Book Review: A Cross-Country Christmas by Courtney Walsh

Title: A Cross-Country Christmas

Author: Courtney Walsh

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Romance, Adult, Contemporary

Pages: 256

Publisher: Sweethaven Press

Year Published: 2021

Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

"Lauren Richmond isn't a fan of Christmas.

Which is why she rarely makes the trip home to the Midwest for the holidays. After all, she has plenty to keep her busy- namely, he duties as a set decorator on a TV sitcom.

But this December, Lauren's brother and his wife are expecting a baby, so her brother arranges a ride home for her with his good friend, Will.

Unfortunately for Lauren, she's been trying to forget college baseball coach and childhood crush Will Sinclair for more than ten years.

Now, thanks to her fear of flying, she's stuck in a car with him from California to Illinois.

She's circumspect and organized. He's flirty and spontaneous.

She's convinced that people don't change. He's trying to prove to her (and himself) that he has.

On this cross-country road trip, they'll both discover that history doesn't exactly repeat itself... but like any could Christmas carol it does have a second verse."

My Rating: 3.5/5

This book would have been perfect for me if for one thing. There had been any amount of smut. I would have taken a kiss, some light touching but there isn't a kiss until the end! And that's just not what I was looking for in my kindle Christmas tbr. This book was a hallmark movie and a lot of fun. Would recommend it if you want a no-smut Christmas romance to pick up this year.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

Title: Royal Holiday

Author: Jasmine Guillory

Series/Standalone: The Wedding Date (Book #4)

Genre: Romance, Adult Fiction, Holiday

Pages: 304

Publisher: 2019

Year Published: Berkley

Format: Audiobook

"Vivian Forest has been out of the country a grand total of one time, so when she gets the chance to tag along on her daughter Maddie's work trip to England to style a royal family member she can't refuse. She's excited to spend the holidays taking in the magnificent British sights, but what she doesn't expect is to become instantly attracted to a certain private secretary, his charming accent, and unyielding formality.

Malcolm Hudson has worked for the queen for years and has never given a personal, private tour- until now. He is intrigued by Vivian the moment he meets her and finds himself making excuses just to spend time with her. When flirtatious banter turns into a kiss under the mistletoe, things snowball into a full-on fling.

Despite a ticking timer on their holiday romance, they are completely fine with ending their short, steamy affair come New Year's Day... or are they?"

My Rating: 5/5

This was such a great romance for me. I know that it's a Christmas book, but I was fine with reading it at the end of summer. The difference between this book and other books that I've read by this author is the character's age range. They are older, in their 50s I would think, and they knew what they wanted from each other. They knew how to flirt, and there wasn't a huge miscommunication plot that derailed the relationship. It was great to see characters find love again and watch them explore London together. I would highly recommend to people who don't like indecisiveness in their romance.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny