What a sweet and sexy Christmas treat! Longer than a novella but not quite a novel, this low angst holiday romance had me smiling by the end. It has a little bit of a slow start, but once our Scrooge of a hero shows his sweeter side, it was a whole lot of fun. It's light and sexy with plenty of Christmas spirit, and I loved the small town feel, complete with a rich history between our couple. Adam is the guy Holly crushed on in her youth, and now he's back home - older, successful, and still just as swoony. It didn't give me second chance romance vibes (which I appreciate), because their 4-year age gap means that Adam never considered her an option back in the day. But now that they're both adults, there's no one else he sees.
The story follows Adam, a guy who has let work overtake his life for the last decade. He's built a successful company from the ground up, and that's taken a toll on his personal life. When a spur of the moment decision has him purchasing a home in the small town he grew up in, he doesn't know what he's getting into. Adam no longer loves Christmas - why would he, when it hasn't been good to him in years? But there's one upbeat, Christmas-loving woman in town who won't leave him be, and Holly is no longer the girl next door that he once knew. Holly has Adam rethinking everything, and she might just bring the joy of Christmas back into his life.
This was a quick, lighthearted read that flew by. I'm not sure if the beginning is weaker than the rest or if it just took me a little bit to get my bearings, but I was loving this before long. Adam and Holly are super sweet together, and there's just enough steam to heat things up. He's a refreshingly likable guy, honestly, not a major Scrooge. I love a good brother's (former) best friend romance, and this is one that's executed without much angst or emotional baggage. These two have great chemistry in the present, and there's plenty of Christmas cheer to liven things up. The small town feel and family moments make it such a fun, festive read, and the short length makes it easy to binge in one sitting. Just what I like in a holiday romance!
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Popular Highlights in this book
They say you can’t make homes out of human beings, but God help me, she’s mine.Highlighted by 227 Kindle readers- “You said you couldn’t have a Christmas tree this year, because Evan’s fiancée is allergic, right?” “Right,” I say. “I have space in my house.” My mouth falls open. “Oh.”Highlighted by 187 Kindle readers
- The feeling of being seen is a balm, and it isn’t until it’s applied that I realize how much I’ve needed it.Highlighted by 183 Kindle readers
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About the author
A cute, fun holiday romance
A decade ago, Adam Dunbar's father was accused of embezzling funds from his company, the largest Christmas store in Michigan, and fled the country to avoid prosecution. Adam and his mother moved away from the small town of Fairhill shortly thereafter. Now a self-made tech billionaire, Adam recently decided to buy back his family's former home and is living there alone, across the street from his childhood best friend Evan's parents. Evan's younger sister, Holly Michaelson, now lives in Chicago but is also back in Fairhill for the holidays. She looks forward to spending Christmas in her hometown each year because of Fairhill's famous Christmas Fest, which draws visitors from all over the state. Unlike Holly, Adam isn't a fan of Christmas after everything that happened with his father, and his refusal to decorate leads to a conflict with his new neighbors. Since Holly and Adam grew up together, Holly's mother and her book club friends ask her to pay Adam a visit and convince him to decorate. He agrees, but only if Holly helps him. They rekindle their friendship while hanging lights, and Holly decides to show her teenage crush just how magical the Christmas season can be. This was such a cute, fun story! Adam was actually pretty nice for a Scrooge, not to mention down to Earth considering the level of success he'd achieved. He could have thrown his money around to try and impress Holly, but instead, he acted like a normal guy, which I appreciated. It seemed as if he hadn't had much in his life besides his company for the past few years, which accounted for his workaholic tendencies. That's probably also why he seemed kind of lonely. The way he reconnected with Holly and the entire Michaelson family was quite lovely. As for Holly, she was sweet and I liked how passionate she was about her hometown and its Christmas traditions, but she seemed kind of young for her age (29) to me. I couldn't exactly put my finger on why, but it might have been because she still hadn't managed to figure out her career path. She was a good match for Adam, however, and I loved their banter. I laughed so hard when they started joking about Adam's "old job" as a serial killer and all of the skills it taught him! (I might have a twisted sense of humor...) I recommend "The Billionaire Scrooge Next Door" for all fans of contemporary romance and romantic comedy and look forward to whatever Olivia Hayle writes next.
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Top reviews from other countries
- Susan ArmstrongReviewed in Australia on February 10, 2024
The Bullionsire Sxrooge Next Door
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on November 22, 2021
A must read for the holidays
