A Perfect Holiday Fling

Moments in Maplesville #1

by Farrah Rochon

It’s no mystery why veterinarian Callie Webber is having a hard time getting into the holiday spirit. When the residents of her small hometown aren’t pitying her because of her ex-husband’s very public departure, they’re attempting to hook her up with a man…any man. Fed up with being everyone’s favorite charity case, Callie considers closing her animal clinic and moving to the big city. But, before she goes, she decides to give herself a Christmas treat to remember: a romantic holiday fling. And who better to have a fling with than the gorgeous newcomer who is turning heads around Maplesville?

When injured Navy pilot Stefan Sutherland reluctantly rescues a gutter cat for the sake of his five-year-old nephew, he never imagined it would lead to him discovering Maplesville’s most fascinating attraction…its smoking hot vet. Getting involved with a woman was the last thing Stefan anticipated when he agreed to care for his nephew during his Army nurse sister’s deployment, but if he’s going to spend the holidays in this sleepy Southern town, why not make the most of it with the perfect holiday fling.

This is a novella of approximately 28,000 words.

Genres: Romance, Christmas, Contemporary, Holiday, Contemporary Romance, Novella, Fiction

126 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 11, 2012

About the author

A native of south Louisiana, Farrah Rochon officially began her writing career while waiting in between classes in the student lounge at Xavier University of Louisiana. After earning her Bachelors of Science degree and a Masters of Arts from Southeastern Louisiana University, Farrah decided to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a published novelist. She was named Shades of Romance Magazine's Best New Author of 2007. Her debut novel, Deliver Me, the first in her Holmes Brothers series, garnered rave reviews, earning Farrah several SORMAG Readers' Choice Awards.

In September 2010, Farrah joined the Kimani Romance family with the launch of her new series that follows the life of the fictional New York Sabers football team.

When she is not writing in her favorite coffee shop, Farrah spends most of her time reading her favorite romance novels, hanging around on Twitter, and trying to attend as many Broadway shows as her budget will allow. An admitted sports fanatic, Farrah feeds her addiction to football by watching New Orleans Saints games on Sunday afternoons.

Reviews

[Norah Una Sumner · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This was super fun and super sweet! I loved both Stefan and Callie and the chemistry between them was... incredible! They both went through some difficult things in life and it made them even stronger. I know how hard it is to lose a parent so I immediately connected with Callie and handed her my heart on a plate. The story itself was really interesting and, I mean, there's a cute cat and a cute kid so I was already bought 10 pages in. A great holiday read for romance lovers!

[Mirjana **DTR - Down to Read** · Rating 4 out of 5]

***3.75 Stars***

This was a sweet, small town "holiday fling turns to so much more" novella. Just what I wanted. Low angst, holiday feels, some humor, a good dose of steam....and some adorable animals.

"Tell me what else I have waiting for me, Callie."

"You have me. If you want me, you have me."

[sraxe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was a cute little contemporary romance that was so light and fun and just oh so drama-free. The synopsis pretty much covers what the novella is about and there are no real surprises, tbh. I found that to be rather nice than being surprised by random, irritating things.

Callie, a 34 y/o small-town veterinarian, was dumped by her husband of five years, Adrian, a year ago after he publicly left her to be with the girlfriend he'd been cheating on her with (he even took their dog!). And because it's a super small town, everyone was all up in her business. In that time, she's had a few dates here and there because of the nosy and pushy people of her little town, but other than a couple of kisses, nothing's really panned out. And then Stefan rolls into town.

While it's said that Callie hasn't been with anyone in the year since her divorce, there's no information about Stefan's history. The only real mention of his sex life is this: "He’d had casual relationships, but he tended to keep things light." Other than that, there's absolutely nothing else, which I absolutely loved! The other thing I loved was Stefan's characterization. Stefan is a super flirty character, which I really liked because he was so fun about it. He wasn't stalkerish (which is pointed out at one point in the book because he sees the heroine in the parking lot of a condo building and thinks about approaching her but then thinks he'd come off like a stalker, which he totally isn't) or overbearing. What also added to that enjoyment was that Callie actually flirted back instead of blushing and feeling scandalized. I also loved that Callie was able to admit to herself and others that she found him attractive rather than going into instant denial, which I see happen in a lot of books.

