The Christmas Wager by Holly Cassidy

The Christmas Wager

by Holly Cassidy

A delightful enemies-to-lovers holiday rom com set in the quaint mountain town of Maple Falls, Colorado, about a city girl and a small-town boy who compete in the town’s annual holiday games in order to win the right price for a charming, local Christmas shop, perfect for fans of The Hating Game and The Twelve Dates of Christmas.

One rivalry. Eight days until Christmas. Let the holiday games begin.

When L.A.-based real estate developer Bella Ross arrives in the sleepy mountain town of Maple Falls, she has one mission: to acquire the local failing Christmas shop, Always Noelle, securing the promotion of her dreams. Nothing can get in her way. Except the shop owner’s stubborn grandson, Jesse Harrison.

Both refuse to budge, until an unlikely wager is struck: Bella and Jesse will compete in the Maple Falls Holiday Games, an annual tradition of eccentric feats of strength and skills. Winner decides the selling price. They’ll give each other a run for their money, but as the competition heats up, Bella and Jesse’s icy feelings toward each other begin to thaw. It’ll take a Christmas miracle for them to admit there’s a spark, but what if it’s just another game?

Reviewed by Jeff Sexton on

5 of 5 stars

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Solid Hallmarkie Christmas Romance. For the millions - AND MILLIONS! ;) - of the Hallmark Christmas Movie fans... here is Hannah Mary McKinnon writing under a pen name giving you *exactly* the kind of story you love so much... with a *touch* of spice to boot. The pure-as-fresh-snow clean/ sweet crowd may not like certain scenes, but overall this book is exactly what it was designed to be and not one thing more - which is exactly what a book should be, to at least some schools of thought. Ultimately this book is going to come down to just how much you like that particular vibe. If you're one of the types that can't WAIT until Hallmark starts playing all Christmas movies, all the time, you're going to love this book. If you're one of the ones that sees the Hallmark Movie Channel and immediately flips to... literally *anything* else, even a channel dedicated to nothing more than paint drying videos... maybe this book isn't for you. ;) This isn't necessarily a short read at roughly 350 pages, but it also isn't a slog fest that you're going to fight to get through (assuming you like these types of tales) either. A nice change of pace from McKinnon's much more serious women's fiction books under her actual name (which are also great, and something maybe the anti-Hallmark readers should consider instead :D), and I look forward to McKinnon continuing to write both types of books. Very much recommended.

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Reading updates

  • 26 September, 2023: Started reading
  • 26 September, 2023: Finished reading
  • 28 September, 2023: Reviewed