Holly and the Bad Beau

by Ida Brady

A Spicy Good Girl meets Bad Boy/Second Chance novella

Holly Ward loves Christmas. The music, the snow, the festive fun. In her mind, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. So when she's tasked with transforming Hollywood bad boy, Beau Brooks Thorne, into the jolly fat man himself, even Holly’s good cheer is stretched to the limit.

But a girl never forgets her first love, and the way Beau looks at her makes her feel nothing but good ol’ fashioned lust. Determined to stay off the naughty list, Holly tries her best to focus on her work and not Beau’s rock-hard abs.

Except Beau doesn’t want to behave.

After tragedy tore them apart decades ago, Beau is ready to make amends. And if that means convincing the stunning brunette that the spark between them can’t be ignored, so be it. Being good was totally overrated.

Can this bad Santa create Christmas miracles, or is a happy ending better left for Hollywood?

Genres: Christmas

85 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 4, 2025

About the author

Ida Brady is a lover of chocolate and thunderstorms. She writes contemporary romance that promises humour, heartbreak and a happily ever after.

Ida loves travelling with her family, observing strangers at cafés and getting lost in a good story.

Reviews

[𑣲kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 ⭐
let me just start by saying this lives up to the name of being a spicy novella because oh my god these characters are FREAKED out. this was a cute little story & it made for a good read. it went through so many different emotions in such a short period, which was little overwhelming but i still liked it. this was in my opinion, like a palette cleanser, i read it all in one sitting. this definitely sets a festive spirit!

[Tehmeena · Rating 4 out of 5]

WARNING; you'll want Santa in a very different way by the time you've finished this book.

~Thank you to the author, Ida Brady, for the free Arc of this book. I'm leaving this review voluntarily.~

Tropes;
❄️♥️𝓓𝓾𝓪𝓵 𝓟𝓞𝓥𝓼
♥️❄️𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓶𝓪𝓼 𝓝𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓪
❄️♥️𝓛𝓸𝔀 𝓢𝓹𝓲𝓬𝓮
♥️❄️𝓖𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓖𝓲𝓻𝓵 𝓜𝓮𝓮𝓽𝓼 𝓑𝓪𝓭 𝓑𝓸𝔂
❄️♥️𝓜𝓪𝓴𝓮𝓾𝓹 𝓐𝓻𝓽𝓲𝓼𝓽 𝓕𝓜𝓒
♥️❄️𝓗𝓸𝓵𝓵𝔂𝔀𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓻 𝓜𝓜𝓒
❄️♥️𝓢𝓮𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓭 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮
♥️❄️𝓒𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓭𝓱𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓕𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓼
❄️♥️𝓒𝓵𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓟𝓻𝓸𝔁𝓲𝓶𝓲𝓽𝔂
♥️❄️𝓢𝓵𝓸𝔀-𝓑𝓾𝓻𝓷
❄️♥️𝓝𝓸 𝓒𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓯-𝓗𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓻
♥️❄️𝓗𝓔𝓐

This is a short novella and perfect with some Christmasy vibes and romance! The plotline isn't set around the season, but you get the warm, cosy, and fun ambiance for Christmas.

The FMC, Holly, is our fabulous and talented makeup artist who is sweet, relatable, and the good girl. And the MMC, Beau, is our cheeky bad boy, who's constantly teasing her to make her blush or fidget. They meet each other after seventeen of separation, and now all grown up and established in with respective careers, they end up working together thanks to their boss/friend, Alina, and sparks fly.

Their backstories are interesting. We get to know what happened in the past, and some emotional moments appear, which does cause them both to grow closer. This is a slow-burn - yes, they're both attracted to each other from the initial meeting. However, they take time getting to know each other until giving into their unspoken urges. The spice is low and well written, I wish it was longer. BEAU IS SO F*CKING HAWT. The only thing that disappointed me is the ratio of the spice. I wish there was more since it's supposed to be a spicy novella, but it's more of a *romance* with a *hint* of spice in my eyes. Nevertheless, I strongly recommend for you to not let my preferences deter you from giving this book a chance, it's sweet as strawberries, romantic, and perhaps your version of spice could be very different from mine.

