The Christmas Waffle

Monroe Strategic Capital #1

by Juliet McKinley

I don’t have time for distractions.
Running a multi-million-dollar financial firm means my life is built on control and precision. There’s no room for complications—until Candy Harper steps into my world. She’s captivating, driven, and impossible to ignore. Winning a date with her at the charity auction was supposed to be a game. I never expected her to change everything.


He’s the last person I ever expected to want.
Asher Monroe is all business, no nonsense. I thought the auction date would be a one-time thing, but Asher isn’t the kind of man to walk away from something he wants—and somehow, that something is me.


I wanted her more than I ever should have.


I never meant to fall.

But one unforgettable night leads to an unexpected consequence. When doubt clouds what we’ve built, I run—and Asher is left believing the worst. Now, miles apart, we’re both haunted by what we lost. Can the truth bring us back together, or is it too late for us?

Genres: Christmas

345 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 31, 2025

Reviews

[Betsy]

Favorite quote:

"You ran."
"You called." "of course I ran."

The Christmas Waffle by Juliet McKinley was an emotionally packed sweet story of love, healing old wounds, and rediscovering new ways in a second chance romance.

It is the first book in the series and I look forward to more form Juliet McKinkley!

The story follows Candy, who thanks to her best friend signing her up for a “Christmas Waffle” charity auction, ends up on stage, mortified… and bought for thirty-five thousand dollars. By none other than her boss- Asher Monroe -who just happens to be New York’s most eligible bachelor, brilliant CEO, and way out of her league. One date was all it was meant to be. But snowstorms, stolen kisses, and late-night confessions blur every professional line she swore she’d never cross.

Asher doesn't lose control. Not in the boardroom. Not in his life. Until Candy Hart enters his life as his assistant and buying her at the auction was reckless. Keeping her close is dangerous. Because the more time they spend together, the harder it is to remember that office romances are forbidden.
But Christmas has a way of rewriting the rules. And Candy? She might just be the best risk he's ever taken.

After a fling and workplace whirlwind romance, Asher thinks Candy betrayed him. I guess old wounds die hard! He manages to push her away after crossing every line she drew. Humiliated and heartbroken, Candy leaves her life in NYC behind. Asher feels her absence and tries to fix it but has no way to communicate with her. After much self reflection, Asher decides to work on himself and heal past traumas. Mean while Candy is learning Cany is learning how to stop making herself small for the sake of keeping the peace and learning how to set healthy boundaries for the sake of HER own peace.

Sometimes quietly showing up without force and with lots of boundaries and patience. Slowly things begin to realign how they are supposed to.

I loved this story and couldn't put it down. I was curious to see Candy stood up for herself and how Asher learned to relinquish his need to control everything around him. There is real GRACE in how being honest with oneself - we can truly begin to heal.

I loved how Candy set clear lines and stayed true to what she needed. I loved her peppermint tea drinking and peppermint loving self. ( I actually had a peppermint candle on while i was reading through a snowstorm so it was so perfect)\. I loved how Asher took accountability for his wrong doing and he worked on fixing himself and respected all of Candy's boundaries without forcing anything or inserting himself into her life.

I do recommend this to any one who loves heartfelt cozy romances with mild spice but full of heart.
I did receive this book from the author, Juliet McKinley for my honest opinion. I am so honored and grateful that she sent me the book because I loved the story and look forward to reading more of her work.

[Country Mama]

The Christmas Waffle by Juliet McKinley is book 1 in the Monroe Strategic Capital book series by the author. I love a Christmas time book any day of the year so of course I wanted to read this one. And folks, I am reading it as an audio book for this read so we will talk about both the book and the narration of the audio book. The book is about Candy Hart who is Asher Monroe's assistant. Candy's best friend signs her up for a Christmas Waffle charity auction. She really doesn't want to do it and then to top it all off, Asher, her hot boss who is NYC's most eligible bachelor buys her. This is a great office romance read and also there is some banter, a little spice, and some holiday cheer to keep you entertained the entire time for this read. The plot is entertaining and I really liked Candy and Asher, our grumpy MMC. Both of these characters need some time to figure out if they are right for each other, which I liked the realism in that option from the author. In life we don't always instantly fall for someone, and even if that is the case we need time to figure everything out. The ending was a good one and I really liked the writing in this book overall and could really enjoy reading more of these books by the author in the future!
Now onto the audio book read along; it was pretty good for a book that is read by someone aloud to you. It is probably me as I am an old school reader and need to see the words on the pages and engage myself into the story by envisioning it myself, however I just could not get into the narration. I think that if you are an audio book reader you may like this one, just based on the story alone.

