Eli Winters wasn’t expecting romance to strike between aisles of lumber and LED reindeer. He’s just home for the Thanksgiving weekend, helping his sister with her bakery and trying not to drown in the town’s over-the-top Christmas cheer. Then, in Home Depot’s lighting section, a handsome stranger grabs his hand and says, “My ex just walked in—please, play along.”
Before Eli can protest, they’re strolling past garlands and wreaths like the world’s most domestic couple. It’s not until the stranger disappears that Eli realizes: there was no ex. Just the most ridiculous—and effective—pickup line ever.
Noah Carter didn’t plan to lie. He’s the town’s perpetually cheerful event coordinator, always smiling, always “fine.” But the truth is, the holidays have felt hollow for a long time. One impulsive moment in a hardware store changes everything.
When Eli’s sister ‘volunteers’ him to help Noah organize the Christmas Festival, sparks turn into something deeper. Amid tangled lights, late-night cocoa, and small-town gossip, Eli and Noah discover that sometimes the best love stories start with a little pretending.
Because when it’s Christmas—and your heart’s finally ready—you don’t just hold someone’s hand. You hold on.
K.C. Wells lives on an island off the south coast of the UK, surrounded by natural beauty. She writes about men who love men, and can’t even contemplate a life that doesn’t include writing. The rainbow rose tattoo on her back with the words 'Love is Love' and 'Love Wins' is her way of hoisting a flag. She plans to be writing about men in love - be it sweet and slow, hot or kinky - for a long while to come.
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Hold My Hand, It’s Christmas by K.C. Wells is a MM, holiday romance that melted my heart. It’s like a Hallmark movie with steam! This book was so sweet and swoony. And the small town setting was so lovely! I would love to go to some of their holiday events. Read on to meet the two wonderful main characters.
Eli Winters is thirty two years old and is a graphic designer. He grew up in the tiny town of Mapleford, Maine but when he left for college in Boston thirteen years ago, he never came back. Now, after thirteen years, he’s back to help his sister, Aileen, with her bakery, The Merry Crumb. He’s only planning to stay for the Thanksgiving weekend.
Noah Carter is thirty four years old. He is a talented carpenter and also, he is in charge of all of the Christmas decorating around town.
Both of these men have been hurt before. For Noah, living in a small town, the residents pretty much witnessed it all and are constantly watching, hoping he’s okay, hoping he’ll date again. Never did he think that a trip to Home Depot and a little white lie would be what changed his life. He saw him standing in the Christmas lights section and couldn’t resist, grabbing his hand and telling him his ex just walked in, asking him to play along. Best pick up line, ever.
Eli’s sister convinces him she needs him for the whole month of December. She’s having a staffing shortage and desperately needs him. So Eli agrees to stay. When that same sister pushes him into helping Noah decorate the town up for Christmas, he also agrees. Because who could resist the adorable man who grabbed his hand in Home Depot?!
Amidst hundreds of strings of holiday lights, garland and wreaths, Eli and Noah fall for each other. Both are scared, but both can feel that this just might be something special. Eli knows his time in Maplewood is temporary. But being there with his sister, with the quirky town residents, and with Noah, makes him wonder, could it be time to come home for good?
This really was one of my top holiday books of the season. This is a new to me author but rest assured that there will be more. I adored both Noah and Eli. There was so much yearning. I have to mention the gorgeous cover as well. I could have picked this up just from that. This was a wonderful book and I’m so glad I picked it up!
The good: a nice fluffy romance set in the few weeks before Christmas in a sleepy Northeastern town with lots of snow and lots of cold, featuring two 30ish old men who've been burned before. Yay for books that feature older, somewhat more mature people. Also, the meet-cute? Loved that.
The not so good: the meddling towns people. OMG, they annoyed me. I'm sure this was meant to be sweet, and make it feel like a small town where everyone knows everyone else and all their business, but good grief, talk about overdoing it.
The ridiculous: A public marriage proposal just a few weeks into meeting (I know they went to the same school, but didn't interact, and an unrequited crush does not a romance make), and a couple of weeks into dating? Yeah, no. Talk about rushing into things.
Also, PSA for those of you who need on-page shmexy times? This hints but isn't explict. Fine by me, but not everyone feels that way.
Overall, fluffy, marshmallowy romance set at Christmas with likable MCs and a whole town of busybodies who need lives of their own.
What a perfectly beautiful Christmas story. This was just the right feel for Christmas. I loved K. C.’s Maine men stories and this book had that same feeling.
If you’re here for the fluff and Hallmark-y vibes, you’ve come to the right place. I’m not normally one to seek out holiday romances, but given the inspiration for the story I knew I had to check this one out.
