Review: His Holiday Crush by Cari Z


Note: An advanced reader copy (ARC) was provided by Entangled Publishing.

I've missed Cari Z's writing! It's been a couple of years since I last read something from her, and it was co-written with another favorite M/M author of mine, L.A. Witt, and now, I get to reacquaint myself with her storytelling via her latest standalone, His Holiday Crush. This is an M/M holiday romance set in a small town called Edgewood, and has falling-for-my-best-friend's-siblings vibes. It took about an hour and a half to read, and I savored every single second with this wonderful cast of characters and their heartwarming story.

His Holiday Crush is the story of twenty-eight-year-old Maxfield Robertson, a hardworking lawyer on the cusp of becoming junior partner. When his best friend asks Max to spend Christmas with him and his young daughters, Max finds himself agreeing, even if it means returning to his hometown of Edgewood. It's been a decade since he was last there, so when his car ends up in a ditch, he doesn't recognize the cop who rescues him. It turns out that his best friend, Hal's, younger brother, Nicky, has done a lot of growing up in ten years because twenty-four-year-old Dominic Bell is one gorgeous man.

Max and Dominic's story had me squeeing with holiday (romance) joy! Theirs was lighthearted fare with a dusting of angst that made me want to hug both men. Then there were the supporting characters, particularly Hal and his daughters, Marnie and Steph, and goodness, they made me want to bring them in for a group hug. I loved that this was a feel-good story, one that made my heart thump happily in my chest. Yes, it's fiction, but I also choose to believe that this is a reflection of the lives of couples like Max and Dominic in different pockets of the world. His Holiday Crush was a story about finding love and redefining what family and home truly are, and I, for one, absolutely adored it. Five stars.

Release Date: 14 December 2020

Date Read: 14 December 2020

Learn more about Cari Z.

Purchase His Holiday Crush on Amazon | Apple Books | B&N | Kobo.

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