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With Love, This Christmas
Noelle Ackerman loves Christmas and plans to make this Christmas the most special of all. After five years of living in Paris, she has returned home to Grand Hills, the place where love has always dwelled for her. Love for Noelle is not only her family but with the man who stole her heart at the tender age of five.
Kane Weston aka Noelle’s tall, dark, and handsome best friend. For Noelle, Kane is the one that could never be. She’s longed for him in secrecy, afraid that testing the waters would ruin the beautiful friendship they already shared.
Unbeknownst to Noelle, Kane has loved her just as long, and he has no plans of letting this Christmas go by without making her his own. With time finally on their side, will Noelle and Kane go after their heart’s desire, or will this be yet another unfulfilled Christmas wish?
Kane Weston aka Noelle’s tall, dark, and handsome best friend. For Noelle, Kane is the one that could never be. She’s longed for him in secrecy, afraid that testing the waters would ruin the beautiful friendship they already shared.
Unbeknownst to Noelle, Kane has loved her just as long, and he has no plans of letting this Christmas go by without making her his own. With time finally on their side, will Noelle and Kane go after their heart’s desire, or will this be yet another unfulfilled Christmas wish?
100 pages, Paperback
Published December 23, 2022
207 people are currently reading
432 people want to read
About the author
Kimberly Brown
52 books1,873 followersKimberly Brown is a South Carolina born and raised author of contemporary/urban romance. She strives to create stories that readers can visualize in their heads as the pages turn. Writing has been a part of her journey since a young age but really became a focal point during her high school years. With the support of her classmates, she began sharing her love of words with others. In 2019 she took her first step towards becoming a serious writer with self-publishing. August of 2021, she made her BLP debut with “Pretty Caged Bird” and is continuing to grow her catalog. With a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a pending masters in Mental Health Counseling, Kimberly loves to incorporate mental health into her writings as she feels it is not talked about or address enough within the African American community.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
January 5, 2023
I keep underestimating how good a friends-to-lovers story is. This was so goddamn sweet!
Our main characters had the best kind of friendship. The type where you’ve known each other since you were kids, have grown up together, experienced life together and it’s made their friendship all that much better. Changing that friendship into a relationship made for a much smoother ride, but the angst was still there.
It also helped that their support system was amazing! Their parents were 😍!
The heart is so full! I wish it was longer! 😭
Our main characters had the best kind of friendship. The type where you’ve known each other since you were kids, have grown up together, experienced life together and it’s made their friendship all that much better. Changing that friendship into a relationship made for a much smoother ride, but the angst was still there.
It also helped that their support system was amazing! Their parents were 😍!
The heart is so full! I wish it was longer! 😭
January 1, 2023
Yaaaaasssss KB! You betta come through with this beautiful display of black love during the holidays! With Love, This Christmas was the perfect holiday story that exemplifies black love, strong family ties, long lasting friendships, support, laughter, and happiness. Noelle and Kane had already started on their love journey when they met 23 years ago. They just needed to meet in the middle to finally get to their HEA. I absolutely loved this book. It’s filled with so much love and goodness that’s sure to warm your heart.
July 31, 2023
It’s Christmas in July for me. This was such a cute read. I loved reading Kane and Noelle finally tell each other how they feel. Ugh black love is beautiful.
December 25, 2022
I loved Noelle & Kanye’s best friends to lovers story….I absolutely love a good friends to lovers story….Kane & Noelle had been best friends since they were 5 years old….now, 28, Noelle decides to return home after living in Paris for the past 5 years….she’s returning to surprise her family and stay to take a position with the town’s veterinarian as another doctor. Spending so much time with her best friend upon her return home…the two of them finally admit their feelings for one another.
December 26, 2022
KIMBERLY I WANT MOREEE OF THEM LORD. This has been one of the best Christmas books I have read ever. I mean we all know kim was gonna eat but this month she dropped two books and both didn’t fail to make me giggle cry laugh everything that you can think of💕💕💕
December 23, 2022
This Christmas
Pureness of black love. This was too cute. Noelle and Kane’s love for each other was so deep and pure that their families, friends and the ex 😄 could see it and feel it. Thank God they got it together and expressed their true feelings for each other.
