Settle in with a cup of hot cocoa for this spicy, small-town Christmas novella from Bailey Hannah.
Eira Davies thought a bar napkin sketch of her best friend’s handsome brother was harmless fun—until he caught her in the act. One steamy night later, Lucas McKinney was supposed to be nothing more than a fun memory.
Fast forward six months, and Lucas is desperate to save his struggling ranch. Renting out the spare cabin on his property seems like the perfect solution, until his first guest turns out to be Eira, the woman he hasn’t stopped thinking about. A true believer in fate, Lucas can’t shake the feeling that the universe has delivered her to his doorstep with a big, shiny bow.
As sparks fly and the Christmas lights twinkle, they’ll have to figure out if this holiday surprise is just a festive fling or the real deal worth unwrapping for good.
She loves to write strong heroines and rugged men who aren’t afraid to love their woman hard.
Born and raised in small town British Columbia, she loves to add rural Canadian flair (dirt roads, rodeos, ketchup chips, and a two-four) to her stories.
She lives with her husband, daughter, two dogs, and chickens. A chronic middle-of-the-night writer, during the day Bailey can be found camping, baking sourdough, or being her daughter’s chauffeur to horseback riding lessons.
you guys i am BLUSHING!! hahaha i cannot believe i recommended this book - just an FYI - it is straight spice. which don't get me wrong! i love some spice sprinkled in here and there, but this was a lot, just warning ya in case you're expecting a sweet and wholesome christmas love story lol. i didnt love it, but christmas novellas are really never THAT life changing, right? it's only 180 pages, so i'm not mad about it
Well stick a red bow on me and call me doodlebug. This novella was spun gold. Bailey Hannah can do more in 155 pages than most can do 700 anywhere anytime. Literally, how?
How can you possibly create such insanely lovable, hilarious characters with struggles, love, banter, and growth in so few pages?! I’m BLOWN AWAY!
Eira and Lucas are YES! I adore them and want more! Their story is so cute, quick, and fun but you don’t feel instalove or rushed. Like, UGH! So organic and precious!
I want to keep them in my pocket forever! Even Half Pint!
Eira (h) gets caught drawing a picture of Lucas (H) while waiting for her best friend’s engagement party to start and the two of them ignite some big time chemistry that results in a ONS. Six months later, Lucas feels pressured by his sister (Eira’s best friend) to rent out a cabin on his ranch to help offset costs because the ranch isn’t doing awesome. The best friend/sister also talks Eira into being the first guest over Christmas, without knowing about said ONS, since her parents decided to go on a trip without her. What happens when two people who had a hot night end up within spitting distance of each other on a holiday? A whole lot of smutty times, creative use of Christmas decorations, and some surprising feels.
I liked that the flashbacks of their first time together are interspersed throughout the story. I loved that Lucas is only soft with Eira and that she’s his opposite. He’s a ranch owning farrier and she’s a city girl through and through, who illustrates (including book covers and NSFW character art). Lucas felt destined to be in this place and Eira can't figure out how to work a wood stove lol. Some funny references to Little House on the Prairie btw which completely went over my head since that series put me to sleep, literally. The connection between them sparkled, even with the looming deadline of Eira returning to the city. It seemed fairly simple to me with how they felt about each other, but then sometimes characters are idiots.
Written in first person, dual POV. No om drama, no ow drama (but h does mistake an employee for H’s girlfriend, it’s quickly corrected), and both are experienced (H had been celibate for years before being with the h and both have been celibate since their ONS).
Most of the story focuses on Lucas and Eira with their time on the ranch, shenanigans they get up to (in and out of bed), and the saving of an adorable kitten who has a huge personality. Some more positive interactions with their families on page would have been nice but I did like the best friend/sister the couple times she was in a scene. Lucas is known as a giant grump around town and is pretty disliked, the reasons for which are kinda sad and funny. I adored the scenes where Eira draws him and the holiday activities, like not wearing pants. It should be repeated again that this is smutty, there’s plenty of gettin down on the farm happening despite Lucas being overwhelmed with work.
My biggest issue with the story is that their time coming to an end and the start of long distance between them frustrated me no end. The end of the story and the epilogue (a year later) help make up for it, but they go months with them both being unhappy and in a weird limbo of wanting to see each other but not managing it. The epilogue is precious though and there’s a feeling of fate throughout the book (that Lucas also believes in), where it just feels like these two were meant to be together. Definitely a solid Christmas novella if you’re wanting sweet and spicy but still with a touch of angst.
