Jill's Book Blog

Title: Faking Christmas
Author: Kerry Winfrey
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Berkley
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 26, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Laurel Grant is playing house for the holidays–complete with a fake husband and kids–in this delightful, cozy rom-com by Kerry Winfrey.

Laurel Grant works as the social media manager for Buckeye State of Mind, an Ohio tourism magazine and website. She is most definitely not an owner of a farm…but one tinymisunderstanding leads her boss, Gilbert, to think she owns her twin sister Holly’s farm just outside of Columbus. Laurel only handles the social media for the farm, but she’s happy to keep her little white lie going if it means not getting fired.

And keep it going she must when Gilbert, recently dumped by his wife, invites himself over for the farm’s big holiday dinner (as advertised on Meadow Rise Farm’s Instagram, thanks to Laurel herself). Laurel immediately goes into panic mode to figure out how she can trick Gilbert into thinking she’s basically the Martha Stewart of rural Ohio and keep her job in the process.

Laurel and Holly come up with a plan–all Laurel has to do is pretend to own the farm for one dinner. But when Laurel shows up at the farm, an unwelcome guest is there: Max Beckett, her nemesis since Holly’s wedding. The annoyingly attractive man she hates will be posing as Laurel’s husband just for the evening, but when a snowstorm traps them all for the entire weekend, Laurel is going to have to figure out how to survive with her job and dignity intact. Whatever the case, this promises to be the most eventful Christmas in ages…

Review:

Laurel Grant works as the social media manager for an Ohio tourism magazine and website. When she got the job, she led her boss to believe that she owned a farm and had a family outside of the city, which resulted in him giving her a monthly column on the farm life. That job was too important for her to give up, so she let her boss believe she owned a farm, which is actually owned by her twin sister. Her boss invites himself to her family’s famous Christmas Eve Eve dinner, so Laurel has to scramble to make him believe that she’s actually living her sister’s family farm life. Laurel only has to make him believe it for one dinner, but she doesn’t realize that her sister has invited Max Beckett, Laurel’s nemesis, to pretend to be her husband. Though the dinner goes well, everyone gets snowed for the holiday weekend, so Laurel has to keep up the ruse of being Max’s wife on the farm in order to keep her boss from discovering her lie. 

This story combined my two favourite tropes: enemies-to-lovers and fake dating! The tension between Laurel and Max was there from the beginning, but he didn’t seem as angry with her as she was with him. It was entertaining to see her have to scramble around and make her boss believe her fake life, which was the complete opposite of her real life. 

Faking Christmas is a fun Christmas rom com!

Thank you Berkley Romance for providing a digital copy of this book.

Have you read Faking Christmas? What did you think of it?

Title: The Ex-Mas Holidays
Author: Zoe Allison
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Berkley Romance
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 26, 2023
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

It’s hard to escape your ex when you’re working together over Christmas in the Scottish Highlands, but being stuck together might be the best possible present in this sparkling new contemporary romance.
 
Maya Bashir is dreading her drive home for Christmas and having to explain that she’s just left her high-paying job and a long-term relationship, so a brief detour to her friend’s festive party doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. Until Maya walks in to find the last person she wants to see. Sam, the boy who broke her heart eight years ago. And he’s serving drinks. Naked.
 
Sam Holland is working an extra job on the sly to help his friend get by. But little did he expect Maya Bashir to come barrelling back into his life, learning about his secret side-hustle and taking back her old job alongside him at his daytime role as a ski instructor on the slopes of the Scottish Highlands.
 
As both Sam and Maya realize that their reason for heartbreak so many years ago wasn’t entirely as it seemed, they must learn to stand up for what they want the most…or else miss their second chance at love.

Review:

Maya Bashir is moving home during the holidays after losing her job and breaking up with her boyfriend. When she stops at her friend‘s party, she recognizes the naked butler at the party as the man who broke her heart when they were teenagers: Sam Holland. Sam is working an extra job to help out a friend. Maya decides to take a job at the ski resort in their hometown where Sam also works. They’re thrown back together, working closely and commuting to the resort. As they get to know each other again, they start to realize they didn’t break up for the reason they thought, so they have to decide if they want a second chance at romance. 

This story kind of combined the enemies to lovers and friends to lovers tropes. Maya and Sam were old friends who became reacquainted, but they were also enemies at the beginning of the story because of how they broke up years ago. I felt like the misunderstanding behind why they broke up was obvious, so it was a little frustrating that they didn’t talk about it. At the same time, there was a lot of tension between Maya and Sam throughout the story, so it was a relief to finally see them have their second chance at love. 

The Ex-Mas Holidays is a fun second chance romance!

Thank you Berkley Romance for providing a digital copy of this book.

