Christmas Deadline

by Pam Binder

If Holly Lane can't finish her romance novel by Christmas, she must return the advance she spent to pay off her parents' mortgage. Reluctantly she agrees to collaborate with English mystery author Noel Atterberry to finish the book.
Working together in Noel's English manor, they feel the same heat of attraction as their fictional hero and heroine. But for Noel romance means heartbreak. With Holly, and in the novel they are co-writing together, he rejects a happy ending and demands their characters die in a fiery car crash. Will Holly and Noel manage to write a happily-ever-after for their fictional couple—and themselves—by their Christmas deadline?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction

204 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 4, 2020

Reviews

[Melissa Borsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Along with the blurb, which sounded really good, there’s also Noel’s problems which includes a big money problem, an entire estate falling apart around him, and a possible marriage to someone not Holly, and add in a historical romance through a found family journal, that’s a lot of story. Throw in the on again/off again romantic feelings between Holly and Noel which made me roll my eyes a lot! It was more of an okay read for me. I thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Moony (Captain Mischief) MeowPoff · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this eARC from Netgalley in exhange for a honest review
I did not feel the chemistry between the characters.
The story was okay? i guess? but when i did not feel the chemistry or liked the character i was very much bored.

[Jacinta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stars 4/5. Making this short and succinct.

Characters: 7. They were pretty great. A bit stereotypical, but occasionally surprising. Cliche. Cute.

Atmosphere: 7. Wintery. 10/10 cosy and cliche British.

Writing: 7. Simple, clear, enjoyable.

Plot: 8. -2 due to the ending being so quick and there was an annoying resolution. Sex doesn't solve all.

Intrigue: 8. was so excited for this, slightly disappointing.

Logic: 8. No complaints. Very cliche.

WARNINGS: mention and suggestion of mature content.

RECOMMEND: for 16+ who love authors, romance and british snowy winters.

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun Christmas romance to get into the holiday spirit.
Very hallmark movie vibes

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romance novelist Holly Lane is in a pickle. Her publisher has teamed her with British mystery author Noel Atterberry. They’ve worked hard on it remotely thus far but are struggling to come up with an ending. She wants a romantic one and he disagrees. If she can’t finish this book and send it off to their editor by the deadline, she’ll need to return the advance money. She can’t afford to do that as she’s just discovered her parents’ financial issues. She and Noel agree to have her come to his English manor so they can work together. When they meet at the airport, sparks fly. He’s everything she longs for when she’s writing a hero but this is reality, not a romance novel. As they explore their attraction, the writing seems to flow. Can they come together to write a happy ending for themselves as well as their fictional couple before the Christmas Deadline?

Christmas Deadline is an original feel-good romance I loved from start to finish. The concept of two authors falling in love while writing together in a drafty British manor appeals to me on so many levels. The hero/heroine are bestselling authors who are strong in their fields but need a push to make their writing even better. In the beginning, it seems like they are opposites but as they get to know one another, they discover they are more alike. The romance between Holly and Noel is a bumpy road but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I kept rooting for them to get together. I found myself reading late into the night and when I finished, I hugged myself. Such a sweet ending. If you’re looking for a fun contemporary romance taking place during December, pick up Christmas Deadline. This is a yearly read for me now during the holidays. Highly recommend!

My Rating: 5+ stars

Reviewed by: Mrs. N

This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This book is perfect for writers. The two main characters are both writers forced together by their publishers to write a book together. They have very similar life situations where they are dealing with aging parents and the book is a bit of a great thing for them. The only problem is… they are stuck on the ending. Holly is forced to go to England to meet with Noel in person and hope that by seeing each other in the flesh the muse will start to flow.

There is a lot of writing analogies in this and it is easy to see how they apply to the current storyline between the two writers. I thought the characters were great and the whole situation really resonated with me since I find myself in similar situations currently. I did think end was a bit cut off and I think I would have liked a bit more in the epilogue. But overall, it was a great read. Definitely one I would recommend.

