Holiday Wishes by Jill Shalvis
Series: Heartbreaker Bay #4.5
Published by Avon on November 7, 2017
Source: the publisher
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It’s Christmastime again in Heartbreaker Bay!

When Sean O’Riley shows up at the Hartford Bed & Breakfast for his older brother’s bachelor weekend, he’s just hoping to make it through the weekend. What he’s not expecting is to come face to face with the woman he lost his virginity to a decade ago—a woman he’s never really forgotten.

The last time Lotti Hartford saw Sean, she told him she loved him while he said nothing. Now, ten years later, she’s just looking for a good time. For once, she wants to be the wild and free one, and Sean – the good time guy – is the perfect candidate.

But as the weekend continues, Sean realizes that after a lifetime of being the hook-up king, he’s ready to find happily-ever-after, and he wants it with Lotti. But will she open her heart to him again? As Christmas sweeps through the little B&B, he can only hope love and magic are in the air.

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review:

I’ve been loving the Heartbreaker Bay Series by Jill Shalvis. I recently binge-read all of the books and this novella in a short amount of time, and I grew super-attached to the group of friends in Heartbreaker Bay.

Holiday Wishes is another fun novella the Heartbreaker Bay Series, this time featuring Sean O’Riley and Lotti Hartford. We first met Sean in the first Heartbreaker Bay book –  Sweet Little Lies – which featured Sean’s brother, Finn. Back then, Sean was far different than he is now. He was much more immature; Finn couldn’t really depend on him to help him run the family business and he wasn’t one for commitment in terms of romantic relationships. Sean has grown up and is eager to show his brother and the rest of their friend-group that he is responsible. He organized the Bachelor/Bachelorette Weekend Away at the B&B and has high hopes that everything will come together perfectly.

Sean is excited to see that Lotti Hartford, the owner of the B&B, is a big part of his past. She is his “one that got away” and Sean quickly decides that he would like to try again with Lotti, especially since he has never been able to forget her. Lotti is not as eager. She doesn’t want any attachments and does everything she can to avoid feeling anything for Sean.

When a big storm comes out of nowhere and strands the friends at the B&B, Lotti’s plans are ruined too. She is stranded at the B&B along with Sean and his friends, so she decides to do what she does best: be hospitable and run her business. Lotti is committed to helping Sean pull the weekend together and help give Finn and Pru the best wedding possible in the crazy circumstances they’ve found themselves in. Of course, the more she works with Sean, the more interested she is in giving Sean a second.

Goodness, I adored Sean in this book. I know that we weren’t supposed to be terribly impressed with him in the first book, but I absolutely love him now. Not only is he determined to make his brother’s wedding the best wedding ever, but he is determined to win over Lotti – and he is doing both at the same time and under some of the most stressful conditions imaginable. Lotti doesn’t make it easy for him, but he keeps pursuing her. It is super fun to read. Oh, how I wish this would have been a full-length book! But I’ll take anything that Jill Shalvis gives us.

I think that the best thing about this story is the fact that all of the friends are present. They’re really just the coolest bunch of (fictional) people, and I find myself wishing that I could hang out with them in real life every time I read a book from this series. This is one of the things that I love about Ms. Shalvis – she writes some of the best secondary casts! The friendships and relationships between her characters are why I keep coming back to her books.

I recommend Holiday Wishes, just like I have recommended all of her other books. I love knowing Sean’s history with Lotti and I love their second chance romance. I’m hoping to see more of them together as a couple in future installments. I just wish it was longer!

I’m so ready for the next book – About That Kiss – which features Joe and Kylie!

Check out my other reviews in the Heartbreaker Bay Series:

Sweet Little Lies | The Trouble with Mistletoe | One Snowy Night | Accidentally On Purpose
Chasing Christmas Eve | Holiday Wishes | About That Kiss
Hot Winter Nights | Playing For Keeps | Wrapped Up In You | Twist Of Fate