Have you read The Ex-Mas Holidays? What did you think of it?

Title: Three Holidays and a Wedding
Author: Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Viking Canada
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 3, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A multi-faith holiday rom com about the delightful havoc that occurs when Christmas, Eid, and Hanukkah all fall at the same time, and two strangers-turned-friends are snowbound in the small, charming town of Snow Falls along with the cast and crew of a holiday romance movie, nosy family members, and their lifelong crushes.

Three times the holiday magic. Three times the chaos.

As strangers and seatmates Maryam Aziz and Anna Gibson fly to Toronto over the holidays–Maryam to her sister’s impromptu wedding, and Anna to meet her boyfriend’s wealthy family for the first time–neither expect that severe turbulence will scare them into confessing their deepest hopes and fears to one another. At least they’ll never see each other again. And the love of Maryam’s life, Saif, wasn’t sitting two rows behind them hearing it all. Oops.

When Anna, Maryam, Saif, and Maryam’s sister’s bridal party are snowbound at the quirky Snow Falls Inn–on the outskirts of a picture-perfect town where a holiday romance starring Anna’s actor-crush is being filmed–chaos ensues. But as Maryam and Anna start to feel the magic of Snow Falls–and find love beyond their deepest hopes–they just might realize there’s no place they’d rather be for the holidays.

Review:

In December 2000, three holidays were all happening at the same time: Hannukah, Ramadan, and Christmas. Maryam Aziz and Anna Gibson are two strangers flying to Toronto for the holidays. Maryam is going to her sister’s wedding, which she had to plan at the last minute, and Anna is going to meet her wealthy boyfriend’s family for the first time. Maryam and Anna sit next to each other, and confess their hopes and fears following some turbulence. They end up making an emergency landing in a small town near Ottawa because the snow storm of the century is closing down Toronto. With no flights out during the storm, everyone has to stay there for days. Snow Falls is a cute holiday town where a Christmas romance movie is being filmed. Meanwhile, the man Maryam had a crush on since they were kids is also staying at the inn with them. Everyone is stranded in the town for the holidays, and both young women find unexpected romances there too. 

This was such a fun holiday romance! I don’t remember the December of 2000, when all three major holidays occurred at the same time, but it is a great setting for a holiday romance novel. It was so nice to see people from different backgrounds brought together in celebration. The town of Snow Falls was very inclusive, so they were ready for all the holidays. The huge snowstorm that shut down Toronto actually happened a couple of years before 2000, but it made sense for the story for it to happen during these holidays.

Three Holidays and a Wedding is a celebratory holiday novel!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a digital copy of this book!

Content warnings: death of parent

Have you read Three Holidays and a Wedding? What did you think of it?

Title: The Christmas Wager
Author: Holly Cassidy
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Viking
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 26, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

One rivalry. Eight days until Christmas. Let the holiday games begin.

When LA-based real estate developer Bella Ross arrives in the sleepy, mountain town of Maple Falls, she has one mission: to acquire the local failing Christmas shop, Always Noelle, securing the promotion of her dreams. Nothing can get in her way. Except the shop owner’s stubborn grandson, Jesse Harrison.

Both refuse to budge, until an unlikely wager is struck: Bella and Jesse will compete in the Maple Falls Holiday Games, an annual tradition of eccentric feats of strength and skills. Winner decides the selling price. They’ll give each other a run for their money, but as the competition heats up, Bella and Jesse’s icy feelings toward each other begin to thaw. It’ll take a Christmas miracle for them to admit there’s a spark, but what if it’s just another game?

Review:

Bella Ross, a real estate developer based in LA, must go to the small town of Maple Falls to purchase a Christmas shop. If she can successfully purchase this shop, she will get a huge promotion. However, just before she can sign the contract with the owner, the owner’s grandson, Jesse Harrison, steps in and stops the sale. When they can’t come to a deal on the price, they decide to make a Christmas wager: if Bella can beat Jesse in the Maple Falls Holiday Games, they will take the low offer, but if she loses, they get more money. As the games begin, Jesse and Bella become closer and their feelings make it difficult to compete against each other, even when their eyes are on their prizes. 

This is a fun Christmas rom com. I love the enemies to lovers trope! The holiday themed competition was fun, but I was getting stressed out thinking of the stressful challenges they had to do. I couldn’t imagine doing them myself. I really liked that there was an epilogue that showed what happened to the characters a year following the end of the story, rather than just ending when they got their happily ever after. 

The Christmas Wager is a fun enemies to lovers rom com!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a digital copy of this book. 

Content warnings: parental abandonment (off page), death of parents (off page)

Have you read The Christmas Wager? What did you think of it?