Holiday Wedding by Melissa Dymond

At first, I was a little apprehensive about a sequel to Holiday Star continuing Gwen and Caleb’s story. However, Holiday Wedding is both a (Christmas) romance and a mystery, told not only from Gwen’s perspective but also from her best friend Jenny’s POV. Jenny’s story centers around her frenemy Dean and their efforts to foil a stalker before the upcoming wedding is ruined—all while fighting their mutual attraction.

You’ll find several popular tropes here:

Celebrity romance
• (Fr)enemies to lovers
• Snowed in
• Forced proximity
• Only one bed
• Grumpy vs. sunshine

Holiday Wedding is a little predictable and isn’t a new favorite for me, as most of the chapters from Gwen’s POV felt like an overly extended epilogue. Nevertheless, as in all her books, Dymond delivers passages filled with deep, meaningful, and heartfelt interactions between her characters. In this book, it’s the vulnerable conversations between Jenny and Dean about their fears and insecurities that steal the show, particularly Dean’s heart-wrenching confessions about his experiences in military service and subsequent PTSD.

If you enjoy a good holiday romance and loved Holiday Star, you’ll definitely want to read this one too.

Many thanks to NetGalley and publisher for providing an ARC.

I jumped right into this after finishing Holiday Star. This was a very fun mix of stories. It was a continuation of Caleb and Gwen’s story as they plan their holiday wedding while still navigating the challenges of paparazzi and Gwen being second-hand famous.

At the same time, we also follow Dean and Jenny as they deal with being around each other so much for their friends. Jenny is a bubbly personality and enjoys spending her time as a journalist and doing goat yoga. Dean is a quiet, serious bodyguard for Caleb.

Now that there’s an escalated stalker threat- they have to work together to ensure the wedding is perfect for their friends. It’s hilarious, it’s sweet, it’s romantic. And it doesn’t hurt that a massive snowstorm makes them spend unexpected time together! I loved the true Dual POV here between Gwen and Jenny in different settings. And also, a bonus chapter of Dean’s!

*This and Holiday Star come as either Open Door + Spice or a Closed Door version. Choose whichever you prefer. I, but of course, am reviewing Open Door.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I loved the main characters! They had great chemistry and worked so well together. I loved how the book just flowed. My first by this author but will not be my last!!!

This was such a cute holiday romance! I really enjoyed everything about this book! Thank you to the author for allowing me to read this book!

I received the first book holiday star for free by Dr. Melissa Dymond so I searched everywhere to find this book because I couldn’t wait any longer to read it. Obviously I got the spicy series not the normal one because I want a little spice in my life. I read this book in one day because I couldn’t put it down. It was so good. Tell me a Christmas romance is everything especially because I was born in the holiday season so of course my birthday was not like the typical children’s birthday so reading became everything to me. Holiday wedding is unpredictable, creative, romantic, hot, and suspenseful. If you don’t want the spicy juicy version, she has a normal version and that’s the great thing about her books. I knew going into this Gwen and Caleb we’re going to be my favorite characters however, Dean and Jenny did surprise me a little bit this book with their flaws and all. It was funny how Caleb was being stopped and who they thought it was at first was not who it was. I hope you’re kept on the edge of your seat like I was.

I was so excited for a sequel to Melissa’s last book and this one did not disappoint!!

So fun to see how the holiday wedding came together and loved the two new characters!

This book will put you in the holiday mood and maybe even the love mood! Terri different spice versions to pick from, i I love that!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Caleb is a world famous actor and is about to get married to gwen, a doctor. However, caleb’s celebrity status means he is the victim of a stalker, threatening to ruin his and gwen’s big day. There are a team of people helping to ensure everything goes smoothly including bodyguard, Dean and reporter & gwen’s best friend, Jenny. despite everyone’s best efforts, unexpected things keep happening: snow storms, delayed flights and romantic feelings. can the team find out who the stalker is and save the christmas wedding? or will there be no happy ever afters under the tree this year?

I loved this book! Told from a Jenny and Gwen's POVs, the two relationship/four character plot felt refreshing, fast-paced and made it difficult to put my Kindle down. The festive New york setting added to the lighthearted nature of the romance and the mystery element to the plot perfectly balanced this out with emotion. I think my personal favourite character was Dean — although the entire found-family cast of characters were totally loveable — because of his complex background and dedication to those he loves. Him coupled with Jenny gave all the swoon-worthy romance feels. I could not recommend this book enough and 10% of the proceeds go towards funding colon cancer research which is so truly wonderful. out on november 1st! thank you to netgalley and Dr Melissa Dymond for the early reader copy!

👩🏻‍💻 ᗰY TᕼOᑌGᕼTS: 4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

This was a fun Christmas / Holiday sequel to Holiday Star, and did you know that Dr. Dymond’s books have two versions?!? A clean and a spicy one! No other author does this! At least not to my knowledge!

This was also different because it was 2 FMCs POV! Sorry! Not a same gender couple love story… the two FMCs are besties! The original couple Gwen & Caleb are planning their wedding, but BFF Jenny & bodyguard Dean (the new couple in this story) are there to help!

