Peppermint Stick

by Cathryn Fox

After a Thanksgiving PR disaster went viral, I’m back in Snowberry Falls, Vermont, running the town’s Christmas festival—and praying it saves my career.

Then my ex shows up—parading his influencer fiancée—and I need a win. Fast.

Enter Penn Boston Bucks enforcer, tabloid magnet, and currently stranded without a room at the fully booked inn. I know his type. Loud, flashy, allergic to shirts…and the guy who punched mall Santa.

My solution? Team up. Fake a holiday romance. Nail the festival. Fix his image. Easy.

But the mistletoe buzzer won’t quit, and those pretend kisses? They feel way too real. And when my past comes back swinging, I have to figure out if Penn is the real deal…or just another mistake wrapped in peppermint sheets.

Genres: Romance, Holiday, Contemporary, Fiction, Sports

324 pages, Paperback

Published November 4, 2025

About the author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cathryn Fox is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, aunt and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and red wine. Cathryn lives in beautiful Nova Scotia with her husband, who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. When not writing, Cathryn can be found Skyping with her son living in Seattle (could he have moved any farther away?) shopping with her daughter in the city, watching a big action flick with her husband, or hanging out and laughing with friends.

Reviews

[Wendy Livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 10th book in this impressive series, and this is Penn and Jaylyn’s story.
Penn is the enforcer for the Boston Bucks, and he is a magnet for the tabloids, while Jayln is a PR specialist. Penn is currently suspended from the team, and Jaylyn heads home to redeem her reputation. Jaylyn needs to convince her ex she has moved on with her life, and she offers Penn a mutually beneficial proposition, that he help her convince her ex she has moved on, and she in return will fix his reputation.
This is a well written easy to read story, with family, friendships, emotions, friends / lovers, challenges, fake relationships, engaging and realistic secondary characters, undeniable chemistry, and love, which leads to an entertaining, sports romance.
I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.

[Dar · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was full of funs, puns, and redemption! These two gave a lot of laughs, and their pop culture references were off the charts 😊 Of course, the more they were around each other, the more they learned each others hearts, and suddenly, things weren’t so fake any more. You knew the crash was coming, but it still hurt. That only made the happy tears when they made up all the more special <3

[Sue Slade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eating a Peppermint Stick is good for you because of its ability to aid digestion and relieve pain. It freshens your breath and boosts immunity. Reading Peppermint Stick by Cathryn Fox is good for you because of its ability to elicit laughter with its many puns. Laughter reduces stress, boosts the immune system, relaxes muscles, and releases the "feel-good" chemicals like endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin. I’m no Doctor, but I believe reading Peppermint Stick this Christmas is a win/win situation for the physical, mental, and emotional benefits. With its happily ever after, it will help you bounce into the holiday spirit and encourage you to look at your mall Santa under a different light.

[Sandy S · Rating 4 out of 5]

PEPPERMINT STICK is the tenth instalment in Cathryn Fox’s contemporary, adult BOSTON BUCKS erotic, hockey romance series. This is Boston Bucks enforcer Penn Radford, and PR specialist Jaylyn Quinn’s story line. PEPPERMINT STICK can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Jaylyn and Penn) PEPPERMINT STICK follows with the return of Penn Radford and Jaylyn Quinn to Snowberry Falls, Vermont as Penn celebrates Christmas with his eccentric aunt .The proverbial no room at the inn finds Penn rooming with Christmas festivities and parade organizer Jaylyn Quinn, who needs a favor in the face of humiliation, a public relations disaster at her previous job, and facing down her ex boyfriend, the new mayor of Snowberry Falls. What ensues is a pretend relationship and engagement between Jaylyn and Penn but the jealousy expected becomes more than what Jaylyn bargained.

The world building focuses on the preparations for the town Christmas celebrations but Jaylyn’s past is determined to destroy the growing love between our story line couple. From sabotage to provocation, anything that can go wrong is threatening any chance at a happily ever after.

The relationship between Jaylyn and Penn is a friends to lovers; a fake engagement that quickly turns into something real.Jaylyn’s ex refuses to let go, determined to take back what doesn’t belong. Penn knows his ‘affair’ with Jaylyn is only for show but our hero is hoping for his own happily ever after. The $ex scenes are passionate and seductive without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large and diverse cast of secondary and supporting characters including Jaylyn’s extended and immediate family: Penn’s aunt Elaine, as well as Jaylyn’s ex Dylan and his fiancée Sloane.

PEPPERMINT STICK is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, jealousy and obsession, family and friendships, relationships and love. The character driven premise is lively and heartwarming ; the characters are animated and spirited; the romance is spicy and impassioned.

copy supplied for review

[Tim Covell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of sports romances in general, and especially hockey romances. Before I eventually got glasses, I had poor depth perception, so I was lousy at sports and developed a dislike of them, especially hockey, since hockey was a big thing in the small northern town I lived in as a child.

Still, the salacious title was enticing. While the hero is a hockey player, he's currently suspended and home for Christmas (to the extent he has a home). And this is more a Christmas romance than a sports romance. It hits all the expected notes for a Christmas romance.

