Review: Holidate by Monica Murphy
SYNOPSIS:
Candice Gaines loves Christmas. Not only does she bask in the twinkling lights, sing Christmas carols and go crazy with the decorations, she’s also in the giving spirit, donating much of her time and wealth to various charities in the local area.
Charlie Sullivan despises Christmas. Though it keeps his family afloat, considering they own Sullivan Family Christmas Tree Farm, the main provider for Christmas trees on the Monterey peninsula. He’d much rather work among the trees versus have to deal with people.
But Charlie’s parents are taking on more philanthropic projects—and as their oldest child, they want him to be their official public representative. He just has to play nice and convince everyone he’s not a total holiday hater.
When Charlie’s mom asks Candice to accompany him to a variety of holiday parties and events, she reluctantly agrees. She thinks Charlie is a big ol’ Grinch, but is determined to change his mindset and help him spread Christmas cheer. Charlie finds Candice too chatty, too sweet, too much. Do people like her really exist?
Why yes, yes they do. The more time they spend together—along with a few kisses under the mistletoe—the more they start to like each other. Hopefully Charlie can convince Candice he doesn’t have a heart that’s two sizes too small before the ball drops on New Year’s Eve.
REVIEW:
*Book Received in Exchange for Honest Opinion/Review*
As soon as fall rolls around I become a sucker for holiday romances, I just can’t help myself. I knew I wanted to read Holidate as soon as I saw the cover. Romance, a Christmas tree farm, grinchy man, heart-of-gold girl…yes I will take a one way ticket please. And this book did not disappoint! It had all the cheesy-ness of a Hallmark movie and all the tender moments of a Monica Murphy novel, a recipe for endless swooning.
First off, I am obsessed with this plot. A meddlesome mother arranges Candice to help her son network and socialize within the community…over the course of these parties and events, Candice and Charlie fall in love. *Insert all the heart-eyed emojis.* Candice is wholesome and good to a fault. She is just a good girl, who wants to give back and do her mom’s memory justice. In comparison, Charlie is harsh edges, unrefined, and would rather spend his days surrounded by trees than people. He is a rugged outdoors man but don’t let that fool you, he can turn on the charm and clean up really well when he wants to.
These two had so many giggle worthy moments, I found myself blushing and laughing out loud throughout the course of the story. Candice and Charlie are both stubborn and determined. Charlie doesn’t want Candice’s help and Candice is determined to help Charlie, what could possibly go wrong? Their chemistry was off the charts, talk about a slow burn, I thought I was going to die before they finally kissed. And while the romance doesn’t go past kissing, all the tender moments and heartfelt words make the story that much better.
These characters just get each other. And I love it when that happens, the characters are relatable and I felt like I was in the middle of every Christmas tree lighting ceremony with them. This book truly captured the magic of Christmas and in doing so, the love story captured my heart. I will definitely re-read this every year at Christmas time.
LINKS:
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Monica Murphy is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of the One Week Girlfriend series, the Billionaire Bachelors and The Rules series. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and has sold over one million copies worldwide. She is both self-published and published by Random House/Bantam and HarperCollins/Avon. She writes new adult, young adult and contemporary romance.
She is a wife and a mother of three who lives in central California on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere along with their one dog and too many cats. A self-confessed workaholic, when she’s not writing, she’s reading or hanging out with her husband and kids. She’s a firm believer in happy endings, though she will admit to putting her characters through angst-filled moments before they finally get that hard won HEA.
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