It was really nice to see Jenny’s POV and BONUS Dean’s POV too!!! 😉 and I’m obsessed with Dean! I wanted MORE FROM DEAN!!! And the funny banter between Jenny & Dean was off the charts!

This was such a lovely quick Christmas read. And I love how Dr. Dymond shines a light on mental health issues and that just because some people are famous…. They’re human too! 🥺🥺🥺.

I don’t want to give too much away, but you will need to read Holiday Star first to really understand all the dynamics of the characters in this second book. However, if you cant get your hands on book 1, you could still follow along, but I think you’d enjoy the story more….

Then there’s book 3 coming out next year about Gwen’s younger brother and new found friend, Helen!!! Im excited for that one!

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸…
🎄He Falls First
🎄Close Proximity
🎄One Bed
🎄Tracking a Stalker
🎄Christmas Wedding
🎄Dual POV
🎄Open Door

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5
5🌶️

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

They planned to get married - a celebrity and a doctor, away from the spotlight. She had to be away for a conference weeks leading up to the big day. He gets stalked and things are getting out of hand. Will their relationship overcome all ordeals? Or will there be no wedding bells under the mistletoe on Christmas eve?

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What you get?
Dual POV - of bestfriends Jenny and Gwen.
Love lines - not just our main couples. We also have unexpected couple and even a new relationship growing in that bonus epilogue!
Mystery and suspense - the right touch of finding out the "stalkers" and running against time to save someone!

Honestly the dual POV sank a little Iate. I thought I was getting POVs each of the couple - like Gwen, Caleb, Jenny and Dean. Turned out, we're getting POVs of the girl bestfriends - one to be married, the other still wondering if she's worthy to be loved.

I love the character growth of each, how Gwen and Caleb fully embraced their love despite the circumstances they went through. Those countdown days to their marriage really rocked their boat for awhile. I love the vulnerability Jenny and Dean finally allowed themselves to show each other, and choosing to risk it and be together. It's a beautiful representation of a relationship entering marriage, and one that is just beginning.

I love how this novel reminds me a lot about marriage - I'm actually taking notes from the lessons I've picked up. Indeed, marriage goes beyond saying I do's. It's choosing your partner, accepting flaws, learning and moving forward together. Plus factor that Dr Melissa also added a mystery/suspense curveball, a genre I enjoy! Thank you for the opportunity to be one of your eARC readers! ❤️

I am really hooked on this author's writing. I also love that she offers each book in both a sweet/clean version and a spicy version.

This book followed Gwen and Caleb, the couple from the previous book, but also gave us Jenny and Dean, their respective best friends. Their story is a grumpy/sunshine and almost an enemies to lovers. There is a single bed thrown into the story, which always makes this girl happy! There are wedding plans flying around and a mystery of who is stalking Caleb.

I read the spicy version and it was very well done. I kind of thought I would have preferred the sweet/clean version, but now that I have read it, I have my doubts. Very, very well done!

Thanks to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the copy. All thoughts are my own.

This book is great. The characters are bubbly, funny and true to life. The author has written more than one romantic love story and it is heart-warming to read. The story had me hooked from start to finish and I couldn't put it down.

Gwen and Caleb are madly in love, so walking down the aisle should be as smooth as Santa sliding down the chimney on Christmas Eve, but when Jack Frost sends a blizzard, their Christmas cookies start to crumble. And the icing on the gingerbread house? There’s a stalker on the loose! This Holiday Wedding isn’t looking so holly jolly. It’ll take a Christmas miracle to get these two married.

Jenny’s life is a lump of coal. Her career as a reporter has stalled, and her ex-boyfriend boss is grinch. Eager to leave LA, she dusts off her snow boots to spend a month in New York covering Caleb Lawson, fiancé of her best friend, Gwen. New York is merry and bright except for Dean, Caleb’s grumpy bodyguard. He put Jenny on the naughty list years ago. When these two reluctantly join forces to hunt down Caleb’s stalker, the hot cocoa starts steaming. But can this maid of honor and best man make it down the aisle before their newfound feelings turn frosty?

Super fun, super Christmas-y, super sweet. Any book that pairs Christmas, love, and one bed between grumpy and sunshine is going to be my cuppa mulled wine in front of the crackling fireplace! Highly recommend this for a fun, holiday read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

✔️ Dual POVs/Couples
✔️ Holiday Romance
✔️ Forced Proximity - One Bed
✔️ Grumpy Sunshine

I absolutely love Melissa Dymond’s style of writing she includes everything suspense, comedy, romance, and a little heart in every one of her novels. Her stories are also unpredictable and always keep you on the edge wondering what happens next. Every time I finish one of her books I want to beg for the next. 🤣 She also can be trusted to keep her spicy books spicy and her clean books clean while not compromising on the story. I absolutely love her willingness to be inclusive to ALL readers. ❤️ Thus said Melissa hit this one out of the park by exceeding all of my expectations for Holiday Wedding and giving me a book even cuter than I could’ve dreamed of! 😍