Fox always delivers lots of humour and steamy romance, and this was no exception. By the end of the first chapter, our couple - long acquaintances - have not only agreed to a fake relationship but are also sharing the over-the-top Christmas-themed honeymoon suite of what is apparently the only motel in town. If that's not enough, the couple are later snowed in together. In addition, compared to other Fox books I've read, this had a stronger emotional/sentimental hit, perhaps due to the family/Christmas subplots. The subplot of the ex-boyfriend left me a tad uneasy, as some rather dark incidents are treated relatively lightly, but I suppose that's in keeping with the overall tone of the book.

This is a later book in a big series, but it reads fine as a stand alone.

[Marea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jaylyn Quinn needs help, serious help when she is trying to put together the town of Snowberry, Vermont’s Christmas celebrations. Not because of all the work that needs to be done, but because her ex is now the town Mayor and she may or may not have been humiliated at her last public relations job. There is a solution that presents itself unexpectedly when hottie hockey player Penn Radford comes back to town and has a couple of dilemmas on his own. They agree to be a pretend engaged couple but after a short period of time, they realize maybe they don’t need to fake it at all. Maybe what they have is the real deal and if all things work out right it could become a happily ever after. The problem is the ex, the pride, and maybe hitting 2 different Santa’s in front of kids.

This is the 10th book in the Boston Bucks hockey series by Cathryn Fox and like all the ones before it has you laughing at the jokes/puns sighing over the love, getting some dirty thoughts and so much more. It is the perfect book to read for the holiday season. It is a stand alone which is awesome and told in dual first person. I can’t wait to see who will be next in the series and what will happen to them.

Thanks to the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great, festive, holiday story with a hot hockey hunk and one amazing heroine! You will fall for Jaylynn and Penn so hard! 5 hot hockey holiday stars for this!
Jaylynn is back in Snowberry Falls, trying to redeem her reputation in PR, when she sees her ex, the one that broke her heart, Dylan, with his new fiance. The last thing she wants is to be alone, and when she spots hockey's bad boy Penn, who's currently suspended from the team, she makes a proposition to him, to help fix his reputation, if he makes her ex believe she's moved on. He agrees as he needs a place to stay, he can't stay at his aunts house because he's allergic to all her cats! Just the thought has him sneezing!
These two connect on another level! Their attraction is off the charts! From the elf in the peppermint room at the inn, to participating in the holiday fun in this small town, that he grew up in, but never felt a part of!
Cathryn did such a wonderful job writing their story, she literally tore my heart out, but kindly put it back together! I love these two so much, along with their family! Don't miss out on this great holiday story, grab it asap!

[Angels · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot is focused on Boston Bucks enforcer Penn Radford and PR specialist Jaylyn Quinn. The story follows their fake engagement turning into something real. The plot explores themes of betrayal, jealousy, secrets, and love in a heartwarming manner.
The characters are vibrant, and the romance is both spicy and heartfelt.

This is a friends-to-lovers romance that is filled with passionate scenes and characters with great chemistry. The couple's sexual encounter was fun and flirty, and hot! They made a beautiful couple.

The story also includes a diverse cast of characters, making it quite enjoyable and making things interesting. We love how Jay's family rallied around Penn in support, claiming him as family.

This was a cute and enjoyable holiday romance. We laughed throughout the entire story. The descrptions of the Inn where the couple stayed and the room they were in were comical.

We love a good plot filled with secrets, betrayal, jealousy, and love. This was a new author for us, and we are looking forward to more of her works to come. This was a nice holiday, we quite enjoyed it.

[Kari Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jaylynn finds herself in Snowberry Falls to help the town with its holiday celebrations and it is vital that everything goes well as her career depends on it. This situation is complicated by the fact that her ex happens to be the mayor so she offers Penn an arrangement where pretending to be a couple will give them both what they need.

Penn is a professional hockey player whose reputation is less than stellar. He has come to Snowberry Falls to spend the holidays with his family however finding a place to stay is proving difficult. When Jaylynn offers him a place to stay and a way to help with his reputation he is more than willing to pretend they are a couple even if the more time they spend together the more real it feels.

The banter is humorous, the emotion is heartfelt, the romance is enchanting even with the obstacles they faced and there is a great group of secondary characters who add to the story.

[Renee Entress · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 star

This is Jaylyn and Penn's story. When he comes to town to stay he finds out he has no place to stay, that is until Jaylyn offers him a place. She needs his help and for that help he can stay with her. He agrees and from then on the two of them are a couple. She needs to get the town celebration to go off without a hitch and he is just the one to help. Little crazy times to be had all around. Laugh out loud times follow them around. Can they turn a pretend relationship into something that just might last a lifetime? Or is this holiday pretend time all they will have together?

I recommend this book.

[Michele Del Rey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had so much fun reading this book. I could not get enough of this fake relationship romance. These two together were amazing, filled with Lol moments and chemistry that can melt anything and everything.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Peppermint Stick. It’s a fun, cute Christmas read that had me giggling at times. I’m definitely going to read more in this series.