Only for the Holidays

Only in Seaside #5

by Shannon O'Connor

Lynn:

Going home for the holidays is the last thing I wanted.

Wasn’t I old enough to stay home, watch Netflix and eat those snowman sugar cookies raw?

So I lied to my parents, thinking they’d never know the truth.

I was staying home to visit with my girlfriend’s family, it was foolproof right?

Until they show up on my doorstep with every intention of meeting the girlfriend that doesn’t exist.

Sophie:

My family means well, I know they do.

But I’m tired of trying to be set up by my parents.

This holiday season the last thing I want to do is go on another blind date with a man my parents set me up with.

So when my friend with benefits jokes about pretending to date for the holidays,

To keep our parents at bay, it seems like the perfect plan.

Until we start to blur the lines between mistletoe kisses and something real.

Will we become something more or will our fling be just for the holidays?

Genres: Lesbian, Christmas, Romance, LGBT, Holiday

172 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 20, 2023

About the author

Shannon O’Connor is a twenty something, bisexual, self published poet of several books and counting. O’Connor enjoys life’s simple pleasures: coffee, reading, traveling, and spending time with her new baby. O’Connor is continuously working on new poetry projects, book reviews, and more, while also diving into motherhood. She loves supporting local indie authors & shops as much as possible.

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/shans...

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A spicy friends with benefits, dual POV holiday romance between a tattoo artist and a plus size dancer. I thought the relationship had chemistry and heart, there was good fat rep and bi-awakening sexual identity plot. Paired with homophobic parents and fat-shaming, the swoony parts were definitely balanced with more toxic aspects of life. Overall things worked out and there was a resolution of sorts with family members. While this is part of a series it can be read as a standalone and worked for me even if it was a tad insta-love. Good on audio as well and a fun, spicy read for the holigays.

[Siddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best Shannon O’Connor book I have read. Mostly angst free, as is usual with this author. Both Lynn and Sophie are lovely characters, and their fake romance quickly turns into something more. I also like how this story positively portrays Sophie’s first time with a woman, without making it into a big deal.
The idea of the Medusa event is wonderful, referencing female empowerment. I especially like that Lynn personally uses it as a symbol of survival of abuse from a woman, whereas it’s normally used against men.
The food sex is one of the most erotic parts for me, something I haven’t yet tried, but it’s given me some great ideas

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read about a Tattoo Artist and a Dancer. What begins as a one night stand turns into friends with benefits/fake girlfriends. As Sophie and Lynn explore their chemistry and grow their friendship, feelings just may get involved ;)

[Karen Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right from the beginning, this book pulled me in. It was such a page turner. Lynn and Sophie had an instant attraction from the time they met at the tattoo shop.

Lynn is a tattoo artist. Her mom wants her to come home for the holidays. She makes up a story about a girlfriend and going to see her family. This starts a chain of events. Who could Lynn possibly get to pose as her fake girlfriend?

Sophie is recently broken up with a man. Someone who it seems her mom wants her to be with. She has kissed a girl before, but not actually been with one. Her mom of course is very religious and thinks her daughter should be with a man.

When Lynn and Sophie meet sparks fly. Of course, Sophie doesn’t know what to think. She’s never had a relationship with a woman. They start as friends with Sophie posing as Lynn’s fake girlfriend. From there it seems their attraction and friendship grow to be so much more. They both are definitely afraid to tell each other their true feelings though. Will they in the end? Can Sophie’s mom ever really accept her being with a woman? You won’t want to miss a minute of this amazing read!

Don’t miss the bonus epilogue!

[Jeimy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only for the Holidays by Shannon O’Connor is a quick and entertaining read, though it didn’t leave a lasting impression. The novella format means we only get a brief snapshot of Lynn and Sophie’s lives, spanning from just before Thanksgiving to just before Christmas. While their fake-dating setup has plenty of potential, the story doesn’t dig deep into their relationship outside of the sex scenes. As a result, the emotional connection between the characters feels underdeveloped.

The writing style is crass and straightforward, which might work for some readers but came across as a bit sophomoric to me. That said, it still served its purpose as light holiday entertainment—I picked it up this morning and found it enjoyable enough to finish in one sitting. If you’re in the mood for something steamy and undemanding to pass the time, this could fit the bill. Just don’t expect it to stick with you.

