Danielle Paschka

Merry Little Kissmas by Lauren Blakely (Evergreen Farms #2)

I should’ve known better than to make a Christmas bet with my brother’s best friend. Six-foot-three, grumpy, and allergic to mistletoe and feelings.

My job sounded simple: find a holidate for the sexy single-dad hockey star before the team’s Christmas Eve gala. But Rowan’s sworn off romance forever. So when he bets I can’t find him a plus one, I up the stakes and volunteer as tribute.

I’ll fake date the holiday hater just to prove him wrong. Cue the mistletoe sabotage and Secret Santa subterfuge.

But soon our practice dates at Christmas tree farms and hot cocoa competitions feel a little too real—especially when he starts planning secret trysts in our snowy small town. Where I discover exactly how fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh.

And when I get to know his book-loving daughter and they invite me into their life, what began as a holiday bet is turning into a Christmas I’ll never forget.

What if the only gift I want the grump to unwrap this season… is me?

It was so fun to be back in Evergreen Falls again after Lauren Blakely’s holiday book last year! My Favorite Holidate last year! I love the little town that Lauren made for this series. Nothing screams Christmas romance quite like a small cutie town!

Rowan is the MMC— grumpy, doesn’t want anything to do with love, & a single dad professional hockey player. Isla is a professional matchmaker, loves Christmas, & the sister of Rowan’s best friend!

I loved the fun little banter between Rowan & Isla. Their chemistry was right out the gate & I loved watching it inch more & more to something real. It was fun to see the friend groups again since this goes along with one of Lauren’s hockey series & I love the friend group there so was happy we still got to see them here.

I loved how wonderful Isla was with Rowan’s daughter & seeing how important she was in their relationship/friendship.. I feel a lot of times even in real life the kid kind of stands on the sidelines when the adults are focusing on their love life!

I wish Rowan & Isla would have been more forthcoming with how they were feeling because they were having all these feelings, acting on it but not fully committing which was a little frustrating for me but hey, that’s the whole part of a romance book right? The yearning, the buildup, all the things…

I definitely think you need to add this & My Favorite Holidate to you TBR for Christmas time because its honestly the perfect little cozy rom com read!

Thank you Lauren & GoodGirls PR for the ARC & PR Box! I am never not grateful I get ARCs & Book Mail from authors!

Merry Little Kissmas is available on KU, Amazon & Audible (full cast audio)!

Xo, Dani