Provoking Saint Nick

by Echo Grayce

God grant me the serenity to not choke the wildcard of rich b*tches... Charlie f*cking McAllister.

My best friend’s little sister and tormentor extraordinaire. Star of my every trauma as a teenager.
And thanks to our mother’s and their matchmaking schemes for our annual Christmas ski week… my savior.
Or ruin.
One week as a couple, putting on a show for our parents while avoiding our exes. How hard could it be?
Until we’re stuck sharing a room. A room with one bed.
And a toy arsenal the spawn brought with her big enough to subdue a small country.

I promised not to f*ck Chance’s baby sister, but who was going to keep her from f*cking me?

Genres: Christmas, Holiday, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Forced Proximity, Novella, Fake Dating

153 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 25, 2023

About the author

Echo wields words as a heart-piercing sword cutting through characters' souls. If you want passion-packed small towns and fierce hearts so steamy they’ll grab you by the throat like the ultimate alpha-hole with skillful hands and forearm porn for days, Echo is your girl. Every book promises beautifully brutal romances with a dose of angst, a double shot of romance, followed by a scorchin’ hot sexy times chaser that will leave you panting for more.

Born and raised in New England, she has Ben & Jerry’s in her heart, and real Vermont maple syrup dripping through her veins. She's an unapologetic Swiftie embracing her Fuck-With-Me-and-Find-Out era, and a certified Fall Out Boy groupie who’s low-key addicted to ink and metal–hello tattoos and piercings!

When she's not plotting world domination, she's busy either crafting stories that'll make your heart race faster than a caffeine-induced heart palpitation or designing some of romancelandia’s most coveted covers for fellow authors.

To all you lovely readers out there, Echo has one thing to say: she adores every one of you who read her books, turning her dreams into reality. As for talking about herself in the third person? Well, let's just say she's over it.

Echo out, but her fierce heroines and steamy stories are here to stay!

Reviews

[Casey Reads 🌸 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story itself was 5 ⭐️, but the spicy scenes were 1 ⭐️ for me, so that’s what really brought it down for me.

The spicy scenes were very rough.. and not in a sexy way in my opinion. Also he kept calling her “spawn” like devil’s spawn… yeah that didn’t do it for me & also felt wrong to be in a Christmas book 😂.

The actual plot line besides that was great. Hilarious. Brother’s best friend falling for sister. Meddling mothers. Pranks. I loved all of the rest of it.

The spicy scenes made me that uncomfortable that I had to rate this less. Maybe I am way more vanilla of a person than I thought. 😂 This might appeal more to people who like it.. very rough.

Also the ending was great with hints of another couple getting together. Loved that part.

[Mairi Swan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had interesting plot and I would have liked it even more if it wasn't for the heroine. She is supposed to have no filter as a rebellion provoking almost everyone but she appeared kind like childish.

[bookgalbrock 🐝✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provoking Saint Nick

“You drive me insane, spawn. Everything you say, everything you do. You are the lightning, and fuck if I can’t resist your strike.”

star rating: 3.85
spice rating: 2.75 🌶️🌶️


Fake Dating
Christmas Novella
Brother’s Best Friend
Slow Burn

Cute, Funny and Spicy. Everything you want for Christmas!


“I’m leaving fully planning to have you drive me out of my mind all day, every day, for a lifetime. This doesn’t end here, Charlie. It’s only the beginning.”

[Анастасія ꒰⁠⑅⁠ᵕ⁠༚⁠ᵕ⁠꒱⁠˖⁠♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ну, очікувала на те, що жгг як раз таки трахне його, якимось там страпоном, чи щось в тому дусі, а тут якось і очікування не справдились, відчуваю розчарування.

[Katie Beasley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second holiday romance of the year and once again I was NOT disappointed. This was short and spicy with a protective MMC of a badass FMC with a soft shell. Charlie and Nick have known each other for years. Charlie is Nick's best friend's little sister. Charlie has been the ban of his existence for forever. She has been his tormentor and just there. He has never noticed how attractive she is or how much he actually enjoys being with her until Chance (her brother) makes a joke about them not sleeping together. Now Charlie has the idea of pretending they are dating for the family ski trip so that their parents don't try to set them up with their exes who are both there. Nick at first doesn't think there is a problem with this until he realizes that they are sharing a hotel room and Charlie has packed a legit suitcase full of scandalous toys and now ALLLL he can think about is her. What would it be like to sleep with her? Why has he never noticed how her mom treats her? Why is his mom acting like she is disappointed by the fact that they are dating? Now he is being protective of her. They circle around and around the tension including a VERY sexy shaving scene until the end when things just EXPLODE in the best way. I very much enjoyed this short read and am looking forward to reading more of Echo! I also saw that next year is Chance and Holly's (Nick's little sister) story for Christmas!! The banter in this book was great- especially between Chance and Nick LOL.