[Grace Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thankyou Shannon for the copy of this book! This was such a wholesome festive read. It featured so many of my favourite tropes, fake dating, first woman, chosen family and yearning. I love that one of the characters is plus sized and it just made her even more desirable! There was so much wholesomeness around Sophie and Lynns relationship that I just loved so much and was equally balanced with the 🌶️. This is something Shannon does so well in her books that I can’t get enough of. I so wish this had been longer and I could’ve had even more of this gorgeous couple, so glad this was my first festive read of the year!

[SiSi ❤️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute read, as I knew it would be! There was plenty of spice throughout the whole story. 🔥
It was also cute with the way the main character realized she had a thing for women just as well as men and just went for it.
The characters were perfect for each other and definitely deserved each other and it was a perfect time to get together because of the holidays. They were good with each other's friends and families and and everything just made sense and I didn't want to put this one down. I could definitely read this one again. 😊

[Carmela Dimattia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. It was a beautiful fake dating, Christmas read and Lynne and Sophie were great characters. Sophie coming out of a bad relationship with a man only led her to begin a friendship with Lynne but both had an instant attraction and Sophie was only too happy to try a new relationship. Shannon O’Connor always writes great stories but this one had me totally hooked. A perfect Christmas read with lots of fun and very steamy moments.

I received an arc copy from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Savannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sapphic for the holiday!

We love a sapphic holiday moment and I loved that this brought us through both November and December holiday! It can be hard to cover a lot of time in such a short amount of pages but this one felt seamless. I liked seeing the two navigate something casual as they both realized it had developed into much more. They had a fun and welcoming atmosphere and especially admired the body positivity them both being different but that being totally OKAY.

[Pluto Lunaris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Lynn and Sophie's story! I'm not usually big on holiday stuff but this was a good amount of background holiday for me personally. I loved the characters (aside from Lynn's dislike about singing in the car that kind of irked me) and I think the pacing went well. Overall it was a nice cozy read with a little bit of steam!

[sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

This book was so good! It's quite possibly my favorite in the series. It's definitely my favorite couple in the series so far. I spent most of the book with a big dopey smile on my face and the rest of it with happy tears in my eyes. "Just. Yes." I most definitely recommend this book to all.

[Trisha Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick holiday read, little bit of spice, cuteness all around

[Briseida Martínez · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why are you obsessed with fake tacos?! Tacos with the cheese of nachos? That's so awful and makes me sick. Stop to apropiarse de mi cultura gringos!

[Natalie Loveridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow I loved this

[Tara'e · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Ulia Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

How do you tell apart smut and normal romance? Im so confused.

In general, I dont think Im not targeted age for this book, otherwise - okay read.

[Siddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best Shannon O’Connor book I have read. Mostly angst free, as is usual with this author. Both Lynn and Sophie are lovely characters, and their fake romance quickly turns into something more. I also like how this story positively portrays Sophie’s first time with a woman, without making it into a big deal.
The idea of the Medusa event is wonderful, referencing female empowerment. I especially like that Lynn personally uses it as a symbol of survival of abuse from a woman, whereas it’s normally used against men.
The food sex is one of the most erotic parts for me, something I haven’t yet tried, but it’s given me some great ideas

[Christi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh! What is with all these holiday smut books I’m running into? Not only that, but somehow I happened upon a girl gone bi book, which in smut form, was not for me. I suppose if I had read the synopsis, I would have know, but I didn’t and here we are.

It was also a tad unbelievable, as it was a plus-sized tattoo artist and a thin, very flexible, TikTok famous dancer. Is it believable, not really. Somewhere in the middle, the tattoo artist turned into a very gruff sounding female. Probably when she constantly calls the dancer, “baby girl” when they are hooking up.

I did appreciate the family dynamic aspect of the book. Tattoo artist had a loving supportive family that just wanted to see her happy (yet she treated them sorta crappy), and the dancer had a homophobic control freak of a mom who at first shunned her…but by the end of the book opened armed her with a promise that with time, she’d see what was really important…her daughters happiness. She promises to get to know tattoo artist. That part was heartwarming and holiday-esque.

So, in final, had I read the spine or known what I was getting myself into, I wouldn’t have walked away with the “too much smut and unrealistic partnering” vibe. It did give holiday for a short read and definitely gave family, which is what part of what makes the holidays so warm.