Read this book for:
🎄Holiday wedding
🎄Enemies to lovers
🎄Forced proximity
🎄Dual POV
🎄Grumpy x Sunshine

Synopsis
Gwen and Caleb’s Christmas wedding is supposed to be the perfect fairy tale, but when a blizzard and creepy stalkers crash the party, everything goes south. Gwen’s big day is slipping away, and it’s up to her best friend and maid of honor, Jenny, to help pull things together. But when Jenny arrives in New York, she’s forced to work with Caleb’s brooding bodyguard, Dean—a man who’s been on her bad side for years. As the two of them hunt down the stalker, the tension between them is undeniable, and so is the growing chemistry. Jenny never imagined she'd be stuck with Dean during a snowstorm—and certainly not in a tiny hotel room—but sometimes the holidays throw the most unexpected curveballs.

My Thoughts
This is the second book in the Holiday Romance series. In my opinion, the book can be read as a standalone since the references to the first book are explained, so you get the gist. However, I would recommend reading the first book, Holiday Star,, to get the full picture of the love story between Gwen and Caleb.

It was such a fun book to read, with an unusual dual POV for me. Normally, a dual POV is between the couple, but since there were two couples in the book, it was told from the POV of the two best friends, Jenny and Gwen. However, since the dual POV alternated between Jenny and Gwen, I felt like I missed out on some insight into the relationship between Jenny and Dean. I loved their dynamic, but towards the end of the book, with the wedding coming up and the pregnancy, the focus shifted mostly to Gwen and Caleb. It was a shame since we got to know them as a couple in the first book, whereas Jenny and Dean are only more developed in this second book.

Overall, the Holiday wedding was a nice read and would recommend it if you like a holiday romance. I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series and read the story of Teddy and Helen in Holiday Love.

I received an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

We got the HEA, now we get a dose of reality, a side of mystery, a splash of thriller, and a rude awakening!

Plot: 5📍
Spice: 2❤️‍🔥
Overall: 4⭐

I LOVED how we got to see our MCs from the prior book, Gwen and Caleb navigating their new, public exposure as they're leading up to the wedding. But what made this book really unique was the dual POV from two different FMCs, Gwen and her best friend, Jenny.

Jenny struggles with her self-worth resulting from childhood and Dean, Caleb's bodyguard wrestles with his own demons, literally - the man suffers from sometimes debilitating PTSD leftover from his time in the Army.

Gwen, like in the first book, is stubborn to a fault, insisting she can continue her life as utterly normal despite being engaged to and about to marry Caleb (Hollywood's Hearththrob and "Sexiest Man Alive" winner), despite him constantly trying to explain to her otherwise. In fairness, Caleb has worked to shield her from too much exposure too quickly, but I read that as protective and trying to help Gwen wade into the nightmare that the paparazzi can be instead of tossing her in the deep end with the sharks and zero lift-raft. So, it's both discouraging, yet understandable when Gwen discovers the hard way Caleb was indeed correct and she can't flippantly insist that everything will continue on as normal. Gwen's attitude this time (now 2 years after they initially fall in love) no longer comes across as naivete but rather as pure arrogance "I know better than you" and is really off-putting at times - it's why I took a star off.

Jenny, a wonderful friend and journalist with integrity, stumbles into a dark mystery bringing her closer to Dean, and once again, like in "Holiday Star" the pair discovers their jagged edges align perfectly to lift each other up and help one another heal. Jenny's persistence, her dogged determination and optimism is exactly what Dean needs both on the personal but also professional level as they rush to discover a very real threat against Gwen and Caleb! Likewise, Dean's love of Jenny just as is she, and his continual support and affirmation of truths all those around Jenny see, teach her to believe in herself and gain confidence she absolutely should have!

There was love, passion, a thriller aspect, mystery, intrigue! This was a bit of a departure from the first book but really worked well! The secondary characters were so fun and I hope we get to see more of those in future books (It's already hinted we'll see one specific pairing in November-ish 2025!)

Very much counting down the 11 months until we get the next installation to these interconnected stories!

Loved this!!! Celeb heartthrob meets badass Dr... loved the characters. Loved the approx characters parallel story lines too. Just that perfect holiday spice. This was my first Dr Melissa Dymond read and I'll be back for more!! Cannot wait for the next book in this series!!

I didn’t realize this was a sequel so I immediately found Holiday Star to read first. The first one sucked me in. I didn’t get sucked in to Holiday Wedding as fast. I also believe it could have been a standalone story. I didn’t connect with the new characters.