If you like romantic vibes with a splash sizzling spice, a teasing bad boy, and a good girl trying to keep it professional, then this one is the one for you! Grab your preferred hot beverage, add this to your TBR, and wait for the 4th of November 2025 for the expected release!

❄️♥️𝑪𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓:✨✨✨✨✨
♥️❄️𝑺𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒆:🔥
❄️♥️𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝑽𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒔:🎁🎁🎁
♥️❄️𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆:🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
❄️♥️𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈:💋💋💋💋
♥️❄️𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓:🎉🎉🎉🎉
❄️♥️𝑺𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔:🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓
♥️❄️𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒚:⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
❄️♥️𝑩𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔:🦋🦋🦋🦋
♥️❄️𝑬𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔:🎲🎲🎲🎲
❄️♥️𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝑭𝑴𝑪:🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷
♥️❄️𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒖 𝑴𝑴𝑪:💙💙💙💙💙
❄️♥️𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆:🎬🎬🎬🎬
♥️❄️𝑷𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈:⌛⏳⌛⏳⌛
❄️♥️𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑫𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕:🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
♥️❄️𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝑩𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈:🌏🌎🌍🌏🌎
❄️♥️𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅: 𝒆𝑨𝑹𝑪/𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒆.
♥️❄️𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔: 𝑨 𝑺𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒚 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔, 𝑵𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒂 1.
❄️♥️𝑷𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔: 86. 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔: 10.
♥️❄️𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: 𝑭𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝑵𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒂, 𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆.
❄️♥️𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 4 𝑵𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 2025.
♥️❄️𝑾𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝑰 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅: 𝒀𝒆𝒔.
❄️♥️𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈:⭐⭐⭐⭐

[EstelaReadsRomance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tropes:
💜 Childhood Friends
(Seperated 17 yrs)
💜 Friends to Lovers
💜 Each other’s First Kiss
💜 First Love
💜 Good Girl/Bad Boy
💜 Different Social Upbringing
💜 LOL!
💜 Bargain
💜 Revenge on Her Ex
💜 Nicknames: Brooksy (his)... Legs (hers)
💜 Steamy

This was my first Ida Brady story and I quickly put her on my Keeper Shelf. Holly and the Bad Beau was such a fun and entertaining holiday read. I am a sucker for the childhood friends to lovers trope. There’s something about established history that’s just my kryptonite… and Holly Ward and Beau Brooks Thorne were just so freaken adorbs. I ate up this book up in one sitting and I had a smile on my face the whole time!



Holly and Beau used to see each other every summer when they were kids. They were each other’s first kiss… and they could’ve been each other’s first everything but tragedy hits Beau’s life and he severs all ties with Holly. Now she’s a movie makeup artist and he’s a bad boy Hollywood actor trying to clean up his image. They both meet again to help their mutual friend put together a holiday charity event. Holly is tasked with turning Beau into Santa. 



Their chemistry is still as intense as ever. Beau sets his flirtation level on high and good girl Holly is finding out that it’s not so bad being on Beau’s naughty list. These two made me giggle and I love that they balance each other out nicely. 



There’s a bargain aspect in this book that I enjoyed. Beau needs help convincing the movie industry that he can level up to be a serious director…. and Holly needs help with an annoying ex. Holly truly believes in Beau’s talents so it’s no hardship talking him up. And I love how protective Beau is when it comes to Holly. They made such a perfect team.



If you want a light holiday read that will warm the cockles of you heart while you laugh out loud, this is it. I loved it! I did want the steam to be a liiiiiiiiitle bit more spicier, but Holly and Beau do turn up the heat. All in all… good job Ida Brady! Will definitely be reading more of your books!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily review it and the comments are 100% my own.

[Grace Machuca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly and Beau were each others childhood love, but with the death of his parents, Beau drifted away. He became a playboy who had a bad boy reputation and he is changing for the best.

Beau followed in his parents footsteps snd became a movie star, while Holly became a makeup artist. Their friend Alina needs a Santa, so she calls Beau to fo the job and Holly to make him look like Santa.

