The Christmas Wager

By: Holly Cassidy

Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo, Adam Verner

Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

A delightful enemies-to-lovers holiday rom com set in the quaint mountain town of Maple Falls, Colorado, about a city girl and a small-town boy who compete in the town’s annual holiday games in order to win the right price for a charming, local Christmas shop, perfect for fans of The Hating Game and The Twelve Dates of Christmas.

One rivalry. Eight days until Christmas. Let the holiday games begin.

When L.A.-based real estate developer Bella Ross arrives in the sleepy mountain town of Maple Falls, she has one mission: to acquire the local failing Christmas shop, Always Noelle, securing the promotion of her dreams. Nothing can get in her way. Except the shop owner’s stubborn grandson, Jesse Harrison.

Both refuse to budge, until an unlikely wager is struck: Bella and Jesse will compete in the Maple Falls Holiday Games, an annual tradition of eccentric feats of strength and skills. Winner decides the selling price. They’ll give each other a run for their money, but as the competition heats up, Bella and Jesse’s icy feelings toward each other begin to thaw. It’ll take a Christmas miracle for them to admit there’s a spark, but what if it’s just another game?

©2023 by Hannah Mary McKinnon (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

One of Reader’s Digest’s 22 Christmas Romance Books That Will Put You in the Holiday Spirit
One of Library Journal’s ‘Tis the Season for Romance Reads
One of Scary Mommy's 8 Holiday Novels to Buy This July—Because Christmas Can’t Come Soon Enough
One of Cultress’s New Romance Books of September 2023
One of Nerd Daily’s September 2023 Romance Book Releases
One of Beyond the Bookends's 14 of the Best New Christmas Books of 2023

“One of those Christmas romance books that opens like your favorite Hallmark Christmas movie…[A] hilarious, wholesome face-off between strangers who have every reason to hate each other—but can’t deny a seed of attraction.” —Reader’s Digest

"A delightfully witty romcom that will have you laughing and cheering as the holiday antics and romance rev up! Holly Cassidy’s talent for setting a scene shines from the first to the last page, sucking you in and bringing all the feels with her charming characters and heartfelt moments. Read up, Brinches! Your new favorite holiday romcom has arrived!" —Codi Hall, author of Nick and Noel’s Christmas Playlist

“Sweetness and spice blend perfectly in this rivals-to-lovers story….Idyllic, snowy Maple Falls is a town you’ll never want to leave and Bella and Jesse are characters you’ll love to root for….Pure swoony, escapist fun. This book deserves to be on your classics shelf, reopened and savored every Christmas.” — Ashley Winstead, author of The Boyfriend Candidate and In My Dreams I Hold a Knife

Clever Christmas Romance

Bella and Jesse each feel it as soon as they lay eyes on one another. But Bella is in Jesse's grandfather's Christmas store trying to buy the building for as little as possible, to impress her boss and earn a promotion. Jesse can't believe her low ball offer and convinces his grandfather to counter with a much higher price, a price above the one Bella's boss said was the highest she could go. Jesse's grandfather suggests a wager, either the high price or the low one depending upon whose team wins the yearly games.
In spite of the rivalry, those feelings are too strong to be denied. There are exes who provide complications. Then Bella's boss changes the design, making Bella's promise of preservation a lie. Never fear, a happy ending is on the way.
Unfortunately, I do not love the narrators, in particular the male who never sounds like he is telling his own story.

Loved this book

This is a great book. Couldn’t put it down! I highly recommend it. Narrative is great and story is fun and interesting

Dreary, not cheery, Christmas

This was a long recitation of Xmas tropes, with scenes told first from one POV and then told again from the other POV, without humor, chemistry, or emotion. It’s a cozy, meaning no F bombs and the exact same fade to black move (when buttons are undone, that’s code for sex … and the end of the chapter).
It was like biting into a sugar cookie and realizing someone left out all the sugar … and then finishing the whole batch to avoid waste. The more I ate, the more my holiday romance loving tastebuds died.

As I lover of holiday romance, I would recommend almost anything over this book.
If you want clean and cozy, try:
🎄All’s Fair in Love and Christmas by Sarah Monzon
🎄The Best Worst Christmas by Kate Forster
🎄Mistletoe at Moonstone Lake by Holly Martin

If you want both sugar and spice, and naughty bits to make sex nice, try:
🎄The Holly Dates by Brittany Cherry
🎄Reindeer Falls novella collection by Jana Aston
🎄Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey