I remember reading the first book in the series and being introduced to Sean O’Riley. I definitely couldn’t wait to find out, which lady would tame Sean.

Sean happens to be the best man for his brother’s wedding, and he has a bachelor weekend planned at a B&B with his friends and brother. Although, Sean is about to encounter Lottie Hartford, who he happened to have lost his virginity to in high school. He also broke her heart.

Uh oh! In comes some drama between Sean and Lotti Hartford during the story because of their past. Lotti hasn’t forgiven him, and Sean is determined to make it up to her. Lotti though won’t be mad at him for long in the story. 🙂

If there is one thing I enjoyed about this story is how Sean and Lotti get a second chance at love. I always love the second chance love stories.

Even though the story is a novella, it definitely as a great addition to the series because I got more with the previous characters. I also got to read Sean’s HEA, and he deserved one, even if Lotti didn’t make it easy for him.

I give this book 4 stars and highly recommend it Contemporary Romance readers out there. Just because it’s a Christmas themed book does not mean you have to wait until next Christmas to read it. I do recommend reading the previous books first before reading the novellas in the series. You’ll want to read the full novels of the happy couples in Holiday Wishes that are Sean’s family and friends.

I’m enjoying this series (but I’ve said this before), and now I’m counting down to the next book in the series.

Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading

Written on Nov 14, 2017

What the Story is about.
What would you do if you got the chance to right a wrong from your past?

In this installment we are introduced to Lotti Hartford a blast from Sean’s past. Lotti is in charge of the Bed and Breakfast where Pru and Finn’s bachelor/bachelorette is being hosted.

Sean, Finn’s brother, is in charge of the planning and to everyone’s amazement; he has done an excellent job. However, the one thing he had not planned for was his reunion with the girl whose heart he broke when he was sixteen years old.

Will he able to convince her he has changed and can she trust him not to break her heart once again?

Holiday Wishes by Jill Shalvis is book #4.5 in the Heartbreaker Bay series. Like the other books in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone. However, if you want to get the full benefit of this fun and adorable series, I would recommend you start at the beginning.

Holiday Wishes features one of my favourite tropes, a second chance romance. Combined with my favourite holiday and a weekend wedding and I knew I would be in for a treat.

The Story
A short and sweet Christmas read that allowed me to hang out with the Heartbreaker gang while enjoying the development of the romance between the protagonists. A well-written story with relateable characters and steady pacing made this a worthwhile read.

The Characters
Sean is a character with whom I am familiar. When I met him in the first book in the series, I found him to be immature and irresponsible. However, in this installment he demonstrated that he was not the irresponsible and immature young man persons perceived him to be. I loved this side of him.

I could not fault Lotti for her initial reaction to seeing Sean again after all these years. It could not have been easy for her to face the one person who had the power to break her heart into tiny pieces. However, in spite of her fears the one thing she could not deny was the explosive attraction between them, which was as strong as ever.

It was a treat watching them navigate their un-resolved feelings and off the chart chemistry. I loved them together, and I silently hoped that they would get it right this time around.

Conclusion and Recommendation
Fans of the series will enjoy this Christmas themed novella. If you have not started the series, then I recommend that you do so as soon as you can as you are missing out on some fun and awesome stories. As for me, I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in the series.

Another hit from one of my favourite authors and a great addition to the Heartbreaker Bay series.1

stacey_is_sassy

Written on Nov 9, 2017

Sometimes, your wishes come true…

Jill Shalvis has an amazing ability to suck me in and leave me satisfied at the end of reading a novella/short story. Sure, I love everything she writes and want more, but I can still be extremely content when she gives me a little. Holiday Wishes gave me all the happy buzzes that I want and need in my romance reads.

Sean has finally grown up and is acting like a big boy. Luckily, in all the mistakes in his life, his brother always had his back and loved and supported him. Now it is time for Sean to step up for Finn. Finn’s marrying the love of his life and Sean needs to make sure everything runs smoothly. No storm of epic proportions will stop Sean from giving Finn and Pru everything they want, desire and deserve. On his path to accomplishing this, he realises that he wants what Finn and Pru have. Imagine his delight and surprise when his first love steps onto his path.

Lotti can’t believe her bad luck when her first love just walked up to her path. The boy broke her heart and the man looks like he could do exactly the same thing. Lotti better keep her distance because he’s temptation and she’s not looking for heartbreak.

I really enjoyed this little story and loved catching up with the Heartbreaker Bay gang. It packs one heck of a wallop, with my emotions taking the roller-coaster ride of love. If you haven’t tried a Jill Shalvis, then I suggest you hop to it. This, while part of a series, could be read as a standalone. Sure, we catch up with her other characters in the series, but you won’t feel like your missing too much.

It’s a Jill Shalvis so of course, I want and need more.

Linda

Written on Oct 15, 2017

This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
Holiday Wishes was a sweet, tender novella in one of my favorite Shalvis series, and I loved to see this more mature side of Sean.

Story:

While Holiday Wishes is a quite short story, the feel of the Heartbreaker Bay gang is very much present. The group of friends and family are away for a weekend of bachelor and bachelorette party for Pru and Finn. All organized by Sean, to the amazement of everyone. He has planned everything down to the smallest detail. Apart from the fact that his very first girlfriend, the one he let get away, is the innkeeper.

The easy banter between the characters, as well as their strong ties always makes Heartbreaker Bay the place to be. The story was romantic on more than one level, too, as there was an impromptu wedding Sean had to arrange.

