Book Review: Santa Maybe

By Sara Steven

Rosie Gonzalez isn’t having a wonderful Christmas time. Not when she’s at risk of losing her job as assistant manager of the Duchess—Victoria’s oldest boutique hotel. If she and her team can’t bring in more guests by the end of December, she’ll be let go. Adding to her stress is a calendar filled with family gatherings where her mom will inevitably nag her for still being single.

Drew Richardson isn’t faring much better. As if working alongside his ex at Northlife Fitness wasn’t bad enough, now she’s invited him to her December wedding. And since all his coworkers will be there, bailing isn’t an option. To get through it, he’ll need a plus-one for moral support.

So, when Rosie recruits him to play Santa for her hotel’s activities, he also proposes a fake-dating scheme to benefit them both. Just for the holidays—nothing more. But as things between them turn from nice to naughty, they’ll have to decide whether a real relationship could be the best Christmas gift of all. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

I love The Duchess Hotel book series!

The plan seems pretty simple in theory: Give others the impression that there is a budding relationship growing between Rosie, the assistant manager at a struggling hotel, and Drew, a successful fitness instructor/personal trainer. The idea doesn’t seem completely farfetched, considering Rosie has known Drew for a while–he had been her personal trainer at one point in time, so it’s not like they don’t know each other. 

But a big reason she stopped going to the gym is due to her attraction for Drew. And Drew feels the same way. Yet neither character wants a serious relationship. Rosie doesn’t know if she has time to commit to anything long-term, and Drew has recently had his heart broken in such a way that really doesn’t allow much in the way of trust. It doesn’t help that he already has a tainted view of relationships due to his familial past. So it makes perfect sense to put on their game faces and pretend for their families and friends that there is a possible happily-ever-after, even if they both know there will be an eventual ending on the horizon. What could go wrong?

The fauxmance between Rosie and Drew was pretty spectacular and provided just the right amount of burn and spice. From the get go, there is an immediate push and pull, with Rosie and Drew fighting against their urges, despite knowing what could happen if they go down “that” road. I also appreciated that both characters have more going on than just the fauxmance. Rosie is doing all she can to try to save her hotel, and Drew has a lot to consider when it comes to his future. It was nice to get both perspectives during my reading experience, to gain better insight into why Drew is so frightened of love, and why Rosie never feels as though she’s worth it.

Santa Maybe was Christmasy sugar, spice, and kind of nice, with a lot of naughty sprinkled into it, too – and it was a lot of fun! It's a well-deserved five-star experience!

Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase Santa Maybe here.

Carla Luna writes contemporary romance with a dollop of humor and a pinch of spice. A former archaeologist, she still dreams of traveling to far-off places and channels that wanderlust into the settings of her stories. Her books have been called “escape reads,” ideal for perusing during a beachside vacation, a long flight, or a relaxing weekend at the lake.  When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading, baking, and taking long walks while listening to pop culture podcasts. Though she has roots in Los Angeles and Vancouver Island, she currently resides in Wisconsin with her family and her feisty Siberian cat.

Visit Carla online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!