The Perfect Present

Windows of opportunity lead to romance and second chances in these three tales of yuletide layovers, lust, and love. In Alers’s heartwarming “A Christmas Layover,” fourth-grade teacher Sierra Nelson saves charming and mysterious Navy captain Noah Crawford from being stranded at the Chicago airport by bringing him home for Christmas. A sweet and humorous charade ensues when Sierra’s family assumes he is her boyfriend. The story is bogged down a bit by overexplaining, preachy dialogue, and a clunky conclusion, but Alers effectively captures the warmth (and awkwardness) of the close-knit family and the growing attraction between the two protagonists as their pretend relationship becomes a reality. “The Christmas Lesson” is Hodges’s touching story about divorced 20-something Kayla Matthews, who gets a second chance to confess her romantic feelings for her high school best friend, handsome DeShawn Carter, who is the story’s most likable, down-to-earth, and well-rounded character. In Yaye’s “Christmas with You,” successful and smooth-talking Marc Cunningham falls for beautiful celebrity stylist Maya Malone. Humor and tension ensue when Maya and Marc discover a big obstacle to their relationship: Maya’s overprotective brother. Love and lust requited make this anthology easy reading. (Oct.)