Characters:

Sean was so responsible and mature in Holiday Wishes, and I loved seeing him like this. He also showed more of his emotional side, which made me like him much more than usual.

Lotti was all alone, just waiting for her last guests to leave so she could go on a much needed vacation. Only, when Sean showed up as one of the guests, she got a huge blast from the past.

The other Heartbreaker Bay characters were present in Holiday Wishes, too, but they were on the sidelines for what became a beautiful second chance at love story.

Writing style :

Holiday Wishes is written in third person point of view, past tense. The story follows both Sean and Lotti closely, and I got to know them both on an intimate level. The pace is rather slow, and this worked well for the kind of story it was.

Feels :

I have such a huge love for second chance at love stories, so my feels were fully invested from the start. I felt the hope as soon as Sean did, and I also felt Lotti's hesitation. And I also felt their off-the-charts attraction and chemistry, as well as all the unresolved feelings they both had for each other.

After that, he'd turned to fighting, and not the good kind either. Finn, physically older by seven years, mentally older by about a hundred, had single-handedly saved Sean from just about every situation he'd ever landed himself in.

"Hold on." Pru gave him a long look. "if you're trying to say you don't want to do this after talking me into it, then let me be clear and say that I will run you through with my umbrella while you sleep." Finn blinked. "That was oddly specific and violent."

Sam@WLABB

Written on Oct 12, 2017

I have been having good luck with novellas lately, which is weird, because I usually feel like they don't give me enough story, but I was amazed with what Shalvis accomplished in this book.

Who? Sean, the serial playboy, who was suddenly feeling lonely and wanting more. Lotti, a serial monogamist, who kept herself emotionally unavailable in order to protect herself.

What? Sean and Lotti were each other first loves, but Sean was still reeling from his parents' deaths, and walked away out of fear of being left behind. He saw this chance meeting after a decade as his second chance with Lotti, and felt like he was finally ready for this relationship. However, Lotti was still dealing with some recent losses and not all too receptive to Sean's advances.

Why? I have always had a soft spot for Sean. I felt like he had the little brother syndrome and was waiting for him to break out on his own. Well what better time than in his own book. When I think about Sean in this book and when we first met him in Sweet Little Lies, I cannot get over how much he has grown. He wants more in his life and he wants to be more for all the people he loves. I loved seeing him try to woo Lotti once again. He was very swoony, but he was also really honest and he put it all out there. I found myself shouting, "he was only 16!", because I just wanted Lotti to stop looking back and start looking forward. I love a second chance romance, and we had that element plus the whole friends to more angle from their teens. This is the stuff I adore.

Overall: Once again, Shalvis gave us a great story, featuring all our friends from Cow Hollow packed with lots of fun and feels, which culminated in a great epilogue.

Rowena

Written on Oct 12, 2017

Sean’s book! Woot!

Holiday Wishes is a holiday short story featuring Sean O’Riley. If you’re a reader of this series, you’ll remember Sean from the first book in this series. He’s the heroes playboy brother who has done a lot of growing up in the last few books. He went from being the guy you loved but couldn’t really count on in a pinch to a really stand up guy who gets things done, no matter what he had to do. In this book, Sean comes into contact with a beautiful blast from his past.

Lotti Hartford. It’s been ages since Sean has seen Lotti. They were friends growing up and then her family moved away and Sean let her get away. It’s safe to say that all of these years later, Lotti isn’t thrilled at seeing the guy she lost her virginity to and the guy who didn’t love her back again after all of this time. She’s grown now. She’s not the same little girl that he knew and she has no interest in getting to know the Sean O’Riley that just showed up with his family and friends at her B&B.

Jill Shalvis is back with another charming story from her Heartbreaker Bay gang. Everyone that we know and love is back for more laughs, a wedding and more romance. It was good to see everyone again and to laugh at the shenanigans these guys get into when they’re stranded at Lotti’s B&B for Finn & Pru’s joint bachelor/bachelorette party.

It was a lot of fun seeing Sean try to get back into Lotti’s good graces. She had plans and she wanted to get away from her life for a little bit and she did not want or need the distraction of Sean O’Riley, not again. She barely survived the last time but how could anyone not want more Sean??? He was such a charming hero that my heart went all soft on him at every turn in this story. I wish the story had been longer but for the page time that we get, we get the good stuff.

Shalvis is really shining in this series and I’m enjoying it a lot more than the last couple of series so woo hoo! I definitely recommend this short romance if you’re a fan of this series and of Jill Shalvis in general.

Grade: 4 out of 5

kimbacaffeinate

Written on Oct 11, 2017

Sean is responsible for planning the pre-wedding parties for his brother and future sister-in-law and he wants everything to be perfect. He desperately wants to show his brother and friends he has changed or grown-up. But most of all he wants to show how grateful he is. While the weather is not cooperating, things get interesting at the B&B. The hotel manager ends up being someone from Sean's past.

Heat, humor and a heartwarming tale soon follow as Lotti and Sean reminisce and discover something more. Closed roads, lack of food and a possible wedding disaster all made this holiday read extra special. Sean is adorable and has come a long way from the rebel of his youth. It was delightful to see him vulnerable and sweet as he showed off his moves. Prepare to swoon ladies. Lotti is sweet and has some commitment issues. I enjoyed their backstory and rekindling.

Copy provided by the publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

leelu92

Written on Sep 19, 2017

It was fine.

I've read other holiday novellas written by Shalvis that I've enjoyed a lot more than this one.
In a nutshell, it's quick and easy read holiday read.