ENJOY!! Happy Holidays everyone :)

[Not your Mother’s Romance(semi-hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Maybe I just have a healthy fear your vagina has teeth and I’m not dumb enough to go anywhere near that nightmare.” “Well, the joke’s on you… I have a fabulous vagina. Very responsive.” “Your parents should have grounded you more,” he muttered next to me.

This was delightful. Like, I have a new and fun author to follow!

Nick is going to a ski resort for the holidays with his family and his best friend’s family. When he arrived he sees his mortal nemesis, Charlie, who is his bff’s sister. She tormented him all through childhood and is now begging him to pretend to be his fake girlfriend because BOTH of their meddling mamas brought dates for them!

Nick promised not to bed his best friend’s baby sister but Charlie doesn’t know that. This steamy man she grew up with is not only handsome with “a beard meant for riding” but he protects her, makes her feel beautiful and cares about her happiness.

No major drama happens, mentioned OM cheating is a quick blip, definite mom issues and some self esteem doubt is the thick of it. This is a slow burn but when it burns…let’s just say that gasoline is thrown upon the flames.

Great holiday read with an actual plot.

💕💕💕💕/5
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥/5
😂😂😂😂/5
😳😳😳/5

[Bec · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

This was so good! And funny! And sexy!

The MFC is a terror, but in such a good way and I love her so much 😂❤️ There were so many hilarious moments - it definitely leaned into the comedy part of a romcom… but also ended with a spicy chapter! And the epilogue was spicy too. The MMC was great in a normal, non-possive-or-gross-romance-book-guy-mannerisms way.

Really enjoyed it and can’t way for the next ones in the series.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ So, I think this is the steamiest book I’ve read this year and I can’t stop thinking about it. I loved this couple and that there wasn’t a breakup (once they knew, they knew). Definitely check out the epilogue/bonus chapters when you’re done. They are a great addition to their story.

[Kylie ve · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
This was a cute little short spicy holiday romance.
I really enjoyed this book! It was cute and short.
Some things were a bit confusing but I liked it!

[kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot of spice and not really a lot of plot. Which isn't exactly bad, I guess I was just expecting Christmas vibes and there were practically none. Fake dating didn't really work for me here either. I would've loved to see the brother's best friend angle emphasized even more.


**There were lots of typos. It doesn't necessarily affect my rating, but it does affect my ability to stay immersed, which contributes a lot.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, brother's best friend holiday romance!

What started off as two enemies, becomes something different entirely when the two join forces against a greater evil... their mothers. They decide to fake date each other to avoid being paired with their mother's choices for dating. Both of which are terrible options because one is Charlie's ex (who cheated on her!!!!) and the other is a frilly, rude girl for Nick.

And then whew does it start heating up!! The tension between these two is more than just holly jolly goodness ;) definitely a cute read this holiday season

tropes:
brothers best friend
holiday romance
enemies to lovers
fake dating
forced proximity
only one bed

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should read novellas more often.
This was brief, cute, hot and with an amazing MMC. Like, I'm dying for Nick's attitude. 🔥🧡

Little note: I went into this convinced it was a Christmas book. Well it's not. No Christmas references aside the fact that they're on winter vacation.
Also, I think my file might be missing the epilogue at this point.
At least I got my HEA for the night. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two families go on their annual Christmas ski trip, and Nick agrees to enter into a fake relationship with his best friend’s younger sister, Charlie, for the week in order to escape the annoying dates their respective Mother’s surprised them with.

The pranks Charlie plays on Nick were damn funny, and the spice level was just right for a book that only contained 153 pages. The end leads right into book 2, which as I understand it, is full length and focuses on the MCs’ siblings.


4🌟
1.5🌶️

[Neermboop · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute holiday read!

Nick really likes those hand necklaces!
Charlie really likes her toys 😉

Can't wait (Literally a year?!?! 😭) for the next one!! 💖

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t know what to expect not having read this author before, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised! Charlie and Nick were so funny and cute together, from her pranks, to him standing up for her.. definitely pick this novella up!

ARC

[Helene Svendsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throw in the phrase “good girl” and I’m automatically a goner.

Rivals to lovers, brothers best friend, fake dating, one bed - so many great tropes in this novella.
I really enjoyed it, the writing is good. I like the banter and the mmc is a cutie, but also naughty.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounded to a 3.
Went into this knowing it would be just a short spicy read but the banter was too funny and honestly made me laugh. Their families kind of sucked (moms mainly) but honestly her brother was one of my favorites even though he wasn’t even there and def want to read the next one asap because of the epilogue!

