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A Caribbean Christmas
Catherine Duncan is down on her luck.
Life is stressful enough for the hardworking single mom when she gets unexpectedly fired from her job. Right before Christmas. But her sister is there to cheer her up with the gift of a vacation to Jamaica, to take her mind off all the stress.
Enter Derek—tall, dark, handsome, and everything Cathy needs to refresh her weary spirits, and have some fun for the first time in forever.
But Derek is not all that he seems.
A businessman with an overbearing father, he ropes Cathy into a fake fiancée agreement that promises to end her financial troubles. Feeling skeptical, but desperate for the money, Cathy wonders if this sexy man will end up turning her Jamaican vacation into a perfect paradise, or a complete nightmare...
Life is stressful enough for the hardworking single mom when she gets unexpectedly fired from her job. Right before Christmas. But her sister is there to cheer her up with the gift of a vacation to Jamaica, to take her mind off all the stress.
Enter Derek—tall, dark, handsome, and everything Cathy needs to refresh her weary spirits, and have some fun for the first time in forever.
But Derek is not all that he seems.
A businessman with an overbearing father, he ropes Cathy into a fake fiancée agreement that promises to end her financial troubles. Feeling skeptical, but desperate for the money, Cathy wonders if this sexy man will end up turning her Jamaican vacation into a perfect paradise, or a complete nightmare...
244 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 20, 2018
About the author
Olivia Noble
50 books212 followersOlivia Noble is a single mom who still believes in love.
This New York Times bestselling author enjoys writing steamy romance to give you butterflies and sweep you away on glamorous adventures. She also loves rom coms and giggling at naughty jokes like a teenager. ♥
Join Olivia’s mailing list and receive a FREE book as a gift: http://eepurl.com/gbS-tL
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 19, 2019
If you're looking for a good read, keep looking because this isn't it.
I regret giving poor reviews, but this was a waste of time. Some authors have managed the poor girl gets rich man as believable. Unfortunately, this isn't one. Btw, how is it that an uncle on his mother's side had the last name as his father?
I regret giving poor reviews, but this was a waste of time. Some authors have managed the poor girl gets rich man as believable. Unfortunately, this isn't one. Btw, how is it that an uncle on his mother's side had the last name as his father?
December 14, 2025
Catherine Duncan is a single mom of a young child who is diabetic. She is barely making ends meet, but then she gets fired from her job. Her sister tells her she needs a vacation, so books a trip to Jamaica for both of them, and her ex agrees to look after their child. Cathy meets Derek in a restaurant at the resort and they have a one night stand. It is after that she finds out that he is not just someone hanging out at the restaurant, but the son of the owner. Derek's father has given him an ultimatum, he needs to get married or he will lost control of the restaurants that he had developed and run. Derek's solution is to have Cathy be his fake fiance. She only agrees after he tells her he will pay her $50,000, which she desperately needs. Now she will be spending her holiday in Jamaica with Derek, what could possibly go wrong?
I enjoyed the story of Cathy and Derek. I liked watching their relationship bloom, the banter, the situations they find themselves in and the fun they have together. I didn't enjoy the open door romance, but luckily, I was able to skip through them. Derek's father was a nasty piece of work. He was elitist and thought he and his family were better than everyone else. The things he says to and about Cathy are disgusting and I was glad to see how she responded. Of course fake romance and proximity often result in romance, but is Derek strong enough to buck his father and lose what he cares about? I started listening to the audiobook, but had to stop and read it instead. The narration sounded like virtual voice and I had to check to see if there was a human narrator. This is the first book I have listened to with Amanda Neal narrating, but I can't recommend her work. Overall this was just an okay story, with some hateful characters, and some predictability.
I enjoyed the story of Cathy and Derek. I liked watching their relationship bloom, the banter, the situations they find themselves in and the fun they have together. I didn't enjoy the open door romance, but luckily, I was able to skip through them. Derek's father was a nasty piece of work. He was elitist and thought he and his family were better than everyone else. The things he says to and about Cathy are disgusting and I was glad to see how she responded. Of course fake romance and proximity often result in romance, but is Derek strong enough to buck his father and lose what he cares about? I started listening to the audiobook, but had to stop and read it instead. The narration sounded like virtual voice and I had to check to see if there was a human narrator. This is the first book I have listened to with Amanda Neal narrating, but I can't recommend her work. Overall this was just an okay story, with some hateful characters, and some predictability.