Pureness of black love. This was too cute. Noelle and Kane’s love for each other was so deep and pure that their families, friends and the ex 😄 could see it and feel it. Thank God they got it together and expressed their true feelings for each other.
December 23, 2022
Whew!!! Kimberly saved Christmas with this one! 🎄🍆🐱🎁!! If this wasn’t the cutest, swoon worthy, best friends to lovers story!! It had me blushing the ENTIRE book!!! Like from the very first page when they reunited at the airport… you just felt the love between these two! Noelle is back from Paris and after living overseas for the last 5 years, she is ready to return home for good! No one is happier than her best friend of the past 23 years, Kane. These two have been friends since age 5 and he’s been popping toddlers in the eye behind Noelle since they first met. These two know each other inside and out! They are no longer able to keep their attraction for one another at bay. After pretty much everyone in their families continue to put them on blast, they finally decide to give each other the best Christmas gift ever received… each other 🥰🥰! I will forever love how Kimberly represents the black family in such a positive light in her books. These two came from two parent households rooted in love, support, and healthy partnership! Even their siblings displayed healthy, loving relationships. Kane and Noelle had perfect examples all around them and it trickled down to how they loved and supported each other. I absolutely loved this short holiday novella and it is a true testament to why Kimberly is the one and not the two!! Y’all better get y’all one of these!
December 27, 2022
A sugary sweet and sexy novella.
Friends to lovers, in a kind of OTT version: they had been best friends for 23 years, then the FMC relocated after 5 years in Paris to her hometown, and after a few days they both confessed their love, 3 days later the MMC asked the FMC to marry him in front of both their families (it was christmas) and soon after new year they got married. And.... in the epilogue she's pregnant, a year later at christmas.
And everything happened in less than 100 pages! (including even a few sex scenes, haha).
The author did a great job, I enjoyed myself.
4 stars.
Friends to lovers, in a kind of OTT version: they had been best friends for 23 years, then the FMC relocated after 5 years in Paris to her hometown, and after a few days they both confessed their love, 3 days later the MMC asked the FMC to marry him in front of both their families (it was christmas) and soon after new year they got married. And.... in the epilogue she's pregnant, a year later at christmas.
And everything happened in less than 100 pages! (including even a few sex scenes, haha).
The author did a great job, I enjoyed myself.
4 stars.
December 24, 2022
Noelle x Kane
KB is one of the few authors I am confident I can just dive into her books without reading the synopsis and be completely satisfied and also give her her five star rating without reading the book. Whether it's drama, gut-wrenching trauma filled love stories or drama free, unadulterated love stories, she always delivers. And that's exactly what she did with this little Christmas short. No angst, no drama. Just pure love in every page.
Noelle and Kane were BFF. They loved one another and were destined to be together. Everyone knew it, they knew it too....it just took them a while to get there. This was beautiful and I loved it 😍
KB is one of the few authors I am confident I can just dive into her books without reading the synopsis and be completely satisfied and also give her her five star rating without reading the book. Whether it's drama, gut-wrenching trauma filled love stories or drama free, unadulterated love stories, she always delivers. And that's exactly what she did with this little Christmas short. No angst, no drama. Just pure love in every page.
Noelle and Kane were BFF. They loved one another and were destined to be together. Everyone knew it, they knew it too....it just took them a while to get there. This was beautiful and I loved it 😍
December 25, 2022
Christmas wish secured
Yesss come on with the consistency Ms. Brown!!
I'm a sucker for friends to lovers and this was everything! Noelle and Kane had been friends since they were 5. They had a special friendship that was so strong it united their families. Their families knew that something more was between them, even if they were unwilling to admit it. Both Kane and Noelle were so scared to lose each other that they were afraid to share what they really felt. They had wasted a lot of time avoiding their feelings, but in doing so they built a rock solid relationship. They went from 0 to 60 and it felt right because of the strong friendship they had built. This was a sweet story and I enjoyed them finding their way to each other.
