joreadsromance 's review for:

Holiday with You by Grahame Claire, Claudia Burgoa

4.0

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Cute, sweet and festive
4 stars

I love Christmas, I love romance novels and I love those sweet and cute Christmas movies. And that’s why I loved this book as it’s all three of those things wrapped in a big festive bow.

Audrey loves her job - it’s her horrible boss that she hates. When that horrible boss demands she head to the small town of Winter Valley in order to buy up the town’s B&B, Audrey can’t object. Even when the task seems futile due to an unknown, absent owner and a town seemingly determined to keep secrets.

Audrey was a great character. I liked her when she felt trapped in her job - even though she liked her work and was good at it; I loved her when she turned up to her flight in a unicorn onesie. I was all in with her when she had to have a business video call - and then got into a car accident - in her unicorn onesie. That’s my kind of girl with my kind of luck, right there!

Colin was the perfect hero for Audrey and for this story. He’s a single father doing all he can to do what’s best for his daughter - and that was endearing as all get out. He was also a kind man and a decent, loyal man. But it was the fact that he blushed that really hit me in the feels. You don’t get a lot of heroes that blush and it was so endearing. Every time he did it I melted a little.

Although their “meet cute” is in the form of a fender bender, from that first meeting, I loved Audrey and Colin together. They had chemistry and you could see they were falling fast and hard for each other. Audrey was the more tentative of the pair - but that’s okay, even if I did think she was overreacting when Colin finally explained everything. But all’s well that ends well.

I said that this book is sweet but I’m using the word ‘sweet’ in its literal sense. There is sex. Oh, it’s not the ‘melt your panties’ kind but neither is the bedroom door completely closed. It was exactly the right level for the book and story. Those Christmas films should take note - this is how to do a nice Christmas story with some naughtiness in the mix.

I debated really hard about what rating to give this book 4 or 5 stars. I did very much enjoy it - and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a small town, Christmas romance - I just felt it bordered on ‘too light’ at times. I certainly didn’t want full-on angst but perhaps it skimmed over some of the deeper emotions. I still feel mean though. I’d give it a solid 4 and a half stars if I could.

If you want to get yourself lost in a magical Christmas story then this is the book for you. I’m off to find out whether there are stories (published or planned) for Colin’s brothers and other residents of the town of Winter Valley. I’d read the hell out of them in a heartbeat.