It gas been a couple of years since they've seen each other, but as soon as they reunite, there is no denying the spark is still there.

Holly had went through a bad break up when she left her ex, who is a movie star at well. He spread rumors about her, destroying her career as much as he could. When Brau finds out who he is and what he has done, he goes into protection mode and comes up with a plan for revenge.

Holly being such a good girl, takes awhile before she's all in on the plan. Beau finally tells her how much he misses her and wants her back. Holly feels the same, but is hesitant because of Beau's reputation and how her ex treated her.

She and Beau finally gives into each other, but her ex will not give up and threatens her if she doesn't leave Beau and her career, her ex will ruin Beau's career.

I love the way Beau is with Holly and how he fights for her. It takes Holly awhile to realize Beau is not her ex and she needed to stand up for herself. I love how they love each other even after all the time that had passed. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The spice doesn't hit right away, but when it does... Santa is a bad boy who wants his good girl 🌶🌶🌶🌶.

Holly and the Bad Beau is the perfect novella to read for the holidays.

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet surprise . . . I loved this novella

I'm usually hesitant to read novellas as I'm curious will there be enough time for a good plot, good amount of spice, some angst and for it to all come together in an ending. Let me just say Holly and the Bad Beau by Ida Brady did not disappoint.

Holly and the Bad Beau is a very well written novella. Such a great possibility for a 2nd chance romance between Holly & Beau. The best part, this book is only meant to be a moment of time in their relationship and Ida does a great job of giving informative well written snippets of their previous history when necessary. While writing a great book showcasing the potential of what could be if they choose to try again. I absolutely love the tremendous amount of dialog between characters. Many books lack this much needed aspect to their books and give us far too much inner character dialog or unnecessary descriptive paragraphs.

Which leads to the bst part of this novella. No long winded pages of inner main characters monologs or paragraphs of descriptions of locations, places, or things that are in books with hundreds of pages. These are in this book, of course, but Ida does an excellent job of keeping them to a few paragraphs but still being descriptive enough that your imagination can bring them to life in your mind.

I will keep this book on my to be re-read regularly list and adding her other novellas immediately.

[Kayla Turcotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved how they were old friends. Just old friends who shared their first kiss and so many good memories.

Im going to start this review off by making a list. A good VS bad list. Fortunately his “bad” column is empty. His “good” column though? Here it is… He asked for permission!! (err kinda; he did say “say you don’t want it and I’ll stop”). He’s obviously the bad boy and she’s the good girl. This is a trope…I can get behind.
And THEN he stood up for her?! *swoon*…and he admits to going to therapy! …and he’s good with kids? The good list keeps on growing, come on Ida! He’s honest, too? He APOLOGIZED?!?!

Although I love Christmas, Holly and the bad Beau wasn’t too Christmas-y. Beau played Santa, they went to a Christmas party and Beau showed up on Christmas. It was chefs kiss! Oh wait…I almost forgot the spice!! It spiced!! 💦

“You’re good for him, he’s bad for you.” “Balance”.

[Lady Biblio · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light, short, sweet Christmas romance. While it doesn’t take place around Christmas, it carries all the holiday vibes. Bringing that cozy and warm feel. I had butterflies, it was so adorable.

Their backstories, and beginning of their attraction, is interesting. Playing with the whims and struggles of those teenage feelings. Those childhood firsts; first kiss, first... you know. We get to see them work through those past issues and build this new, hot and loving relationship. Even if there is some scrooges along the way who will do anything to ruin the joy.

As for spice. For a ‘spicy’ novella I did expect some more spice. We got one spicy scene. Its more of a romance built story that a spicy one. However, that didn’t deter or take away from the story for me. It felt right for the characters and feel to the story.

Highly recommend! Especially for some holiday vibes and heart warming romance lovers.

[Amber H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holly and the Bad Beau tells the story of Holly and Beau, childhood friends who were once inseparable until tragedy struck Beau’s life. In his pain, he pushed everyone away — including Holly. Eighteen years later, fate brings them back together, and the sparks (and tension!) fly.