[Selena Spiropoulos · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read but super cute!
Best friend’s little sister, possessive/protective MMC, age gap.
Everything about this story had me not wanting to put it down. I loved Nick and Charlie, the sass and back and forth between the two of them was < chefs kiss >!
I’m definitely going to read the next books in the series.

[Tish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seriously need hosed down after reading this one! This is my absolute favorite trope to read. And this one was muy caliente. I'm surprised my kindle didn't catch on fire.

[Marguerite · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5, 🌶️🌶️🌶️
At 149 pages, this was a quick, fun, spicy read.

[Stephen Morse · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only complaint I have is that it wasn’t longer. Loved the story, the characters, the spice, it was all fantastic!

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice - 🌶.5

Trope - novella, brother's best friend, dislike to love, forced proximity, fake relationship, one bed

This was a short 150-page book with hilarious banter, tension, and a good amount of spice.

Nick is Charlie's older brother's best friend, they have always had a hate relationship where she would challenge and prank him. Nick has never seen Charlie as anything more than his friend's sister until he's forced to be in a fake relationship with her to get their mother's meddling ass away from them.

He called her spawn, as in devil's spawn and that was just hilarious and accurate(seeing their relationship) OMG the way Charlie scared the shit out of his mom by calling him a "cuck" was priceless.

I love how Nick was possessive but not overbearing, and that's good. Also, I loved how they understood each other even though they "disliked" each other for most of their lives. Charlie aka Charlotte's character was also perfectly written, where she pretends to be a hard shell but is soft on the inside and is usually helicoptered by her mother.

The spice was not there until the very last chapters but then it hits you hard and damn it was well written for a novella.

The ending couldn't have been better, because honestly, I was skeptical that the book would just end on their sex scene but surprisingly the author had it well planned and executed it well. Though it was short, the end was satisfactory.

I couldn't help but wonder how Chance reacted to it all, would have loved his reaction in this novella. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Overall 4/5

[alessia · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 ☆)

nick and charlie have known each other since they were children, because nick is chance's (charlie's brother) best friend, but they can't stand each other.

charlie nicknames nick "saint nick" because he's the favorite child, even of charlie's parents, and in their eyes he can do nothing wrong (aside from dating charlie). charlie, on the other hand, does everything she can to go against her mother's expectations and live her life as she pleases.

charlie and nick, when they discover that their mothers have also asked their exes to join them during the annual week they spend in the mountains during the christmas holidays, decide to put the rivalry aside and pretend to be engaged.

this christams novella kept me hooked from the beginning, with the banter between the characters, the slow burn, the fights and the jokes. it's a sweet novella to help you get into the christmas mood!!

[Kristen Lewendon · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, I wasn’t entirely sure I liked Charlie. It was easy to adore Nick, but Charlie was a much tougher nut to crack. Her sense of humor borders on the cruel for my tastes, and I was overwhelmingly angered on Nick’s behalf. But, then we started to discover some of what her devil-may-care attitude was hiding and it suddenly made sense why all of Nick’s protective instincts were engaged. I loved these two together and I can’t wait to read about their siblings.
I received a complimentary advance copy of this book from the author.

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

“You drive me insane, spawn. Everything you say, everything you do. You are the lightning, and fuck if I can’t resist your strike.”


“I showed up Friday planning to tolerate you for the weekend. I’m leaving planning to have you drive me out of my mind all day, every day, for a lifetime. This doesn’t end here, Charlie. It’s only the beginning.”

[Chaos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick, full of tension, and spicy! I love all these quick Christmas reads. I love it when the grumpy, cool headed men lose their cool. There isn't much to this book with character development with Charlie and Nick, but it was adorable.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun little winter read! I love an enemies to lovers one bed trope so much. I liked the characters and that he stood up to their moms when they were being toxic towards Charlie. I wished there was some more spice but overall this was a lot of fun to read.

[Jamie Wesner · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW

Okay, when I got this for free on Stuff Your Kindle day, I did NOT anticipate a five star read. It’s cute, sweet, spicy, the snark is perfection, and I just loved all the characters! I’m now eager to read more from this author.

[Elaine Lucky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun quick rom com between Charlotte (Charlie) and Nick. Friends forever and sharing a room at the annual family Christmas getaway to fool their parents and exes turns into a hot sexy clash of wills.

[Adrienne Klassen · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️3.5. This was short, sweet, and spicy. Not overly emotional, but had its moments. Typical best-friends-brother rom com, smushed down to 125 pages.