Take one workaholic named Ebenezer Marley, who doesn't want to give his employees even half a day off for Christmas Eve, and a trio of spirits who give Ebenezer the visual journey of a lifetime in one night and what do you get?

Corny. I thought so, too, til I read Shiloh Walker's His Christmas Cara and discovered a wonderful, thoughtful story that doesn't need to be read at Christmas to be appreciated.

Ebenezer Marley, known as Eben to those around him, obsesses about money and his business to the point where the person closest to him is Jacob, his driver. Jacob is but one of many dispensable workers who mean little to Eben in his quest for business superiority. Despite his cold façade, however, Eben's heart and body heat up in the presence of Cara Winston--but he certainly can't let her know it. One night of flaming passion together in the past brought Cara a little too close to Eben's heart and, true to form, he had her reassigned within the company in order to avoid her at all costs.

But fate has a different plan in mind for Eben that involves Cara, his dead father, and choices. And if Eben doesn't make the right choices, fate will choose for him.

And they aren't choices Eben is crazy about.

Ms. Walker does a brilliant job of penning a story that will stay with readers long after they finish reading. The complexity of Eben and Cara's relationship is well developed which brings an added depth to the intimate scenes. I found myself engrossed in the story to the end and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Don't let the play on words fool you into thinking His Christmas Cara is a story to be taken lightly. Do yourself a favor--grab a cup of cocoa and enjoy this one before the chill of winter is just a memory.

Reviewed By Beth Morrow
© February 2005