Crazy for You: Christmas in Starlight Hill

Starlight Hill #5.5

by Heatherly Bell

He needs a break. She needs a date.

What do a washed-up L.A. cop and a celebrity hair stylist have in common? Christmas magic.

Fallon McQueen needs a date to a wedding.The pickings at the speed dating events she's attended are slim indeed, and it doesn't help that she has someone specific in mind...

Then she meets...Santa Claus.

Jack Cooper is tired of the big city. He needs a break from the streets of L.A. But when he stops a deadbeat from breaking and entering, he's simply trying to do a good deed. But now he has a hot but crazy blonde asking him to be her date to a destination wedding. 

But if Jack is going to help, they're going to do it his way...

Genres: Romance, Christmas, Holiday, Contemporary, Audiobook, Contemporary Romance, Amazon

143 pages, ebook

First published November 15, 2016

Reviews

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crazy For You: Christmas in Starlight Hill is book #5.5 in the Starlight Hill series by Heatherly Bell. When I picked this up, I didn’t even realize that I had previously read book #3.5, Anywhere With You which is about the best friend of this book’s heroine, Kailey. You definitely don’t need to have read any of the previous books in the series to enjoy this one though.

Fallon McQueen moved from Starlight Hill to Los Angeles to work as a celebrity stylist and while trying to learn as much as she can to someday own her own shop, she saved up every penny she could. But her son still lived in Starlight Hill with his father, her ex, who was now remarrying. And Fallon needed a date to the wedding. When she is on her way home one evening and finds Santa in front of her apartment apprehending a would be robber, she decides that maybe he would be the perfect fake boyfriend to take with her to the wedding.

Jack Cooper was a homicide detective in Los Angeles but the job got to be too much so he resigned. Now he’s at odds as to what he will do next. After finding the man attempting to break into an apartment, he’s blown away by the beautiful woman who lives there. When she suggests a trip to Starlight Hill as her fake boyfriend, he can’t resist.

Both Jack and Fallon are at a crossroads in their lives. But somehow together, they find a comfort, an ease, neither have experienced maybe ever. They just fit. But this is supposed to be make believe. They weren’t supposed to really fall for each other. It’s almost Christmas. After the wedding, Jack is leaving and Fallon needs to figure out her life. But maybe a little Christmas magic can help these two realize that they already have what they really need, each other.

For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
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[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Christmas book binge continues 🎄 This one is spicy good 🔥🔥🔥

[The Sassy Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Fallon McQueen arrives home and finds Santa Claus cuffing a man in front of her house she just knows things are going to get interesting. And when Santa sheds his suit, what is underneath is DEFINETLY interesting.

Jack Cooper is tired of the big city and being a cop. He's retired and plans on not having a plan. When he stops a deadbeat from breaking and entering, he's just doing one last good deed before he heads into the sunset.

When the leggy blonde he helps offers him a deal, pretend to be her boyfriend at her ex-husbands' wedding and get a free vacation to wine country, he finds himself agreeing. When pretend turns to more, can a woman weary of love, and a man without a plan, get their HEA?



This was a super sweet little festive novella. It was actually quite humorous and had me laughing out loud on a few occasions. Both characters were likable as well.

Fallon annoyed me a bit at first because she came across a bit bitchy, but it wasn't long before I warmed up to her. I wish she would have stood up for herself a little sooner with her Mom and her ex, and the townspeople. Jack was a sweetheart and I really liked him for the most part. I had one tiny issue in that he lacked personality for me. I can't really put my finger on what it was, but something just felt off with his character. To me, he sounded a lot like Fallon (if that makes sense), like his character didn't have a distinct personality and either character could have been saying the words and I wouldn't have noticed a difference.

Hopefully, that makes sense. In any case, it wasn't such a distracter for me that it lessened my enjoyment overall. So two thumbs up from yours truly.

[Echo's Journey Through Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
Such cuteness!

[Kristen Lewendon · Rating 5 out of 5]

After second chances, fake relationships are my favorite things to read. It doesn’t matter how the deception starts out, you just know that real feelings are going to complicate matters at some point. This book brought me all of the magic and emotion of the holiday season. I NEEDED Fallon and Jack to find that Christmas miracle to make them a real couple, because they were just so stinking cute together. I couldn’t help but cheer for them to catch those “real feelings”. In fact, I kind of hate that this book is over already because I am in no way ready to let go of these characters.

[Heather andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked Jack I thought he was a good guy, very attentive, “maybe wecould be late because of me.” Jack palmed her **. “Don‟ t worry, I‟ ll calm her down. If we‟ re late to the jerk‟ s wedding, we‟ re late. Take your time.” He closed the door." I liked this book, Jack knew how to get into the Christmas spirit.

