Hi friends. I'm back with yet another Christmas book for the holiday season. If you're tired of the yuletide carols being sung by the choir, then you should probably dip out of here until January....I'm only kidding.
Please don't leave me.
Anyway, I found this title on NetGalley and it looked cute. I figured why not add another Christmas story to my shelf? Tis the season and all that.
To be quite honest, it took me a while to get into this book. It actually sat on my NetGalley shelf taunting me for a month or two while I struggled to catch up on the others I had waiting. I would read a few pages and then put it down and pick something else. When I realized it was almost publication day for this one, I figured I needed to stop playing around and actually finish. So, I did. Now I am here to tell you whether or not you should add this baby to your TBR. First, it has like two different covers and I'm not sure which cover is actually getting released so I'll add the other one here just to make sure.
In my humble opinion that no one really asked for, I prefer the first cover. To me it's cutesier and more animated. I'm not sure what this style of cover is, but I am finding out that I usually like books with similar cover styles. Holiday Romance and The Christmas Wish are a few others with similar artwork that ended up being absolute bangers.
Maybe it's a good luck charm?
If there are any authors reading this, make sure you have cutesy cover art. Clearly it makes the story that much better.
Okay. Let me stop rambling and actually get into the book. Here we go.
When Lyla's father retired as CEO of the toy company which has been in their family for generations, she was meant to receive his shares. Instead, she discovers the company is bankrupt and her father has given her shares to Mason Klaus, an investor known in the corporate world for his cold and callous nature. Much to Lyla's frustration, her only option is to run the company with him, despite their evident loathing for one another.
When Mason cancels the annual Christmas party, Lyla throws it anyway - only for the event of the season to result in a terrible fire. With the offices and Lyla's credibility ruined, Mason offers her a deal: he'll forget her part in the disaster, but she must join his family for the twelve days of their Christmas holidays.
Taken to a fantastical winter wonderland, Lyla hopes that she might discover some of the secrets Mr Klaus is hiding, and maybe even a way to get her company back. However, when Mason introduces her to the secret village as his fiancée, she is horrified to realize she has no choice but to go along with the pretense - because the cost of bringing an outsider to their magical land is far too high.
Can Lyla resist the devilishly handsome Mr. Klaus and the enchanting village to win back her company, or will she give into temptation?
Have you ever seen the movie: The Proposal? The one with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds (I think?) Where the grumpy boss takes their attractive coworker on a family trip to pretend they're engaged? Well take that movie, sprinkle on some Christmas and there Ya have it, folks!
This book is full of the usual corny romance tropes. Fake engagement. Forced proximity. Enemies to lovers. All that jazz. It's a Hallmark Christmas or a Lifetime Christmas movie in book form. Do you know exactly what's going to happen before you start reading? Yes. Can you predict the ending before you even get to it? Yes. Does that make it any less fun to read? No. No, it does not.
Personally, I am a complete sucker for Christmas movies. On any other day of the year, corny romance irritates my spirit, but if you add a little dash of holiday cozies, I turn into mush. I am completely powerless to resist.
I also appreciated the fact that this story was virtually smut free! That might be a deal breaker for some of your spicy scene lovers, but for me it was definitely a plus. Tell me the story, you can even add a little dash of slow burn romance, but please for the love of God do not mention cocks, dicks, or man-meat of any form. Do not. I beg you. I will immediately cringe. It's the worst. Seriously. Please don't.
I also thought it was hilarious how they separated the facts from the fiction in their world. Like it was totally normal for reindeer and Santa to exist, but elves? Don't be absurd. Rudolph? Girl, please. One man who delivers presents to every boy and girl in the world in 12 hours? You're out of your mind. But yes, we do have magical gold dust. Everything is fine.
Sure! If you're looking for a fun and lighthearted read, then grab this one. It's the perfect book to snuggle up by the fire (or...central heating, anyone?) and read when you have some downtime before you start getting bombarded with family members you haven't seen since the last holiday season. Have fun with it and if you do decide to read it, make sure you come find me on Instagram or Facebook and let me know what you think of it. I can't wait to hear your thoughts!
Until then,
Happy Reading Babes! ❤