Holiday Love: A spicy best friend's brother, fake dating romance.

by Melissa Dymond

363 pages, Paperback

Published November 3, 2025

About the author

Melissa Dymond is a mom, doctor, and bestselling author. When she’s not working, you can find her drinking an iced white chocolate mocha while voraciously reading, scrolling social media, or planning her family’s next Disney vacation.

Always surrounded by boys, Melissa lives with her doctor husband, three amazing sons, and her adorable Siberian husky Buddy.

Reviews

[Cathy Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nope I am so sorry but I just can't do this, I wasn't ready for this book to end that is for sure!! Why can't I do this? Because I freaking loved it so so much!!!

Thank you so much to Mellisa Dymond (aka Lexi Davis) which I am a part of her awesome street team which I love so much, NetGalley & Victory Editing.

This book was the perfect choice for a christmas season read, and also fitted into my book club categories for December which was even a better bonus. If you are New Zealand or Australian and reading this come and join us on Facebook at "Embers & Ink Book Club" you'll love our team, we love a good banter as well as spamming the chat with our animals.

This book was all sorts of amazing, perfect and easy read. The banter was more than enough to keep you hooked, and there was so many laughs throughout reading including my other half thinking I went nuts LOL.

The characters are awesome and they fit so perfectly together, and they are what made this book a good read. The slow burn plot was something that really worked well within the story, and their fake relationship to real relationship was what made me question myself at the start when I tried to work out myself what might happen.

If you are after a good read for a christmas story then this one here is for you, Mellisa will have you hooked and you'll be unable to put down this book while your reading it as you will want to gobble it all up faster than you expect.

If you haven't already I recommend you look at Mellisa Dymonds other novels, as well as the novels that are published under Lexi Davis. You will sit there going to yourself thinking why have I not read these already, her stories reel you in, they're unputdownable and they hook line and sinker you.

Thank you again for giving me the chance to read this Mellisa and I am so grateful that I am a part of your team. I cannot wait to see what you bring me to read in 2026 that is for sure.

[Jane litherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

ith Teddy and Helen I was in heaven reading this ,it’s absolute bliss! It’s by Melissa Dymond so of course it is. I read the spicy and boy it’s got the game ,hot dang. Helen Chu has not had the best experience of Christmas of late . Last thing on her mind is an holiday date mate. That is all about to change in the hottest ,sweetest most heartfelt way . Hang onto your Christmas palm tree because this is a tropical paradise book full of sand surf and palm trees including one decked out with twinkling lights to make things bright . Teddy Wright ,her best friend’s brother turns up in ICU ,she knows what to do and sets too after a surfing accident sees him pulls him under and he does plunder to sudden death hasn’t got a breath. Nor has she when she discovers who he is. …Having being the bearer of not good news she knows what she must do for her friend you understand. Long story short Teddy moves in and things are looking dicy at her work. She overstepped the boundaries but had she not he wouldn’t have made it . That’s how she played it and she do it again but it’s not helping matters in the meantime..Teddy worms his way into her heart and he really is a sweetheart ,just misunderstood. It’s all Helen’s mom is fault really it is having found him at her daughter’s abode ,what else would she think any-road? Overbearing mother spells fake lover? Not for long with the chemistry and all ,it’s sweet and hot . Has it all. To say this book is fantastic ,I’d be underselling . It’s first rate and ever so compelling a read. It’s a Melissa Dymond story that hits as it should . It’s mighty and it’s a good storyline. Divine and succinct with awesome characters and descriptions ,fun ,laughter and romance is on the cards this Christmas time and this story? SUBLIME 💋

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A year after Helen and Teddy have a one-night stand. Teddy comes into the hospital Helen works at. She literally saves his life. Helen then calls and tells her best friend, who is over whelmed with her own life. That she will help Teddy so she doesn’t have to. When Helen realizes that Teddy will not be able to maneuver the stairs to his house. She tells him that he will have to stay with her for 2 months. Then she gets suspended from her job. They then start to spend all their time with each other. And then her mom mistakes Teddy for her boyfriend. So, they fake date. Which doesn’t really feel like fake dating for either of them.
Loved it! Love how they connect right from the start. How they are completely different from each. But complement each other. How they encourage each other. There are a lot of misunderstandings between them. But they eventually talk it out. I really liked how the story would have flash backs to the night they spent together. Add in all the Holiday moments, was a bonus to the story!! I highly recommend their story!