Loved so much about it. If you like romance or cozy mysteries, definitely check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

[Shanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another super sweet Christmas read, I must say that I really really enjoyed the relationship between Noel and Holly (such great xmas-themed names). I think that the plot line was very well developed and I think it was perfect for the holidays 2 authors trying to finish a story in time for Christmas. I think that the premise was fantastic, and I think the setting of the English country side in a manor no less was just the icing on the cake. That being said I think this story lost a star for me because the end felt rushed, but if it is to allow for a sequel I will be reading! I loved these two so much, but I just felt we didn't get enough time to see them be together, and happy, and I dont like that. But I would be back for more of them if it was written for sure.

[Marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love holiday romance season! Pam Binder did a great job of infusing the holiday spirit into Christmas Deadline - from the names, the idyllic setting, decorating the house and of course the ornaments. The Christmas aspects of this story were spot on. For me the romance fell flat, in many ways their romance was zero-sixty, in others it seemed to drag. I didn’t feel that spark and chemistry between Noel and Holly, so the story ended up dragging in the end for me.

I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holly is working with another author. They both write different kinds of books, she writes the romances while he likes to make things blow up. Once Holly goes across the pond to finish the book with him, romance ensues. But not without trouble.
I enjoyed this quick read.

[Penelope · Rating 3 out of 5]

CHRISTMAS DEADLINE, a standalone Romance novel by Pam Binder.

MY RATING GUIDE: 3 Stars
1= dnf/What was that?; 2= Nope, not for me; 3= THIS WAS OKAY; 3.5= I enjoyed it; 4= I liked it a lot; 5= I Loved it, it was great! (I seldom give 5 Stars).

In CHRISTMAS DEADLINE best selling Thriller Mystery writer Noel Attebury/MMC has agreed to his publisher’s suggestion to co-author a book with a successful in-house Romance writer Holly Lane/FMC. Although Noel lives in England and Holly in the US the joint project had been going smoothly. But now as they approach the conclusion of their book and their deadline, they cannot agree on the perfect ending. Being land-rich and money-poor with debts to pay, Noel cannot miss the due date thus forfeiting his advance bonus. Holly has plans for her advance as well. Therefore Noel and Holly must complete the book on time, a product both their editors will accept. Perhaps physically working together can accomplish what emailing hasn’t. They must at least try.

Quotes -
> “Life was never black and white. Life was lived in the shades between.”
> “There must be confusion and doubt before there is clarity. Confusion gets our attention, it shouts, it bothers us, and it questions us. When it has our full attention, the process of examining the source of our confusion can begin.”

CHRISTMAS DEADLINE was an easy, quick read. Although it kept my interest enough to finish it, for me the scenes and the characters didn’t really ring true so I had difficulty believing the story. Perhaps I was simply the wrong demographic for CHRISTMAS DEADLINE. Other, younger, readers may enjoy the English Christmas setting and find the story delightful.

READER CAUTION ~
PROFANITY - Yes. Strong language is used on few occasions.
SEXUAL SITUATIONS - Yes. Several brief scenes toward the end which could easily be skipped if desired.
VIOLENCE - None.

[Danielle Mccoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun romance that didn't answer all my questions but gave off good vives.

[KayLynn Zollinger · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted this to be good. Honestly, it felt like two separate books. First there is the book where she's traveling to England to meet/work with her co-author of the book she's working on. All is well. I got the impression that she didn't know him very well. That they worked well together but didn't really have a personal relationship. They come together and sparks fly...blah blah blah.
Then randomly near the end of the story, it changes pace and suddenly the characters have this back history where they had been emailing personal emails while working on the book over the past year and had actually gotten really close before she ever came out and he was her best friend and he was in love with her and....wtf?
Why is this just coming out in the last part of the book? It's like the author got to the end, realized she didn't know how to finish it, so added in a bunch of filler backstory and called it good. It's unfortunate she didn't care that it wasn't cohesive. Both ideas are good plots, but this weird mishmash is...not.
On a scale of Christmas Cheer I give it a full 5/5. At least she totally nailed that! (Christmas in England, hello....what could be more exciting?)

[Katja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pam Binder's Christmas Deadline checks out the boxes for several familiar, comforting plotlines, Two authors with writer's block collaborate on a romance while struggling to save a family estate brought to financial ruin by the excesses of a gambling relative. It's Christmas time, so we can expect everyone to find their Christmas spirit and start playing together well in the end.

