Lacey is on her way to Beachwood Bay in order to be the maid of honor in her best friend Juliet's wedding. She is running late at the airport and runs right into Daniel, Juliet's ex. Lacey always had a crush on Daniel but there were many reasons that nothing could ever happen between them. They are complete opposites and even if they weren't, girls just can't date their BFF's ex. Daniel ends up on the same plane as Lacey and just so happens to be sitting in the seat right next to hers. They encounter a winter storm on the way and end up getting stranded at the airport hotel over night. There are no more rental cars that night, and there is only one hotel room left. They end up drinking a bit and skinny dipping, and the next thing they know they are unable to fight the attraction between them. But when they wake up in the morning and head to Beachwood Bay, will it all have been just a one night stand? Or will they start a relationship that neither one of them ever expected?
I liked Daniel. He was a really sweet guy and he had a way of saying things that absolutely made me swoon. He was driven and seemed to be very focused at first. But I love how he really started to loosen up once he was around Lacey. He was definitely more interesting and passionate than I ever expected, and I loved getting to know the real him. I really liked Lacey. She was really funny and I thought that she was a great friend. She really tried to fight her feelings for Daniel because of her relationship with Juliet. But I loved that they couldn't help the attraction between each other, and they had an easy way of being together. They just seemed to belong together and they fit perfectly. They were able to balance each other as well as bring out the best from the other. They also had a ton of chemistry together. I loved how playful they were at first, starting with a game of Truth or Dare and then ending up really exploring the passion between them.
I did feel like this relationship developed extremely fast though. I realize that they knew each other before, but this whole novella takes place over the course of two days. It just felt extremely rushed and I just couldn't quite believe that they were basically calling each other the one after that little bit of time. Especially since Daniel had never felt that way about Lacey before, and Lacey was constantly worried about him being Juliet's ex. I wish we would have seen a bit more of them after this first hook-up and maybe seen through New Year's after they spent a bit more time together. I also thought that there was a bit too much back and forth when it came to their feelings. One minute they were both convinced that what was going on was more, and the next they were convinced that the other thought it was nothing. It just wasn't very consistent. I did enjoy getting the dual POV though, and I loved being able to see Daniel's thoughts and feelings as well as Lacey's. I am excited about Garret's story next though. I have been looking forward to getting to know him better since I first read about him. Although I'm not sure that I am really looking forward to who he is getting paired with. The glimpse we get of the two of them at the end of Unwrapped has me a little worried about how likable i'm going to find Brianna. I just hope that she ends up being completely unlike how she seems at first. If you are a fan of the Beachwood Bay series, I think that you will really enjoy Unwrapped. Lacey and Daniel's story is a fun and quick read that gives you a taste of romance and steam with some holiday spirit, as well as more of the characters from the previous books.
**ARC provided by Inkslinger PR**
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