Tag: holiday romance

Book Review: Big Nick Energy by Kristen Bailey

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Holiday Romance
Length: 361 pages
Author: Kristen Bailey
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Release Date: October 21st, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

One woman, two Nicks, and a Christmas season that’s about to get very complicated.

When librarian Kay bumps into her ex-boyfriend Nick at a Christmas market, she thinks fate is finally giving her a second chance with her first big love. But then she gets spectacularly tangled in a Christmas tree-netting machine and meets another Nick entirely. One who cuts her free, dresses her wounds, and makes her pulse race in ways that thoroughly confuse her.

Finance Nick is successful, settled, and ready to talk five-year plans. Farmer Nick makes handcrafted furniture, supports local charities, and sees the creative spirit Kay has kept hidden behind her library desk. But how is a girl to choose?

Soon she’s spending her days delivering books to children’s hospitals and care homes with farmer Nick, before dashing home to whip off her reindeer onesie and glam up for romantic dates at the ballet with finance Nick.

But the countdown to Christmas is on, and Kay can’t keep this up forever. Somehow she must navigate London’s most complicated love triangle, avoid getting any more pine needles stuck in her hair – and work out once and for all which Nick has her heart.

A laugh-out-loud festive rom-com that fans of Love Actually and The Holiday will adore.

NOT IT.

I’ve enjoyed Kristen Bailey’s previous holiday romances but this one bugged me too much to love it.

My biggest gripe was that the FMC, Kay, was incredibly frustrating. She calls herself a “special kind of idiot” when she finally clues in [at 95%] and I was like YEAH YOU HAVE BEEN GIRL. WHY WERE YOU WITH THE WRONG MAN FOR 95% OF THIS BOOK.

If the break up had come much sooner I might have gotten more on board. It just left the other side of this love triangle lacking in a lot of ways because she wasn’t technically single even though she tried to maintain that thought process throughout the book. It became increasingly frustrating.

There’s good holiday cheer and themes that I did like. But as a romance, it didn’t work.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary holiday romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: low

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ALC Book Review: It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Murder (Kiss, Merry, Kill #2) by Ally Carter

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Holiday Mystery Romance
Length: 300 pages
Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: October 13th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

This limited deluxe edition paperback will feature stenciled edges and cover effects – available on the first printing only, so pre-order now!

A billionaire’s grandson and the housekeeper’s daughter square off in this cat-and-mouse holiday romance-mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year.

Ella Chambers didn’t kill Liam Montgomery.

If she had, she certainly wouldn’t have done it outside his family’s mansion during the Christmas party of the year. She definitely wouldn’t have loaded his body into the trunk of her car. And she absolutely would not have announced to the town that the boy who ruined her life ten years ago was “so dead to her.”

But now Liam is missing—nothing but a bloody spot on the drive and a host of unanswered questions—and Ella is the only person who knows he’s still alive.

So it’s up to her to prove it.

Liam Montgomery didn’t want to die.

But, it turns out, when you’re the sole heir to a billionaire, someone might want you dead. Luckily for Liam, being dead works for him.

Now he’s on the hunt for a killer. Unfortunately, Ella is on the hunt for him.

She’ll have to prove he’s still alive to clear her name, but that’s easier said than done in a quaint mountain town where everyone knows your story but no one knows the truth. Can the billionaire’s grandson and the housekeeper’s daughter join forces to catch a killer? Or is their past too steeped in secrets and lies?

As the storm of the century blows in, every step will bring these two childhood rivals closer to a killer—and each other.

Because, this Christmas, only one thing is it’s beginning to look a lot like murder.

Thank you to the publisher for an ALC.

I LOVED THIS BOOOOOOK.


This might be my new favorite of Ally Carter’s. I was down bad from the beginning and it did not let up (complimentary).

The mutual pining between Ella and Liam was top notch. As was the banter. It was sassy and heated and full of *oh my gosh kiss already* nonsense that I adore. The cat and mouse vibes are 100% accurate and you have to go with the audiobook!! Dual narration was top tier. I loved both narrators.

I kind of forgot it was Christmas in this story? But that didn’t bug me at all. I was locked in to the mystery and wondering where things were going next. I liked the the drama and turmoil It does lean on the heavier side (see content warnings) yet it didn’t overwhelm the plot to me and worked well to amplify the themes.

The romance was tender and nuanced. I liked that they both learned new things about each other and found ways to work together. They both had a protective streak I was obsessed with. There was emotional depth and this longing for home (as a person) between Ella and Liam I could not get enough of.