Eli and Noah are both so sweet that you can’t help but cheer them on. I loved them both, but I was particularly drawn to Noah…even if I myself am not the type to go all out for the holidays on any grand scale. The way he is written with his past relationship and the way the whole town has pretty much become protective of him and wants to see him happy is one of those things that just gives you the warm fuzzies.
Are the townspeople a bit much? Maybe a little, yes. Eli’s sister is just a tiny bit overbearing for me as well. These are the types of things that usually have me avoiding holiday romances, but in this case my need for the sweet happily ever after once I got to know Eli and Noah helped temper the roll-my-eyes moments.
Hold My Hand, It’s Christmas was a 4-star read for me. I did think Eli and Noah’s relationship went pretty fast at the end (though sometimes when you know, you know and that’s okay too), and the last twenty percent or so felt drawn out, but overall this is still a great read that put a smile on my face, sappiness and all.
This story screams Hallmark Holiday Romance. Small town busy body vibes, the magic of the holidays.
Eli goes back to his hometown to help his sister for Thanksgiving. She begs him to stay and help her through the holidays (actually she kind of bullies him into it the way older siblings do). While getting supplies at the hardware store, a handsome man grabs his hand and asks him to play along.
This starts the beginning of a whirlwind relationship. Turns out, that handsome man is the same guy Eli drew in high school and might have had a tiny crush on. Noah is still nursing his heart that was broken when his ex said he wanted more and left town. Eli and Noah spend time together decorating the town for the winter festival. They get snowed in and things heat up between them.
I loved the sweetness, the low angst of the story and the annoyingly nosy townsfolk. I would have rated it a little higher but I kind of wanted a little more of their relationship after their HFN.
***** POV… third person
Standalone or series… standalone (or book 1 in series)
Eli is new in the small town, but was raised there and left to work in Boston Noah was born and raised here. Eli was staying temporarily to help his sister. We get to see the build up of feelings and sexy times. ENJOY !
I enjoyed reading it, because fluffy christmas romance was what I needed, but still it was a bit too cheesy and too rushed like the marriage proposal at the end. The book would have been cute and better without it
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Eli and Noah's meet cute was so adorable. I liked the idea that Noah was forward enough to fake a situation just to flirt with Eli. Eli's conversation with his sister was also pretty well done imo, characterizing both of them and their dynamic without feeling too explicit. I was less of a fan when Noah's chapter basically did the same thing with him and Elsie since it felt like a copy-paste job from Eli's chapter. Also, that chapter showing us that Noah was actually nervous about "reading too much into things" felt very incongruous with the Noah who'd confidently flirted with Eli at the hardware store. How do you go from "I'm willing to fake an emergency to hold Eli's hand" to "I'm nervous when Noah shows up to help" and being generally timid throughout? I needed a bit more to reconcile these two disparate personas.
Ok, Eli and Noah had their fingers/elbows brush WAY too many times (especially in chapter seven where I counted at least 7 occurrences). I get out was supposed to be cute and romantic, but I can only read "their fingers brushed" so many times before it gets ridiculous.
What was the deal with the fire chief and doctor? Seemed so incredibly random for each of them to get an entire scene to just themselves when it wasn't clear how they was going to be relevant to the story. I assume it's set up for other books, but it happened way too early. That stuff should be saved for an epilogue.
I had to call it when I found myself skimming. The start was decent with Noah being super forward and confident, but I just got really annoyed at how timid he ended up being after that meet-cute. Both Eli and Noah being "omg, idk if he likes me and idk if I'm ready for a romance" got on my nerves (if only one of them had done it, it probably wouldn't have been so bad). That plus the instalove, lack of conflict, and general repetitiveness. Eli and Noah's chapters basically felt like they were the same thing repeated with different characters and settings: - They'd spend time together, worrying about the attraction they were feeling and if it was reciprocated (which was dumb considering how they'd already established a base attraction through the meet-cute". - They go talk to a confidant (Aileen for Eli, Elsie/other friends for Noah) to debrief. - Eli/Noah would deny attraction, the confidant would deny the denial and tell them to go for it and how happy they were for them. - Rinse and repeat.
TL;DR: Good start that ends up becoming just instalovey fluff.
I really liked how there was this invisible string connecting them together and how there wasn't any real angst on them getting together. As someone who enjoys instant connections/insta love this felt like it was gonna be right up my alley with them meeting and immediately feeling a pull and wanting to be with each other but in the end I ended up loving the idea of them and their personalities more than the actual story that brings them together.