Holly is such a genuinely sweet, good-hearted character, while Beau has fully embraced his “bad boy” persona. Their chemistry felt natural and intense, and the spice in this novella was absolutely on point.

The only thing that would have made this an even better read for me personally would be if it had been written in first person — I think that extra layer of emotional connection could have made their story even more powerful.

Still, it’s a fast, steamy, and heartfelt read that I definitely recommend to anyone who loves a good redemption arc and a second-chance romance!

[Steph Meleady · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A perfectly cozy Christmas romance!

Holly and the Bad Beau is everything I want in a holiday read — heartwarming, funny, and delightfully swoony. From the very first chapter, I was hooked by the sparkling banter and the festive setting that practically smells like pine trees and hot cocoa. Holly is FMC you can’t help but root for — smart, independent, and full of heart — and her chemistry with the so-called “bad beau” crackles off the page.

If you love holiday romances with charm, wit, and just the right dash of spice, Holly and the Bad Beau is an absolute must-read. I’ll be recommending this one to all my Christmas-loving friends!

[Jane litherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beau Brooks Thorn is a thorn in her side but this bad boy has a good side . Getting him into the Jolly Santa suit is far from astute . It’s not clever ,she’d rather be shot of him ,but it’s all she’s got and boy is he hot! Yum . I mean this Rick hard abs have her undone when she remembers her once upon a time hon.Holly tries to behave ,she really does but this bad boy makes her cuss. He’s determined to mend his ways while taking Holly,in,all the most tantalising ways. But can she be swayed? Sleighed even ,when the snow’s this crisp and even…Great writing and I love the premise . The promise is divine and so the storyline . Compelling ? I’m telling you this ,it was bliss! The chef’s kiss 💋

[Josolyn Weir · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️
Thank you to Ida Brady for the ARC copy and for sparking up my Christmas reading season with Holly and the Bad Beau! I really enjoyed the second-chance storyline and the open-door romance, it gave just the right amount of warmth and spice for a festive read. I didn’t love how much focus was placed on the ex-boyfriend and Beau’s arguments with him, as it pulled me out of the main romance a bit. Overall, though, it was a super cute holiday story that put me right in the cozy Christmas mood. I’ll likely be reaching for the future novellas to see Alina’s love story next!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review
Antecdotal thoughts while reading
Novella with a setting of holiday spirit, sounds good to me.
A week-long "celebration" in New Hampshire in the winter, sounds, winter wonderful.
Holly and Beau, former "friends" are crossing paths again
"Is not a crime to admire works of art, and Holly, you're a picture. " smooth Beau
Holly dated "Mean Ken" in a prior life. Love the nickname Beau. Keep on protecting her.
Wahoo! Holly got her foot in the door!
Protective Beau best keep himself out of trouble.
Alex, you're a dirt bag!

[Kristen Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holly and the Bad Beau is the perfect little palate cleanser. It is a quick novella that is set around the holidays but the story is not focused on the holiday itself. There was a slow burn until the characters give in to their greater urges and then the spice comes flying at you. The characters are so sweet and relatable, it was a welcome change from some of the heavier books I regularly read.

My favorite part of the whole book:

"You're good for him. And he's bad for you."

4/5

[Annmarie Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5

ARC Review

Cute second chance spicy novella.

A rekindled romance, from childhood to adults, with the now good girl Holly Ward trying to resist the temptations of her resurfacing feelings for the now adult bad boy Beau Brooks Thorne.

With a little bit of spice, it was enough to turn up the heat on this short romance story with a Bad Santa trying to win back his beautiful good girl brunette after tragedy had separated them decades before.

While the back story is set around a Christmas event, and Beau being Santa I didn’t find this to be overwhelmed with the Christmas Theme but it was a great book to start off the holiday reading season.

This book would be the perfect palette cleanser between the horrors of Halloween season to bring you in to the joyous Christmas Season.

[Kristy R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naughty or Nice? Why not both?! Starting off my holiday season with this spicy novella about childhood crushes and second chances. Beau says Holly is “the one that got away” and Holly is worried about Beau’s bad boy rep. This story was so cozy and fun! A perfect beginning to the holiday season of reading. Will Beau be able to leave his bad boy behavior behind to be with his good girl Holly? One thing is sure, this winter romance will have you feeling nice and warm!

