Latke'd and Loaded

Matzo Ballers Hanukkah Romance #5

by Jessica Topper

Meet the OG Matzo Eight friends who became found family, living and loving their best lives on a yearly Hanukkah harbor cruise around Manhattan… She’s not her famous sister. He’s not her bodyguard. But their feelings? Genuine.

Smile, wave, fake it.

Tzipora Solokoff was once half of America’s favorite sitcom twins. But while her sister became known as Hollywood star Kara Koff, Tzipi chose a quieter life off-camera. Now Kara’s secret elopement leaves Tzipi posing as her twin on the annual Matzo Baller Hanukkah cruise—smile, wave, fake it for one night. Easy enough…until she meets the man she thinks is her bodyguard.

Until secrets start to unravel.

Jonah Klein has always been the dependable loyal friend, fixer, joker. But as his friends chase careers, marriages, and milestones, Jonah can’t shake the feeling he’s been left behind. Determined to turn things around, he boards this year’s cruise to finally thank Kara for helping him after his very public drunken faceplant last Hanukkah. Instead, he finds himself drawn into her orbit again—only something doesn’t quite add up.

Eight hours. Two mistaken identities. One very real connection.

With holiday hijinks, hidden truths, and sparks flying on deck, Tzipi and Jonah must team up to keep her sister’s reputation afloat…without sinking their own hearts in the process.


Latke’d and Loaded is Book #5 in the Matzo Ballers Hanukkah Romance a mistaken-identity, twin-switch, accidental-bodyguard rom-com filled with hijinks, heart, and holiday heat.

266 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 2, 2025

About the author

Rock. Write. Repeat.

Jessica Topper broke the rock romance mold with her 2013 debut novel LOUDER THAN LOVE. Her follow-up romantic comedy, DICTATORSHIP OF THE DRESS, was named one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2015.

After working almost two decades in the music industry, Jessica hung up her touring boots in order to concentrate on her writing. She lives in Western New York with two cats who love to walk across her keyboard, a teenage writer girl and a husband who wishes to remain anonymous. You can visit her at www.jessicatopper.com.

Jessica is the author of two series:

LOVE & STEEL
(Louder Than Love, Deeper Than Dreams, Softer Than Steel – NEW EDITIONS COMING SOON)

MUCH “I DO” ABOUT NOTHING
(Dictatorship of the Dress – January 2015, Courtship of the Cake – June 2015) from Berkley/Penguin RandomHouse.

Reviews

[Courtney Shapiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was cute! I loved the development of Jonah and Tzipora's relationship and how they were both hiding their true identities. It added a layer of intrigue that made me want to keep reading. I also love seeing the other Matzo Ballers characters and their newfound relationships. It was also nice to see him get his happy ending, especially since it was known that he was the perpetually single friend. What's great about this series is that all the characters are Jewish. The Hanukkah celebration is one of a kind, and I enjoyed the various traditions throughout the book, such as lighting the Menorah, decorating dreidel cookies, and so much more. Overall, these books truly bring Hanukkah joy, and I'm excited to see what will happen next year with the last two installments! I did think the writing was a bit off at points, and I really needed a character list to keep up with everyone, but still a fun holiday read!

[Ellice Lezhak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this may be my favorite of the series so far!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed both books in the Matzo Ballers series this year. While Challah-day Fling was more on the spicy side, Latke'd and Loaded had a fun premise that gave off Parent Trap vibes and included a huge misunderstanding. There wasn't as much of an open-door feel, but there was definitely some off-the-charts chemistry going on!

Jonah feels aimless and questions if he is good at anything. While aboard the Matzo Baller cruise, he's dressed to impress, which fools Tzipi Solokoff, who is pretending to be her twin sister, famous actress Kara Koff, for the evening. A lot of Hanukkah hijinks come from it, including some complications for Tzipi and Jonah.

I like how kashrut (Kosher laws) played into this story and felt it was a good and entertaining way to educate people about it. I also liked that most of the story took place during the cruise so we got to see more of the action beyond what we saw in Challah-day Fling. It was also interesting to learn how much the new assistant truly messed up, as it was alluded to in the other book.

Overall, a great story with some fun twists and a nice feeling of beshert.

While both books can be read as standalones, they are both delightful additions to the series. I already can't wait for the next (and, sadly, last) two books in the series next year!

Movie casting suggestions:
Jonah: Alden Ehrenreich

Tzipi/Kara: Dianna Agron

[Slick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited when Latke’d and Loaded by Jessica Topper hit my Kindle and I couldn’t wait to dive in. If you haven’t started the Matzo Baller series, the anthology of the first 4 books is available now (12/5/25) on Kindle Unlimited! Since this series began, I was hooked and I thought Ms. Topper’s offering last year would be my favorite because it featured a rock star hero (totally a fav of mine), BUT she pulled out the big guns and this year wrote a good guy/Cinnamon Roll hero, and I was gone. The thing is in the previous books Jonah was kind of a goof ball and yes, he was always willing to help his friends and be there for them when they needed them, but wow oh wow when he meets Tzipi we really see his personality shine. Crazy thing is they both have assumed different identities; Tzipi helping out her A list actress sister and Jonah acting as her body guard when he realizes hers is missing. Needless to say this book is a comedy of errors, but even with all of that these two fell hard and fast and I loved watching it happen. It wasn’t completely easy especially when the truth came out, but oh my gosh the heat between these two and the fact neither one could deny the intensity of their feelings or the fact they both were compelled to help someone in need helped them overlook the situation they both got caught up in.

Another joyful and engaging holiday story from an author who always manages to write complex characters and compelling stories as two people fall in love, Latke’d and Loaded was amazing!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. I picture Seth Rogen as Jonah Klein, part of the OG Year Course. and twins? Tziporah is Kara's twin who was on the TV show with her as children. now Tzipi runs a non-profit in L.A., but Kara needs her twin to play switcheroo so she can elope and Tzipi, who lost her fiance, can enjoy the ball.

I love the classic misunderstanding trope. Jonah thinks it's Kara, and Tzipi thinks he's her sister's bodyguard. I laughed a lot and enjoyed this installment.