Just Home for the Holidays

Deborah Cooke

Dec 2020 · Flatiron Five Fitness Book 7 · Deborah A. Cooke

About this ebook

Chloe has plans...

Running the finances at Flatiron Five Fitness West is steadily making her goal of financial independence come true. Returning to New York for Christmas should be routine, but her mom starts matchmaking—and Chloe needs a plus-one fast. When Hunter volunteers, Chloe decides he's the perfect choice—she'll never get emotionally involved with a guy who doesn't worry about tomorrow. It doesn't hurt that he's hot, or that he kisses like he invented it—but when Chloe discovers that Hunter hates Christmas, she needs to know why. How much will she surrender to unlock his secrets? And how will she keep herself from falling in love once she does?

Hunter lives in the moment...

He's learned the hard way that tomorrow might never come and is determined to make every day count. The problem is Christmas—he needs a major distraction to keep his memories at bay. A fake date to a fancy charity event with his gorgeous co-worker, Chloe, is definitely out of the ordinary for him, but Hunter loves a challenge. What could be a better one than breaking every one of Chloe's rules? It's all fun until Chloe decides to help Hunter put the past behind him—when she demands more than a fling, can Hunter learn to believe in the future again?

Ratings and reviews

JUST HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS is the sixth instalment in Deborah Cooke’s contemporary, adult FLATIRON FIVE FITNESS erotic, romance series focusing on a group of friend who own and work for Flatiron Five Fitness- an exclusive fitness club. This is twenty-nine year old, financial consultant Chloe Richardson, and Hunter Tate’s story line. JUST HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information is revealed where necessary. Told from dual third person perspectives (Chloe and Hunter) JUST HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS follows the fake relationship between twenty-nine year old, financial consultant Chloe Richardson, and fitness instructor Hunter Tate. Chloe Richardson had returned to New York for the holidays but more specifically at the request of her mother to attend the annual charity ball. With a work related stop at Flatiron Five, the head quarters of the company for which she worked, Chloe let it slip that she needed a plus-one for the annual charity ball, a plus-one to convince her matchmaking mother to back off and leave her ‘love life ‘ alone. Enter F5 fitness instructor Hunter Tate, a man who doesn’t do relationships but was willing to step in for as Chloe’s love interest. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Hunter and Chloe, and the fall-out as Hunter’s secrets keep our hero from taking a chance on something more. The relationship between Chloe and Hunter begins as a fake relationship, one in which Chloe has a long list of ‘don’ts’ for our story line hero. As the days before the annual charity ball get closer, Hunter is determined to break all of Chloe’s rules but refuses to reveal anything about his past, and the heart break that continues to take hold of his heart. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Tyler McKay and Shannon, Kyle Stuyvesant, Theo Tremblay, Damon and Haley, Cassie and Reid, media person Sonia as well as Chloes’ sister Amanda, their mother, and Chloe’s ex-boyfriend Josh. JUST HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS is a story of secrets and heart break; family and friendships; romance and love. The premise is inviting and imaginative; the romance is spicy ; the characters are strong willed, spirited and flirty.

A heart-warming seasonal addition to the series. Not my absolute favourite, but still a very pleasant diversion during the silly season. A "fake date" premise with some welcome cameos from the F5F team, including a surprise Christmas delivery! In true F5F style, the couple sizzle very quickly, but the heart is a slow burn, and I challenge you to avoid shedding a tear by the end. Dual POV, open door sexy times (though not the main focus) and a slightly rushed but HEA.

About the author

Bestselling and award-winning author Deborah Cooke has published over ninety novels and novellas, including historical romances, fantasy romances, fantasy novels with romantic elements, paranormal romances, contemporary romances, urban fantasy romances, time travel romances and paranormal young adult novels. Currently, she writes contemporary romance and paranormal romance as herself, Deborah Cooke, medieval romance as Claire Delacroix, and has written as Claire Cross. She is nationally bestselling, as well as a USA Today and New York Times’ Bestselling Author. Her Claire Delacroix medieval romance, The Beauty, was her first book to land on the New York Times List of Bestselling Books. Deborah was the writer-in-residence at the Toronto Public Library in 2009, the first time TPL hosted a residency focused on the romance genre, and she was honored to receive the Romance Writers of America PRO Mentor of the Year Award in 2012. She lives in Canada with her family and knits too much.