April 2, 2019
I was expecting a Christmas story, as the title suggests, but instead got a steamy passionate love story with a very predictable ending!
A disappointment!
A disappointment!
July 20, 2022
Oooh boy, was this one of the worst books I've ever read. I present to you, my list of grievances.
- This is NOT a Christmas book! There is a mention of Christmas break at the beginning where the 6yo daughter has 2+ weeks off of school (what??) and at the end. That's it.
- The main character loses her job because a coworker felt her up... and it is mentioned like, oh well. That's a big deal! She could have pressed charges!
- The line, "Men his age don't always keep their good looks." The man was 32.
- The 6yo daughter is responsible for managing her own out of control diabetes so her parents didn't realize she ran out of medication.
- The mother goes away for 2 weeks, her daughter ends up in the hospital, and the mom doesn't even ask to speak to her child! Just says okay. I'm glad she's alright.
- The man in the book's father is going to give away his inheritance if he doesn't get married... because he's 30.
- The narrator of this audiobook spoke too slow, like a robot with oddly placed pauses, and did a Jamaican accent that was ridiculous bordering on offensive.
There is so much more that I hate about this, but I think that's enough. Don't read this book.
- This is NOT a Christmas book! There is a mention of Christmas break at the beginning where the 6yo daughter has 2+ weeks off of school (what??) and at the end. That's it.
- The main character loses her job because a coworker felt her up... and it is mentioned like, oh well. That's a big deal! She could have pressed charges!
- The line, "Men his age don't always keep their good looks." The man was 32.
- The 6yo daughter is responsible for managing her own out of control diabetes so her parents didn't realize she ran out of medication.
- The mother goes away for 2 weeks, her daughter ends up in the hospital, and the mom doesn't even ask to speak to her child! Just says okay. I'm glad she's alright.
- The man in the book's father is going to give away his inheritance if he doesn't get married... because he's 30.
- The narrator of this audiobook spoke too slow, like a robot with oddly placed pauses, and did a Jamaican accent that was ridiculous bordering on offensive.
There is so much more that I hate about this, but I think that's enough. Don't read this book.
May 12, 2019
I was hoping a more modern story would be a good change of pace from the usual freebies I get. Nope.
Here, we have a poor single mum trying to keep her shit together. Stumbles into a stupid deal to pretend to be a rich guy's fiancée to fool his arsehole father, and the rest is history. He's beautiful but driven. She's beautiful, sweet yet horny, and of course, what home cook isn't qualified to become head chef of a fancy schmancy restaurant because scrambled eggs are the benchmark for success, right?
And WTF was up with that "epilogue?" It's still Xmas and there's no clue time has passed but suddenly her friends, family, daughter who's supposed to be at music camp but now has met Mr. Perfect, and a fucking piano are all waiting for Catherine to wake up and join them in her living room?
Add in plenty of weird word and spelling choices and I'll be looking to escape "modern romance" immediately, TYVM.
Here, we have a poor single mum trying to keep her shit together. Stumbles into a stupid deal to pretend to be a rich guy's fiancée to fool his arsehole father, and the rest is history. He's beautiful but driven. She's beautiful, sweet yet horny, and of course, what home cook isn't qualified to become head chef of a fancy schmancy restaurant because scrambled eggs are the benchmark for success, right?
And WTF was up with that "epilogue?" It's still Xmas and there's no clue time has passed but suddenly her friends, family, daughter who's supposed to be at music camp but now has met Mr. Perfect, and a fucking piano are all waiting for Catherine to wake up and join them in her living room?
Add in plenty of weird word and spelling choices and I'll be looking to escape "modern romance" immediately, TYVM.
February 1, 2024
Great love story
Cathy thought she had it all as a young twenty year old. What she didn't expect was for her whole life to turn upside down a few years later. Now a single mother that's recently lost her job Cathy doesn't know what to do. When she gets a chance to go to Jamaica for free she doesn't want to take it but decides to go.
Derek has everything he could possibly want except the love of a woman. When he meets Cathy he wants to get to know her better but she declined. After his father threatens him Derel does something he's never done, leave. He flies to Jamaica thinking getting away will help but soon he has another problem on his hands, finding a fiancee. The moment he spots Cathy he knows that she'll make the perfect fiancee but soon realizes he wants more. Will Cathy see that Derek is who she's meant to be with? Is Derek going to choose Cathy when push comes to shove?
Cathy thought she had it all as a young twenty year old. What she didn't expect was for her whole life to turn upside down a few years later. Now a single mother that's recently lost her job Cathy doesn't know what to do. When she gets a chance to go to Jamaica for free she doesn't want to take it but decides to go.
Derek has everything he could possibly want except the love of a woman. When he meets Cathy he wants to get to know her better but she declined. After his father threatens him Derel does something he's never done, leave. He flies to Jamaica thinking getting away will help but soon he has another problem on his hands, finding a fiancee. The moment he spots Cathy he knows that she'll make the perfect fiancee but soon realizes he wants more. Will Cathy see that Derek is who she's meant to be with? Is Derek going to choose Cathy when push comes to shove?
December 27, 2018
I was looking for a cute Holiday romance.... this more than fit the bill. Catherine, having just lost her job and having a jerk as an ex-husband, gets a chance for a free trip to Jamaica. While there, fate lands her in an agreement with handsome, charismatic Derek. I can't tell you more than that.... no spoilers here :)
Just say that the chemistry between these two is off the charts. I found myself rooting for the two of them and reading as fast as I could to find out what happened... and I was not disappointed (and a bit teary eyed) as I finished it.
Really a very Sweet Christmas Romance. :)
Also... the relationship between Catherine and her best friend Maddy was so adorable... it was awesome to see that the next novel will focus on her story!!
Just say that the chemistry between these two is off the charts. I found myself rooting for the two of them and reading as fast as I could to find out what happened... and I was not disappointed (and a bit teary eyed) as I finished it.
Really a very Sweet Christmas Romance. :)
Also... the relationship between Catherine and her best friend Maddy was so adorable... it was awesome to see that the next novel will focus on her story!!
December 31, 2020
Girl with stick up her ass because she ended up divorced (it happens babe) meets guy who probably IS too good for her (just like she thinks) so she's pretty bitchy to him for the bulk of the book. The guy is nicer to her than most guys would be. But then when he hesitates for a few minutes when family forces him to decide between her (unemployed uneducated single mom) and his future she takes a powder. After she's treated him so poorly I'd hesitate too. I am not really sure why he then followed her. #truelove - no - plot device to get to HEA - most likely. Read the Sorrento one of this series. It's the best of the three. And then do yourself a favor and read Merry Christmas Eve by this author and enjoy a perfect fairy tale.
November 30, 2019
Rich boy meets poor girl
Typical romance. This storyline is overdone. A good editor and proofreader would have helped. Even one sentence was written “would have fell”. “Would have fallen is correct”. This book was boring. Even the family name wasn’t correct as the brother of the mother had the same last name as the father. I don’t like giving low reviews but if you want to be taken seriously, don’t pass off sloppy work as a novel. Get a good editor and proofread, then proofread again.
Typical romance. This storyline is overdone. A good editor and proofreader would have helped. Even one sentence was written “would have fell”. “Would have fallen is correct”. This book was boring. Even the family name wasn’t correct as the brother of the mother had the same last name as the father. I don’t like giving low reviews but if you want to be taken seriously, don’t pass off sloppy work as a novel. Get a good editor and proofread, then proofread again.
December 26, 2021
So much potential
Although the very beginning started out good, it’s like the story fell off a cliff and felt like an overly dramatic 1980’s romance with Catherine/Cathy going from blazing hot to an uptight woman/child and the dude falling in love with her right away. How he could fall in love with the prissy, hot and cold chick, I don’t know.
I struggled to make it halfway through and realized it was just getting worse. It started out hot but went cold quickly and stayed that way far too long. Did not finish and regretting money (and time) that I wasted on this.
