I really enjoyed this book! The characters were great and very entertaining. The story was very well written and I loved the plot!

Katie Bailey never fails to deliver and this book is no exception!!! The banter, chemistry, and best friend's brother drama is top tier and had me hooked from the beginning. Aaron and Olivia are so much fun and I enjoyed Maddie and Seb's cameos so so much. I was obsessed with Season's Schemings when I read it last year and I'm even more obsessed with Holiday Hostilities!!! If you haven't already, top what you're doing and read this book!!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Eleventh Avenue for the arc!!!

I am not surprised that I enjoyed yet another great book from Katie Bailey. Just fantastic writing, hilarious banter (I laughed out loud more times than I can count) and Aaron is my new book bf 😅

This was my first Katie Bailey book, and I absolutely loved it!

The tension between Aaron and Livvy was so good and I loved the animosity and banter between them; it made the plot so much better!
All the characters were lovable and hilarious, and I especially liked the vulnerability they showed with one another and the communication!

This won't be my last Katie Bailey book, that's for sure!

🎄Enemies to lovers
🎄Best friend's sister
🎄Closed door romance
🎄Banter and tension
🎄Dual POV
🎄Christmas enthusiast x Grinch

- 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒚 𝑲𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒚

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
✰ 𝘱𝘳𝘰 𝘏𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳
✰ 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥
✰ 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺
✰ 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵
✰ 𝘨𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘺 𝘹 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦

This was such and delighftul Holiday romance! If you love hockey and festivities vibes then this is a book you should add to your tbr for this season!
Aaron and Olivia were so fun together! Their dynamic and banter is hilarious!

I highly recommend it!

- 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒚 𝑲𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒚

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
✰ 𝘱𝘳𝘰 𝘏𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳
✰ 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥
✰ 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺
✰ 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵
✰ 𝘨𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘺 𝘹 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦

This was such and delighftul Holiday romance! If you love hockey and festivities vibes then this is a book you should add to your tbr for this season!
Aaron and Olivia were so fun together! Their dynamic and banter is hilarious!

I highly recommend it!

This is the perfect Christmas rom-com book. It was so much fun to read! I love a man obsessed like Aaron was, secretly pinning while also loving to annoy Olivia. It was funny, lighthearted, a quick read that put me right into the Christmas spirit (despite what Olivia thinks of it).

*I received an ARC of this book, this is my honest opinion*

5⭐️/💋 HOLIDAY HOSTILITIES by Katie Bailey

This was the perfect kickoff to my holiday reading! The mix of enemies to lovers, a cocky/flirty hockey player, and top notch banter had me hooked from the start. I LOVE it when a book gives me butterflies and has me kicking my feet giggling!! Aaron made it on my list of top book boyfriends of 2024- if you loved Isaiah (Play Along) and Rory (The Fake Out) then you’ll love him too🔥This was just so fun, please go read asap and let me know what you think!!

Synopsis: Olivia Griswold and Aaron Marino can’t stand each other. When Olivia decides to move to Atlanta to be closer to her brother, she finds herself living with the world’s worst roommates. Aaron, her high school nemesis and brother’s teammate, offers up a room at his house for the holidays in exchange for being his date to the gala… they hate each other, so what could go wrong?

✨things to love✨
Reverse grumpy x sunshine
NHL Captain MMC
Enemies to lovers
Brother’s best friend
Forced proximity
Witty banter
Found family

On Kindle Unlimited
Closed door/no spice with 🔥 chemistry

Thank you Katie Bailey, Booked with the Emilys and NetGalley for the eARC! All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.

As I get older I realize that spice is the main reason I pick up a romance. Katie Bailey is one of the acceptions to my rule. This is my second novel of this universe and I love it. The characters are wonderful, funny and real. Spice not needed.

4.5⭐️ im putting aaron marino on my christmas list this year.

this book was the epitome of holiday cuteness. highschool one sided enemies to lovers brothers best friend? SIGN ME UP ✍️✍️ aaron was really BoyObsessed™️ and literally loved his girl since Day 1. Olivia was the perfect sassy takes-no-bs FMC and she’s me and i am her.

THE BANTER IN THIS BOOK>>> personally i love myself some childish teasing and bullying especially in this book. and the hockey aspects were 🤌🤌 all the little games and HIM DOING A HEART AT THE CAMERA FOR HER😭😭 the overall feel was just so cutesy and it was perfect for the beginning of the holiday season!!🎄🎄

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️
This was a really good Christmas romance. The banter between Olivia and Aaron was great. I love the enemies to lovers trope.
Katie Bailey is a great author when it comes to low spice, rom-com type of romances.

Holiday Hostilities is the second book in the Cyclones Christmas series, but it can definitely be read as a standalone. But I do recommend the first one in this series as well, Season Schemings, because it's a great Christmas, marriage of convenience romance.

Release Date: November 22th

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Eleventh Avenue for the opportunity to read this book early.
All opinions are my own.