It was a weird template of MCs meet in one chapter and have some one-line or one-word banter and the next chapter is one of the MCs discussing their connection with a side character. Rinse and repeat. I couldn't really get over how they didn't really spend much time together before they were kinda speaking like they knew eachother well. 😵💫
And yes I did say I enjoy insta-love but it needs to be done right. Instant tunnel vision to getting together is great. Instantly thinking you know person's integrity without spending much time with them doesn't make sense to me. 🤷♀️
But the weirdest part to me was..
So, I loved the tender moments and I loved the idea of a tender relationship between them but pretty much everything else was a miss for me. 🙈
A wonderful romantic Christmas story about two lonely men who have been left by their partners at Christmas taking the joy out of the event.
Eli had left the small town of Mapleford after college and settled in Boston as a graphic designer. His business was suffering, he was losing clients and it was all down to AI. He had always felt that he didn’t fit in a town where everybody knew everyone else, where everyone meddled and there were no secrets.
Noah has lived in the town his whole life but when he was left heartbroken one Christmas it seemed the whole town knew and even though they were supportive he felt he lived his life in the spotlight.
Eli came home for Thanksgiving but his very persuasive sister talked him into staying until the new year to help her in her very busy bakery. She sent him to the hardware store for Christmas lights when someone whispered in his ear “please hold my hand, my ex has just walked in”. As pickup lines go it was different and when Eli realised there was no ex in the store he saw the funny side, and he did hold Noah’s hand. He also had a strange feeling that he knew Noah.
As soon as Noah had seen Eli in the store he couldn’t help doing something so out of character.
Thanks to Eli’s sister’s meddling they found they were spending more time together as Noah roped Eli into setting up the towns Christmas festival involving lots of ladders and millions of lights and all the while they were developing feelings.
Eli Winters returns home for Thanksgiving, expecting only family obligations and small-town holiday chaos. Instead, a chance encounter in Home Depot’s lighting aisle changes everything: Noah Carter, the town’s cheerful event coordinator, grabs Eli’s hand with a fake excuse about an ex—only to reveal later it was a bold pickup line. Drawn together by Eli’s sister’s “volunteering” and the town’s Christmas Festival, their playful spark deepens into a genuine connection. Amid tangled lights, cocoa-fueled nights, and gossip swirling through the community, Eli and Noah discover that sometimes love begins with pretending—and grows into something worth holding onto.
I loved this story, which contrasted external festivity with internal hollowness, highlighting how holidays can magnify both joy and isolation. I loved how their romance embodies the idea that love arrives when the heart is finally ready, even if the timing seems absurd. I loved that the setting — aisles of lumber, LED reindeer, tangled lights — grounded the romance in everyday life. Also, by turning mundane spaces into sites of transformation, the story suggested that love doesn’t need grand gestures; it thrives in small, ordinary moments. The “best pickup line ever” symbolised how humour and spontaneity can spark lasting change. Easy to read, feel and understand. This was an MM story with mature content.
This book was the result of a meme going around with same summary with someone requesting it be written because it didn't exist. Thank you K.C. for this wonderful mushy swoon melting my heart with so much warmth romance. You knocked it out of the park.
Eli is in hardware store when he's approached by a guy saying he needs him to hold his hand because his ex just walked in. Eli agrees to do it and it was so sweet.
Noah thought Eli was cute and couldn't resist so he asked. Its best pick up line for sure. Its also the start of a healing hearts Christmas that the two of them desperately need because of past relationships leaving them broken hearted. Plus Eli always feeling like he didn't belong which was why he'd left for Boston years ago.
The Christmas cheer and fun in this was what I needed and I loved watching them fall for each other and heal. The white out walk in snow was epic turning point. If yah read you know and the ending with what Noah does was a puddle of goo.
The romance sweet and some spice too. Loved Eli sister and Noah's friends. I can't wait for next year book cause want the characters introduced to get a book. Hoping for Liam and Mark have one and then the new fire chief.
Hold My Hand, It’s Christmas has about as much angst as a perfectly prepared picnic—one you didn’t have to plan—in the most idyllic location your imagination can come up with. You’re there with the man/woman of your dreams, and they are everything you ever hoped they’d be. There is absolutely no tension, miscommunication, or misunderstandings between Eli and Noah. They both experience a little self-doubt, but I don’t think there’s a single human being alive who doesn’t have a twinge or two of self-doubt when first meeting someone. I refuse to call that angst, especially since neither of them lets it keep the completely besotted looks off their faces when they glance at each other. This is the most angst-free romance book I’ve ever read, and because it’s a Christmas book, I’m absolutely here for it.
