If I were given a second chance at a past love because of the hurt I suffered I don’t know that I would want to risk that kind of hurt again. Would you? That is question that Rachel faces in Dahlia Rose’s Love and Lights.

For the first time in three years Rachel has come home to New York at the request of her parents. When she arrives a couple of days before Christmas she finds that her parents have taken off on a last minute cruise and none other than her ex-lover Victor Cantrell house sitting. When she decides to return to Atlanta, she finds that the airport has been closed because of the blizzard hitting the city. The situation leaves her no choice but to stay in her parent’s home with the man who broke her heart that Christmas Eve so many years before. Even though Rachel wants nothing to do with Victor, she can’t stand to see him suffer

Victor now realizes that he should have never pushed Rachel away. It has taken him almost dying to show him that his love for Rachel has never faded in all their time apart. As a member of New York’s SWAT team and a bomb tech he has seen what the wives go through when their husbands don’t come home. Rather than have Rachel suffer that fate, he pushed her away.

Can Rachel forgive Victor for his callous disregard of her heart? Can Victor convince Rachel that their love is worth a second chance? With a little help from Rachel’s parents and a little Christmas spirit Victor plans on doing just that.

This was my first book by both this author and publisher and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Love and Lights is a short, sweet love story with a heartwarming touch of Christmas spirit. Both Rachel’s fiery temper and Victor’s vulnerability made this story a pleasure to read. If all of Dahlia Rose’s stories draw you into the world of her characters so easily then she will be an author to watch. I know that I will be looking out for more Dahlia Rose books.

Reviewed By Theresa
© December 2006