A Mafia Christmas
I wasn't expecting Alistair to behave the way he did in this book. Usually, the Maclean men are super sweet, loving, and protective towards their women, but in this novella, all that kindness and care seems to be forgotten about. It was such an angsty and emotional read, and despite being a short novella, it really packed a punch. I'm used to the surprise pregnancy trope being done when it's a new relationship or a one-night stand, so to see it spring up in the middle of a seemingly happy marriage and the fallout it caused was unexpected. Alistair went hard on Beth, and although he wasn't physically abusive, the things he said and the way he acted hurt more than any physical blows would, and seeing the fallout from that was hard to read. I would have loved to have seen more of a grovel from Alistair's character and felt that once he realised his mistake, things came to a close a little bit too quickly for my liking, but it deserves 4 stars just for the heartbreak it caused in the build-up to that moment.