Member Reviews
The Twelve Days of Christian is a nice read. Christian Steele is a rock star who should be competing in Scotland for a big prize. Instead, he is on the doorstep of Haley Templeton who is his best friend's sister and his crush for 3 years. He was supposed to be participating to win money for the charity that Haley works for but instead has to stay hidden for 12 days. Haley is annoyed at first but all the time they are spending together starts to bring down barriers and bring up feelings.
Haley and Christian are a great match. Christian is very misunderstood and it is nice to see Haley accept his many layers and just trust him. There are other characters who will have their own stories and I am very interested in reading those.
I love that Caroline Corvin added more than just romance to the story. The little guy wins big in this story!
Thank you to NetGalley, Grenwyvern Publishing for the e-ARC of this book. This review is my own opinion.
Set against the twinkling lights of Christmastime in London, this charming romance brings together rock star Christian Hayes and Haley, the dog-loving sister of his best friend and bandmate, Ollie.
Over 12 magical days, Haley introduces Christian to the joys of Christmas holiday traditions: decorating Christmas trees, visiting Cue Gardens Christmas lights, and, of course, wrangling her lively dogs. As sparks fly between them, Christian begins to wonder if the life he’s been chasing on stage is missing something far more meaningful. But with Ollie playing the overprotective brother and Christian’s fame threatening their fragile connection, will their love survive beyond their quiet bubble, and into the spotlight beyond Christmas?
Filled with humor, romance, and an abundance of puppy antics, “Twelve Days of Christian” is a delightful read that will warm your heart. Highlighting the magic of London at Christmas, this sweet and swoon-worthy story is perfect for fans of heartfelt holiday tales. Haley and Christian’s chemistry shines, and their journey from unlikely companions to true love is the perfect holiday treat!
2.75 🌟
I loved the idea of this book so much!!! The countdown of 12 days, the brothers best friend, even the fun “how will they fix this” premise. But there were MULTIPLE chapters/descriptive filler pages not needed :( truly pushed through bc I loved the characters but truly was too slow. The plot was great BUT too descriptive and too long for how good the book was already being perceived. We were following along great - didn’t need the MULTIPLE pages describing scenes we could clearly understand.
I was gracious enough to receive this arc. And will be on the lookout for Rachel’s!
The Twelve Days of Christian was a cute fun book. It’s a great holiday read if that’s what you’re looking for. If you love animals and musicians this one is for you.
As a dog lover and Christmas lover, I really enjoyed this story! The reality TV aspect added an extra layer to Christian and Haley’s story that I enjoyed as well. I’m looking forward to the future books in this series!
Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
He's her brothers best friend and bandmate and he's supposed to be in Scotland filming a reality TV show for charity. But he's not. He's on her doorstep and needs to spend the next 12 days (until the show is over) inside hiding so no one sees him. Oh he's also been in love with her for years. And that romantic song he's famous for writing... it may have been written about her... but she doesn't know that... yet.
Multiple spicy scenes, a Christmas setting, brothers best friend trope, forced proximity, years of unrequited love, a rockstar romance and a bad boy reputation --- yeh this one was goooood! Definitely pick this holiday read up this year!
Thank you for the NetGalley arc!
I read this book at night before going to bed for a few weeks and it was the perfect cozy read to get me comfortable and entertained before bed. I had been reading a number of ARCs recently and this was one of the ones that gripped me most of all. I found the main characters to be highly believable with just enough detail and backstory to help the reader get to know them. You felt for Haley, a caring and hard-working girl who wants to become a vet tech and help all the animals she can, who loves her rescue dogs, and is upset that Christian risked any chance of her rescue shelter being saved. You also get to really know Christian - who on the outside has been made to be this riotous, notorious badboy, but who actually has a heart so big... Caring about Haley, caring for his first dog, saving his family farm, driving to the vet when one of Haley's dogs was sick...
I could picture in my head the fall out that happens from media and reality tv shows, when the audience is only fed one side of things and we often don't know so much of what happens behind the scenes. I loved the gradual progress of Haley helping Christian set the record straight/ things right after he was kicked off the show, coupled with the burning desire between the FMC and MMC. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a believable, but touching, romance with character. Everything in the book is so well-developed that I never wanted to put it down.