Yesss come on with the consistency Ms. Brown!!
I'm a sucker for friends to lovers and this was everything! Noelle and Kane had been friends since they were 5. They had a special friendship that was so strong it united their families. Their families knew that something more was between them, even if they were unwilling to admit it. Both Kane and Noelle were so scared to lose each other that they were afraid to share what they really felt. They had wasted a lot of time avoiding their feelings, but in doing so they built a rock solid relationship. They went from 0 to 60 and it felt right because of the strong friendship they had built. This was a sweet story and I enjoyed them finding their way to each other.
December 26, 2022
🥰
With Love, This Christmas was a cute friends to lover story. I liked how everyone knew these two were meant to be more than friends. I enjoyed it and the proposal was cute.
With Love, This Christmas was a cute friends to lover story. I liked how everyone knew these two were meant to be more than friends. I enjoyed it and the proposal was cute.
December 29, 2022
I love me a good friends to lovers read, and Kimberly wrote this one to perfection! Kane was ecstatic to have his best friend, Noelle, home for Christmas; and he is ready to let her know his true feelings. Kane and Noelle have been friends their whole lives, and their families are close. Everyone has seen the love grow between them over the years, but neither was ready to speak on it. Now, is the time! It was so sweet, seeing both Noelle and Kane become vulnerable, and admit the love they hid all this time! ❤ Just an all-around good story! Great job! 👍👍👍
December 22, 2024
Beautiful love story
The Christmas book I didn’t know I needed. This was such a refreshing read with no drama just a man loving his woman correctly!!!! Noelle and Kane had a perfect friendship which was the bases for a beautiful love story.
The Christmas book I didn’t know I needed. This was such a refreshing read with no drama just a man loving his woman correctly!!!! Noelle and Kane had a perfect friendship which was the bases for a beautiful love story.
March 29, 2023
Cute
This was a cute friends to lovers story and I’m mad I waited this long to read but as always Kimberly didn’t disappoint definitely a great read
This was a cute friends to lovers story and I’m mad I waited this long to read but as always Kimberly didn’t disappoint definitely a great read
July 16, 2024
Kane and Noelle ❤️🎄🫶🏽 this was such a great best friends to lovers holiday book. I was swooning and just so engrossed in their relationship. READ it! 5 stars across the board ⭐️!
November 27, 2023
Friends to lover plus Christmas, yes please!
Noelle and Kane makes friends to lovers look so good! Noelle and Kane were inseparable as kids. That is until Noelle went off to college and then moved to Paris. After 5 years living abroad Noelle is ready to return home and be around the people she loves the most. However, when she arrives home she can't deny the feelings she has for her best friend. They both feel the shift in their friendships but are too scared to let their feelings known. However, Kane finally has Noelle back and he is going to make sure he doesn't let her go this time.
Kimberly Brown has been added to one of my favorite authors list this year. Every time I pick up one of her books I am reminded why she will always have a spot on that list.
Noelle and Kane makes friends to lovers look so good! Noelle and Kane were inseparable as kids. That is until Noelle went off to college and then moved to Paris. After 5 years living abroad Noelle is ready to return home and be around the people she loves the most. However, when she arrives home she can't deny the feelings she has for her best friend. They both feel the shift in their friendships but are too scared to let their feelings known. However, Kane finally has Noelle back and he is going to make sure he doesn't let her go this time.
Kimberly Brown has been added to one of my favorite authors list this year. Every time I pick up one of her books I am reminded why she will always have a spot on that list.
December 30, 2022
All I Want
Give me all the vibes. Kane and Noelle were love and I was enthralled with their story.
I totally get not wanting to pursue a life long friend out of fear of losing them. These two struggled with speaking how they really felt and once the time was right, they went for it.
I loved all the family bonds and friendships.
I surely need more on these two.
Great read. Highly recommend.
Give me all the vibes. Kane and Noelle were love and I was enthralled with their story.