Sequels of books are usually NOT AS GOOD as the any previous books, BUT I LOVED“Holiday Wedding” EVEN MORE than I loved “Holiday star” which I greatly enjoyed! It was fun being able to see all the wedding plans fall in place WHILE having another couple’s romance occurring to enjoy! It felt like one of those TLC wedding planning reality shows but the spice and drama of a scripted show! Speaking of spice, this book is available in a “sweet” and a “spicy” version, but I read the “spicy” version. I read an advanced readers copy, but my review is unbiased.

From the first book, I loved Gwen and Caleb's relationship and after reading it here I even bought the book, I juts had to 😍
When I saw this was coming out I had to apply and thank God you accepted it. Thank you for allowing me to read it.
I finished it last night and this was a reminder of how kindhearted Gwen, how passionate Caleb and how much I love them together. But the addition of Jenny and Dean was cherry on top. I see so much of myself in Jenny and she's so strong and a good friend and Dean shows a tough exterior at the beggining but, as he opens up, we see his vulnerabilities and how golden retriver he is with the people he loves.
This was a great Christmas read who had me in the edge of my seat until the end to see if the ending would happen.
Another thing I loved was the character art in the middle of the book👌🏻

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dr. Melissa Dymond for this eARC!

Things I enjoyed: Jenny and Dean's story - I found their relationship dynamic more meaningful and entertaining than Gwen and Caleb's; the mystery/suspense aspects enhancing the story; all the mentions of the holiday activities around New York City. (I got engaged there in Dec 2023.) Things I didn't like: the surprise pregnancy trope. Overall, this is a cute, easy to read holiday novel!

I've never read anything by this author before so I was a bit out of the loop when it came to understanding the characters. I probably should have started with the beginning, but it was still a good stand alone read even though it took me a minute to get started. I enjoyed the spice and the Christmas feel and definitely the mystery. It made me want to finish it just to see what happens so that's always a good thing! I will definitely read more from this author in the future. Thanks for the advanced early copy!

Holiday Wedding unfortunately didn’t work for me. Even after reading 30% of the book, I still had no idea what the main story was supposed to be about. The plot felt disorganized and hard to follow.

The biggest issue was that the book tried to tell multiple stories at once but didn’t fully commit to any of them. Each storyline felt underdeveloped, leaving the overall narrative scattered and unsatisfying.

In the end, the lack of focus and direction made it difficult to stay engaged. While the premise had potential, the execution fell flat for me.

I absolutely loved this book! It was such a great, cozy, spicy, holiday romance. One of the things I liked the most about Holiday Wedding, is that it was different from a lot of holiday romances. As the title mentions there is suspense within the book, that I feel sets it apart and really makes it more interesting.

The book literally opens with some spice on the first page, but this book is not all spice no plot, there is a really great plot to the story.

While the MMC (Caleb) and FMC (Gwen) are planning their Christmas Eve wedding in New York, the Gwen's best friend Jenny, and Caleb's bodyguard Dean start to have feelings for each other when they experience forced proximity situations. They are forced to do the wedding cake testing together, and things start to get a little heated, but Dean backs off quickly. Then, there is a big storm, and Dean is forced to stay with Jenny in her hotel for a couple of days, where both their hesitations fly out the window.

Of course while Dean and Jenny are getting close, Gwen is stuck across the country where she went for a medical conference, because of snow storms. And amongst all of that, Caleb (a famous actor) has a creepy stalker following him wherever he is and photographing him. Things get dicey as Gwen finally lands back home in New York.

My favorite characters in this book were Dean and Jenny. Even though the book is titled Holiday Wedding, and it is about all of the events that lead up to Gwen and Caleb's wedding, Dean and Jenny's unfolding story was really exciting to read about. I feel like you get to spend more time with them as their relationship blossoms.

I also felt this story was really unique and enjoyed all of the characters and their professions.

Thank you Netgalley, and the author for a copy of this book!

A combination of holiday romance, spice, suspense and mystery, this story held my attention but as the story developed it felt as if it reached a bit too far.

Despite my critiques, this book was challenging for me to put down. It has all the good feels and I definitely still wanted to see how it ended. This is the second book in the Holiday romance series but can definitely be a stand alone read.

There are two versions of this book a spicy/open-door version with explicit scenes and a sweet/closed-door version with only kissing to meet your reading preferences.

If you’re looking for a light holiday read with a mix of romance and mystery don’t let my thoughts stop you from grabbing this one!

Thank you to Victoria Editing NetGalley Co-op for this advanced copy in exchange for my review.

This book is #2 in a series focused on Caleb and Gwen. I remember enjoying the first book and this was no different. I really appreciate how the author offers 2 versions (closed door and 🌶️) for readers to choose. One of my favorite things about her!

Overall, the story was good and made me want to read it quickly. The focus splits between 2 different couples, giving us the girls’ perspectives. I liked getting to see more of Gwen while also reading Jenny’s story play out at the same time.

My only issue with the story is how quickly some conflict resolves. Fairly big questions/concerns exist and then after 1 sentence they’re forgiven or resolved or answered. At the same time, it is a quick romance read so I can’t expect the same level that a 600 page book would provide (nor do I want that lol).

Something else for the people who may not like surprises, especially this surprise trope (stop reading if you don’t care) - there is an accidental pregnancy plot line. It doesn’t force two characters together which I appreciate, but it’s there.

***Thank you to Victory Editing for the e-ARC via NetGalley!***

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity
Grumpy x sunshine

I devoured this book! I was drawn in pretty quickly and could not put it down. Thank you Melissa for writing a spicy romance with suspense! I also LOVED the illustrations sprinkled throughout the book, such a fun touch.

I did not read Book 1, so I appreciated the continuation of Gwen and Caleb’s relationship! I cannot wait for Book 3, the bonus epilogue has me SO excited to read Teddy’s story.

Thank you again for a cute and spicy holiday read, I will definitely recommend this book to others! 🎄❤️

If it weren't for finals this week, I would have definitely finished this book in one sitting. From the moment I met Caleb and Gwen in Holiday Star, I fell in love, and it was so rewarding to see their relationship continue to evolve in Holiday Wedding. The chemistry and tension between Jenny and Dean is absolutely perfect. The one bed and grumpy x sunshine trope will always get me! This book delivers everything you crave in a steamy romance with just the right touch of suspense.

It's the perfect time to read this spicy fast paced book with a little suspense. My first read from this author and I enjoyed the time I spent reading.

Gwen and Caleb are the perfect couple who are planning a Christmas wedding. This is a wonderful Christmas story and definitely worth reading.

Gwen and Caleb are getting married! Gwen's best friend Jenny is getting to spend a whole month in New York with her for the wedding too. The catch is Gwen will not be in New York the whole time. She had a chance to go speak about her colon cancer research and Caleb tells her to go. Between their moms, Jenny, Dean and him, they can keep the wedding process moving smoothly along.

Somehow Jenny and Dean are finally getting along. That's a miracle in itself. There is some type of spark happening between the two and I was HERE FOR IT! Dean is such a hottie and getting to read things from his view point really put the pieces together for why him and Jenny were not getting along.

Just when I thought I had things figured out, a plot twist would come along. Of course the wedding planning fell off track. Gwen's traveling turned into a mess. And the drama at the end! Totally threw me for a loop. If they wanted a Christmas wedding, some major overtime was going to have to take place by everyone. Gwen was also keeping a very big secret and she was afraid to tell Caleb.

I'm so excited for Gwen's brother's story next. Teddy has a heart of gold and he may have just found his true love finally. It's coming in 2025!

Thankyou so much to @netgally and @melissadymondauthor for a copy of this book to arc read.
This celebrity romance was the perfect addition to my holiday reading list. Lately, I've been thoroughly enjoying the celebrity romance trope, and this book did not disappoint.
The multiple points of view from various characters added a rich layer of depth to the narrative, allowing for a more nuanced exploration of the story. The plot also delivered a touch of action towards the end, which kept me engaged until the final pages. Overall, I found this book thoroughly enjoyable and would highly recommend it as a festive read this Christmas

I love the way Melissa writes suspense in with her romance. A lot of this story was Gwen coming into understandings of how to be herself while accepting she will be in Caleb’s spotlight. Jenny and Dean’s chemistry was off the charts. While I did accurately predict some of the suspense ending, I liked being thrown off the trail. 3.5 stars.

A fun festive Christmas romance that had love, mystery, and some holiday cheer! It was fun getting two love stories (Gwen and Caleb) & (Jenny & Dean). Both relationships were so different and just a fun time to follow. Two women’s POVs worked perfect for this story and the duel time line with both couple going on. This holiday romance had some steam, suspense, and just a ton of fun! I definitely say check this out for a fun holiday read! Thank you netgalley for this ebook arc!