My Ex for Christmas

by Bobbi Maclaren

When her boss opens a new ski resort in the province she used to call home, Hadley Knight is hopeful she can still avoid her past. But her luck runs out when she finds herself in a dingy small-town bar being served by her ex.

Brooks Dawson lives a simple life. He works his shifts as a bartender and helps his mom take care of his sisters. He's content with his routine—until his ex walks into his bar. Suddenly, nothing is the same.

Hadley and Brooks parted ways eight years ago, but now that she's back, he doesn't want to let her go. Too bad she has a habit of leaving. But when a new job opportunity opens up for her, Hadley has to decide whether running from her past is worth sacrificing her future.

Genres: Christmas, Holiday, Second Chance, Forced Proximity, Novella, Holiday Romance

120 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 29, 2024

About the author

Bobbi Maclaren is an indie author from a small town in Ontario, Canada. When she isn't writing, she can be found reading, wrangling her mischievous black cat, or booking her next trip to a new country. She also loves fall, dresses with pockets, and her emotional support water bottle. To stay up to date, follow her on social media @bmaclarenwrites.

Reviews

[syd ★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

absolutely adorable. he was perfect

[Shannai · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️

I have been loving novellas recently and this was the perfect, small town, Christmassy read! If you’re looking for a holiday romance that’s binge-worthy, heartwarming, and full of that perfect mix of will-they-won’t-they tension, Bobbi is here with a second chance romance between two exes.

Fate brings back exes, Hadley and Brooks, after a run-in, having broken up eight years ago, when Hadley moved to study abroad. There’s still lingering feelings and crazy tension between these two and they find themselves snowed in at Christmas, forcing them to face their feelings. I loved how Brooks wasn’t going to let Hadley run away again, this time.

There’s one thing about a man who falls first, but a man who is determined on getting back his girl, and falls first (again), hits different!

Thank you for the e-ARC Bobbi!! 🥰

𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀

❄️ second chance
❄️ he falls first (again)
❄️ only one hot tub
❄️ Small town
❄️ part of series of holiday novellas

[mylla ♡·˚]

arc review !!

what’s the worst that could happen around the holidays?? i mean… sure you might run into your ex at a bar where he works… but it’s a small town you walked into a trap the second you hit town !!!

hadley and brooks haven’t seen each other in 8 years, ever since hadley broke things off and went to study abroad. but now she’s back and maybe the sparks have returned with her arrival? i guess you’ll have to read to find out!

and bobbi does it again, an amazing writing but this time in christmas novella format !!! how i love to know bobbi :,)

i was really surprised to know that hadley went to study in none other than SÃO PAULO, BRASIL !!!!!!! if you know me, you’ll understand why i got so happy by this news hehe but yes i highly recommend this book to all the readers who want that christmas spirit with romance, you can thank me later !

even after all these years, brooks still remembers her favorite movie and it broke my heart when he asked her to not leave without a goodbye, which i totally take his side sorry ! but all is good now and they’re happy which means i’m happy <3

a million thanks to bobbi for sending me an arc and trusting me with her new babies <3

[Notyourmomsshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!
Bobbi could write any trope and I’d devour it. This is a tad different than her books before due to the MC’s having so much history together but you don’t feel like their romance is rushed. Brooks and Hadley made sense together and it really felt like no matter the time that had passed, they belonged to each other. The internal dialogue from both Hadley and Brooks was really nice to see and how their feelings matched the others. This had true heart to it and I really like how for a novella you get the full beginning, middle, and end. Wonderful holiday read!

[Carrie Behm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an arc from Ms Bobbi and I am always so grateful!

This was a sweet little novella! Second chance is one of my favorite tropes and this one was perfect. Hadley and brooks were high school lovers until Had left to go find herself. She find herself unexpectedly coming home and running into him at his bar. He sees her and the rest is history.😍 Sweet, a little spicy, and Christmasy to round out this HEA. 💕😘

Would recommend if you are looking for a sweet, Christmas hallmarky story. 🥹

[Beka · Rating 5 out of 5]

UUGGHH I LOVED THESE TWO SO SO MUCH!!
I think Sugar Peak is going to be the one series by various authors that I actually finish in a decent time frame because the two I've read so far have just be glorious.
I know you said at the end of this, Bobbi Maclaren, that writing a novella was a lot harder than you thought and I just want to say that it felt like an entire long length book and you did it beautifully.
Brooks and Hadley might be my favorites 🤫
Brooks definitely would drop anything and everything at a moment's notice for those that he cares about. AND IT SHOWED 1000% FOR HADLEY!! I'm glad that they got their second chance after an 8 year breakup. He was such a caretaker. Showing up for Hads when she was sick. Checking when she falls. The mistletoe scenes had me giggling. All in all, I fell in love with him real fast and real hard.
Hadley, the badass boss girl that she is, finally slowed down and learned that life could be so much more than she already had. Her contact name for Brooks 😍 (that never changed!!) She tried keeping her walls up but that was a futile effort. I was so happy that somebody finally asked her if she was happy working as Thaigo's personal assistant. I don't think anybody had ever asked her that before and I was so giddy to watch her realize what she wanted and how she could be happy.
The epilogue 🥹🥹🥹
I just loved them fully. Thank you for writing their stories and teaming up with your friends to make this series happen!

[Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great, quick, and cute read! I absolutely love Christmas novella’s and this was a perfect one to start the holiday season.

Hadley and Brooks are literally the cutest. But also, they’re exes. When fate brings them to accidentally run into each other again years after breaking up, they give it one more go. It’s Christmas after all.

I read this whole thing within an hour and I was grinning from er to ear the whole time. This gave me the christmas cheer I’ve wanted and I absolutely wish I had more from this couple. Bobbi always makes me fall in love with her books, and the characters, even more.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the absolute pleasure of reading this cute holiday novella by Bobbi Maclaren!

Set in the beautiful Canadian province of British Columbia, we read the second chance story of Hadley and Brooks.

I was smiling throughout the book and read it all in one sitting. Low drama, quick and easy ready. It was the perfect novella to start off my holiday season.

A solid 4 stars! My Ex for Christmas is also part of a series of novellas that I can’t wait to read.

Highly recommend if you’re looking to add one more book on your TBR list this year.

Thank you, Bobbi and her team, for the ARC!

[Haali M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This holiday novella is part of the Sugar Peak Series and oh my gosh I loved it! I needed a quick read that wasn’t heavy to flip my mind into Christmas gear, My Ex for Christmas was perfect. Hadley and Brooks are so cute together and watching their romance rekindle and develop into an adult relationship was so sweet. Sugar Peak sounds amazing too. I wish it was a real place I could go! I first read Middle Ground by this author earlier this year and adored that book, so I’m extra glad I was able to read something else written by her. Thank you Bobbi Maclaren for the gifted review copy, I’m so glad I could read it!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

[Natasha Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Read
3.5 Stars

Alright, Bobbi Maclaren,
I'm going to need you to continue writing because I truly enjoy how you write people, I also enjoy seeing you get better with every novel. You write people who are endearing and sweet but flawed. I enjoy your witty characters, I am always left wanting MORE from them. I can also see you improving with every book, and I can't wait to read more from you.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎄ARC REVIEW🎄
My Ex for Christmas was such a lovely holiday novella! Hadley and Brooks were simply perfect for each other and you could feel their love radiating off the page by the end of the novella! Fate was truly just on their side and oh my goodness Brooks! Brooks was just an absolute sweetheart and was simply everything that Hadley needed! Get ready for a second chance romance with some spice were he falls first (again)!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This holiday novella was adorable with a hint of spice. Not super spicy there are some open door scenes but not super detailed.
I enjoyed most everything about this book. The only thing that bothered me is there were times that time jumped in between chapters and all of a sudden we didn’t know how much time had passed. It happened at least 3 times and each time I was confused and thought I missed something.

[Kelsie Charbonneau - theshelvesofduchessarya · Rating 4 out of 5]

📱𝙆𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙚 𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬


𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠: My Ex for Christmas by Bobbi Maclaren

𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩: ARC Kindle Copy via author and bookfunnel

𝙍𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙩𝙚: November 29, 2024

𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: 🎄🎄🎄🎄

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨:


"𝑯𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒈𝒐, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌, 𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒈𝒐. 𝑻𝒐𝒐 𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒉𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒂 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒋𝒐𝒃 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒖𝒑 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝑯𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒆𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆.”


----------------


What a wonderful story!! I've been on a Christmas movie binge and this book was an awesome addition in between movies! It really have me the same vibes.


Brooks is incredible! He's such a great MMC. I love me a small town romance 🥹🫶


Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this ARC! I can't wait to check out the rest of the Sugar Peak Series!!!

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute, small town, second chance Christmas novella!

Bobbi has done an amazing job with this. The main characters were easy to like, there was no previous relationship drama, just right person, wrong time. This second chance romance was super sweet and that Brooks was understanding of her fears and overthinking was great.

[trudy · Rating 4 out of 5]

💕ARC Review 💕

Oh this one was very cute!! Short and sweet for the holiday season, you can easily devour this in one sitting 🥰 Hadley and Brooks’ chemistry was still so strong after almost a decade apart, and honestly that just solidifies my belief that everything happens for a reason and exactly when it’s supposed to happen!! Definitely reading the rest of the Sugar Peak novella series 🫶🏽

[Hannah Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this feel good Christmas story. Normally, ex’s are bad for each other, but this man was nothing but green flags. I loved how he supported her and everything she does.
I received this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review

[Denise Peralta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small town, festive romance that's perfect for the holidays. It starts with a mistletoe and the rest is history...

I love that the story is simple and easy to read while the characters are relatable. A must-read if you're looking for a palate cleanser or just in the mood for something festive 🎄

[Sylvie Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very cute read. Brooks and Hadley had me wondering how their story will end. I was intrigued throughout the whole book. I really enjoyed this novella and definitely recommend this read for the holidays.

[Shana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was cute. Loved how in love and consistent Brooks was from the beginning.

[My_romance_reading_journal · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 A wholesome read... I loved how patient Brooks was with Hadley...She was it for him!At the end she fought for him too! To be reread for sure !!

[Elsa Gomes (BookishAurora) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5
Spice rating: 1 / 3

This was actually really cute. I really enjoyed these two.

[Bekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect fun and cozy Christmas novella! Fast paced and low stakes, absolutely lovely.

[Wren · Rating 4 out of 5]

a fun holiday novella!

Everything you love from a holiday novella!!
Second chance, small town, a golden retriever MMC, perfectly paced for a novella!