[Aly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Small town holiday romance.

I read this for a challenge, so I haven't checked out the other Starlight Hill books, but I was able to follow the story easily. Fallon left the small town she grew up in to make a life for herself, away from her jerk ex and overbearing mom. Now she's going back for Christmas and needs a fake boyfriend to play the role she's built up to her friends and family. Enter Jack, a former police officer with no immediate plans who's willing to go along with this crazy idea.

Fallon and Jack clicked right away and were cute together. I like that he stood up for her and gave her the courage to respect herself and stop others from disrespecting her. She also showed him that being an officer is the right career for him and that he should give it another shot. The story was pretty straightforward and just what you want in a Christmas read.

The one thing that killed me was Fallon saying "my womb contracted" whenever Jack did something sweet or sexy. What a terrible saying, please stop and never write that again lol.

[📖Moon Book Eater🍽️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very standard fake romance at Christmas. Mild spice.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you find a date to an ex's wedding? Apparently not through speed dating! Fallon made a mistake to get her mother off her back. She told her she was in a relationship with a tall, dark man named Bud so she couldn't be set up with anyone again. But she couldn't find anyone to play Bud until an ex-cop apprehends a burglar trying to break into her apartment.

Jack was a homicide detective until he caught the kind of case that haunts you, one involving a kid. He can't get past it so he turned in his shield & is going to go find something else to do. After Fallon hits him with her offer, he decides it won't hurt to drive up the coast to spend Christmas with his family after a quick stop to help her out.

I really enjoyed this story! Fallon is finding a way to fight back against the small town gossips that made her life so hard. She just has a tall, dark, handsome ex-cop helping her put them in their place. The plot is fairly easy but Ms. Bell uses just the right amount of emotion to get her point across in each scene. There was humor, sarcasm, family, romance & sexiness. The supporting characters are adorable. David, Fallon's son, is a entertaining character that you can't help falling in love with. This was a perfect homecoming story to be released at this time. I would recommend this to everyone that enjoys contemporary romances & happy endings!

[Kristie Maynard · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's a gal to do when she has to go to the wedding of her ex? How about when Mom thinks she has a boyfriend and she doesn't? How about taking a fake one?!?! This tale is a fun loving story about just this situation. Fallon finds a good looking guy who is almost too good to be true, but he is and they embark on a journey into some unexpected situations and emotions.
Fun story, enjoyable and well written with understandable, real characters. Two thumbs up, Heatherly Bell, for another thoroughly enjoyable Starlight Hill story.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful story! I must say this had all the elements of a book that I love: humor, romance, family and of course sexy characters that you just can’t help but fall in love with. The book is well written and just a delight to read. Add in the fact the story takes place at Christmas time, in a small town, and our heroine is the underdog who is in need of something good to happen in her life, you just can’t help but smile as you read her story! 2 thumbs up for a Great holiday read!

[Lylian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't help but fall in love with this book. Made me laugh, cry and filled my heart with the way love found Jack and Fallon. A must read for those who loves a good romance

[Bec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crazy for You was a sweet fake dating Christmas story. I loved Fallon and Jack (otherwise known as Bud :P). It was short but packed a punch. Fallon and Jack are after different things. Fallon needs structure and routine given she has a little boy, and Jack, just quit his job and has no immediate plans. After a chance meeting, this works out well for Fallon when Jack agrees to pretend to be her boyfriend for her ex-husband's wedding just before Christmas. A roadtrip to Fallon's small hometown of Starlight Hill begins, before the big wedding.
Fallon and Jack have great banter and I loved how their relationship developed in such a short amount of time.

Whilst the book is part of the Starlight Hill series, it was my first from the series and can definitely be read as a stand alone.

[Michelle’s Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading Holiday Books to Feel Something
https://youtu.be/ecGnOvhcyh4

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. This is only the second book I've read of Heatherly Bell's and I'm so looking forward to reading her other books. This is a nice relaxed read.

