Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

18 Days of Christmas

Rate this book
She was ready for another predictable holiday season. He was praying for an actual merry Christmas for his daughter.

Beckett Caden has one wish this year: that his daughter’s Christmas would be as magical as childrens' holidays were supposed to be.

After two bittersweet December twenty-fifths without his wife, Beckett knows he needs to do something different this year, for his daughter. Listening to his parents’ advice, he takes a break from his executive position at their family-run bookstore chain and books a trip for Holly and himself. Beckett hopes that a few weeks in a charming lodge, with a laundry list of fun activities, will help to restore the smile that used to light up his little girl's eyes.

Through snowman building, city sightseeing, and a constant theme of Christ in the season, Beckett begins to think this was the right decision. The only downside? The sarcastic and irritating elf of a woman with hair as boisterous as Santa Claus, himself.

When an unexpected snowstorm traps them all inside, it’s either work alongside The Elf or watch chaos overtake the understaffed inn. Surviving on the aid of caffeine and prayer, Beckett has a feeling this Christmas will turn out to be one of the most memorable he's had.


Elise McKenzie needs a social life. At least, that's been the constant mantra from her family for the past, oh, all her adult years.

With her freelancing graphic design work and the volunteering she does at her grandparents’ lodge, Elise seems to be the only one happy with her life. Even if the male she most frequently has deep conversations with is her cat.

For Elise, this Christmastime brings a flurry of unsanctioned blind dates, questions about the future, and a snowfall that will keep her toe-to-toe with the single father whose dimples remind her of the infuriating enjoyment he receives from pushing her buttons.

Elise’s Christmas wish? Survive this season and try not to bonk the obnoxious guest over the head with a gingerbread house.

229 pages, Paperback

Published January 18, 2019

304 people are currently reading
125 people want to read

About the author

Audrey Bodine

1 book14 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
68 (40%)
4 stars
51 (30%)
3 stars
30 (17%)
2 stars
18 (10%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
Profile Image for Alysha (For The Love of Christian Fiction).
482 reviews445 followers
June 7, 2019
So it's okay to read Christmas books in April if its still snowing, right?

Okay so technically I read it while it was 70 degrees outside, but it's still totally acceptable to read Christmas books all year round in my book! In fact, its highly encouraged.

This book y'all! This book was SOOOO good! It had everything I wanted from a book.
It had sass. It had humor. It had character. It had cheese. It had love. It had God.
It had it all!

Each character was beautifully written, from the main to the side they all came off the page and had personalities and chemistry. The characters all blended well with each other, even when they weren't supposed to. 😉
Our main characters were so fun. (Love a good battle of the wits) They were both so lovable and I wanted to stay in the pages of this story forever. Before I knew it I was in love with a new town and new people.

Fun fact about me...I can't read with lots of noise, I get distracted really fast.
I actually read this book in an airport. Have you ever been to an airport? There's A LOT going on.
I was so drawn into this book, and so invested in this story, that I was able to tune out every noise in the airport and just read.
There were points in the book were I wish I hadn't been in a public place because I wanted to laugh out loud soooo bad. (the kind of laugh you can't do when you're alone because people will think you're CRAZY)

I loved the family dynamics shown throughout the story. There was the big intermediate family, the small intermediate family, and the big extended family. Each one was different, but they all shared one thing...they were close-knit. Everyone was in everyone's business, they laughed together, they cried together, they got on each other's nerves. It was all very authentic. They also all had a strong connection to God, each family was fully rooted and walking with God.

Audrey did an amazing job keeping things light and fun, while still handling topics like death and grief with a gentle hand.

It was a well rounded book and I personally CANNOT wait to read the next book in the series, and everything else this author puts out!
I rated it a 5/5 stars!

I would also like to point out this book is FREE in ebook form! So everyone should go download it. You truly will not be sorry!

*I received this book from the author for my honest review**All opinions are my own*
Profile Image for Olivia.
699 reviews138 followers
November 20, 2019
this is just the cutest. First, I needed some Christmas mood and this book gave all that. Second, the sarcasm in this story is spot on (I am the queen of sarcasm, so yeah. LOL!). And third, the family and relationship dynamic is absolutely beautiful and fun to read. Like seriously, Beckett's family was a hoot! This story holds so much hope and beauty and I especially enjoyed watching Elise and Beckett grow throughout the story. The spiritual content and romance was perfect <3 Recommend this if you'd like a feel good, but inspiring Christmas book to read this holiday.
Profile Image for Rebekah Morris.
Author 119 books269 followers
November 28, 2019
I picked this book up because I love good Christmas stories and had seen some positive reviews on it.
Unfortunately, while I did like some things, there were several things that I didn’t like which dropped my rating.

