by Kerry Winfrey
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 286
Format: eARC
Buy the Book: Amazon
Goodreads: Laurel Grant is playing house for the holidays--complete with a fake husband and kids--in this delightful, cozy rom-com by Kerry Winfrey.
Laurel Grant works as the social media manager for Buckeye State of Mind, an Ohio tourism magazine and website. She is most definitely not an owner of a farm...but one tiny misunderstanding leads her boss, Gilbert, to think she owns her twin sister Holly's farm just outside of Columbus. Laurel only handles the social media for the farm, but she's happy to keep her little white lie going if it means not getting fired.
And keep it going she must when Gilbert, recently dumped by his wife, invites himself over for the farm's big holiday dinner (as advertised on Meadow Rise Farm's Instagram, thanks to Laurel herself). Laurel immediately goes into panic mode to figure out how she can trick Gilbert into thinking she's basically the Martha Stewart of rural Ohio and keep her job in the process.
Laurel and Holly come up with a plan--all Laurel has to do is pretend to own the farm for one dinner. But when Laurel shows up at the farm, an unwelcome guest is there: Max Beckett, her nemesis since Holly's wedding. The annoyingly attractive man she hates will be posing as Laurel's husband just for the evening, but when a snowstorm traps them all for the entire weekend, Laurel is going to have to figure out how to survive with her job and dignity intact. Whatever the case, this promises to be the most eventful Christmas in ages...
Kritters Thoughts: One of those Christmas books that has some romance, but what made me love this one more than most was the focus on Laurel's job and how much her job meant to her. Laurel currently works at a magazine that focuses on living in Ohio and she loves handling the social media and writing a few articles, but she may not have secure the job in the most honest of ways having her boss believe that she lives that ideal country life on a farm making the perfect homemade meals when in fact she is living in an apartment with a roommate and can't cook and is single as can be. When extenuating circumstances has them holed up in her twin's home (who lives that ideal life) she ends up having to live the lie while in front of an arch nemesis!
With some enemies to lovers with a side of Christmas, this book was a fun ride. This book had the romance formula intact, but I loved the inclusion of Laurel's boss and a job in jeopardy made the antics that much better. I read this book before the holiday season began and it made me want to start pulling out the decor and maybe even start listening to some holiday music. It also made me want to go find some more holiday reads and dive in!
My first Kerry Winfrey romance and I was excited to learn that she has a backlist that I can dive into and enjoy some more fun easy romance stories.
Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row
Ebook 2023 Challenge: 6 out of 100
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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