Fallon needs to find a date, to take to her ex-husband Ted's wedding, but she hasn't been able to find a suitable date, at any of the the speed dating events she's been going to for the past two weeks. This is pathetic, as far as she's concerned. Surely there must be a suitable man who meets her specifications. If she hadn't told her mother she was in a committed relationship, it wouldn't be so bad, but she did, so now she's going to have to bite the bullet, so to speak, and attend the wedding alone. But, if she does that, her mother's going to start trying to set her up with her friends' sons. But, unexpectedly, Fallon finds her suitable guy. He's busy acting like a superhero, has beautiful brown eyes and a gorgeous smile. And just looking at that body of his, well her ovaries and other parts of her are going crazy with thoughts of him. Oh, and he's dressed like Santa. Jack is an ex cop, and he's just nabbed a guy that was trying to break into Fallon's home. So, Fallon does the only thing she can do. She can't let Jack get away, he's so hot, and she's determined she won't lose this gorgeous guy, before she's even had a chance to get to know him. So Fallon invites Jack to be her date, for the wedding, but she tells him he has to pretend to be her boyfriend, and he has to pretend to be in love with her. Jack agrees to go along with her request, but he has a condition of his own, and he insists she goes along with it. Instead of flying to the wedding, they're going to travel across country, to the wedding, in a car. Now this should be an interesting trip for them, if for no other reason than they don't know each other. On this road trip Jack expects he'll have a chance to get to know this gorgeous, leggy woman a lot more. So, ladies, enjoy this story for a few glorious hours. You're going to love it, as I did. I'm headed now to find another book of this authors to enjoy.

[Jennifer Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading Fallon and Jack’s story. I have enjoyed all of the Starlight Hill stories and Heatherly Bell’s writing keeps getting better and better. This one hits on all fronts – it is sexy, funny and sweet.

Three times divorced, both friends and family have made Fallon feel like a failure. After spending the last two years in LA improving herself and saving up money, she is on her way back to Starlight Hill for Christmas and to attend her ex-husband’s (and father of her son) wedding. The only problem is, her mother thinks she is in a committed relationship with a guy named Bud. It may be her fault for telling that to her mother in the first place, but that doesn’t matter now. She needs to come up with a guy willing to be “Bud” for an extended weekend in Starlight Hill so that people don’t have more of a reason to mock her.

When ex-cop dressed in a Santa suit Jack Cooper stops someone from breaking into Fallon’s apartment just as she is arriving home, Fallon thanks this Santa may just be the answer to her problems. Jack is intrigued by Fallon and, even though he thinks she is just a bit nuts, he agrees to go along with her and play the boyfriend role for the weekend.

As they get to know each other, Jack sees that Fallon has so much more to offer and isn’t the failure that she believes others see her as. They are perfect for each other – they just need to be able to admit it before Jack moves on out of her life at the end of the weekend. This was a fun, quick story that will get you in the holiday mood.

*I received an ARC of this story from the author.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This festive story made my heart feel fuzzy. I loved Fallon. She wants so badly to prove to everyone that she can do this, maybe even prove to herself. Fallon takes a beautiful journey with Jack learning who she is and who she wants to be might just be the same thing.

The premise of the novel is that Fallon and Jack team up to allow Fallon to save face in front of her family at a wedding. Usually the way these stories start can be a little unrealistic – but one of the things I loved about Crazy For You was that it was totally believable. Not a billionaire, nor a struggling artist, no cliché needed, just great writing.

Jack was such a strong, likable guy with the protective trait built in. He doesn’t expect to get anything more out of the trip with Fallon than some laughs, but he might be in for more this festive season than he expects.

My feels were well and truly exercised in this book. The alternating POV allowed us to be immersed in Fallon and Jack’s reasoning for taking this crazy opportunity.

I laughed, smiled and cried with this book. It won’t be a book that will make you ugly cry – but it will be one that will cause a bit of leakage!
Copy received from author. My review has been done 100% voluntarily.

[BookSnuggle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved this story! I loved the banter between Jack and Fallon. This book was a joy to read. If you are needing a break and need to relax, "Crazy for You" will do the trick! I fell in love with Jack and Fallon's characters. But, there is something very special about Jack. You will just fall in love with him. Jack's personality is so much fun! This is a holiday must read. It will get you in the holiday spirit and give you a great escape from everyday struggles.

"Crazy for You" by Heatherly Bell is book number 5.5 in the "Starlight Hill" series. This is Fallon McQueen and Jack Cooper's story.

Both Jack and Fallon are at crossroads in their life. Due to unusual circumstances Jack and Fallon meet. This is where the fun begins. Fallon then asks Jack to be her date to her ex husband's wedding as her fake boyfriend. Well, be ready to laugh, laugh some more, and cry. Also, the chemistry between them is pretty intense so are they still in a fake relationship or a real relationship?

Sit back, get comfy and ride along with Fallon and Jack. This was an enjoyable ride. Loved this fun, sweet, and steamy romance!

FYI, includes mature content. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

[Sarah Reads "Reading in Sarah's Corner" · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute fun quick read. Heatherly Bell sweeps her readers off into a fun little Christmas read that reminded me a lot of a Hallmark movie. Actually, I would love to see this as a fun Hallmark movie.

When Jack Cooper and Fallon McQueen meet, he is saving her from a break-in. Jack's alpha dominance radiates off of him and Fallon cannot help but notice. The two strike up a deal that benefits them both and the reader is swept off into the fun little story.

