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The Hookup: A steamy strangers-to-lovers romance novella!
One night. Two strangers. A Christmas dare that changes everything…
Benjamin Knight has it all – a glittering career as a Formula One driver, a killer smile, and enough Christmas cheer to light up all of London. But when his holiday plans fall through, he finds himself alone in a hotel bar ready to soak up the festive atmosphere.
Then he meets Maddie. Cynical, stranded in London, and unimpressed by twinkle lights, Christmas music and Benjamin’s festive cheer.
She hates Christmas. He practically lives for it. But after a few drinks, shared laughs, and a cheeky dare, sparks start to fly. It’s just for one night. They’re strangers with no strings or promises, unless…
A fun, flirty, and heartwarming holiday novella for fans of grumpy-sunshine pairings, strangers-to-lovers, and a little Christmas magic.
One night. Two strangers. One unforgettable Christmas.
Benjamin Knight has it all – a glittering career as a Formula One driver, a killer smile, and enough Christmas cheer to light up all of London. But when his holiday plans fall through, he finds himself alone in a hotel bar ready to soak up the festive atmosphere.
Then he meets Maddie. Cynical, stranded in London, and unimpressed by twinkle lights, Christmas music and Benjamin’s festive cheer.
She hates Christmas. He practically lives for it. But after a few drinks, shared laughs, and a cheeky dare, sparks start to fly. It’s just for one night. They’re strangers with no strings or promises, unless…
A fun, flirty, and heartwarming holiday novella for fans of grumpy-sunshine pairings, strangers-to-lovers, and a little Christmas magic.
One night. Two strangers. One unforgettable Christmas.
84 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 21, 2025
4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 21, 2025
Ok so I LOVED this!!! What a fun, quick Christmas read!! Holly I need you to erite a full book on these two IMMEDIATELY! I need to know if Benjamin gets his lucky sock back and I just overall need to know that their story isn't over.
January 4, 2026
It felt like a natural next step to follow up The Rivals with its accompanying novella, The Hookup, and I’m genuinely glad I did. The Hookup introduces us to Benjamin Knight and Maddie Lawrence, whose story begins with an unexpected meeting on Christmas Eve Eve in a London hotel - a simple premise that quickly proves to be far more engaging than it first appears.
One of the standout elements of this novella is the clear development in the author’s writing style. The shift away from the overly “tell-heavy” chapter openings seen previously, in favour of alternating points of view, works incredibly well here. The dual POVs feel purposeful and balanced, giving both characters their own voice while allowing the relationship to develop naturally. As a result, the pacing feels smoother and the overall flow of the story is much more enjoyable.
Because The Hookup serves as a bridge rather than a full conclusion, it’s difficult to offer a completely rounded review. Maddie and Ben’s journey is clearly far from over, with a full-length novel still to come, and this novella functions more as a teaser than a resolution. That said, it does exactly what it needs to do: it builds intrigue, establishes strong character foundations, and leaves you eager for what’s next.
I’m very much looking forward to seeing how Maddie and Ben’s story unfolds, as well as diving into the next instalment of The Finish Line series - which appears to be turning its focus to James. If The Hookup is anything to go by, there’s plenty to be excited about.
One of the standout elements of this novella is the clear development in the author’s writing style. The shift away from the overly “tell-heavy” chapter openings seen previously, in favour of alternating points of view, works incredibly well here. The dual POVs feel purposeful and balanced, giving both characters their own voice while allowing the relationship to develop naturally. As a result, the pacing feels smoother and the overall flow of the story is much more enjoyable.
Because The Hookup serves as a bridge rather than a full conclusion, it’s difficult to offer a completely rounded review. Maddie and Ben’s journey is clearly far from over, with a full-length novel still to come, and this novella functions more as a teaser than a resolution. That said, it does exactly what it needs to do: it builds intrigue, establishes strong character foundations, and leaves you eager for what’s next.