[Amber Novak]

This is book 1 in the new series and follows Asher, a hardened billionaire who lives for control and order, and Candy, his pink haired assistant and woman who brings just the right amount of chaos into his life. These are two people who have had to adapt and develop a way to get through life, one through control and one through disorder, and who happen to be exactly what the other needs to learn to live again. Well written with great characters, just the right amount of fun banter, a little spice, a lot of love, and a HEA, this is a great start to the new series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kalexreads]

Sweet but emotional. Relatively low spice. Candy and Asher start out as boss and assistant, but they both have feelings for one other. He can’t stand the thought of anyone else winning her in the holiday auction, so he makes sure to win her. Things are going well, until Asher’s past sneaks up on him and causes him to blow things up with Candy. They both realize they have things to work on within themselves before they can decide if being together is right for them. Their happily ever after is definitely hard fought.

[Nancie Blume]

Asher and Candy

This book is a holiday treat that's equal parts sweet and spicy. It's the story of Candy and Asher, two people who start out as boss and assistant but end up falling for each other. As they navigate their feelings, they must confront their own personal demons and learn to love themselves. It's a journey that's both heartwarming and heart-wrenching, with a dash of humor and wit. Buckle up for a emotional ride that will leave you feeling hopeful and happy. I absolutely love Juliet McKinley's books and this one definitely didn't disappoint - 5+ stars

[C]

This book overall was not what I was expecting. It went down a different path where it leads into more of the women's fiction zone.

I still enjoyed the book even though it went into more healing old wounds and finding own path.

There was humor that kept it interesting.

The best friend needs a lesson in consent (never addressed) but she sure was quick to dish out comments on other people's actions.

If this is book 1 does that mean we will have books on some of the other characters? please?.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kelly]

Julie McKinley did a fantastic job and I got caught up in the story right away and couldn't put it down. I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this but I quickly fell in love with Candy, but Asher took some time to like. I was deceived in the first few chapters to think this was going to be a cutesy romcom and I couldn't have been more wrong. The twists and turns the story takes both our characters through had me laughing, crying and wanting to shake some sense I to Asher. I loved watching both characters grow, change and heal and I can't wait for the next book in the series.

[Tricia Coker]

As always, Juliet McKinley delivers a deeply heart wrenching story wrapped in a sweet package. The Christmas Waffle is a fun story at its base, filled with holiday moments, banter and juuust enough spice. However the deeper story around Candy and Asher is so reminiscent of Juliet's work, emotional, raw, and real. She's gifted at giving readers flawed real people in beautiful stories and making us love every high and low. Absolutely 5 star read!

[Mia Fury]

Who doesn't love a boss romance? Add in festivities, a little auction that leads to him buying a date with the FMC, and you have the recipe for Christmas perfection!

This book hits you right in the feels, I swear. I wasn't prepared for the way the story unfolded, and all of the heart and hurt in the pages, but it's a journey you won't forget, or regret taking.

A really beautiful read, with enough of everything to make this a 'read anytime of the year' book.

[Megan Rohr]

I loved this book. Going in, I thought it would be a sweet, fun little Christmas romance. But in reality, I got a story about two broken people who healed and learned to love themselves and each other. There is fun banter, spice and swoony moments, but there are raw and real moments that made me want to hug the characters and also made me think about myself.

[Bookworm]

This book did not go how I expected it to.I really enjoyed this story but when I got the the middle I was stressed for these characters. Im glad they got their happy ending.I also enjoyed the narration of this book.

[Kaitlyn Raasveld]

I love this. It was sweet and heartwarming and kept me on the edge of seat waiting on what would come next. The plot was great and the characters and their relationship was chefs kiss.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Valeria]

awwwwww loved Asher's character development
(I expected this book to be more of a rom com and it was more emotional but I lovedddd it! The best surprise!!!! & you know I love it bc it’s currently 12:45am and I stayed up 2 hours past my bed time wanting to listen/finish reading it!! 😭😭

[Tiffany Gahrs]

cute story. amazing character development.

[S.J Collins]

My first time reading any of Juliet McKinley. I loved the relationship push and pull with Candy and Asher. The story line set the whole vibe.