Holidate

Monica Murphy

Oct 2019 · Monica Murphy

About this ebook

Candice Gaines loves Christmas. Not only does she bask in the twinkling lights, sing Christmas carols and go crazy with the decorations, she’s also in the giving spirit, donating much of her time and wealth to various charities in the local area.

Charlie Sullivan despises Christmas. Though it keeps his family afloat, considering they own Sullivan Family Christmas Tree Farm, the main provider for Christmas trees on the Monterey peninsula. He’d much rather work among the trees versus have to deal with people.

But Charlie’s parents are taking on more philanthropic projects—and as their oldest child, they want him to be their official public representative. He just has to play nice and convince everyone he’s not a total holiday hater.

When Charlie’s mom asks Candice to accompany him to a variety of holiday parties and events, she reluctantly agrees. She thinks Charlie is a big ol’ Grinch, but is determined to change his mindset and help him spread Christmas cheer. Charlie finds Candice too chatty, too sweet, too much. Do people like her really exist?

Why yes, yes they do. The more time they spend together—along with a few kisses under the mistletoe—the more they start to like each other. Hopefully Charlie can convince Candice he doesn’t have a heart that’s two sizes too small before the ball drops on New Year’s Eve.

Ratings and reviews

I loved meeting Candice in Fake Date book 2 in Monica Murphy's Dating series. Then when I met Charlie, the Grinch to Candice's jollyness I just new this would be another fun romance. Holidate is sweet, romantic and a tad whimsical everything a good holiday romance should be. Charlie and Candice seem like the classic opposites attract couple but then we realize there is more than meets the eye. Ms Murphy does it again with another great romance in such a great series.

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review** Holidate is the third book in the Dating series and we met the heroine, Candice, in book two, as she is Jared's sister. I so enjoyed the first books in this series, so I was excited to get my hands on this one! Candice Gaines loves Christmas. She is involved with just about anything she can be in order to bring Christmas cheer to those in her hometown. She is able to focus on giving back due to the fact she inherited a large sum of money from her late mother and she's a very generous soul. On the flip side, Charlie Sullivan is not a fan of Christmas, yet his family owns a Christmas Tree Farm, so he has no choice but to be immersed in it! He much prefers to stay behind the scenes, to run the farm and avoid the commercial elements, yet his parents are getting to the age where they are wanting to turn over more of the responsibility to him and have him be more visible. Charlie's Mom decides to take matters into her own hands and enlists Candice to help get him more comfortable with being more in the public eye. As the two begin to spend more time together, will Candice be able to turn "the Grinch" into a Christmas loving guy or will it totally burn out like a string of Christmas lights? This was a quick, easy read, but it was really great. This is one instance where the old adage "opposites attract" really was the recipe for a fantastic couple and an engaging story!

The Dating series are standalone romances with interconnecting characters, that's why I felt a little lost at the start. However, it was easy to get the hand of it, but I suggest to start from book/audiobook 1. Holidate is an enjoyable and entertaining holiday story great for this Holiday Season. I absolutely loved how the story came to life with the brilliant performance by Teddy Hamilton. Virginia Rose did a good job but I couldn't connect with her character at times. Candace and Charlie characters were likeable, funny and I enjoyed their banter. I keep thinking that something was missing, and in the end I realized that I couldn't felt the chemistry or the sparks with this couple, it may be that the lack of passion, and steamy romance between this couple did a number on me. However, all in all this was a sweet and magical Christmas listen that I really enjoyed.

About the author

Monica Murphy is a New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and has sold over one million copies worldwide. She is both a traditionally published author and an independently published author, and she writes new adult, young adult and contemporary romance. She is also USA Today bestselling romance author Karen Erickson.