[Melli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 overall
5/5 ER moments
3/5 plot
4/5 characters

This is a holiday rom-com, and also my very first ARC read from NetGalley, which made the experience extra fun and meaningful for me.

The story follows an ER doctor and a surfer/party boy who reconnect after a one night stand from a year earlier. While it definitely brings the holiday charm, it does not shy away from heavier themes such as cancer and the loss of a family member. I really appreciated that Dr. Dymond clearly shared those triggers at the beginning of the book.

The banter between the characters was one of my favorite parts, along with their personal growth. I did not read the two books that come before this one, but I never felt completely lost. Any returning characters were well introduced with enough backstory to follow along comfortably.

Overall, this was a touching and emotional holiday read with heart, humor, and just enough depth to balance the romance.

[rosesreadsromance · Rating 5 out of 5]

🏖️That feels good, right there🎄

She’s older, responsible, and firmly established in her career as a respected doctor. Her life is organized and carefully planned. An introvert at heart, she finds it hard to make new friends… but with him, everything suddenly feels easier, lighter, sweeter.
He’s younger, impossibly handsome, a playboy who spends his days surfing and his nights partying, trying to drown out the dissatisfaction and sense of being lost that follows him everywhere.
Can one night together turn into something more?
Or will the differences between them prove too big, too impossible to overcome?
This book is perfect for fans of age-gap romance, opposites-attract tension, sizzling chemistry, and holiday magic, this story delivers heart, heat, and humor in one irresistible package.

[Theresa Styles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love Spicy Melissa books lol, the way she writes her characters definitely grasps my attention and makes me hold on to the story. Helen & Teddy have a wild ride after a one stand when they meet agian after he has a surfing accident that lands him in the hospital that Helen works in, then with his recovery she suggests him staying with her, and then her sick mom thinking their dating they decided to fake date which then leads to smoldering looks, fake feelings that actually aren't fake at all and a moment under the mistletoe leads to more than just a kiss and after time things no longer are fake and become real and being with someone you least expected.

[Emily Harmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - 4⭐ 1.5🌶️ Holiday Love a Best friends brother fake dating romance
Dr. Helen Chu and Teddy Wright meet at Teddy's sisters wedding on Christmas day where they have a one night stand. A year later Teddy is in Dr. Chu hospital. This is a slow burn romance with a lot of misunderstanding. It is a nice short read. It isn't that Christmastimy but does involve the couple going to holiday events but it is not the main story.

- Christmas
- second chance
- fake dating
- best friends brother
- forbidden romance
- slow burm

[Yasmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you read Holiday Wedding, you might remember Teddy and Helen. Teddy is Gwen’s younger brother and completely lost. He is unsure of what he wants in life and he spends his time partying and drinking with friends. Helen, on the other hand, is his total opposite, driven and focused solely on her work and career in the ER. This book dives into some heavy topics, including grief and cancer, and shows how it affects each family member in very different ways.

When Teddy nearly drowns and Helen facing serious consequences saving him, both can no longer hide from their past and their emotions or bury themselves in work and parties. The both are forced to confront the choices they’ve made and figure out what comes next. Teddy realizes he needs to stop parting and find his passion, even if it means putting in hard work. Helen comes to understand that she can’t always hide her feelings and she must allow herself to focus more on herself and what she want.

Together, they are just perfect for each other. I absolutely loved reading this book.

[Andrea Humphries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just imperfect me and someone worth running toward, even if I stumble getting there." Such a cute and emotional read, perfect for the holiday season