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A review by jordb1213
His Holiday Crush by Cari Z
4.0
* Many thanks to Engtangled Publishing for giving me an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review *
As a long time fan of Christmas romance movies, I was excited to finally dip my toes into holiday romance novels. His Holiday Crush follows Max, an career-centered lawyer, on his trip to his small, quirky hometown for Christmas. When he accidentally gets snowed in, his one day trip becomes much longer, letting a new relationship form and leaving Max time to rediscover his priorities and home.
I really enjoyed the romantic aspects of this book, and Cari Z writes with a perfect balance of sexual and romantic attraction. The conflicts in the third act were some of the few romance conflicts that didn't frustrate me or feel forced. Max and Dominic's relationship also played into their character arcs well. It did feel a little insta-love, especially at the beginning of the book, but considering it's a novella, that's to be expected.
In addition to being a delightful romance, the side characters were lots of fun and the setting was cute. It felt very reminiscent of Stars Hollow in it's particular brand of quirkiness. I would love to read more stories in this universe.
His Christmas Crush was the epitome of a self-care romance novel for me. I could just get lost in the story and enjoy the ride. It felt like the book equivalent of a mug of hot cocoa and a fuzzy blanket, which coincidentally, would go perfectly with this book.
AO3 tags: m/m, small towns, returning home, lawyers, veterans, puppies, nsfw, caught in the snow, found family, best friend's brother, PTSD, one of them has to rescue the other, multiple times, comfy reads
As a long time fan of Christmas romance movies, I was excited to finally dip my toes into holiday romance novels. His Holiday Crush follows Max, an career-centered lawyer, on his trip to his small, quirky hometown for Christmas. When he accidentally gets snowed in, his one day trip becomes much longer, letting a new relationship form and leaving Max time to rediscover his priorities and home.
I really enjoyed the romantic aspects of this book, and Cari Z writes with a perfect balance of sexual and romantic attraction. The conflicts in the third act were some of the few romance conflicts that didn't frustrate me or feel forced. Max and Dominic's relationship also played into their character arcs well. It did feel a little insta-love, especially at the beginning of the book, but considering it's a novella, that's to be expected.
In addition to being a delightful romance, the side characters were lots of fun and the setting was cute. It felt very reminiscent of Stars Hollow in it's particular brand of quirkiness. I would love to read more stories in this universe.
His Christmas Crush was the epitome of a self-care romance novel for me. I could just get lost in the story and enjoy the ride. It felt like the book equivalent of a mug of hot cocoa and a fuzzy blanket, which coincidentally, would go perfectly with this book.
AO3 tags: m/m, small towns, returning home, lawyers, veterans, puppies, nsfw, caught in the snow, found family, best friend's brother, PTSD, one of them has to rescue the other, multiple times, comfy reads