Okay, this was cute. A little cheesy but cute all the same. And SPICY. Tied up in tinsel beside the Christmas tree. Hot damn! A perfect pre Christmas read 😊
4.5 stars Don't let the cover fool you. This book brought on the spice 🥵. But, it didn't take from the plot. It still had a great storyline, and I would definitely read a full-length story about Eira and Lucas. This was a best friend's brother situation, one of my favorite tropes. Also sprinkle in some grumpy x sunshine! It was written so well. This was my first Bailey Hannah book, and I can't wait to dive into her series 😍.
If you’re looking for a romance packed with a grumpy cowboy, a second chance love story, and all the spice your holiday heart can handle, Christmas at Fox Ridge is absolutely right up your alley.
Honestly, anything Bailey Hannah writes is an automatic read for me, and this novella was no exception. It delivered everything I wanted: small town charm, a couple with real history, and enough heat to warm up any winter night.
It’s the perfect quick read to squeeze into your holiday season, and the fact that it’s available on audio makes it even better. A cozy, spicy Christmas treat that’s easy to devour.
I loved this one from the first line, all the way until the end.
The banter between the characters was so amazing, & I really enjoyed that she supported each other's dreams throughout.
The spice was phenomenal and I absolutely love the one night stand trope to more ... so this book was a huge win for me.
You get: • One Night Stand To More • Holiday Read • Best Friend's Brother • Secret Relationship • Small Town • It's Never Been Like This • Forced Proximity
I highly recommend this spicy holiday read! Available on KU, ebook, and paperback.
3.5⭐ Este Holiday romance cowboy, podría ser una historia de smutty Hallmark, con un ambiente muy navideño y una pareja que me han gustado mucho.
El libro es corto y se aprecian varias partes. Eira y Lucas se conocen y se atraen inmediatamente, sienten un nivel de cercanía que nunca habían sentido. Pasan la noche juntos y no vuelven a verse. Seis meses después vuelven a encontrarse en el rancho de Lucas y es difícil no retomar donde lo dejaron, aún sabiendo que sólo tienen unos días para estar juntos.
Los diálogos, las bromas y la complicidad entre los dos de la primera parte, son de lo mejor del libro. Después, he empatizado con su sentimiento por tener que separarse, y eso es algo que no suele pasarme, aunque esta parte del libro sea más lenta y cargada de momentos eróticos de puertas abiertas. Y me gusta el final, no habría querido que se forzara ni que sólo hubiera renuncias por un lado.
No cheating No ow/om drama ( there is a scene where she saw him talking to his employee and thought she was his girlfriend) No manwhr, no vrgns He hasn’t been with anyone for five years Hea
2⭐️
**** spoilers ****************************
They hooked up at chapter one Next chapter is six month later ( i dont enjoy when there is time jumps )
They reconnect after months and spend few days together until she goes back to work
He promises her he would come visit but she doesn’t force him since he is having financial trouble. But even his sister( her best friend) says he would if he wanted to so i don’t know how i actually feel about that.
Months pass and he still didnt visit, he cancelled on the day they were supposed to meet( i let that go cuz he had a reason) but i was not having that she thought the solution of that problem was to QUIT her job and move to his town after she cried and was hurt that much all to show him they were worth it😐 I just hated that she made the move first, that she went to him first instead of the other way around. i hate it when the fmc sacrifices their career for the mmc, and he didnt even disagree.😒
I didnt enjoy it as much us i thought i would
There is a lot of smut, basically skimming through those scenes. i do prefer less or slow burn thats
Initially, I was enjoying it but the couple got together wayyyyy too early in the book and the rest was smut + unnecessarily dragged out imo. Idk I just didn't enjoy the second half.
Never thought a Novella could have it all 😭💕✨ I didn’t expect this short Christmas romance book to be filled with so much joy and wholesome funny moments. But also a sprinkle of heartbreak and lots of very good spice 🤭 (swipe for the art) I swear I was innocently flipping through the pages and then BOOM.
Eira the city girl and Lucas the lonely cowboy are such a perfect match, it warms my heart! After their one night stand they went separate ways. Months later Eira’s friend Holly (Luca’s sister) begs Eira to rent his little cabin for Christmas because Lucas is so desperately trying to save his ranch. Once Eira leaves the big city to heads to the small town, things start to change. She starts to change. Eira realises that her connection with Lucas wasn’t just physical and so she spends the entirety of Christmas with this lonely cowboy.