I totally get not wanting to pursue a life long friend out of fear of losing them. These two struggled with speaking how they really felt and once the time was right, they went for it.
I loved all the family bonds and friendships.
I surely need more on these two.
Great read. Highly recommend.
December 26, 2022
A wonder Christmas love story!
Kane and Noelle were to cute, this was a great short read. Best friends to lovers, I am glad the back and fourth didn’t last long and they finally got the happily ever after that they deserved and their family knew since the beginning!
Kane and Noelle were to cute, this was a great short read. Best friends to lovers, I am glad the back and fourth didn’t last long and they finally got the happily ever after that they deserved and their family knew since the beginning!
December 25, 2022
I ate this book up!! I love the best friend but everyone know they love each other tropes!! One of my favorites! Great Christmas feels!!
December 26, 2022
4.5⭐😍🤗
I really enjoyed this story; I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
Trope: Black Love, friends to lovers, mutual pinning, found family
Enjoyment: 4 ⭐
Character development: 4 ⭐
Romance: 4 ⭐
Heat\steam: 3.5 ⭐
Intrigue: 4 ⭐
Story\plot: 3 ⭐
World Building: 3 ⭐
Enjoy!!!
I really enjoyed this story; I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
Trope: Black Love, friends to lovers, mutual pinning, found family
Enjoyment: 4 ⭐
Character development: 4 ⭐
Romance: 4 ⭐
Heat\steam: 3.5 ⭐
Intrigue: 4 ⭐
Story\plot: 3 ⭐
World Building: 3 ⭐
Enjoy!!!
July 22, 2024
Besties
Normally I don’t rock with the childhood friends to lovers trope but this was soooo good. I started cheesing at the beginning at the book and haven’t stopped. The mains, the friends, the family, it was all so funny and sweet. This has been my favorite Kimberly Brown book thus far.
Normally I don’t rock with the childhood friends to lovers trope but this was soooo good. I started cheesing at the beginning at the book and haven’t stopped. The mains, the friends, the family, it was all so funny and sweet. This has been my favorite Kimberly Brown book thus far.
December 28, 2022
LOVED IT
This was a good holiday friends to lovers story. Very well written, great storyline and character development. I loved how Noelle and Kane's friendship stayed intact throughout the years. And their families being so close was an added bonus and humorous at times. I was happy they finally stopped fighting their feelings and decided to just be honest. Their bond may have been strong as friends, but they were my favorite as a couple.
This was a good holiday friends to lovers story. Very well written, great storyline and character development. I loved how Noelle and Kane's friendship stayed intact throughout the years. And their families being so close was an added bonus and humorous at times. I was happy they finally stopped fighting their feelings and decided to just be honest. Their bond may have been strong as friends, but they were my favorite as a couple.
January 1, 2025
This was a nice Christmas novella that not only put you in the holiday spirit with the family vibe but also gave us a friends to lovers romance. Noelle and Kane were so natural as a couple once they finally expressed their feelings for each other. I don't know how they thought that it would ruin their friendship as close as they were and as much that everyone else saw they already had that bond but I was happy when they finally did and I loved to see it.
December 19, 2025
that’s my best friend
One of my favorite tropes. This book was written beautifully and filled with cute moments. Had me rooting for their love. Screaming at them to just say SOMETHING!
One of my favorite tropes. This book was written beautifully and filled with cute moments. Had me rooting for their love. Screaming at them to just say SOMETHING!
January 1, 2025
3.5 - A short sweet 'friends to lovers' story.
December 16, 2025
One of my favorite reads for the 2025 holiday season!
This Christmas themed friends to lovers romance hit the spot. The yearning was so good that I couldn’t put my kindle down!
This Christmas themed friends to lovers romance hit the spot. The yearning was so good that I couldn’t put my kindle down!
December 26, 2025
4.5 stars
December 25, 2024
Cute friends to lovers Christmas story !! I enjoyed this story so much and I enjoyed the support both Noelle and Kane had from friends and family.