Stefan is also totally cocky, but he made that fun, as well. I generally don't like cocky characters because a lot of authors tend to write them as being really insecure. They feel the need to go on about a character's sexploits or their hotness factor (because I guess they can't write cockiness otherwise?), which is what makes them seem SO DAMN INSECURE. Stefan, on the other hand, was confident and not insecure about it, so the reader wasn't beaten over the head with his supposed qualities. tbh, Stefan didn't even have to work to win me over after the beginning when he was taking care of a hurt, little kitten while also giving into his 5 year old nephew's whims. (Oh, and the nephew is his twin sister Stefanie's kid, but he's taking care of him for a couple of months while she's deployed. The kid is in parts of the book but I didn't think he was annoying. His adorableness just amped up Stefan's attractiveness for me, honestly.)

If there's one complaint I have it's that there are no ILYs by the end of the novella. HOWEVER, I don't dislike the book for that reason and I do kind of like it when I think about it. This book is totally not instalusty or instalovey. Yes, Callie and Stefan are attracted to one another when they meet, but there's not an insane lust that renders it impossible for them to lead their daily lives. What happens at the end is that they want to give this relationship a shot, saying that they can see themselves falling in love with one another. The entire book, from the time they meet (a week and a half after Thanksgiving) until the epilogue (Christmas), is just four weeks long, I liked that they didn't go into instant ILYs by the end. But, the book is also not left on an ambiguous ending because you know that that's where they're going with their relationship, it's just going to take them more a couple of weeks to get to the ILYs. I liked that with this book because while it was a definite romance HEA, it was a lot more believable. I feel like if the author had thrown in the ILYs, it would've felt forced and. So, I actually liked that the author did that.

I felt that there was a lot of depth and development here, especially for a novella. It felt as though every word was utilized to further the story and build the characters rather than be wasted. I have a number of Rochon's full-length novels on my to-read list, so I'm definitely looking forward to them after this novella.

[b.andherbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

a perfectly sweet and steamy holiday novella about an injured navy fighter pilot taking care of his young nephew while his sister (a combat nurse) is off on deployment. his nephew finds an injured kitten which leads them to the lovely, and sexy, town veterinarian who patches up both the kitten (and his heart).

more of a christmassy setting (christmas is the epilogue) but i spent a great afternoon reading this.

read as part of the #ShopYourShelvesBingo challenge by LoveInPanels. I'd been sitting on this one for a long time.

[Xan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

I enjoyed this m/f romance about characters who try a holiday fling and decide they may want more. Plus it has both a kid and a kitten for added cuteness, not to mention many of the sweet elements you could want from a holiday story.

I do take exception to the choice to kill off a dog that is really important to the heroine. I do not go into a cute holiday story expecting a beloved animal to die. And the book is too short to hold this and bounce back from it.

Trigger Warnings: Injured animal. death of an animal that's important to one of the MCs. References to combat. MC is injured from combat, and a central plot point is about whether he is permanently disabled; a bit of internalized ableism around this arc.

[Janani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun small-town holiday-fling-turned-beginnings-of-romance, including cute animals and an adorable nephew.

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and sweet. As with many short stories it lacked depth. Also, I kept getting pulled out of the story by copy editing issues.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cute one I picked up for free that doesn't leave me with much to say. It made good use of the novella space. The male main character was a little too mean about the cat at first.

[charlotte, · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rep: Black mcs, mc with nerve damage

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Also posted to Jen in Bookland

2.5 stars
A Perfect Holiday Fling started off alright. Stefan is taking care of his nephew when his mom is deployed. He is also waiting for the test results to see if he can fly anymore, if his navy career will be over. His nephew finds a stray cat who is injured and they take her to the vet. Enter Callie, the vet, who thinks the town pities her since her husband left her for another woman.

Callie is a little down on herself and doesn't really trust people to not leave her. Her parents died when she was younger, her husband left, her dog, everyone leaves her. So when Stefan starts flirting with her, even though she is very attracted to him she tries to refuse. Eventually she does give in after some serious making out in her office and they go on a hot date. They move very quickly and I didn't really mind all of that so much.