The lowkey found family trope and bonding in this book was so adorable. I enjoyed this whole Novella and read it in one sitting. It was definitely the perfect start for the Christmas season and I HIGHLY recommend this book if you’re looking for a short-fun-spicy-kinda-sad-but-mostly-wholesome read 📖💕
This is the cutest holiday novella (think Hallmark vibes) with just the right amount of spice!
This novella will make you laugh and pull on your heartstrings. Who doesn’t love a grumpy cowboy who literally becomes a puddle around the FMC? 🫠 The chemistry between the characters is SO GOOD, the holiday vibes are adorable & add in that their meet cutes are strictly by fate, so dang cute! You will fall in love with Eira & Lucas, oh and we can’t forget about Half- Pint (IYKYK).
Read if you enjoy: ♥️Best friends brother ❄️One night stand 🎄Reluctant cat daddy ♥️Grumpy with everyone but her ❄️Small town/cowboy 🎄Hallmark with spice
Thank you so much Bailey for the opportunity to read this as an ARC for my honest opinion & review!
This was phenomenal!!! Bailey Hannah never misses. She managed to fit such an amazing story in less than 200 pages. This book had top tier banter and spice! Lucas and Eira had such good chemistry! I loved the nicknames he would call her 🥹 Definitely one of my fave books I’ve ever read for the holiday season! So so cute, so hot. I’m obsessed with the personality of this fmc she was sooo fun!
If you’re looking for a quick holiday read, def check this one out! Cannot wait for what Bailey writes next 👏🏼
Really good book to get into a bit of a Christmas mood 🎄 The relationship was so dreamy and I love myself a good forced proximity 🤭 I think this had a tad too much (very angsty 🥲) drama at the end for a short novella but this is only the second one the author has written, so keep that in mind 🫶🏻 There's still a perfect HEA!
This novella is special to me because it’s the first ARC I was selected for 🥹 I loved Bailey Hannah’s first two books so when I saw the ARC application for this book, I knew I just had to try! It’s the first Christmas themed book/novella I’ve read, and it was very cute. In just 200 pgs, Bailey Hannah still managed to give the two main characters, Lucas and Eira, such depth. I don’t rate novellas, but Christmas at Fox Ridge was so, so good. It officially released November 14th, so make sure to mark your calendars!!
𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬:
“You make me pick between you and work, I’ll be flat broke and homeless real quick.”
“Is that a cat in your pocket, or are you happy to see me?” Lucas’s breath blows hot behind my ear, making my cheeks warm.
He gave me the one thing I never knew I needed: a perfect Christmas at Fox Ridge.
Let me just say this was the most fun, quick and super spicy holiday novella and I have 70 highlights!
If you need a holiday read involving a one night stand with a best friend’s brother… that catches back up to them 6 months later when she rents out his cabin and has unclear instructions on how to work the wood stove… and he wants to keep her warm.
Pick up this grump, small town farrier that’s straight out of hallmark if it allowed a little tinsel bondage 🫠🥵🎄
Is it bad that I’m mad I didn’t get a novel for these two? Like I could read their spice and banter for days!!
Bailey really knocked it out of the park with these two. I’m beyond obsessed with Eira and Lucas. Everything about them was perfect. I was giggling from the very start. The banter between them was off the charts. The way they just teased each other back and forth, but was also flirty was everything I could have wanted.
THE SPICE BE SPICIN’. I don’t think I’ll look at tinsel the same this year 🤣🤣
🎄Christmas Romance ❄️Best Friend’s Brother ✍🏼City Girl x Country Boy 🎄NSFW Illustrator FMC x Rancher/Farrier MMC ❄️One Night Stand ✍🏼Second Chance 🎄Forced Proximity ❄️Reluctant Cat Daddy ✍🏼Long Distance
This was a perfect Christmas novella! Bailey Hannah can do no wrong; she writes banter, chemistry, and the best sexy smut that hits every time! Then to add in winter activities and Christmas cheer was the cherry on top or the star on top of the tree.
Eira and Lucas have my whole heart! I love Lucas so much. I could not get enough of him thinking how pathetically bad he had it for Eira! I love an obsessed simp! They were so freaking hot together!
I’ve never been interesting in decorating my Christmas tree with tinsel garland before …but I’m totally considering it this year!
Also, I was thinking maybe a hotdog bar if my hubby and I ever do an anniversary party! 🤣
I had to include the Lucas McKinney art…the gift that keeps on giving! The artist isn’t on IG but wow is it amazing and needs a shoutout!!! (✍🏼: nudepencil)
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I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.