Checking It Twice by Kendall Ryan
*I received an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review*
This was my most recent festive audiobook listen and it was honestly very entertaining. I do think it’s a little too long (more on that in my review coming very soon – hence why this section is pretty short) but fake dating will almost always be a win for me.
It’s not the most festive book I’ve ever read but the scenes around Christmas day are so lovely.
Synopsis: Fake dating a hockey player for Christmas wasn’t on my bingo card.
Clare Johnson’s job is handling PR for the Dallas Stampede—not getting tangled up with one of the players. But when Mitchell Drake—charming forward, fan favorite, and very off-limits—asks her to pose as his girlfriend for one week in small-town Minnesota, she reluctantly agrees. What’s the worst that could happen?
Mitchell’s had six months to get over his very public broken engagement, and his family is done waiting. The last thing he needs is pitying smiles and whispered gossip. Clare is smart, sharp, and strong enough to hold her own with both fans and family—the perfect fake girlfriend.
But holiday lights and snowy nights have a way of blurring the line between pretend and real. Clare fits too easily into his world—bonding with his grandma, winning at pond hockey, and looking unfairly good in his flannel. The more time they spend together, the less fake it feels.
Full of small-town holiday magic, meddling relatives, and sizzling chemistry, Checking It Twice is a hockey romance about second chances and falling in love when you least expect it. Perfect for fans of fake dating, one-bed tension, forced proximity, and happily-ever-afters wrapped in Christmas lights.
Because sometimes the best gifts aren’t under the tree—they’re standing right in front of you.
Booked for the Holidays by Liz Maverick
This book is festive for an entirely different reason. For one, it’s set at Hannukah, but there are also a few Christmassy activities going on. This is the best of Liz Maverick’s festive audiobooks as it didn’t try too hard. The romance wasn’t pushed too hard either. I personally didn’t enjoy the romance part of this book too much, but I do think their relationship was built very well.
This was 100% the best festive audiobook I listened to this year – which is not something to look over, I listened to quite a few and they were not good.
Synopsis: Brighten the holidays with this funny, heartfelt rom-com about the stories—and the love—that we never forget.
When mystery author D. B. Ziegler is late delivering her book, Abi Schore steps in to help. Surely she can give her favorite author moral support over the holiday break and get the manuscript to her boss at Tea & Sympathy Publishing in time for the new year.
When Abi shows up on Ms. Ziegler’s doorstep bearing holiday treats, she’s met by the author’s handsome grandson Dov, who reveals a startling plot twist. His grandmother isn’t able to finish the book and Dov promised he’d complete it so fans won’t be disappointed—a task that’s harder than he ever imagined.
As Hanukkah unfolds, Abi and Dov cozy up in his grandmother’s brownstone apartment working their way through his writer’s block and untangling plot threads. Before long, the novel starts taking shape … and so does their simmering attraction. Will their own story end once the book is written, or is this just the first chapter?
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