Although the very beginning started out good, it’s like the story fell off a cliff and felt like an overly dramatic 1980’s romance with Catherine/Cathy going from blazing hot to an uptight woman/child and the dude falling in love with her right away. How he could fall in love with the prissy, hot and cold chick, I don’t know.
I struggled to make it halfway through and realized it was just getting worse. It started out hot but went cold quickly and stayed that way far too long. Did not finish and regretting money (and time) that I wasted on this.
June 13, 2019
Vacation
Her daughter is spending holiday with her father , she has no job and her sister earned a 2 week vacation in Jamaica. In Jamaica she runs into a man she'd already seen 2 x's before with her bff.sister couldn't go at last minute. They get along real good and he'd asked her to help him. Till his father said some hateful things and he choose his job and not her. She leaves broken hearted and he shows up the next day......things are back on track for them.
Her daughter is spending holiday with her father , she has no job and her sister earned a 2 week vacation in Jamaica. In Jamaica she runs into a man she'd already seen 2 x's before with her bff.sister couldn't go at last minute. They get along real good and he'd asked her to help him. Till his father said some hateful things and he choose his job and not her. She leaves broken hearted and he shows up the next day......things are back on track for them.
December 19, 2019
Catherine was laid off from work right before the holiday. With a stack of bills and a young daughter, Cathy wasn’t sure what to do. She was a struggling, jobless, single mother. And her friend kept badgering her to go on a date. Yeah, like that’s the last thing she needed.
I liked how this started, but then it soon started lagging with endless monologues that loses the reader.
I liked how this started, but then it soon started lagging with endless monologues that loses the reader.
March 21, 2019
A Great Read!
I loved this book, I like the maturity of the lead characters and the supporting cast. It was a smoothly paced storyline, with a head ending. Looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
I loved this book, I like the maturity of the lead characters and the supporting cast. It was a smoothly paced storyline, with a head ending. Looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
March 22, 2019
I really loved this book.
This was so cool and fun to read. I love the characters and was so happy with the ending and am looking forward to Maddy’s book. Get this book great love story.
This was so cool and fun to read. I love the characters and was so happy with the ending and am looking forward to Maddy’s book. Get this book great love story.
March 23, 2019
Awesome book.
This book is about a single mom & a man whose father is pushing him to get up married.The plan they madeto stop the father back fired& they fell in love. How the father handles it is the best part with the suspence to the outcome.
This book is about a single mom & a man whose father is pushing him to get up married.The plan they madeto stop the father back fired& they fell in love. How the father handles it is the best part with the suspence to the outcome.
April 15, 2019
I enjoyed the love story. For the most part the romance is believable, but I don’t think Catherine would have left her daughter for two weeks. I could have did without her getting the job in the end because that really wouldn’t have happened.
December 2, 2020
Ebook
She’s a single Mom with a diabetic daughter. She just lost her job rise to get another at a high end restaurant. She lacks confidence and doesn’t apply but literally runs into the owner. That’s the start of a journey to love and success.
She’s a single Mom with a diabetic daughter. She just lost her job rise to get another at a high end restaurant. She lacks confidence and doesn’t apply but literally runs into the owner. That’s the start of a journey to love and success.
March 21, 2019
A great read
I adore this book. The characters are fun, the dialogue flows well and the story is captivating. I fell in love with the characters and can’t wait to read more.
I adore this book. The characters are fun, the dialogue flows well and the story is captivating. I fell in love with the characters and can’t wait to read more.
December 23, 2019
A Christmas Love Story that really wasn't very Christmassy.
December 12, 2021
Lots of grammatical and spelling/typo errors. Predictable, lightweight fiction.
December 17, 2023
Great book!! Loved the storyline and the characters!
December 26, 2025
a quick read that kept me interested.
December 22, 2019
I confess it took me a while to get into this as an audio book but that was mostly because it sounded more like a stilted reading and not a smooth flowing realistic conversation. Having said that, the narrators voice was pleasant, just needs to relax a little and sound more natural. If you are reading the book then it will hopefully be an interesting tale with some great characters and a look at life in a tropical setting.
February 9, 2020
It is a great book to read
Read
May 1, 2019Dnf at 20% when it turned into insta-lust. I was expecting a romance. Not for me.
Not rating at this moment
Not rating at this moment
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews