An Improvised Boyfriend for Christmas

Boyfriend For Christmas #1

by J.L. Hixon

Hazel might be falling for the boy next door, and the timing couldn’t be worse—because she just hired a fake boyfriend.

Hazel grew up with a flaky mom, a bunch of different dads, and a whole lotta baggage. She’s avoided romantic love like it’s old fruitcake—so despite overseeing countless epic romances as a professional stage manager, Hazel doesn’t know what it feels like to be in love.

Now her grandma is dying, and all the sweet old woman wants is for her granddaughters to be in caring, stable relationships. Hazel will do anything to make sure her grandma’s last Christmas is perfect.

Cue the fake boyfriend.

Hazel’s shows always run smoothly due to her air-tight plans and schedules, but this one threatens to fall apart when her fake boyfriend goes off-script and shines a spotlight on Hazel’s terrible improvising skills. It doesn’t help that Grandma’s handsome neighbor, Matt Thatcher, is focusing so closely on Hazel’s new relationship. His attention makes Hazel feel things she’s never felt before.

It’s terribly distracting.

But the show must go on for Grandma’s sake, so Hazel’s gotta learn to improvise her way through this farce until she figures out if she’s in a love story … or a tragedy.

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Contemporary, Holiday, Ebooks, Romantic Comedy, Family

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2022

About the author

J.L. Hixon writes sweet, heartwarming romances. She loves every form of storytelling: art, music, movies, dance, theater, books--you name it, she digs it. She has a BFA in theater from UCSB and used to act and teach voice lessons, but nowadays she spends her time writing and hanging with her awesome family. Find her at jlhixon.com or on Instagram as authorjamiehixon.

Reviews

[Julie Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darling, hilarious and witty. Poor Hazel has really got her work cut out for her. She should have just stuck with having a great Christmas with her grandma. But she let her desire to make her grandma happy one last Christmas get in the way of her sound judgement. But what ensues is some pretty funny scenes (for us readers) as she navigates her way around these fake boyfriends she told her grandma that she and her sisters have. Hahaha! Another good lesson as to why telling the truth is always more important.

Hazel is in over her head with this plan but finds a couple of guys to act the part of fake boyfriends. And cue the handsome, caring next door neighbor Matt, whom Hazel is struggling to not pay special attention to because she's not interested in a relationship with anyone because she's sealed her heart off for years. But when he's the one who truly sees her and is questioning everything about her "boyfriend," her heart might just start to have those protective walls come down.

Matt is just the sweetest. I kept hoping that Hazel would choose him for her fake boyfriend, but she didn't want him as a fake boyfriend because in her heart she could tell that he was the real deal. But how can your heart know that when everything in your life points to love not being real?

Dive into this sweet and charming Christmas story. You'll love Hazel, Matt, Grandma, her sisters and the whole cast of characters who are quite literally characters! They'll have you laughing, sometimes cringing and possibly cheering for their performances!

Content: Clean. Some kisses but nothing further.

I received a copy from the author of the other book in this series. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

[Caytlin Sampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect holiday romcom read!! Fake boyfriends (yes more than one), unexpected love, nearly spoiled secrets, and witty humor make this a hard one to put down. Hazel is the perfect main character - quirky and flawed (aren’t we all?!) and her love interest will make you swoon every time he enters the room. If you’re looking for a fun, quick holiday pick me up, this is it!

[beatriz · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
cute but forgettable

[Marcella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet. Funny. The things we do for family. It was laugh out loud and quietly reflective. Just the story to start off holiday reading.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hazel has gotten herself and her sisters into a pickle. When grandma was in the hospital she told her they all had boyfriends, but now it's months later, grandma's home and she wants to meet these long-term boyfriends at Christmas!! Working at a local theater, Hazel comes up with the "perfect" plan! Cue the fake boyfriends.