Things I liked:
I did like that the main characters spent time reading their Bible and praying. They were willing to admit when they had been wrong and to apologize. That's not common in stories anymore and I admire the author for including it.
I liked the message about following where God is leading even if it means stepping outside your comfort zone.
The Christmas activities were delightful, and I wanted to go decorate gingerbread houses too.

Things I didn’t like:
The sarcasm was too much! I can handle some sprinkled in now and then. But to have every single character - main characters, parents, grandparents, children, cousins, friends - all have sarcastic remarks, snarky comebacks, and sometimes downright rude things to say, just ruined the story for me. Their conversations go really old, really fast.
I still haven’t figured out how the title fits the story.
One thing that has always bugged me in any book is when everyone is referred to by their first name. It doesn’t matter if the person is a parent or a grandparent, their first name gets used. It sounds rude and disrespectful. I was also so confused because of this that I had to reread the first two pages several times and then was still puzzled over who everyone was. It’s also hard when a character you’ve only met once many chapters again is suddenly tossed back into the story with only his first name. It took me a little while of thinking to remember who he was which interrupted my reading.
I also did NOT care for the fact that the children’s Christmas Play changed the real Christmas story and set it in a circus, or make it almost like a joke and everyone thought it was great. To me that is not acceptable. If we make the birth of Christ into something to laugh about as though it’s no big deal, how can we take the rest of Scripture seriously?

All that being said, I realize that this is the author’s first published work and perhaps some of these things she just hasn’t learned yet. The writing style was good, and I will consider reading another book by this author.
446 reviews37 followers
October 3, 2019
Eager to make some progress on my 2019 Reading Challenge, I selected 18 Days of Christmas as my choice for a book with a number in its title.

18 Days of Christmas - as the title suggests - is about the Christmas season. Mr Caden would love to create special memories with his daughter after his wife - and her mother - has passed on. They go to a little bed and breakfast where they enjoy fun and engaging Christmas festivities and meet great people. This is a lovely family story with good characters. There is a subtle hint of romance which makes for an enjoyable read.


Profile Image for Parker Keys_to_hades.
138 reviews13 followers
December 10, 2019
This book wasn’t my cup of tea. That being said, it was still good.
Audrey is an amazing writer, and even though I skimmed the second half of the book, it doesn’t make it any less true. Her way of writing is incredible and she did a really great job of actually writing what is basically a Hallmark Christmas movie.
My personal rating for this was two stars, but I think she deserves more. Just because it wasn’t for me doesn’t mean it’s not a good book 🤷🏼‍♀️
So go ahead and read it! Especially if you like Hallmark movies.
Profile Image for Caitlyn Kelley.
27 reviews1 follower
January 19, 2019
This book is so CUTE and lovely!!!! I’m so proud of Audrey and the heartwarming characters she created. Can I just spend the rest of the winter in a cute lodge of quirky people? Please? Such a fun, whimsical story!
Profile Image for Celestria.
380 reviews462 followers
Read
January 15, 2021
Dnf

I'm really bored with this story. I don't know if it's just the timing, Christmas being over and all, or what, but I don't care to finish it.

Also I didn't like all the names being thrown at me. I couldn't keep everyone straight and got confused a lot.
Profile Image for Pixie Perkins.
Author 11 books131 followers
July 13, 2019
Ah, there were sooooo many cute/quirky lines in this book!! I honestly couldn't get over how much I enjoyed the humor and realistic conversations. 🤣🤣

Also, not only did the book have vivid and beautiful descriptions, but it also had little details that were just...everything, really. Plus, the different characters were relatable and it was easy to understand their roles in the story. 💕😊

All this to say, I personally think that "18 Days of Christmas" can be summed up in three words: Quirky. Christmassy. Hallmark-ish. 🎄💗
Profile Image for Mary.
1,581 reviews20 followers
December 3, 2019
This was a good Christmas read. The characters were well developed. The humor and sarcasm, as well as the honesty and thoughtfulness of the characters made this book well rounded. The Christmas magic was working each and every day and shows how that magic can continue past the Holiday season.
Profile Image for Sammy Allen.
174 reviews7 followers
November 28, 2019
This was a cute read to get me in the holiday mood. I love the dynamics amongst the family, and characters as a whole. This was a great fluffy holiday read.
Profile Image for Angie Thompson.
Author 50 books1,112 followers
December 31, 2019
To be honest, this story had me pretty confused for a while, to the point where I wondered if I had mis-interpreted the genre and it really wasn't supposed to have anything to do with romance. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy my snark and banter, I can appreciate a good enemies-to-lovers romance, and I especially like slow relationship growth as opposed to insta-attraction. However, I really didn't like the fact that the two main characters spent a good portion of the book purposely doing things to irritate one another. That really made me nervous for the future of their relationship, which I wasn't even sure was actually going to happen by almost the end of the book. And the fact that we mostly got a summary of their relationship once the romance started rather than getting to see it work out was disappointing and left me still unsure whether they were really good for each other. :S

