The Cursed Holiday Card: A Forced Proximity Romance

Holiday Love #2

by Nadia Han

With you by my side, I don’t fear any curses.

Marcus Gunner doesn’t believe in curses—not until he receives an ominous black holiday card in the mail that curses him until he completes three tasks. The most difficult one? Fall in love when he’s not even dating. Desperate to put an end to his streak of bad luck, he turns to a tarot reader, whose shocking prediction sets his heart racing with fear . . . and excitement.

Hating the holidays, Rhea Summers prefers the solitude that allows her to explore crystals and mysticism—things that her previous boyfriends disliked. But a chance encounter with a gorgeous carpenter proves that some men are built better than others.

As they search for the sender of the strange card, Marcus and Rhea begin to wonder whether it’s truly a curse, or a blessing in disguise.

The Cursed Holiday Card is a forced proximity, one bed tension, billionaire holiday romance with steam and suspense. It is Book Two in the Holiday Love series but can be read as a standalone.

Unknown Binding

Expected publication October 20, 2026

About the author

Nadia Han is a dreamer, a visionary, and a believer in karma and kindness. She lives in New England with her family and spends most of her time crafting stories. When she’s not writing, she practices yoga, reads, explores nature, and eats all kinds of foods.

Website: https://www.nadiahan.com
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Reviews

[Gabi]

I received this as an ARC, my opinions are my own.

This was a cozy, cheeky holiday read that kept me turning pages! 🎄🔥

I loved the idea of the cursed holiday card, reminded me of Christmas Carol. It gave the story a fun mystery twist and just enough suspense to keep things interesting.
The characters: Marcus received the holiday card telling him to fulfill the 3 requirement or else bad luck will follow him. Rhea has a secret crash on him after he installed some equipment in her shop. After the cursed card arrives they get pulled together while they tried to unravel what was happening. That was the highlight for me. It was a lot of fun to follow them on this holiday mystery.

The forced proximity was delicious, and the chemistry between them sizzled. Rhea's love of crystals and all things mystical gave her a quirky personality that made her stand out.

It's a quick, light read with festive vibes, a little spice, and a touch of holiday magic. Perfect if you want something fun to curl up with this season! 🎅

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶🌶

[viki edwards]

A cute book about love and forgiveness. While it wasn't as good as I'd hoped it still had lovely moments.
Unfortunately it came across very cliche, with mentions of god even though the book was about alternative methods, eg tarot crystal healing etc. The plot was cute, and it could have been a much longer book too so Im grateful it wasn't padded out. It had a great start, and the plot was very fast paced, and ended with a lovely HEA, I just felt it could have been more. Maybe Im being a bit cynical though. Im glad the MC's had their HEA, and everything fitted into place, I just felt it lacked depth and believability. However, this does not mean others wouldnt love this book, a love story, quick read, and forbidden bingo.
Many thanks to the author and Whimsy Words PR for letting me read it.

[Emily]

ARC review

This was a cute, fast paced novella that hooked me straight away with its grumpy MMC, and the mystery surrounding the anonymous card.

The strongest aspect of this novella is the tension between Rhea and Marcus. The author does a great job building anticipation.While I enjoyed the slow burn, I did find myself wishing that something significant between them had happened a little sooner. But that i feel is down to more of a personal preference.

The spice was enjoyable, although the bedroom scene during the bingo game felt somewhat rushed. Given that this is a novella, I understand the need to keep things moving, but I would have loved a little more time and detail given to this scene.

Overall, this was an enjoyable little read. I think this story has potential, to be expanded into a full length book. 📖

[Kayleigh Philburn]

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Stars
This book was such a fun, festive, steamy read! 🎄❤️

The Cursed Holiday Card had the perfect mix of romance, mystery, suspense and holiday magic. I loved the whole cursed-card storyline and watching Marcus and Rhea get thrown together while trying to figure out exactly what was going on.

The forced proximity and one-bed situation definitely brought the tension 🔥, and the chemistry between these two was impossible not to enjoy. I also loved that Rhea had her own quirky interests in crystals and mysticism, which added something different to the story.

It was a quick, entertaining read with plenty of spice, secrets and holiday vibes. If you enjoy billionaire romance, forced proximity, a little suspense and a touch of Christmas magic, this one is definitely worth picking up! 🎄✨

[Mindy Menotti bookishly_mindy]

I absolutely adored this sweet holiday novella by the talented Nadia Han. The MC’s and the way their stories aligned was nothing short of perfection. Loved how they grew together and helped each other see the positives of life even when things seemed a little down. The curse was fun to figure out too. A great little play of angst mixed in made this second chance holiday novella such a fun read.



This is book 2 of Holiday Love - but can be read as a complete stand alone.

[Jennifer Winter]

I had the opportunity to read as a ARC.
I really enjoyed this book a perfect short read for the holidays. The book is well written and even though the book is on the shorter side the story does not feel rushed.

Marcus reserves a cursed Holiday Card in the mail and unfortunate events start taking place. In a lucky turn of events he meets Rhea, a former customer of his company. Can they solve this mystery together?

[ThatBookishWriter]

I love this holiday novella! Perfect holiday romance read to get you ready for the Christmas season!

I absolutely love both the MC and FC and seeing them work together to figure out the curse.

If you love billionaire, forced proximity, one bed and snowed-in holiday romance books? This book is for you!

Book 2 of the Holiday Love series but can be read as a standalone.

[Tasha_loves_to_read]

What a quick and easy read for the Christmas season. It had everything I needed and more.

The chemistry between Marcus and Rhea you could feel. Add in the forced proximity and one bed and bam...
They were perfect for eachother and I enjoyed seeing how their relationship grew.

The suspense and spice was perfect for a novella.

[Jacinta Maloney]

I received an arc for a Cursed holiday Card. I really just wanted to get to the end to see who sent the cursed card. I thought there would of been more holiday themes in there. But all in all was a cute little romance book.

[Karla Escutia]

Good read.

[Michelle]

Absolutely loved this holiday read, loved the mystery to it.

[moodyismyvibe_]

I’m loving these little holiday novellas! A breath of fresh air between heavy reads & makes me want it to be December already! I received this as an arc and I’m leaving an honest review!