This was such a cute romcom / modern day romance. Love the dynamic between the characters. The cover picture reminded me of The Hills Justin Bobby and Audrina
If you’re looking for a swoony Christmas rockstar romance, this one is perfect! Christian has been head over heels for the sister of his band’s lead singer for three years, but he’s kept his feelings hidden. When a media scandal forces him to lay low, he ends up sharing an apartment with her—and the tension is everything.
This story has all the feels: unspoken love, forced proximity, and that magical Christmas vibe. Watching Christian’s quiet adoration finally break through is so satisfying. The festive backdrop adds a cozy, heartwarming touch, making it the ultimate holiday read.
If you love rockstar romances with a “boy falls first” twist, this is a must-read. Prepare for all the swoons, sparks, and a love story that will make your heart sing.
This book has all the makings for a good holiday romance but I think it missed the mark a little.
I love the brother’s best friend and he falls first tropes. There are a lot of cute situations but it lacked some depth. There was build up to big events but the conflicts all appeared mundane. It’s hard to explain but I felt like I was being told how to feel throughout the book instead of actually feeling it. Characters often over explained their thoughts to the point that they just didn’t feel genuine anymore.
I did enjoy the movie references and pets. And the Christmas theme is fun this time of year.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I rounded up to 4, but probably more of a 3.5.
Things I loved:
- References to how healing playing music can be
- The love for animals throughout
- Feeling like I was reading about my senior dog when they would talk about Tully and Mularkey. The bed take overs by them, whining to go out, obsessions with one creature outside, and the dog farts!
- Calling out reality tv for how not real it is.
- Calling out how we assume we know someone based on what we see, or that we think we know celebrities because we know so much about their lives.
- The chemistry between Christian and Haley was overall good.
- Comfortable in sharing household duties, showing how relationships should be.
- References to holiday movies. (Is Haley me with her movie choices?)
Things I didn’t love as much:
- The conflict resolved too quickly, and didn’t feel real? We knew the worry was the brother to begin with, but he comes home has one argument with Christian and he bolts out with the worst message to Haley? And then later that day Christian comes back and everything is fine. It just felt rushed.
- I feel like most reality tv shows wouldn’t send the cast members home if they were still filming. I think generally they put them up until they are done filming rather than hoping they aren’t seen ever.
- The happy ending was too easy. Like the conflict resolves, and all the other issues are all solved at the in person finale.
- Haley being wo is me about things in her life. Doesn’t want to ask for money or help to go to vet school which genuinely would make a big difference in the field of rescues. I volunteer with rescues and have done medical fostering and they always need more access to caring vets. It’s one thing to live off their privileges for no reason, but to use money to make a difference? That would be better. But also so many who work at rescues don’t have a cushy place to live with their famous brother. It just didn’t track.
- Christian commenting on Jack’s (Haley’s ex) instagram. He did this before he was allowed to be seen or heard from. It was never brought up again. It seemed weird to include and felt like it was meant to be a plot device that was abandoned.
- Christians anger. I’d love to have seen it being addressed. His anger was understandable but the fact it would get physical was a little bit problematic for me.
Overall it was a cute, easy read, and cheery for the holidays.
In this book we meet Haley who is a sweet animal nurse who cares for rescue animals. Haley has also been hurt in the past. Christian walks into to her life with a bad reputation and hurricane of problems.
This is a cozy Christmas story, grab your coziest blanket and hot chocolate to enjoy.
Very rarely do you get two cinnamon roll main characters, I ate this book up. Christian gives the vibe of being a bad boy but is definitely a cinnamon roll.
This book gave me Hallmark movie vibes with twist. I enjoyed everything about this book!!
This was a cute Christmas read. I love a fun celebrity romance and this one was really cute. I loved Christian and Hayley as the main characters. I liked their backstory and history of knowing each other for so long. It made their story feel more like a friends to lovers one which I always love. The plot itself felt a little bit repetitive and the whole reality tv plot wasn’t really my cup of tea. Had the story been a little more fast paced or not centered around a reality tv show; this would have been a solid 4 or 5 star read for me! I’m excited to see what else this author writes in the future. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!
I loved the premise of this book and was excited to read it. Unfortunately, the clunky writing style prevented me from connecting with the characters or becoming immersed in the story.
There is potential, but more line-editing should be done.