Also, the lessons sort of caught me off guard--Beckett's family is telling him he's working too hard and too long, then Elise tells him his frustration with his parents is hurting his daughter, then he fixes things by going home and asking his parents to please back off? Uh, wait, was that the problem all along? Because I was not seeing that. Okay, I'm confused again. :S

Last bit on the confusion, honest, but it also took me a while to figure out who everyone was and how they were related, especially in the Caden family. (I really liked the family dynamic, by the way; it just took me some time to straighten it out.) And I felt like we got a lot of unnecessary backstory on characters who were sometimes only mentioned once, which made me keep waiting for those details to be important to the story and eventually realize they weren't. That said, I know this is the author's first book, and I'm sure a lot of these things will be smoothed out as she continues writing. ;)

I also don't want to give the impression that there was nothing I liked about this book, because that's definitely not true. The banter and family relationships were really fun and reminded me a lot of my own family. Holly was a cutie, and I loved her relationship with Beckett. The Christmas celebrations and traditions were great, and I really liked the atmosphere of the lodge. And I definitely liked Elise and Beckett--when they weren't purposely getting on each other's nerves. ;) Even though this book wasn't my favorite, I definitely think this author has a lot of potential, and I would consider reading more from her.

2.5 stars

Content--arguments and insults (sometimes playful, sometimes not); mentions of drug abuse by a deceased character; mentions of pet accidents; one kiss (not descriptive)
27 reviews
October 15, 2019
Good read

It was refreshing to read about adults who honestly discussed their feelings and approached a growing relationship rationally. I loved the family interaction too.
Profile Image for Ally Andersen.
22 reviews1 follower
April 10, 2021
This book was written by a dear friend of mine over a year ago, and like the overachieving, remarkable friend I am, it took me that long before I finally read it. :)

It was the perfect comfort read while I was at home sick. My favorite details were the many witty lines, the heartwarming familial relationships, and the uncanny descriptions of what it feels like to have true communion with God.

The overall vibe I got was Hallmark Christmas movie meets Gilmore Girls meets PureFlix, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

This was a commendable job for a debut novel, and I can’t wait to see where else the author goes on her writing journey.

I am so proud of my Audrey.

💙
Profile Image for Kimberly Anders.
126 reviews
January 28, 2019
A sweet, fun and engaging Christmas read! The repartee between Beckett and Elise had me laughing. Holly was adorable and sarcastic. And I loved the interactions of the entire Caden family. I would have loved to see more of Beckett and Elise when they are together. But hopefully they will have cameos in future books! Family series are my favourite and can't wait to read Audrey's next book in her Caden family series.
1,066 reviews9 followers
January 21, 2020
Sweet story but has a sequel

The story revolves around families. In partixular, 2 members of certain families. On the one hand, you have a widowed dad with a 9 year old daughter. He is on the executive staff of the family's bookstores. His wofe has been gone for 4 uears & his family leeps trying to set him up with dates. He has 3 brothers & a sister, besides his parents. The female protagonist's mpther was widowed when she was so young she barely remembers her dad. She has an older sister. Her dad's family owns a lodge/ B&B & all the kids & grandkids of the owners help when they're needed. They have very close relationships. She is a graphic design artist who works from home.
They meet when the man brings his daughter to their lodge just before Christmas hoping to brighten his daughter's holiday with all the planned activities. They don't hit it off well. She has a tendency to. Be flippant or sarcastic, & he likes pushing her buttons. They call a truce when near whiteout conditions keep the cook away & mean reliance on the family with a bunch of crotchety guests with Somewhere They Have To Be Like Yesterday. Additional acticities, reliance on generators, & the grandparents once again having to do the meals using what they have on hand. This ends up causing truce betweeen the 2 as the man pitches in to help, his 9 year old doing the same.
Both of them are thrown together but that doesn't mean they're wild about the idea, nor about suggestions from well meaming family members that they seem to hit it off in a way.
At the emd, the man & his daughter return home, the truce having accomplished a lot for both, with a challenge to each other to be honest with God & their families about what is going on plus to look more deeply at their work to see what needs to be done to stretch themselves towards what God wants...a different direction, more risks, less work?
Since they're building a bookstore in the town near the lodge, the man returns to the area at one point, & the woman stops by. But whether they will get a Happily Ever After os continued in the next book.
Profile Image for Paula Shreckhise.
1,536 reviews144 followers
December 30, 2023
Elise has visited her grandparents at Christmastime and they get snowed in, so she helps with entertaining the guests at the lodge that they own. Guests Beckett and his daughter, Holly are stranded, too. While Elise and Beckett are Christians, they do not hit it off right away. But they slowly come to a truce. The banter can get a bit snarky and feelings are bruised. God works through it all to bring them closer together and teach them necessary lessons.
I liked the family camaraderie and the creative way the McKenzies occupied their guests during the snowstorm.
This book has me looking forward to more stories in this series.
*I purchased this ebook from Amazon. All opinions are my own. *
725 reviews2 followers
December 13, 2019
A touching story