Both Callie and Stefan might be leaving town soon so they know this might not last forever. They also both start having more feelings for each other and don't want to leave. The ending was very sudden. It was just Callie thinking about how everyone leaves and suddenly Stefan is all don't go! And so then everything is fine and perfect. If it would have been longer I would have enjoyed it more. It just felt too rushed.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s no mystery why veterinarian Callie Webber is having a hard time getting into the holiday spirit. When the residents of her small hometown aren’t pitying her because of her ex-husband’s very public departure, they’re attempting to hook her up with a man…any man. Fed up with being everyone’s favorite charity case, Callie considers closing her animal clinic and moving to the big city. But, before she goes, she decides to give herself a Christmas treat to remember: a romantic holiday fling. And who better to have a fling with than the gorgeous newcomer who is turning heads around Maplesville?
When injured Navy pilot Stefan Sutherland reluctantly rescues a gutter cat for the sake of his five-year-old nephew, he never imagined it would lead to him discovering Maplesville’s most fascinating attraction…its smoking hot vet. Getting involved with a woman was the last thing Stefan anticipated when he agreed to care for his nephew during his Army nurse sister’s deployment, but if he’s going to spend the holidays in this sleepy Southern town, why not make the most of it with the perfect holiday fling.
A Really good small town USA story. Living in a small town myself, i could relate to the factual tidbits that Farrah incorporated into the story. Loved the plot, loved the main characters. 5 stars.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good light holiday read, few sexy moments, good story, just to short. I know, I know it's a novella! But bloody hell when a story is good you want a full story not just a snippet of one. I really liked the interaction between Stefan and his nephew Jacob. I loved how a big tough navy pilot has a soft side for those that matter in his life. I liked the small town feel and just wanted more. To me novellas are a waste of time and talent, if you can write a good story then by gosh write a full length one. I don't normally buy novellas but this one and the next were a free in set so I went for it. Good read It just frustrates me with the length. My hang up though. So recommend read if your not like me, it truely was a good little story.

[Celeste · Rating 3 out of 5]

Callie and Stefan

Home is where the heart is. Sweet romance with a second chance at love for the town vet, Callie. The added bounce was Stefan, Navy man who took care of his nephew. The cat Sandy was a sweet addition, and added bounce as Jacob got over his loss.

[MK · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short and sweet story about a woman who went through a devastating divorce and a man who is about to lose the thing he loves most. The story, like the leads, is sweet and flows beautifully.

[Smut Report]

The Smut Report team is participating in Wendy the Super Librarian's #TBRChallenge 2024. Our goal: to dust off our TBRs once a month and talk about the book we read.

Read our full TBR Challenge update at The Smut Report

So, Stefan is in town, taking care of his twin sister Stefanie’s son while she’s on a six-month deployment. He’s a naval pilot who is staring down the barrel of a medical discharge. Callie is the town veterinarian who is one year recovered (recovering?) from a divorce because her husband cheated on her. She was also orphaned at nineteen.

This book is very “small town is homier and better than the big city” in terms of both the actual text and the holiday special vibes. Stefan and Callie have a pretty low stakes, flirtatious thing going on with each other, and the only thing keeping them apart is the possibility that their life choices (job choices) would remove them from this small town. It’s a very chill holiday special that focuses on the heart, not the possible struggles.

For me, there really wasn’t anything pushing these two apart OR together. There was a lot of information that didn’t really matter (like, I guess it’s helpful to know about the make, model, and color of Callie’s SUV because Stefan recognizes it a few times later, but what odd specificity when it was first mentioned). These two did end up supporting each other through the necessary decisions they had to make, but until that happened at the end, there wasn’t that growing together and separately aspect that makes a romance really click, because until about 70% through, they were mostly separate. It was a really soft holiday romance, and the characters were totally likeable, but personally I wanted more problem and more tension.

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[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a holiday romance between Stefan, a pilot who is looking after his nephew while his sister is overseas as an army nurse, and Callie, a vet who is considering moving out of town to get away from the very cloying concern of the residents of the town after her husband left her for his pregnant (?) girlfriend. They meet over an abandoned cat.

