August 1, 2024
Aspiring romance authors Jessica and Nick met at a writing workshop and started a real-life romance, until Nick unexpectedly broke up with Jessica at Christmastime five years ago, just as they both got book deals--his much bigger than hers. The events broke Jess's heart and ruined her favorite holiday. Even worse, this year, Jess is being forced, for the good of her career, to present an award to Nick at their publisher's holiday ball. When they arrive at the inn where the ball is taking place, there's no reservation on file for Jess, all the rooms are booked, and a snowstorm makes travel impossible. Nick, who has never gotten over Jess (and hasn't told her why he really broke up with her), offers to share his room. They're stuck together in a room with only one bed, and when their editors learn that they're both writing second-chance holiday romances, they suggest the two should team up on a book. Nick and Jess find they still work well together in bed and on the page and might have a real-life reunion, if they can get over their past. VERDICT Ballard (Right on Cue) offers a sexy second-chance romance, perfect for the Christmas season.--Melissa DeWild
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from September 1, 2024
Romance-author exes wind up sharing a bed (and a book idea) when they get snowed in at a publishing event. Jessica Carrington and Nick Matthews once had the kind of relationship that happily-ever-afters are made of. They were head over heels in love and both pursuing their dreams of writing romance novels. But then Nick's career took off faster than Jess' and he broke up with her, breaking her heart. Nick made a name for himself writing love stories without happy endings (a cardinal sin in the romance world), earning himself movie adaptations and bestsellers. Jess, meanwhile, grew a steady but much less financially rewarding career. Seeing her ex succeed for writing books that aren't even technically romance is too much to take, so she's avoided him for years...that is, until they end up at a charming inn for their publisher's annual holiday party. Jess is enraged that she's asked to present an award to Nick, although she goes along with it to look professional. She hopes to get through it with as little interaction as possible, but perhaps she should see what's coming next: They get snowed in, and they're forced to share a hotel room--and there's only one bed. Jess can't deny that she and Nick still have chemistry and all the snappy banter of an enemies-to-lovers rom-com. When their publisher suggests they work on a book together, her initial hesitation turns into excitement as the words flow easily. But just because they work well together doesn't mean they'd make a good couple, and Jess still doesn't know why Nick broke it off all those years ago. Ballard has written another fun and impossible-to-put-down romance with engaging leads. Readers will enjoy the peek behind the curtain at the world of publishing, and the sexual tension between Nick and Jess will keep them turning the pages. The cozy setting and Christmas details make for strong holiday vibes, no matter the season. A short, sweet, and extremely festive romance that will put readers in the holiday spirit.
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August 19, 2024
Ballard (Right on Cue) reunites ex-lovers for the holidays in this spicy yet predictable outing. Romance writers Jess Carrington and Nick Matthews were once in love and inseparable—until they both received publishing deals from the same imprint. While Jess’s books do just okay, Nick, who breaks genre convention by writing love stories with unhappy endings, catapults to fame. His meteoric rise tears the couple apart—until, five years later, Jess is asked to introduce the Romance Author of the Year award to Nick at an annual industry holiday party. Jess still believes in happily ever after and the spirit of Christmas, her favorite holiday, but she struggles to get in the spirit while battling her anger at—and lingering attraction to—Nick. After a blizzard and an overbooked hotel conspire to land these two in the same room with only one bed, their editor suggests they work together on a new project. Ballard leans into the tropiness of her premise, delivering plenty of forced proximity, second-chance, and enemies-to-lovers antics, but doesn’t flesh out her characters’ backstories enough to get readers fully invested. Still, this is short, sweet, and festive. Agent: Kimberly Whalen, Whalen Agency.