I knew going into this I already loved Gwen and Caleb from “Holiday Star” but this book expands and shows us a glimpse of the next stages of their lives. I absolutely loved seeing them prepare for their wedding and grow as individuals and a couple. There were so many cute moments that made me love them even more than I already did. While I am not typically a suspense reader I devoured Caleb’s stalker storyline and am still surprised by how everything worked out. (He’s not the stalker but is being stalked.) I also freaking LOVED Dean and Jenny. Oh my goodness, they were perfect, flaws and all. 😍 The banter and tension were absolutely everything. 🍰 While I love our sweet Caleb, Dean is the dream book boyfriend. (Pardon the drool, but this book may have given me a bodyguard MMC obsession.🤣) I also may be a little biased but I loved seeing the twins and Pip again. 😉 And last but certainly not least I am dyingggg to see what happens next because I think I may love our next couple even more. 😍🧸🩺

“Mine. I want to call you mine.”

“Forever and always, my love. You and me.”

This book is everything you need to make you feel festive and romanticise the winter season! This was an incredible book that had me hooked from to finish. Not only did we have a portrayal of a healthy romance between the main two characters, but we also saw the progression of romance through other characters. The suspense during the book was the cherry on top! Such gorgeous descriptions of settings and the way the author touched on deeper aspects such as grief, PTSD, body confidence, stalking and the vulnerability of falling in love were brilliant. I would highly recommend this book and will 100% be reading anything else Melissa Dymond writes in the future!!!

Couldn’t finish. The heroines sounded like children, which is disappointing in romance. I couldn’t take any of the characters seriously. Maybe it will be better as an audiobook, but it will take a great narrator.

Holiday Wedding is the second romance in the Holiday Romance series. We rejoin Gwen and Caleb right before their Christmas wedding and Gwen is getting ready to go out of town for a conference. While she’s gone Caleb and their mom’s will make sure everything is in order for the wedding. Everything goes according to plan until a blizzard hits the States and Gwen is stranded states away and not sure if she’ll make it back to New York in time for her wedding. While Gwen worries about making it home, Jenny and Dean have joined forces to try and find Caleb’s stalker before it’s too late. Will Gwen make it home to her wedding? Will Jenny and Dean find the stalker? With Christmas fast approaching they are all racing against the clock.

I haven’t read the first book in this series, so I was playing catch up for a little bit, but I don’t think I missed too much reading this as a stand alone. The first few chapters were slow and it took me a while to get going with this, but once I got into the book it pulled me in. I liked Gwen and Caleb together and their story was good, but, for me, Jenny and Dean made this book. I loved the two of them together and wish there was just a book about them. This was a good Christmas read with a little bit of intrigue. Overall I enjoyed this book once I got into it and would definitely be open to reading more in this series.

An enjoyable festive read with an interesting dual POV. I was much more interested in Jenny and Dean than I was in Gwen and Caleb and I didn't feel like the side characters were particularly well fleshed out.

The plot felt a bit far fetched from the get go and it descended into ludicrous territory with stalkers and kidnappings and the police not taking down the bad guy but the boyfriend and the best friend doing it instead. I found it difficult to invest in it because it all felt too far out of the realms of possibility.

There were a lot of sensitive topics covered like grief, difficult family relationships and body insecurities but these could have been delved into more fully.

It took me a while to get through the first 50% but I flew through the second half.

The plot was great until the very end and then you lost me, the kidnapping plot was a bit much.
I was hoping for more of softer version related to the stalker thing.
I felt like alot of the character development was not fleshed out well. I didnt really like Caleb, his actions weren't really justified for me. He was way too controlling. I did love Jenny and her lover interest and their story - it felt more fleshed out.
Yet, could not put the book down loL !!

Wow what a beautiful read!! I didn’t think I would love this more than holiday star, but I did! The character development is wonderful and I really enjoyed following Jenny and Dean. Do much depth to the characters and we follow them as they work through their trauma/insecurities.

This is a delightful read, perfect for the Christmas season, or anytime of the year I you want a feel good, well written romance.

4.5 Stars 🌟 This is the cutest and most entertaining holiday book series ever! 🩵

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fantastic, especially for fans of the first one. I went in mostly blind, expecting just a bonus novella, so I was pleasantly surprised to find it was a full-length novel, told from dual pov, followingGwen and Jenny, Gwen’s best friend.

On one side, we follow Gwen and Caleb as they navigate the days leading up to their wedding, dealing with Caleb's fan base, Caleb's stalker and what lies ahead for them as a married couple. Meanwhile, we see Jenny, who is working through some past mistakes, trying to improve but fearing she might not succeed. We also watch her romance with Dean, Caleb's bodyguard, unfold as they team up to discover the identity of Caleb's stalker.

Dr. Melissa Dymond did not disappoint, with a fun and beautiful story, also full of depth and emotion Holiday Star, and its sequel Holiday Wedding, the perfect cozy reads for a cold winter evening. And I cannot wait for the next book from her. So I if you are looking for your next holiday romance book, then I suggest giving these ones a try.