You will enjoy reading this book because of the strong faith readily acknowledged by both families. Author Bodine does an amazing job of presenting each individual's personal and natural relationship with God as part of their normal day. Their dependence on God for guidance in their day to day living as well as major life choices is portrayed as a given without question. The attraction between Beckett and Elise gradual builds from irritation to something more than friendship as they deal with situations in their own life in order to move forward confidently.
84 reviews
October 14, 2020
Wonderful sweet romance with genuine humor

I fell in love with the families of Elise and Beckett. Their grounded faith along with their love and support for each other makes the reader want to be a part of their nurturing realm. Sarcastic humor is artfully interwoven throughout the book that just made me chuckle. The reader could tell the strong attraction between Elise and Beckett long before they accepted the reality of it. It was fun watching it all unfold through their fears and uncertainty. I would love to read what happens next in this sweet story and hope to eventually find out more about the other members of the Caden family. Great book!
46 reviews
March 2, 2020
Thoroughly enjoyed it!

From the get go, I was hooked. I liked the characters and getting to know them, and enjoyed the build up of the story. The way the author has of intertwining everyday life and the faith that is an integral part of living out the spiritual journey of daily experiences, with the added humor of individual interaction has me wanting to read more. Romance readers that enjoy faith with the twists of humor will truly enjoy this book.
8 reviews1 follower
June 22, 2020
A Holiday To Remember

It was a book.that took you in from the very beginning. You couldn't even think about what was going to happen. All you could think of was that you wanted both of them to find love but you were a little afraid that it just might not happen even though they were getting closer each time they were together. His daughter seemed to know what needed to happen. I think both of them wanted a complete family for her and was not going to give up on it.
Profile Image for Diane Wachter.
2,395 reviews10 followers
December 31, 2019
A Caden Christmas, Bk 1, EBk-Nook, @ 2019, read 12/30/19. Fiction, Christmas, Christian, Romance. A designer, helping out at her grandparents lodge, meets a single dad, and neither likes the other, until they do! 2☆'s = Okay. Story was good but writing was choppy. I kept thinking I must be skipping pages.
13 reviews
December 20, 2019
Fun Christas read

This book was fun for all the family interactions, experiences in a small town. The exploration of unfulfilled possibilities and allowing God to help with breakthroughs or strength to face was real. Not preachy, but real as I need God, so did characters.
6 reviews1 follower
February 24, 2024
Fun and awesome experience

I loved the way it made me feel. I was taken back to childhood. Helping my mom decorate for Christmas. Our faith in God and how we honor him. Thank you for writing this story and I look forward to reading more about this family and community.
Profile Image for MaryEllen.
2,918 reviews29 followers
December 18, 2024
Elise and Beckett are much alike. Both are smart-mouthed and opinionated. Both have suffered a loss, and both are very family-oriented.

There were so many laugh-out-loud moments in this one, but it also hits some hard topics. The characters were all well-written, and the dialogue was excellent.
Profile Image for Camilla Peterson.
6 reviews
April 12, 2025
Such an Enchanting Story

This was such a fun book to read. Elise and Beckett are relatable characters and they keep you interested. I liked this book because it was fun to read, it kept my attention, and it inspired me. I recommend this book for sure.
Profile Image for Gail.
1,875 reviews17 followers
December 17, 2019
Mundane

I couldn't get into this Christmas book. It jumped between people and places. Although it was dressed up as a Christmas story, it didn't seem like one
628 reviews3 followers
March 5, 2020
18 Days of Christmas

Sometimes as a woman you have to be bold enough to make the first move to get what you want. She did and it paid off.
8 reviews
April 17, 2020
I enjoy Christmas books any time of the year. It's always great to snuggle up to a good old fashion Christmas romance.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.