Published: December 17, 2020
Kindle Edition
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Xavier Neal is quite an established author, with over fifty published works under her belt. She enjoys jumping from romance sub-genre to sub-genre. She is an avid reader, a diehard hockey fan, and a badass wife to her lumberjack hubby.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Lark is a workaholic trying to build his shop into a thriving success. He is also dedicated to his family. His parents, his brother, and his nephew hold such a special place in his heart. So does his best friend, Da’Nika; neither of them knows that yet. What starts as a pretend holiday romance quickly becomes the real deal. Now, Lark and Da’Nika need to admit the truth to themselves.

This is a sweet friendship turned romantic relationship story. What starts as a pretend relationship to prevent the senate family’s questions over Christmas dinner becomes a much bigger deal when Lark realizes he has romantic feelings toward Da’Nika.

Da’Nika realizes she is in love with her best friend and pretending to be engaged to her best friend. But more than that, she finds she loves his family. Their relationship with each other, the good-natured teasing. The holiday traditions, them as people. Suddenly she isn’t comfortable with pretending to be something she isn’t.

I enjoyed the way this story unfolded. I liked that Lark and Da’Nika realized their feelings quickly and that there wasn’t a lot of back and forth, and struggled to make it happen. Once they realized they had real feelings for each other, they went after what they wanted.

This was a quick read, but the story was very filled out. The plot was well developed, it didn’t have any unnecessary strife or drama, and the characters were all memorable. This is my first Xavier Neal book, but I am a fan! Bold characters, decisive plot, and a lot of charm.

Find Sleigh Bride by Xavier Neal on Amazon. Several of Xavier Neal’s titles are available on Kindle Unlimited.