa suit at her sister’s wedding.

Natalie Bennett has a plan: survive her big sister’s Christmas Eve wedding, avoid her estranged father, and absolutely do not fall apart in front of the ex she walked away from…even if he does look annoyingly good in red velvet.

Easton Maddox was supposed to be a high school memory—before Hollywood, before heartbreak, before she convinced herself walking away was the right thing. But when one broken down car, a meddling grandmother, and a very compromising duet throws them back together, old feelings resurface faster than you can say “I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus.”

Now stuck in a cozy mountain lodge with one very determined ex, Natalie’s forced to confront the truth: maybe love doesn’t follow logic. And maybe, just maybe…the boy she left behind is the man who never left her heart.

Merry Me is a funny, tender, and swoon-filled second-chance romance standalone about finding your way back to the one who never really let you go.

My Review

Everything about this book called to me from the cover to the blurb, it had my attention right away.

The story opens with Natalie ending her high school relationship because Easton is about to head west to chase his dreams, and she refuses to be the thing that holds him back. Fast forward almost two years, and Natalie has escaped to university life, only to be pulled back to her small hometown for her sister’s Christmas Eve wedding. Of course, all her thoughts circle back to the one person she never really left behind.

Easton is now a Hollywood heartthrob, but none of that matters because he’s still stuck on Natalie. With the help of his brother, he plots his way into the wedding weekend for one last chance. And honestly? I’m loving the drama, the forced proximity, and the rom-com energy. Natalie is an emotional train wreck, full of anxiety, bad luck, and spiraling thoughts — but Easton is clearly her kryptonite. He’s swoony in that effortless way, and I could picture him instantly. Add in a hotel booking mistake and a one-room situation, and the tension writes itself.

This book is genuinely funny, packed with sharp one-liners and sassy dialogue. The grandmother absolutely steals scenes ,she’s outrageous, hilarious, and unforgettable. The romance is sizzling hot (who knew Santa kink was a thing?), and the one-bed trope definitely does some heavy lifting.

That said, Natalie carries a lot of emotional and psychological damage, especially around abandonment and being left behind. Those fears shape her past and threaten her future, and if she doesn’t confront them, she’s bound to repeat the same patterns. Just as she starts letting her guard down, a ghost from her past resurfaces , complete with trigger warnings ,and it hits hard, especially considering how fragile she already is.

The ending delivers a cute grand gesture, which I loved, but it slightly lost me with the added smut. The book was already plenty spicy, and for me, it leaned a bit too far into the physical at the very end, pulling away from the emotional payoff I wanted more of.

If you would like to read Merry Me by C.R. Jane, you can find this book on Amazon. As an Amazon Assocaite I earn on qualifying purchases.

If you like this book you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories: Second Chance, Only one Bed and Forced Proximity.