[Hazel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tragedy tore them apart but years later reunited the season brings them back together

Our fmc is a make up artist who is sweet, kind good girl whilst beau is the bad boy however i loved them both

Holly and the bad beau is a fun, spicy novella, although its not specifically centred around christmas you get the warm cozy chrismassy vibes, spice, emotion and heartfelt moments that are beautifully written

[Crista Sedlacek · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute second chance romance between Holly and Beau. Holly is the good girl and Beau is the bad boy getting a second change after years of not seeing each other.

This was short and sweet with some spice added in. Good little Christmas story if you want a quick cute read. Holly is the sweetest girl.

Highly reccommend if you are looking for a little 2 hour read!

[Jam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the cutest way to kick start the holiday season. Two childhood friends reuniting in the best way!

Holly was so sweet. Beau was definitely a bad boy trying to be good. Alex is a douche. They all get what they deserve in the end.

Such a cute novella. I think it was perfect, just enough! Perfect Christmas love story.

[Laura Welsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast and cute holiday read. It's a nice way to bring the holiday spirit. A second-chance love story between two people who lost touch after a tragedy in one of their lives.

I do hope to see this couple in one of her other stories.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kirsten Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very cute and fluffy second chance romance. I really loved the fmc with her stubbornness and making him fight for it. The slow burn in the book was so worth the wait. If you’re looking for a reformed bad boy second chance at love palette cleanser that will give you the feel goods this is it!

[Rukayya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was selected as an arc reader for this novella it was a sweet and spicy Christmas read so if you're craving a book during the holidays this one is just for you. A second chance romance, with a grumpy Santa, and a fmc that loves Christmas. Wish some things were more detailed but it's okay and when you find out why our grump is grumpy during this time of year your heart will break.

[Beth Tate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as an ARC. I thought it was a cute read and I loved the characters. My heart broke for Beau and Holly when they lost touch due to his parents passing and made me sad that it took Beau's love of Christmas away. However, I felt like sometimes the stories was lacking details. I often found myself going back thinking I missed something in the book

[Chloe Sanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

arc review🤍

i freaked with this heavily, i loved this so much, i can’t even describe my feeling about this, i loved beau and holly so much i thought they were very very cutesie wintry cozy. loved this so much.

[Francine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an arc copy of this spicy Christmas novella and really enjoyed it. It was a cute quick holiday read about Beau and Holly and a relationship that started 10 years ago. This books gives you holiday feels and spicy vibes!

[Pamela Hancharyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg this book! It’s a great read to start the Christmas season! It was such a fun short read. It took me a minute to get used to reading in third person and not a dual point of view but it was fantastic. Quick paced and spicy. It read like a smutty hallmark movie.
The only issue I had with the book were some of the time skips it made the book feel a little disjointed. I honestly wish this book was longer, a full novel over a novella. Beau is amazing, he was total book boyfriend material and Holly was just adorable. Honestly I will be recommending this book to all my friends.

[Alitazaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Ida Brady for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you love watching a Hallmark Christmas movie, you’ll love this book. Join Holly and Beau in this second-chance novella with warm and fuzzy feelings and a good dash of spice to get you into the Christmas spirit!

[Mandy Prather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short, Holiday second chance romance.

Holly and Beau we childhood sweetheart. Holly is a make-up artist and Beau is a a
Actor when they run into eachother again sparks fly.
athey are perfect together. They make each other better.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

*ARC READ*
Such a fun novella! The characters were well thought out and I really liked the history between Holly and Beau. I've read Ida's books before and I really like her writing style. Such a wholesome read!

[Nakia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think novellas just aren’t for me. I’m more of a slow burn girly so the idea of everything moving so fast when there was no buildup & they hadn’t interacted in like fifteen years was hard for me to get into. Also, I wanna know what Holly’s ex had done in those videos.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A quick holiday read. First time reading this author. Very fast paced. Cute second chance romance between childhood friends. The banter between Holly and Beau in the beginning had me laughing.