So far, so good. I was expecting to like this book more than I eventually did. For the most part I liked the writing style but some of the dialogue sounds a bit stilted, more like monologues. I found it a little hard to connect with the romance since it is assumed that they're already great friends through emails at the start of the book, but it doesn't really come across since it's more of a tell than a show. I would have liked to see the couple interacting more. When they have some intimacy they retreat immediately, and it's not really clear what the attraction is between them. There are a couple of love scenes that seem more impractical than hot or romantic to me.

A good book could overcome emotionally distant characters but there are some things that just feel wrong to me. I could forgive misquoting Bridget Jones' Diary and claiming that Pride and Prejudice is set in the Victorian period but a major part of the story is based on a huge gaping plothole that was more difficult to overlook. (You may stop reading now if you're worried about spoilers.)

Noel's father is in debt and put the contents of the manor as collateral for the loan. The person who loaned money to him stipulated in his will that the loan must be paid back exactly one year after his death, either in land or cash. Now Noel must come up with a large amount of money or lose his home. So they're trying to auction off some Christmas decorations with historical value. When the auction falls through his father tells him he'd better sell the lands.

But. But. Several buts. I am not an authority on British law but in my jurisdiction this plot would make no sense at all, legally speaking. First of all, if the father put art and furniture as collateral for the debt and they agreed on some repayment terms, the person who loaned him the money can't just change those terms in his will and demand something else. Secondly, it's Noel's father's debt and Noel never signed anything so why is everyone expecting Noel to repay the loan? Since when do the children stand to lose the homes that they own if their parents fail to pay a debt that the children had nothing to do with taking? The father is still alive and the debt is all his. Thirdly, how much is this debt? If they expect to collect enough money by selling off some Christmas decorations, how does it make sense to give up an entire estate to repay it? There are people of lawyerly bent in the story and I was expecting someone to point these things out but nobody ever did.

I read an ARC that I got from Netgalley and these are my honest opinions.

[Amanda Lavelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and The Wild Rose Press Inc for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
I thought the premise of this book was fantastic and I couldn’t wait to read it. However, there was a series of unfortunate events that lead to this being a bit of a disappointing read for me. The first is that I actually live just a few miles from Derby in England, and I hate to disillusion anyone, but we’re not overflowing in Lords, Ladies and country estates around these parts. There is one big stately home (Kedleston Hall) which is situated just outside Derby City, but other than that you need to head up to the very north of Derbyshire to find the likes of Chatsworth and the very affluent areas. Down near Derby it’s mainly old mining and farming towns, so I was having to suspend my dis-belief from the get go. The second concern was the incident of describing Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice as Victorian. I should probably accept not everyone is a complete Jane Austen nut like me but it’s a pet peeve of mine that she gets referred to as Victorian when she died in 1817 and the Victorian period began in 1837. I know, let it go right? But there’s the last thing that the lead male character is called Noel. I had a great uncle Noel, who was a lovely teddy bear of a man, but sexy male romantic lead, he was not(to me at least). And this is no fault of the author, but I’m not sure I can ever get on board with a romantic lead called Noel. As I say., there was just too much working against me here and I failed to really connect with the characters or the story.
I appreciate the opportunity to read this but unfortunately it just didn’t live up to my expectations, although there were some sweet and funny moments and I didn’t hate the book. 2.5 stars

[Karen McG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas Deadline is a romantic and fun story with characters that are believable.
Holly Lane is a romance writer who was a co-writing a novel with mystery and action writer Noel Atterberry. The two, who live in two different countries, cannot agree on an ending for their story. As the deadline approaches and publishers get pushy, Holly decides to go to England and stay at Noel’s ancestral manor during the holiday season. Once they meet in person, you can feel the chemistry jump off the pages. The couple fight the feeling, but then begin to flirt and then realize their passion and friendship for each other. Sadly, the obstacles of distance, financial crisis, and a possible arranged marriage get in the way of the couples chance. Can they decide on a happy ending for both themselves and their characters?
Christmas Deadline is sweet and spicy, but not tacky. The book was a great read, and difficult to put down. A fun read for Christmas, but really any time of the year.
(I was given an e-book copy of this book by the publisher. Thank you The Wild Rose Press, Inc.! The review is mine)
#ChristmasDeadline
#Netgalley
#TheWildRosePress
#PamBinder