First of all I have to thank NetGalley and the author for the opportunity, as soon as I saw this book I was super excited and wanted to read it right away, so I'm super grateful to have been able to do it❤️
This book was amazing, no kidding it was even better than I was expecting! Olivia and Aaron are amazing, the way they mess with each other, their relationship, the way they end up being exactly what each of them needs. I loved the fact that Aaron was obsessed with her to the point of knowing every detail about her and I loved seeing Olivia understanding and seeing the real Aaron. In addition to the two we have the secondary characters who are also amazing, the hockey team is like a big family which is simply adorable.
This book is perfect and was executed perfectly!!! If you want a book that makes you enter the Christmas spirit, that makes you laugh and that melts your heart, this is the book!!!!
I highly recommend this book to you my loves, because it's really worth it❤️🎄🏒

Tropes:
Hockey romance
Brother’s best friend
Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity

I received an ARC for this book and I am so glad that I did because this was FANTASTIC

I loved the dynamic between the main characters: the bickering, the sassy energy and the romance. I read this book so fast because I simply could not put it down. I’m always a fan of hockey romance and I can enjoy a good christmas book so the combination of the two in this book absolutely delivered.

Holiday Hostilities
By Katie Bailey

Thank you @netgalley for providing advanced review copy, that said all thoughts about the book are my own.

I’ve the first book the series in my Kindle library but must confess that I haven’t read it - yet. So the world was new to me, but book was great read as stand alone too. Of course now I’m curious about the first one because I’ve met the characters from there already

Book was prefect what comes with banter and pinning without being too spicy (its closed door, which I like!). The humor on point! My favorite troupe is that he falls first and in this books its exactly that :D

Also with the Swede - they stole our rice porridge. Okay, I’m not sure if its also thing with them but its definitely thing in Finland ;)

Its full 5 / 5

Review published November 23rd, in my IG: @knitreadrepeat

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Aaron Marino & Olivia Griswold
- Christmas time
- Grinchy, sassy, grump FMC
- Golden retriever, sunshine, thoughtful MMC
- Hockey romance
- Enemies to more
- Brother’s childhood best friend/teammate
- He falls first
- Forced proximity
- Christmas surprises 🤭😝
- Very “steamy” first kiss 😉 (in water)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book 2 in the Cyclones Christmas Series - this is another really fun Christmas book. There are a few hallmark-y moments but it’s fun having the FMC be the Grinch and the MMC be all in on Christmas. Their back and forth banter is so fun. Aaron flirts so hard and Liv’s preconceived notions keeps her from seeing how gone he is for her. This keeps the bite-y back and forth going and entertaining.

There are also fun plot points that come with twists in the book, like a crazy stalker, crazy roommates, an extragent gala, and more. Liv is so feisty that you never know how she’ll react to any given situation and Aaron brings joy to everything he does. They are really fun to read how the opposites attract balance each other out. Their love in the end is so freaking sweet and cute, and will definitely put a smile on your face 💕

This is a very sweet read to get in the joy and festive spirit of celebrating Jesus’ birthday 🎄 HAPPY RELEASE DAY KATIE!!!!

This is a closed door romcom with descriptive makeouts, a few curses, and innuendo.

Songs:
“A nonsense Christmas” by Sabrina Carpenter
“Winter things” by Ariana Grande
“Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter
“Run and hide” by Sabrina Carpenter
“There she goes” by Benson Boone

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC of Holiday Hostilities by Katie Bailey. All opinions are my own.

When I found out that Season’s Schemings was getting a sequel, I was ecstatic. I loved that book and was excited to return to those characters. I think that the author actually surpassed my high expectations with this book! It was that good.

This story follows Aaron and Olivia who have known each other since they were teens. Aaron’s best friend also happens to be Olivia’s older brother, which means she’s always been off limits to Aaron. After seeing each other for the first time in years, Olivia is annoyed because she still holds a grudge against something Aaron did to her as a teen. Aaron, on the other hand, is secretly so happy to have Olivia back in his life. When they find themselves spending a lot of time together, they soon realize that their thoughts from the past can’t out shadow their chemistry in the present.

One of my favorite things about this book was the tension and banter between Aaron and Olivia. They were constantly going back and forth teasing each other and giving each other a hard time. Their banter was funny and entertaining.

Aaron was honestly such a sweetheart and loved the people around him so well. Olivia, while grumpy quite often, was a very lovable and easygoing character. I liked the fact that she didn’t care about the famous hockey players at all.

There were so many funny scenes in this book that made me laugh out loud. Besides Aaron and Olivia being funny, Aaron’s teammates were hilarious as well.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book! I stayed up late multiple nights just because I didn’t want to put it down.

Katie Bailey did not disappoint with this brothers best friend/enemies to lovers Christmas story. Holiday Hostilities has you instantly hooked with the back and forth between Olivia and Aaron.

Aaron and Olivia are just so much fun to read about and have the best banter. (but really guys their banter is top tier) The chemistry between them was unmatched. I love how Aaron is not who he seemed to be to Olivia and I love her sudden realizations about him.

These side characters added so much here. The Cyclones are basically a giant family and I loved them all. With all these side characters we get to see Maddie and Seb again as well as Holly. Now while we're on the topic of side characters, I will be very impatiently waiting for Dallas's book.

I do enjoy reading an ice hockey book and this was no different. Aaron and Livvy were perfect together and the dialogue between the two of them was witty and funny.
Its a gentle book and I really enjoyed it, my only two nitpicks are that I would have liked to have seen Brandi and the reporter get a more definitive come uppanance.

This was my first title from Katie Bailey and I LOVED it! Perfect read for the holiday season and would highly recommend to anyone.

Holiday Hostilities is the perfect book to get you in the holiday spirit! I absolutely loved Aaron! I mean he crochets stuff animals for sick kids what's not to love. The banter between then in the beginning was so fun and I loved how sweet they were together. I can't wait to read what comes next in this series :)