This was cute and sweet. I liked how the two of them had their own journeys to work through, especially regarding their careers, and what that meant for their futures. I didn't really feel like we got a lot of their romance, or enough to convince me that they had much in common past sexual attraction, and I was far more interested in Stefan having to parent his nephew after his brother-in-law's death and his sister having to work overseas. That plot thread kind of fell to the wayside as soon as he met Callie and that was it.

If you like the ten million Christmas films on Netflix (I would say Hallmark but not sure whether they are or not?), then you'll probably like this. I liked it enough to finish it but I'm not tempted to continue with the series.

3 stars!

[Misse Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, sweet and cute!

When Callie and Stephen cross paths at her practice in Maplesville, both feel an instant attraction arising. Callie is the town’s vet and Stephen is an injured Navy pilot who is in town long-term babysitting his nephew Jacob as while his sister is in the midst of deployment.

While both have had their own troubles leading them to this current place in their lives, it is their chance encounter that begins to turn the wheels in a different direction. Initially at the urging of her friends, Callie considers pursuing a no-strings attached Christmas fling with Stephen but the connection between then, mentally and physically, proves to be so much more.

I enjoyed reading A Perfect Holiday Fling which is book 1 of the Moments in Mapleville Series. Farrah Rochon does a good job of highlighting the power of love, family, friendships, and hope in this light, fun and cute novel.

3.75 stars.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 out of 5

The author sold this book as a hallmark Christmas movie buy with kitchen sex and I can't say that's not accurate. There was the small quaint town where everyone knows you and is friendly a handsome Navy officer looking after his nephew and a rescued cat, a veterinary doctor weary of getting involved with anyone because of past hurts. It was short, had some funny moments and a happy ending. The characters themselves didn't grab my interest too much so I didn't love it but it wasn't bad.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Callie is the worst vet ever! Her vet tech came to get her to tend to a dog, she was like "Nope, I'm bidding on eBay!" WTF?! Then the hero comes in with a cat who's basically bleeding to death. The vet tech says the cat is bleeding from her stomach. Callie examines her determines that she has bite marks on her ear and an erratic heartbeat and just needs her ear stitched up. Bye bye. Um, what about the bleeding?!?!? I can't even.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The basics
Enjoyment: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pacing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Writing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

What I loved
What a perfect holiday read!  It was short, fun, with great characters, not a ton of drama, and just a good time! Absolutely loved Callie and Stefan together.  The romance may happen a little quickly, but in a novella, I'm not expecting slow burn anything.  

If you need something lighter (though there is mention of cheating and death of a parent/parents), I definitely think you should try this one!

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent quick holiday novella. Low angst, but very sweet. Injured Navy pilot out on medical leave agrees to watch his nephew while his twin sister is deployed. Meets the pretty veterinarian when he and his nephew rescue an injured kitten.

I think this one will end up in my collection of yearly rereads. Very sweet.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a touching story of Callie and Stefan. They both had their own things going on but are hurting and found comfort in each other. My heart breaks for Jacob on losing his father then his mom being deployed. Thankfully he has uncle Stefan to step in and be surrogate parents. Can’t wait for the next book in this series.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. I did struggle with the fact that these two strangers got so intense about their feelings and intentions in such a short amount of time. But this is a novella so things did to move quickly. But I have read others that didn't rush the connection as much as this did so it can be done. I will be checking out more of her work!

[Ivy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good characters, but I wanted this to be longer. I felt like the relationship between the two main characters was rushed. It would have been nice to learn more about them, hear their backstories, etc.

[Mary Calton Gerard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful ✍🏾

Two people that has resilience to live through the unpleasant times in their lives. I liked the inclusion of the armed service people and every one of their sacrifices. Liked the pet neutering mention.

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

ok

I could not get the feel of these characters; the book just did not move me. There was nothing there in reading the book for one to connect with the towns people and the lead characters. It was rushed and bland. Very disappointing, especially since I love this author.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely read

This book ia good to read and jade and kiera are good friends helping each other All the time as friends

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holiday Read

A Perfect Holiday Fling is a short, quick, cute read. It keeps you engaged and turning pages until the end!

[Kazia Gemmill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute and I liked it, but wasn’t great at holding my attention.

[ShayBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas Fling

I enjoyed this quick read. It was a nice Christmas Novella, it was just enough and did not leave it open. I look forward to reading more by this author.