I’m very much looking forward to seeing how Maddie and Ben’s story unfolds, as well as diving into the next instalment of The Finish Line series - which appears to be turning its focus to James. If The Hookup is anything to go by, there’s plenty to be excited about.
December 2, 2025
Maddie: You have to promise not to tell anyone about our hookup.
Benjamin: I promise, Maddie. No one will find out.
4.25⭐️
The Hookup is a novella in The Finish Line series which follows Maddie and Benjamin who are both making their way home for Christmas, they both end up stuck in London for one night and meet each other at the hotel bar. This was great quick read, very cosy, charming and hot! I love how much feeling and connection was squeezed into less than 100 pages, I could feel the chemistry between the two main characters and love interests, and the spice was super sexy! The grumpy X sunshine storyline was funny, Maddie being more bah humbug about Christmas but slowly opening up as she got comfortable and tipsy with golden retreiver-esque Benjamin was very sweet, their little games with each other were entertaining and I definitely want a longer book with the two of them. I loved the cliffhanger type ending of this novella too, it really left me wanting more! If you love romance and F1 then this series is for you!
Benjamin: I promise, Maddie. No one will find out.
4.25⭐️
The Hookup is a novella in The Finish Line series which follows Maddie and Benjamin who are both making their way home for Christmas, they both end up stuck in London for one night and meet each other at the hotel bar. This was great quick read, very cosy, charming and hot! I love how much feeling and connection was squeezed into less than 100 pages, I could feel the chemistry between the two main characters and love interests, and the spice was super sexy! The grumpy X sunshine storyline was funny, Maddie being more bah humbug about Christmas but slowly opening up as she got comfortable and tipsy with golden retreiver-esque Benjamin was very sweet, their little games with each other were entertaining and I definitely want a longer book with the two of them. I loved the cliffhanger type ending of this novella too, it really left me wanting more! If you love romance and F1 then this series is for you!
November 20, 2025
▫️MF
▫️Strangers to lovers
▫️One night stand
▫️Formula 1 star
▫️Christmas novella
▫️Drunk game of dares
▫️No HEA
Thank you, Holly, for allowing me the opportunity to beta read this. It was incredibly sweet and fun, and I can’t wait for others to read it too.
The MCs were easily likable and their chemistry grew very naturally. Benjamin was such an interesting character and I would love to learn more about him. I loved how he squashed Maddie’s hatred of Christmas with a fun game of dares and drinking alcohol.
The tension in the book was perfect. The looks, the innocent touches, and then finally the not innocent touches. Holly did amazing with the spice scenes, they were fire.
I am so excited for more from this world and hope to see more of Benjamin and Maddie.
▫️Strangers to lovers
▫️One night stand
▫️Formula 1 star
▫️Christmas novella
▫️Drunk game of dares
▫️No HEA
Thank you, Holly, for allowing me the opportunity to beta read this. It was incredibly sweet and fun, and I can’t wait for others to read it too.
The MCs were easily likable and their chemistry grew very naturally. Benjamin was such an interesting character and I would love to learn more about him. I loved how he squashed Maddie’s hatred of Christmas with a fun game of dares and drinking alcohol.
The tension in the book was perfect. The looks, the innocent touches, and then finally the not innocent touches. Holly did amazing with the spice scenes, they were fire.
I am so excited for more from this world and hope to see more of Benjamin and Maddie.
November 22, 2025
Perfect Christmas novella! It was fast paced but I got to know and like Benjamin and Maddie quickly! I like how charming Benjamin is but it wasn’t a facade and he let his walls down with Maddie! His easy charm encouraged Maddie to open up and Maddies fun nature helped Benjamin let his hair down. They had great chemistry! It ends if a cliffhanger and I really hope we get more of their story as a full book or interspersed in the rest of the series! A great Christmas read by Holly Rose!
December 3, 2025
I just finished this!
It was cute, but Holly, you can’t just stop a book right as it starts getting interesting!😭
It was cute, but Holly, you can’t just stop a book right as it starts getting interesting!😭
December 29, 2025
Oh, I absolutely need more of this duo! This was so fun!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews