About "Holidate"
Holidate, an all-new standalone contemporary holiday romance by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Monica Murphy is LIVE!
Candice Gaines loves Christmas. Not only does she bask in the twinkling lights, sing Christmas carols and go crazy with the decorations, she’s also in the giving spirit, donating much of her time and wealth to various charities in the local area.
Charlie Sullivan despises Christmas. Though it keeps his family afloat, considering they own Sullivan Family Christmas Tree Farm, the main provider for Christmas trees on the Monterey peninsula. He’d much rather work among the trees versus have to deal with people.
But Charlie’s parents are taking on more philanthropic projects—and as their oldest child, they want him to be their official public representative. He just has to play nice and convince everyone he’s not a total holiday hater.
When Charlie’s mom asks Candice to accompany him to a variety of holiday parties and events, she reluctantly agrees. She thinks Charlie is a big ol’ Grinch, but is determined to change his mindset and help him spread Christmas cheer. Charlie finds Candice too chatty, too sweet, too much. Do people like her really exist?
Why yes, yes they do. The more time they spend together—along with a few kisses under the mistletoe—the more they start to like each other. Hopefully Charlie can convince Candice he doesn’t have a heart that’s two sizes too small before the ball drops on New Year’s Eve.
A stand-alone, contemporary romance.
Read an Excerpt from "Holidate"
I go chasing after Charlie, thankful he hasn’t hopped back on that ATV and torn out of here. He’s headed straight for the giant red building, and I follow behind, having to pick up my step since one of his long strides equals about three of mine. He’s just so stinkin’ tall.
And handsome.
And gruff.
And he smells good. Have I mentioned that? He smells like a pine tree, of course, and his scent is mouth-wateringly delicious.
Ugh. I hate myself sometimes.
He pushes open the door of the building almost violently, sending it swinging wide, and I sneak in behind him, causing him to turn and practically snarl at me when he realizes I’m standing in front of him.
But I forget all about his snarl when I see how enchanting this room is. It’s not an office, but an actual store, filled to the brim with holiday decorations and knickknacks for sale. Candles are burning—I can smell cinnamon and spice wafting in the air. The scent of the real pine trees laden with ornaments standing in the room also lingers, and I breathe deep, closing my eyes for a moment so I can take it all in.
When I open my eyes, it’s to find Charlie standing there, his hands on his hips, his brow lowered. “Are you okay? That head injury still flaring up and giving you trouble?”
I roll my eyes. “No, you idiot. I’m enjoying the festive atmosphere.”
Oh, that was mean. I shouldn’t have said that.
But I don’t think he even noticed.
I slowly turn in a circle, pure delight flowing through my veins. I don’t know what to look at first, it’s all so beautiful. And there are layers upon layers of decorations. On the walls, cluttering shelves and tabletops, overflowing giant baskets. And of course there are the trees. They almost sag with their bounty of sparkling ornaments and twinkling lights. It would probably take me hours to explore it all, and I’m dying to start my exploration right at this very moment. “This store is so adorable!”
“My sister Victoria runs it.” He glances over at the counter where the register sits, but no one’s there. “I don’t know where she’s at, though. Maybe you could talk to her about—whatever it is you want to talk about.”
No way is he pushing this agenda onto his sister. Isabel wants Charlie to do this, and no one else.
“We’ve wasted the past five minutes with you huffing and puffing and refusing to speak to me.” I reach into my large bag and pull the folder out I wanted to show him. “Give me ten minutes. That’s all I need to talk about what we’re going to do over the next few weeks.”
He grimaces. Sighs. Tugs the cap off his head, all that gorgeous hair spilling across his forehead, and my fingers literally itch at the chance to push it out of his eyes.
But I restrain myself.
Barely.
My Review
As mentioned above, I loved "Holidate" and would certainly recommend it. At one point, Candice, the female main character, tells one of her friends that she thinks her life is "about to become a Hallmark Christmas movie," and I would have to agree with that assessment. I could definitely see this book translating to that type of movie!
I loved Candice as a supporting character in the previous book in this series, and she really shines as the lead character here. She consistently comes across as sweet, lovable, funny, and cute, but she's actually hiding a lot of complex emotions beneath that sunny personality. Candice misses her mother terribly, and she also suffers from serious self-doubt because she thinks people judge her for not having a job. She doesn't always recognize the important contributions she makes to the community through her charity work, so it was nice to see her recognized for those contributions in the end.
As for Candice's love interest, Charlie, he didn't immediately come across as very likeable to me, but as the story progressed and I got to know him better, I came to realize that he was just an overworked introvert who didn't enjoy being pushed into social situations. I think he may also have been afraid of letting his family down if he let go of too much control over the family business, which might have suffered if he didn't keep a close eye on its operations. I can certainly empathize with those feelings, and that made it easier for me to like Charlie. He also seemed to be happier and more pleasant as he spent more time with Candice, which didn't hurt. She really seemed to bring out the best in him!
Overall, "Holidate" was a super fun, cute, and sweet story, perfect for getting readers into the holiday mood. I hope that Monica Murphy plans to continue writing books in this series, but whether it's connected or not, I look forward to reading whatever book she comes out with next! (That said, for what it's worth, I'd really love to see Stella, Eleanor, and Kelsey get stories of their own...)
*ARC provided by the author via Social Butterfly PR. All opinions expressed are my own.
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