Oh my word!! There were so many scenes in this book that had me laughing out loud--especially the fake accents. Hazel's mom has had so many relationships that Hazel has closed herself up to the possibility of love. When she starts having feelings Matt, for the hunky guy next door, that helps take care of her grandma she tries everything to ignore and push them down. Speaking of Matt--he's the best!! He's sweet, caring and all good things. He cares about Hazel and her grandma and knows something is fishy about Hazel's "boyfriend".

If you're looking for a really fun, fake relationship rom-com definitely fits that category. I received a complimentary copy from the author of the other book in this series. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Think Hallmark--the girl who needs to learn how to love and the boy who is too good to be true--but with real, deep relatable feelings. Hazel navigates the approaching loss of a loved one and how to move past trauma from her childhood. There were characters that made me melt, and some that I wanted to throw in front of a train. 😆 Sweet, clean, and laugh out loud funny!

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a darling book. If you love hallmark this is the perfect book for you! Especially at Christmas! Grandma and her little bits of wisdom were so cute and the Christmas village was my favorite!

[Nari · Rating 5 out of 5]

sweet romance

Hazel had a rough childhood so she has tried to control her life by planning everything and protecting her heart. Matt is the boy next door who quietly loved her. I love how this romance develops and the friendship it is based on. I especially love the Christmas village idea.

[Lynette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I read this after Christmas was over, it was still a fun romp in the romcom world. I laughed out loud a few times and I loved the starts and stops of the relationship between Matt and Hazel. It was a very sweet romance. And, I am very partial to the name Lois. That was a nice surprise Jamie.

[J.L. Hixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like Christmas, romance, and laughing, give this book a try.
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

[Cathy R Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hazel would do almost anything for her dying grandmother, but when she wants to see Hazel in a real relationship, that's going a step too far. But Hazel can't say no, so instead she produces a fake boyfriend. Unfortunately, he seems rather too keen on improvising, and sometimes it doesn't work very well. Worse, her grandmother's neighbour Matt (who Hazel has always got along well with but suddenly realises is actually rather handsome) is watching far too closely for comfort. Will Hazel's famous plan prove her best one yet, or a complete disaster?

This was a new author to me, but I'm very glad I tried this book, because I really enjoyed it. Poor Hazel really had no one but herself to blame for the mess she ended up in, but I felt sorry for her nevertheless - which is not to say that I didn't laugh at times at some of the predicaments she found herself in! But this story is more than just a light read to give you a good laugh. It's also got some touching moments as Hazel comes to terms with some of the reasons she acts how she does - and some very meaningful conversations, particularly with her grandmother. The result is a book that is both amusing and touching. Now I'm curious as to how her two sisters managed their situations...

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

[Korbie Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

To quote a line from the book, "Ho ho oh no" you are not going to be able to put this book down!

An Improvised Boyfriend for Christmas was an utterly delightful Christmas rom-com. It has all the ingredients of a good Christmas rom-com -- we've got a fake boyfriend, friends to lovers, the boy-next-door trope, lots of Christmas activities, and plenty of (and a sweet little old grandma that I'd like to be like in my old age someday!).

Hazel and Matt are both adorable and endearingly slightly awkward. Both read just like someone I'd be friends with in reality, and it made it so easy to be invested in their story. I loved that their romance is both sweet and believable. The secondary characters are great too -- especially Stuart! His role as the fake boyfriend is executed with both comedy and just the right touch of awkward.

I've also read Janette Rallison's book in the series, and I'm so impressed with how Hixon and Rallison work together to create a cohesive series that employs the strengths of each author. It's a rare thing to accomplish but I love reading series like these!

Five stars from me. Definitely one I'll recommend to all lovers of Christmas rom-coms!

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kisses only. This is a pretty quick read and a nice take on the fake boyfriend thing. I never like it when the MCs feel the need to lie and then to keep lying. All of Hazel’s crazy justification was a bit much too. I wondered about her finances since she didn’t have money to fix her car yet she could keep paying people $50/hour or whatever for their services. I also thought the connection between Hazel and Matt was rushed, instead of having a nice build to their feelings, their relationship started at making out.

