ARC Review: ‘Merry Little Kissmas’ by Lauren Blakely
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog earns a small commission at no extra cost to you from any purchases made through these links. You can read the full disclosure underneath the Privacy Policy.
Merry Little Kissmas
by Lauren BlakelyPublished by Self-Published on October 28, 2025
SubGenres: Contemporary Romance
Format: eArc
Pages: 502
Source: the author
Audience: 18+/Adult
Add to Goodreads
Purchase at Amazon
Wanted: A fresh shot at love for the holidays. But fake dating my brother’s grumpy best friend? He’s my new client, for Santa’s sake!As a professional matchmaker, my biggest job this holiday season should be simple: find a date for the sexy single dad hockey player—aka my brother’s best friend—for his team’s fancy Christmas Eve gala.Sure Rowan’s hot as a crackling fire and spicier than a gingerbread man, but he hasn’t just sworn off romance. The Christmas hater has made a bet that I can’t find him a holidate.What’s a matchmaker to do?Win, of course. Even if it means fake dating the grinch myself to get him ready for the real thing.Only…these fake dates at Christmas tree farms and hot cocoa competitions in the snowy small town of Evergreen Falls start to feel a little too real as I get to know the man behind the scowl. Somewhere between kisses under the mistletoe and a snowed-in night in his cabin curled up by the fire (where the stockings aren’t the only thing hung), I realize I’m in over my elf-loving head.And when Rowan opens up to me at last about his painful past, I’m determined to give my brother’s best friend the holiday he deserves.But what if the only gift I want him to unwrap this season is… me?
Tropes: Holiday romance, brother’s best friend, fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, small town, Christmas competition, matchmaker romance, workplace romance
Merry Little Kissmas by Lauren Blakely is a standalone Holiday Romance, perfect for festive reading. It features Rowan, a grumpy hockey player who dislikes Christmas, forced into dates after his teammates win a matchmaking package at an auction. The twist: his matchmaker is Isla, his agent’s sister, whom he’s secretly liked for over a year, though he won’t admit it since he no longer believes in love.
I’ve been a fan of Lauren Blakely’s books since the beginning, but lately her releases have felt inconsistent for me. Merry Little Kissmas, while enjoyable in some moments, ultimately didn’t fully maintain my interest or live up to my expectations, and I’m sad about it because I’ve enjoyed other books from her.
First, I’m going to go into what I enjoyed:
- Isla, the FMC, really stood out to me. I loved her determination to matchmake Rowan, even when he tried to sabotage her efforts. She also pushed him to enjoy Christmas again and was passionate about her job, which showed through her POV. Her fun character made me want to be friends with her in real life.
- Mia, Rowan’s daughter, was sweet and just wanted to celebrate Christmas and see her dad happy. She completely won me over.
- Wanda, the adorable small dog belonging to Rowan and Mia, also had a key role. Anytime an animal is involved, I know I’ll love them, and Wanda was no exception.
- The ‘practice dates’ Isla and Rowan went on were charming, especially the Christmas-themed ones. Some added spice, like a scene involving chasing (tame primal play), made these moments memorable.
Now, onto the things that just didn’t work for me:
- Although the book was marketed as fake dating, it focused more on ‘practice dating,’ which didn’t deliver the fake dating trope as expected.
- This one is going to be a long one. I didn’t care for Rowan much when reading this book. I liked him to a point, but I didn’t love him. He rubbed me the wrong way with what he did with Isla, especially toward the end of the story. Even his daughter was upset with him because it was obvious how much he liked Isla. The man had a crush on her for over a year. I did understand his hesitation with what happened with his last relationship that involved Mia’s mom, but everyone could see that he cared for Isla, especially with his effort to make sure Isla had great dates with him, after what he learned about her past relationship. I wished I had liked him more, but sadly, he won’t be a fave MMC from Lauren Blakely.
- My biggest peeve is how long Lauren Blakely’s books have become. Extensive dialogue sometimes pulls me out of the story, as happened with Merry Little Kissmas. I don’t mind dialogue, but too much makes me lose interest.
I did enjoy this book and gave it 3.5 stars, but I wish it had fully met its promising setup and maintained my interest throughout. The story did put me in a holiday mood, and the described festive activities made me want to experience a town like Evergreen Falls in this book for myself.
POV: First Person (Dual POV)
Standalone or Part of Series: Standalone.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. While Merry Little Kissmas didn’t fully work for me, it remains worth checking out, especially if you enjoy reading Holiday Romances. I’ll also recommend checking out My Favorite Holidate by Lauren Blakely, which I definitely enjoyed last year.
What to Expect:
🎄Holiday Romance
🎄Sports/Hockey Romance
🎄Brother’s Best Friend
🎄Matchmaking & Practice Dating
🎄Grumpy/Sunshine
🎄Single Father Romance
🎄Small Town Romance
🎄Christmas Competition
About Lauren Blakely
A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s cute but spicy. Lauren likes dogs, cake, and show tunes and is the vegetarian at your dinner party.
Related Posts
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
- Book Blitz + Giveaway: ‘Royally Off-Limits’ by Kate O’Keeffe - November 10, 2025
- Book Blitz + Giveaway: ‘That Boy’ by Briar Black - November 9, 2025
- Review: ‘Wild And Wrangled’ by Lyla Sage - November 8, 2025