December 26, 2022
5/5⭐️4.5/5🌶️
- Merry Christmas everyone! This was the perfect book to read this Christmas! Im so happy I read it without seeing any reviews because it was so good! Ms.Kimberly please step to the front!
- Noelle is home from Paris and shes ready to spend time with family and her man oh wait I mean her best friend during the holidays. She was beyond spoiled something I know all too well lol. She also was a veterinarian which I thought was cute I don't think I've read about a fmc being a vet before. Then its big daddy Kane chile Im tryna think of what I didn't love about him... Kane was the perfect gentleman, with just the right amount of gangsta, with the brains, and the protective instinct that just had me eating out his palm. Me and Noelle for that matter lol. He was a mechanical engineer and again I dont think I've read about a mmc with that job.
- I was 5% in and knew Kane could get it like REAL BAD! Then his humor was superior! I was literally dead with everything he said and dont get me started on they banter. I love a good friends to lovers🥰 I damn near highlighted the whole book! I think the only complaint I have if you can even call it that is I don't remember how she described them. Like my edit is strictly vibes and how I pictured them they could look totally different lol. If you see where she describes them please dm me! Regardless I loved the relationship these two built before they became a couple. Kane was so attentive and loving. Then they sexual chemistry was leaking off the pages!😉 I really ate this book up I really enjoyed it!
- Definitely recommend! Go read it yall🤣
- Merry Christmas everyone! This was the perfect book to read this Christmas! Im so happy I read it without seeing any reviews because it was so good! Ms.Kimberly please step to the front!
- Noelle is home from Paris and shes ready to spend time with family and her man oh wait I mean her best friend during the holidays. She was beyond spoiled something I know all too well lol. She also was a veterinarian which I thought was cute I don't think I've read about a fmc being a vet before. Then its big daddy Kane chile Im tryna think of what I didn't love about him... Kane was the perfect gentleman, with just the right amount of gangsta, with the brains, and the protective instinct that just had me eating out his palm. Me and Noelle for that matter lol. He was a mechanical engineer and again I dont think I've read about a mmc with that job.
- I was 5% in and knew Kane could get it like REAL BAD! Then his humor was superior! I was literally dead with everything he said and dont get me started on they banter. I love a good friends to lovers🥰 I damn near highlighted the whole book! I think the only complaint I have if you can even call it that is I don't remember how she described them. Like my edit is strictly vibes and how I pictured them they could look totally different lol. If you see where she describes them please dm me! Regardless I loved the relationship these two built before they became a couple. Kane was so attentive and loving. Then they sexual chemistry was leaking off the pages!😉 I really ate this book up I really enjoyed it!
- Definitely recommend! Go read it yall🤣
July 29, 2024
Noelle and Kane have been hiding in their friendship for years, both of them harboring a secret love, both of the afraid of ruining what they have. But Noelle is home for Christmas, after years away and it's time to shit or get off the pot.
Okay, so first, KB writes friends to lovers so affectionate and comfortable it's always a wonder they aren't already together. I love this, because if it's one thing I can't stand, it's somebody claiming a best friend and acting awkward around them. Noelle and Kane were too cute for words. I love that Noelle made her dreams come true, and she never felt held back or unsupported. I love the way she and Kane kept their relationship alive. The family ties and holiday hijinks were great and I like how everyone simply encouraged them to act on what was already known. Noelle and Kane didn't take too long and as scared as they might have been, their friendship allowed truth telling and understanding so they didn't run away from each other. Good job.
Okay, so first, KB writes friends to lovers so affectionate and comfortable it's always a wonder they aren't already together. I love this, because if it's one thing I can't stand, it's somebody claiming a best friend and acting awkward around them. Noelle and Kane were too cute for words. I love that Noelle made her dreams come true, and she never felt held back or unsupported. I love the way she and Kane kept their relationship alive. The family ties and holiday hijinks were great and I like how everyone simply encouraged them to act on what was already known. Noelle and Kane didn't take too long and as scared as they might have been, their friendship allowed truth telling and understanding so they didn't run away from each other. Good job.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews