Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons, #partner, for an advanced copy of The Christmas Wager in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Published: September 26, 2023
Summary:
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 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 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?
My thoughts:
It’s not too often that I read Christmas books, especially not in the early fall, but when the author is none other than my favorite thriller writer, Hannah Mary McKinnon writing under a pen name, trying her hand at a holiday romcom of course I’m going to pick it up! And what a cute, entertaining read it was!
I may not know all the romcom tropes that this holiday read included, but I do know that this one had all the feels of a Hallmark/Netflix Christmas movie and that was good enough for me – those are some of my favorite movies to watch and if this was ever made into a movie, I’d be first in line to see it! This book had just the right combination of small-town romance and humor to keep me engaged. Maple Falls sounds like such a charming little town and I adore small holiday Christmas shops so of course I want to visit Always Noelle! The holiday competition was loads of fun and I enjoyed the romance, though of course it’s not about the ending but the journey in these types of reads and their journey was filled with some interesting bumps along the way.
This book definitely had me longing for some good holiday cheer and I look forward to seeing what Holly Cassidy writes next!