One of my favorite things about this story was how Jack could tell Fallon needed a break, he could tell she was struggling and wanted to understand why. And the way he defended her without making a big deal made me smile.

You could tell Jack truly wanted to make Fallon happy. She was a good mom who had had a tough time of things until he walked into her life. Fallon was exactly what he needed in his life. Someone who understood him but did not push him. She let Jack be himself.

[Rosemary Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

They met under strange circumstances, he fit the bill of tall dark and handsome, and due to his own particular circumstances, was free to play along in a charade, to save face for her, in her small home town.
Neither thought this pretend romance would go anywhere, and so they moved with the flow.
I won't spoil the ending.
I loved this story, and believe if you are looking for a love story, with a Christmas background, then you will enjoy this book.
I voluntarily submitted this review after reading an advanced copy of this book.

I have just finished listening to the audiobook of this title and again have enjoyed the warm fuzzy vibe this book gives.
I have worked my way through the Starlight Hill series and each audiobook has been entertaining and enthralling. Adding yet another dimension to an excellent range of love tales.

[Nickole · Rating 4 out of 5]

rcvd ARC for a honest review of this adorable christmas story. we meet Fallon on her way home to find santa claus aka jake stopping a guy from breaking into her home. at first look fallon thinks the guy is cute for being a big chubby but learna fast that looks are deceiving. she asks jake to look through her apt for any accomplices trying to steal her stuff. jake takes off his Santa jacket and fake belly to reveal a hot body...leaving fallon speechless. Fallon comes up with a crazy plan and asks jake to be her pretend bf at a wedding in her hometown. jake, a semi retired cop with no immediate plan accepts on one condition...they drive up to her hometown. A very eventful road trip leads to secrets revealed, pesky feelings, annyoing exes and a new plan. great read just in time for xmas!!

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* read.

A sweet story which was well wrote out to. For my own personal taste it was to sweet for me and I needed a bit more more that's my own personal preference, nothing to do with this authors writing.

This is Fallon and Jacks story. At first Fallon really annoyed me and I felt like she needed t get a backbone and stand up for herself more, but I did warm up to her eventually. As for Jack he just seemed a bit lacking in the personality department but together I really enjoyed their banter.

Good sweet festive read.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute holiday read. Poor Fallon has found herself dateless for the holidays after she told her Mom she met a new man during a speed dating event. Since she doesn't want to face the small town gossips man less she asks the cop (dressed as Santa) who just arrested a man breaking into her house. Heatherly Bell writes a sweet & sexy love story that is super fun to read. Her characters are adorable (especially Jack's son David) & you can't help but root for a happy ending.

This novella will get you in the holiday spirit.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book

[Shannon M · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for a story to put you in the holiday spirit then look no further! The main characters are at a crossroads in their lives and finding each other just may be fate and the fact that it is Christmastime has you cheering for a happily ever after. This is a wonderful, feel good story that will have you smiling and crying at the same time. Do not hesitate to make this your first holiday book!

* I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

[Laura Reinhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. This was a great book Heatherly does a great job of sucking you into the story from the beginning. I could not put this book down. I loved these characters and was pulling for them, The writing was great and the chemistry between the characters was amazing.

[Stacy Aube · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received and voluntary reviewed a copy of this book. This book was read and reviewed by Stacy Aube for Cutting Muse Blog Review.

Fallen was always talked about. So when time comes to go back home she needs help. She enlists the help of Jack, not knowing that feelings can develop from pretend.
This is a very cute short.

[Linda Buzard-Moffitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is My 1st book from Heatherly Bell and I loved it. This is a fun & quick read that takes place in a small town, during the Christmas season. Those are some of My Favorite parts about this book. So if you enjoy small town romance HEA books I'd recommend this novella. I would really enjoy reading more of Heatherly's work. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and reviewed it.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I story is a short cute Christmas novella. It's sweet, sexy and fun read. You will love Fallon and Jack. Fallon is sassy and in need of a fake boyfriend. Jack a sexy ex-cop decides to help Fallon. The chemistry is hot. I enjoyed this storyline and the characters. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book.

[Pamela Devereux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

I love Fallon. She is always believing the worst of herself. Until she meets Jack. Jack has no plans. He is sexy, smart and a white night complex. He also is traveling with Fallon as her pretend boyfriend to her ex's wedding. Fun along the way and it doesn't slow down in her home town. He is so good for her in many ways.

[Camille · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always Ms Bell has written an amazing story. Jack swears he's done with being a cop. Fallon is jobless and desperately needs a boyfriend. Their adventures cracked me up and the chemistry was HOT!
A must read for anyone looking for a romantic, great, and holiday story.