[Hailee Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matt was the best redeeming quality about this book. If it weren't for him, I would have stopped reading because of the main character, Hazel, alone. She bugged me so much! I have read books about heroines that have a troubled upbringing before and how they struggle to trust others and I get that. But, what bugged me about Hazel is that she knew lying wasn't working and that it was literally ruining her life, but she continued to do it anyway instead of give in and tell the truth. She didn't deserve Matt! He was the best!

[Quinn Fforde · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this clean romcom. Hazel told her grandmother that Hazel and her two sisters had serious boyfriends when she thought her grandmother was in mortal danger. Her grandmother recovered from that bout but is still very ill. Hazel has to get her sisters onboard with the lie and find three actors to be their boyfriends for Christmas. But everything goes wrong in the funniest ways until Hazel has to pay attention to the boy -- er, man -- next door. Lots of fun and very sweet

[ضحى الحداد · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a nice read and I enjoyed the concept of it ..
The story is about Hazel, who needs a Christmas boufriend ASAP to make her grandmother happy, and she settles on an actor with her in theatre, but she falls in lovr with someone else..
its been a very long while since I read a book that is about fake dating but (not) about faking dating ? it was nice and gave that Christmas feel somewhat and Matt was really adorable, but it was one of those mindless books you read and forget fast

[H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Between two and three stars. This was cute, but I had a hard time getting into it. Maybe because I liked the second book so much, and it was a different writing style, so it was a little different from what I was expecting. But it was fun to see Hazel’s backstory after meeting her and Matt in Ms Rallison’s book.

[Maria Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a new to me author. It is a fake boyfriend trope but with a little twist. Fake boyfriend is not the love interest. I liked the main characters for the most part and thought their relationship was sweet. I found the continued lying a little bothersome but overall I enjoyed the story.

No sex, language or violence

[dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Christmas read I finished in Spring 🥲

This book felt like it was written for the eldest daughters in dysfunctional families. I fell in love with how sweet Matt was and loved how well the childhood friends to lovers trope was written 🥹 My only critique was I needed more Hazel x Matt as a couple but the 2nd book is my next read so hopefully there is more of that in there:)

[Daisy Dandelion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matt and Hazel

Hazel has issues. And those issues include make-believe people. Like a make-believe boyfriend for her, and also for each of her two sisters. Three pretend boyfriends in all.
Matt is the good guy who lives next door to Grandma and barely talks. A four word sentence is noticeably long.

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book for my daughter and I finally got my chance to read it.

This was a sweet, cozy romance. The characters were great. I especially like Stuart. He made me laugh pretty hard. This was a quick, fun read and I enjoyed it.

[Cristal Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet book! Fake dating but the guy falls first! The magic of Christmas! Does a good job explaining the stresses of the main character and makes them her strength. Anxiety comes in different forms and fashions and it captures that well in the book.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was cute. I like learning more about Hazel and Matt’s story. The Hughes girls each have their own personalities, but I could see how their growing up impacted them. I want to read Violet’s story now!

[Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was one of the best I have read in a long time. It's a very sweet story. Someone should make this into a movie. I am excited to read the sequel and find out Scarlet's story. Do yourself a favor and read this book!

[Rebekah McGee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute holiday read, very PG. our protagonist is trying to make her dying grandmother’s last Christmas the best, and has a plan to hire fake boyfriends to make grandma know they are going to be fine after she passes. Predictable but cute for Christmas.

[Franki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m loving this series so much!
Hixon was a new author to me, but I loved Scarlet and Liam’s story so much that I couldn’t get Hazel’s story fast enough. It is perfect. These books are the perfect blend of romance, humor, Christmas cheer, and fun along the way.

[Tinkerbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book. I've read it several times. ;)

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story.

Content: clean

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something about this didn't work for me. I just couldn't buy into the characters or their romance. Too bad.

[Lindsay Rankin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story

I enjoyed reading this cute Christmas story. I am looking forward to reading the connected book by Janette Rallison soon.