I loved the idea of this book but it felt like it was missing something. I picked this up and put it down so many times and it took me a really long time to get through it. I felt like the conflicts of this book were mundane and the reactions were over exaggerated. This book wasn’t for me but if you like brothers best friend, holiday, reality tv, rockstar/celebrity tropes then you would like this book!
I had a lot of hope for this one. The cover drew me in, and the title was super clever. I LOVED how much this book talked about animal rescue and welfare and how invested both Haley and Christian are in their animals. But this was supposed to be a holiday read and this felt like a Christmas book in the same way Die Hard gets called a Christmas movie. Yeah, the story is occurring at Christmas time, and there are some Christmas decorations up but otherwise it didn't feel very Christmas-y? And their romance had a weird start, with him being basically obsessed with her for years, and wanting a future with her, without actually KNOWING her. I also hated how Christian kept describing Haley's body as "childlike" or thinking she was younger than she actually was when they first met, but being into her anyways... IDK, it comes off as kind of creepy for a grown ass man to be thinking of a woman he's into as "childlike". There were still some very cute moments, and I thought it was hilarious she got him reading ACOTAR! Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!
Title: The Twelve Days of Christian
Author: Caroline Corvin
4/5⭐️
A cozy Christmas romance with a twist❤️Christian Steele, a rockstar with a bad reputation, shows up on Haley Templeton’s doorstep, throwing her life into chaos- Over twelve days, their journey from awkward roommates to something deeper is filled with laughs, sweet moments, and holiday cheer! Corvin’s writing is fun, with great dialogue and heartwarming scenes, especially for animal lovers!! I hadn’t read anything by Caroline Corvin before, but after “The Twelve Days of Christian”, I definitely will in the future!✨
This was such a fun Christmas romance. Christian being a Rockstar and the fallout from the reality TV show he was on gives this book a good amount of depth, while still being a cute, quick read.
Christian and Haley are some of my favorite mcs. The author does an amazing job of emphasizing the differences between these two while also showing how perfectly they fit into eachothers lives. I'm a sucker for the best friends little sister trope, and this was one of the best I've read.
These side characters were so much fun, and so fiercely loyal to eachother. I can't wait for Rachel and Teddy's story
The Twelve Days of Christian is a classic, heartwarming holiday romance
🎄 Forced Proximity
🎶 Brother's Best Friend
🎄 Christmas Movies
🎶 Famous Musician x Veterinary Nurse
🎄 Friends-to-lovers
🎶 Second Chance
I've got to say - this is my first Christmas romance book. I felt maybe it was a bit early to start reading Christmassy books but this book has absolutely got me into the holiday mood! The Twelve Days of Christian ticks so many book-lover boxes. It has something for everyone - Christmas, rescue dogs, boybands, reality TV, strong women, second chance romance, and a dash of spice,..
Caroline Corvin's writing is so beautiful, making it so easy to fall in love with Christian and Haley. Christian and Haley's story is so relatable to anyone who has ever quietly pined for someone else - someone just out of reach and off-limits. Christian handles himself so respectfully and with such restraint. They have great chemistry - it feels sort of like a slow-burn because it technically spans over three years but you've got to consider how much they grow and develop over the twelve days they have to spend together. There are so many really charming moments between them and it feels so natural.
This book was so refreshing with its views of reality TV and social media - really reinforcing the message that you shouldn't believe everything you see at face value. I loved all the references to classic Christmas movies, but also the subtle (and not so subtle) nods to other romance books (including but not limited to a romantasy book I hold very close to my heart!).
My only wish was to hear the song(s) Christian wrote about Haley! These were mentioned multiple times and so much emphasis was put onto them that I was sure we'd be allowed a little insight - I was so disappointed to get to the end without even a snippet of them!
Oh I loved this book, it was so heartwarming, and feelgood. The vibes were so Christmassy - but not over the top christmas which I really appreciated. The characters were so loveable, I instantly fell in love with the dynamic between Christian and Haley. The plot in general with saving the dog centre was a great underlying story line - I struggle to feel connected to the actual plot in romance books because a lot of time it just feels irrelevant, but it wasn't the case here.
There is a also a really great easter egg that pops up a few times that had me screaming - the romantasy girlies will know.
I also really appreciated that there was no proposal in the final chapter/epilogue.
Overall, a really easy read that had me hooked from the first couple of chapters.
4.5 stars