A Very Bossy Christmas by Kayley Loring

Rom Com/Contemporary
Publication date: ​10/26/2020
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

So, since the Great Book Slump of 2020 was broken by Isabel Jordan's The Has-Been and the Hot Mess, it's apparently going to be smooth sailing for the rest of the year (fingers crossed), because this book was absolutely delightful. Here's the full review:    

Plot Overview: Scrooge boss Declan doesn't want to let superstar assistant Maddie take any time off at Christmas. He eventually relents under one condition: that she be his fake girlfriend for a couple of upcoming family events. Hilarity and sexy times ensue.

Trope bingo: Boss/employee romance, grumpy one is soft for the sunshine-y one, fake relationship, secretly pining hero. 

This one was pretty much my catnip, y'all. I loved it. Let me count the ways in which I loved it: 

1. Declan is grumpy, and I ADORE a grumpy romance novel hero. But on the inside, he's really just a gooey cinnamon roll who is completely smitten with the heroine. It just doesn't get any better than that as far as tropes are concerned.  

2. The heroine is smart, funny, and super competent at her job. There's nothing about Maddie that I didn't like. She keeps Declan on his toes throughout the whole book, and it was so much fun watching her fall for him after claiming to hate him for the first few chapters. 

3. Banter. There is witty banter for DAYS in this book. And there's a scene where Declan and Maddie slip flawlessly into re-enacting a snippet from The Last Jedi that made my nerdy heart so, so happy. (In case I haven't made it clear, I would've TOTALLY taken Kylo Ren's hand. I'm only human and that "please" would've done me in.)

4. There are truly hilarious scenes with both Maddie's family and Declan's family that had me laughing out loud--and I don't laugh out loud too much these days, so that's really saying something. 

5. I've complained before about books that are marketed as rom coms that aren't funny. Rom coms are SUPPOSED to be funny. Well, this is not a book that has been mis-marketed. It's ridiculously funny, while still managing to have quite a few emotional moments. It's everything I want in a rom com. EVERYTHING. 

6. Sexy times are super sexy without veering into "ew, gross" territory. (I've run into a few "ew, gross" books lately. I won't name and shame, though.)

I mean, I could go on...but why? If my gushing so far hasn't convinced you to read this book, nothing will. And if that's the case, I feel bad for you because you're missing out. As I said, this one is just delightful. :) 

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
Kicks the CRAP out of the romance stigma! No rehab needed.