[Melissa]

Unfortunately this is a DNF for me because too many aspects fell flat. Holly Lane and Noel Atterberry are writers who have been paired up by their publisher to co-author a novel. She's a Seattle-based romance writer and he writes thrillers from his once-grand English country estate, Mistletoe Manor (yes, really). However, they can't agree on their story's ending and they're facing a Christmas deadline. The solution to this impasse? Holly travels to England and stays at Noel's place (with Noel, duh) so they can write the final chapters in person.

A cute and predictable story, as is typical of most seasonal holiday reads, but this one lost me around page 40. We're told that the two became close after emailing over the past year (until Holly's Christmastime visit, they'd never met). Including some snippets of those emails would have strengthened the plot. Noel has some financial woes with his estate and there's a weird proposed solution involving a potential arranged marriage to a Lady Catherine. And there's also a preface to the novel that basically gives away the ending.

Oh, well. Bah humbug.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two authors worlds apart are working together on a book with a Christmas deadline. The majority of the book gets written with them in their separate cities but as they come to the end of the story they just can’t get it right being across the globe from each other.

Once they are together they quickly discover that the year they have taken to write the book together has created a great friendship yet their styles of writing, each successful in their own right across differing genres is not making it easy to land on the final chapter of the book. There’s is a lot at stake for each of them if they miss the deadline so they are very motivated to get it right but it’s just not coming. There are lots of twists and turns as well as self discovery of the main characters Holly and Noel as well as the char@characters in their novel.

The vivid and descriptive scenery in the book is exceptional and there is also much holiday magic adding to the festive nature of the story. It’s a fun, quick read!

[RateTheRomance · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

This is unlike any other Contemporary Romance I have read because it has this very quirky vibe of being a Historic Romance, but is also modern. The pacing and how the story unfolds is has a sweet vintage feel while still being set in current times. I loved that balance!

Noel is a Mystery writer in England. Holly is a Romance author in America. Their publisher has them co-write a book together over the course of a year via email, blending their genres. Now, the deadline looms and these two meet up in England to finish the manuscript.

The thing this book needed, IMO, was more time spent on their year-long correspondence since it is often referenced as the basis of their relationship. The reader is repeatedly told that they have this amazing and deep connection because of this meaningful correspondence, but we get almost no glimpse at what made it meaningful. A few of those email exchanges included at the beginning of this book could have really elevated this love story.

This is a very sweet holiday romance about two authors finding their happily ever after.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christmas Deadline by Pam Binder
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc
Genre: Romance | Women's Fiction
Release Date: November 4, 2020

Christmas Deadline is a nice holiday romance by Pam Binder.

The story is sweet with a great infusion of Christmas traditions. I enjoyed the book, but it moved a little slow for my liking.

This would be a nice book to read under the glow of the Christmas tree.

I'm so grateful to Pam Binder, The Wild Rose Press, Inc, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

[Rebecca Goss · Rating 4 out of 5]

When two authors co-write a novel and are faced with a pending deadline that is blocked, they decide to meet in England to work together. Holly has been drawn to Noel since they met a year ago through emails. Both lead characters are kind and thoughtful. The supportive characters add Christmas spice to this sweet and heartwarming romance! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Stacy K · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a fun Christmas story.
Holly Is a romance author and decides to breakup with her boyfriend. She has a loving family. Noel is a thriller author and his family has some issues, who also has an ex-girlfriend that gets involved in the story. They both come together to co-write a book. Both have financial problems.

I’ve received a copy from NetGalley and am posting a n honest review.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly predictable but still enjoyable. It was an easy read, and the side characters were interesting. I feel like there were a couple loose ends that should've been tied up but at least the main plot was settled.

[Alissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

his was a cute read, if you are looking for a book to get you into the holiday spirit. The traditions are adorable and fun, but the romance just is rushed. It's not a slow burn, which I am always up for, but just rushed.