This was instalove on steroids, a trope that—when done wrong—can leave you with incredulous thoughts floating through your mind as you read the most ridiculous nonsense ever put on paper. But when done right, when written by an author who knows exactly what they’re doing, it feels like a perfect spring day, lying on the fluffiest blanket ever woven, stretched out beneath an old apple tree. The branches form a canopy that blocks just the right amount of sunshine as you stare up at puffy white clouds, picking out the ones that look like bunny rabbits and puppies. In other words, when instalove is written right, it leaves you with the happiest feeling in the world, and you buy into every single word and glance the two MCs exchange. Hold My Hand, It’s Christmas is a perfect example of this, a story that leaves you believing in love at first sight, soul mates, and the magic of Christmas.
This is a cute Christmas story with small town feeling and meddling secondary characters.
Eli plans to come for Thanksgiving but stays on. Disappointment about his life and job is sucking all joy out of his life. You can feel his resignation, his reluctance about Christmas. Dragged into helping by his medding sister, he manages to be dragged into the best or worst chat up line - holding hands to avoid a non-existing ex.
Noah couldn't help but coming up with a little white lie to get the guy at Home Depot to hold his hand. He is so lonely and all his trouble took center stage in the town and everyone knows everything about it. I wanted to hug him and not let go until he smiles again.
These two have a serious case of insta-lust and insta-love. It all moves very quick but it's a Christmas romance so some reality can wait until afterwards. I love how both air their respective fears, concerns and hopes to others.
I hope we see the town again, there are some characters I know want to know more.
What started out as two men in a hardware store, a fake ex, a witty, spontaneous line of “Oh shit, my ex is here, will you hold my hand,” ended up being a Christmas love story perfect for the Hallmark Channel. Fake boyfriends in hardware stores, warm baked goods, hanging the town Christmas lights led to sex by a roaring fire, old sketchbooks of a fifteen year old gay boy drawing a picture of the senior heartthrob who ends up becoming his husband. Eli and Noah, two guys who thought they found love but both found heartbreak end up falling for each other. What starts as a simple line, “will you hold my hand” turned into love and a lifetime of hold each other. My only question is why was the hot fire chief introduced…. I swear I thought he was gonna steal Noah away. Fire chief can go put out someone else’s fire. The fire between Noah and Eli raged on, both figuratively and physically. Maybe Danny the fire chief can have his own spin off… sounds like “Spitfire”. We will keep Noah and Eli thrusting in front of their own fire of love.
Eli and Noah’s story is truly sweet. When Eli returns to his small hometown from Boston, he has no idea that a short visit will completely change his life. Noah delivers the best pickup line Eli has ever heard—which later turns out to be a lie—but the attraction between them is immediate and impossible to miss, no matter how much they try to deny it at first.
As they open up to each other and let the other into their hearts, it becomes more and more clear that Eli is going to stay. The townspeople’s curiosity and the bets were incredibly fun, and Eli’s sister Aileen, along with Noah’s friends Liam and Mark, were funny, supportive, and genuinely lovable.
And the public proposal 🥹—yes, it might have been early. But when you know, you know.
Hold My Hand, It’s Christmas is a sweet small-town romance where the characters are given a chance at happiness and true love—the kind they never believed would find them.
3.5 stars This was a sweet story, but these MCs got engaged so fast after dancing around their attraction to each other for days, maybe even a week, before finally giving in. I thought that the love confessions after they'd been a couple for about a week--not that they ever said "we're dating now" or "we're boyfriends now"--was fast, and then the proposal happened. *blink, blink* Really? I've read a lot of insta-love stories, but I don't remember ever reading a story where an actual proposal happened so quickly. A more logical ending would have been them actually defining their relationship, with Eli confirming that he wasn't moving back to Boston, and maybe a love confession. After that, the book could have jumped ahead to the next Christmas for a proposal. It just felt so jarring to go from a slow burn for the first half of the book to an insta-love trope on speed for the second half.
Eli visits his sister for a couple of weeks to help in her bakery/shop at what is the busiest time of year for her. He's in need of a break as his work in the city isn't doing so well and he is lonely. What he never expected was to find sudden romance in the form of local woodworker and Christmas festival organiser Noah. Eli ends up playing a major part in the Christmas festivities of the small town along with the realisation that Noah was the boy he sat drawing and fantasising about as a teenager and the two of them get along really well.
This is a lovely warm, festive romance and although it happens very quickly, it is the true style of the warm, fuzzy Christmas feeling we need at that time of year, with snow, Christmas lights and hot chocolate. The side characters were all really entertaining and believable too and I really enjoyed the book.