Overall audience notes:
– Christmas Mystery + Romance
– Language: low
– Romance: closed door
– Violence: moderate
– Content warnings: loss of a parent (cancer), murder, attempted murder, gun violence, loss of a grandparent, other mentions of cancer

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Book Review: A Little Holiday Fling by Farah Heron

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Christmas Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Farah Heron
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: October 21st, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

There are two things that Ruby Dhanji loves with her whole entire Christmas and anything to do with the UK. For Ruby the holiday season means joy, generosity, and warm memories with her late mother. And now she’s on the verge of realizing the dream she and her mom always moving to England and opening a cozy inn. The only problem, Ruby needs some hotel experience first. 
 
Rashid just doesn’t get all the holiday hype. But when he meets a woman dragging home a Christmas tree alone from the Winter Market, he has to offer to help—even if he soon finds Ruby adores all the things he dislikes. When Ruby discovers that Rashid’s family owns a luxury boutique hotel chain in Britain, she offers him a she’ll help him give his young nieces an amazing Christmas if he’ll facilitate an introduction to his family. 
 
As Ruby and Rashid get closer, she realizes that the great big grump loves his large, eccentric family fiercely. And when their friendship turns to something more, she’s afraid she’s falling for someone weeks before she moves across the Atlantic and she’ll soon have to decide which dream she wants to chase. 

PRETTY GOOD.

This is my first book by this author and I liked it! I especially appreciated that this wasn’t spice forward and provided a lot of relationship build up and self growth in the midst of the holiday moments. Also, the audiobook was good too.

I struggled with the FMC at first because of a general personality clash, but decided to continue and the longer it went on the more I did like Ruby and backstory and overall why for this book. I liked her connection with Rashid and the enemies-ish banter as they both realized there are many layers to each other and started opening up.

The third act did make me a bit cranky but that was my only big complaint. I would love to read another book from Farah Heron.

Overall audience notes:

  • Holiday Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: 2ish quick open door
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: mention of breast cancer (and losing a parent), emotional abuse

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Book Review: Planes, Reins, and Automobiles (Catching Feelings #2) by Kate Watson

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Holiday Romance
Length: 342 pages
Author: Kate Watson
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: November 14th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

She’s sunshine. He’s frostbite. They’ve got 1,600 miles to go before Christmas—and he’s about to discover his new enemy might be his anonymous online soulmate.

Oliver Fletcher has one goal, and he’s not happy about it: get home for his brother’s wedding. After extreme weather cancels every flight, his only option is to share the last (and smallest) rental car with the last (and most infuriating) woman he could ever want to be stuck with.

Poppy Lewis is everything Oliver isn’t—joyful, optimistic, and prone to random acts of kindness. She finds the perpetually cynical ex-athlete totally maddening. Their only truce is found online, where Oliver (GreenArrow11) trades secrets with his anonymous confidante (GracieLou).

But Poppy IS GracieLou. And as the cross-country journey forces them together through storms, car troubles, and not enough hotel rooms, Poppy discovers her new enemy might be her anonymous online soulmate. But when her career as a sentencing advocate collides with Oliver’s family tragedy, the truth she’s been hiding could destroy everything.

Oliver demands justice; Poppy champions compassion. As their disastrous road trip pushes them closer, Oliver must confront the truth: the woman who drives him crazy might be the only one who can stitch his broken heart back together.

It’ll take planes, reins, and automobiles to get them back home to their families. But once the secrets are exposed, will they ever want to see each other again? Or never want to be apart?

Planes, Reins, and Automobiles is a forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers romance with grumpy-sunshine vibes, secret identity reveals, and sizzling slow-burn tension. This standalone closed door romance is brimming with delicious chemistry and witty banter without explicit scenes or language—perfect for readers who love You’ve Got Mail and road trip romances.

HOLIDAY CHAOS.

I’ve been enjoying this series from Kate Watson and loved reading another holiday themed romance from her repertoire. I’ve loved Oliver’s character and have been waiting to see his romantic story line at the front. I was worried from the beginning how the secret identity would play out but I think it was thoughtful and worked out well here.

Going in I knew there would be many travel related shenanigans. Absolutely made me anxious but I think Watson did a great job in execution of the chaos. It didn’t feel cheap and I started to love the adventure they were on. The sassy banter and softer moments of care mixed with alllll of the forced proximity.

This book is slightly heavier than a “rom-com.” I don’t think it weighed down the story but it was a different edge than I had initially anticipated.

I had a few small things about why I went with a four star but this is what I get for not writing my review quick enough and I have forgotten the standout ones. I’m still looking forward to Kate Watson’s next book!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Holiday Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: minor
  • Content warnings: a sibling with a TBI, loss of a parent, a parent who’s incarcerated, emotional manipulation and abuse

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