I do so love a grumpy/sunshine story, and if it's holiday flavored, all the better. What I really loved about this one in particular was how easily Roman melted once he realized Elias was more than just an annoying Christmas elf with loud dogs 😆 And it didn't take him long to realize it, either. I absolutely loved Elias's gramps, Jim. He had a great sense of humor, and his meddling was never too much. This book had a lot of plot centered on the animal shelter and on Roman fostering Carol, and I really enjoyed that side plot. We got to see Elias in his element, Roman appreciating his leadership, and also Roman being a huge teddy bear who let Carol capture his heart. The drama of Roman being ready to pack up and leave luckily didn't create too much angst. There wasn't excessive time spent moping surrounding Roman potentially moving away to take a job in Arizona. Elias was sad but supportive, and Roman really took the time to check in with how each step of his interview was making him feel, and it was refreshing to have a character who was able to figure out he was making the wrong choice quickly. I really liked Elias and Roman, and their story was really sweet and an enjoyable read!