K.C. Wells is on my list of favorite authors. She writes everything from sweet to scorching. Hold My Hand, It’s Christmas is one of her sweeter stories and I loved it. It’s a wonderful small-town romance with a hint of second chance. (Eli crushed on Noah in high school but Noah didn’t know it.)
This is a light and fluffy story with insta-love that might not be for everyone but I loved it. I especially enjoy reading stories like this one at Christmastime.
An advanced copy of this book was provided to me at my request; my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.
Sweet, low-angst insta-love holiday romance. The classic recipe where one of the MC’s returns to his sleepy hometown for the holidays and falls in love after an endearing meet-cute. There’s encouragement and friendly meddling from several secondary characters to help Noah and Eli’s relationship along. It’s very well written, heartwarming, and very much brings the Christmas cheer. They both fall hard and very fast, maybe a little too easily though. Noah has a grand gesture up his sleeve that’s really romantic and sweet, also fast though, which gives the story a nice little extra in terms of emotional intensity.
If you are searching for an easy, fluffy Hallmark Christmas romance this is probably it. It's well written, all of the books by this author are, and you'll find a wast array of tropes and levels of angst and /or action in her other works. Honestly she's probably one of the most versatile and one of my favorite authors of MM/MMM out there no matter if she's writing alone or in collab with another author. This book just wasn't my cup of tea. Too predictable, no real plot. Sweet holiday romance with strong small town vibe, lots of lights and baked goods and some amusing banter. That's about it.
4.5 stars ~ I adored this story. These two men are so easy to fall in love with. The small town, the hope, the FEELS… yeah, it all worked for me. I only have one criticism/comment… Eli came back to Mapleford because his sister desperately needed help at her bakery for the holidays. Except he spent more time volunteering for Noah and the festival. It didn’t mesh for me. Now, since the author is going to return to this small town next Christmas, I really hope it’s going to be the doctor and the fire chief. *hint hint*
Other reviewers have said, "very Hallmark". It's a small town Christmas romance with a carpenter/festival coordinator and a graphic designer. The whole town wants them to get together, and several are a little pushy.
The guys have a geography problem that isn't really a problem, and inadequacy issues that don't really interfere with their whirlwind relationship. For me, it felt a little boring and I hoped for more drama that never came.
If you want a sweet small town romance without drama, you might like this one better than I did.
Eli is just home for the Thanksgiving weekend and is in the local hardware store where Noah comes up to him to get him to hold his hand saying that his ex was there and he wanted to make him jealous. Eli's sister owns the local bakery and persuades him to stay thru Christmas and also volunteers him to help Noah with the Christmas festivities. I liked this book but it was a fast insta - love where it seemed that the two feel in love and were engaged in a month or so.
but quickly devolved into meaningless syrup. The sister is an obnoxious know it all b*#ch with no redeeming qualities. Equally the best friend is a pushy ridiculous caricature of the stereotypical female best friend of a gay guys and lacks any depth. The whole day town is ridiculous… and annoying and nosier than anyone would tolerate. It’s just waaaay too much. I used to like this author but maybe I need to rethink that.
Just what I needed for the festive season, this is a low angst, sweet story about Noah Carter & Eli Winters. Eli comes home for Thanksgiving and is cajoled by his sister to stay and help her through the festive season in her bakery. Sent on an errand to Home Depot and suddenly a stranger approaches him and makes a rather unusual request..........
I think this will be the first of many trips to Mapleford for Xmas, who else in this small town will be next for some festive cheer???
This book was only spoiled by its excessive cheesyness and vomit inducing dialogue. Even a Christmas romance can have too much unrealistic niceness. There was so little reality or actual real adult conversation in this book that I had to force myself to finish it. In a nutshell, super dull without one gritty or tense moment. Let's hope the next instalment is better. Sorry author.
This is a sweet story. I enjoyed being along as Eli and Noah find their way. The two are good together and it was also nice to get to enjoy the town and meet its inhabitants. Their story moves along at a good pace and I was pulled in right from the start. Noah and Eli’s journey makes for a wonderful holiday read.
Hold My Hand, It’s Christmas is a sweet, cozy holiday romance that’s easy to breeze through and full of Hallmark-style charm. The steam stays light, the vibes are festive, and the small town feels like Stars Hollow on crack in the most delightful way. It’s cute, cheesy, and exactly what you want when you’re in the mood for low-stakes Christmas comfort.
Noah and Eli are two men who have been through terrible break ups. Having lost the spark of relationships, they live solitary lives, sheltered from the pain. One hand holding episode at the hardware store starts a chain of events that will change them forever. Loved this book! Highly Recommended