That's my second book by Katie Bailey and when I saw that it had many of my favorite tropes I couldn't pass it up even though it's book two in the series and I didn't read the first one.
.
Olivia is a fly attendant, and usually spends a lot of time flying to different places around the world, but after several years she is ready to return home, close to her brother and try to put down roots, what she could not predict is that her brother would have a girlfriend and she would end up with a group of crazy people as roommates
.
Aaron has been Olivia's enemy for years, years of fighting and calling ridiculous nicknames, but when he finds out that Olivia is going to spend the holidays in a situation that is not at all ideal, he decides to intervene and invite her to his house, in exchange for her helping him with a problem that he is having and it seems to follow him and stalk him everywhere ruining his reputation and putting his job as a leader at risk.
.
This is a beautiful slow burn romance, between a grumpy little sister of his best friend and teammate, and a hockey player who is not only sunshine and has been in love with her for years. He is also willing to do anything so she can give him and Christmas a chance.
.
Katie Bailey really gives a magnetism to her books that makes it impossible for me to put them down, I really enjoyed reading this hockey romance and I will be adding the entire series to my tbr.
.
Thanks to Katie Bailey and Eleventh Avenue for give me a copy of this amazing book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion

Katie Bailey has done it again with a story that completely delivers! Packed with sharp, witty dialogue and electric chemistry, this book had me hooked from beginning to end. Aaron is an absolute gem—there's something so heart-melting about a guy who remembers all the little things about the woman he cares for.

It’s the ultimate blend of opposites-attract tension, forbidden brother's-best-friend drama, and hockey-filled fun. Olivia initially sees Aaron as the enemy, which makes their fiery back-and-forth all the more captivating. The sparks between them are undeniable, and their connection is downright addictive. You won’t want their story to end!

And the supporting cast? Pure gold. The Cyclones are a lively, chaotic bunch that feels like family, while Olivia’s roommates are comedic geniuses who kept me laughing nonstop.

If you're looking for a festive romance that’s as hilarious as it is heartwarming, this is the one for you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be eagerly awaiting Dallas’s turn in the spotlight!

This is Book 2 of the Cyclones Christmas Series!

Katie Bailey delivers a festive treat with Holiday Hostilities, a delightful enemies-to-lovers hockey romance filled with banter, tension, and holiday cheer. Perfect for fans of playful hate-to-love dynamics, this closed-door rom-com keeps the sparks flying while still embracing warmth and wit.

Olivia Griswold has spent years hating Aaron Marino, her brother’s best friend and the NHL’s golden boy. To her, he’s the epitome of arrogance—a playboy with a million fans but none of her admiration. However, when her less-than-ideal holiday plans come to light, Aaron offers her an unexpected solution: spend the holidays at his place in exchange for attending his hockey team’s Christmas gala as his date.

What starts as a begrudging truce quickly escalates into a clash of emotions as Olivia and Aaron find themselves stuck under one roof. Their chemistry crackles with tension, amplified by the forced proximity trope done to perfection. Olivia’s stubborn sass and Aaron’s charm lead to laugh-out-loud banter, and as the walls between them come down, readers are treated to moments of tenderness that will warm even the Grinchiest of hearts.

Bailey does a fantastic job creating a holiday atmosphere, from snowy settings to festive events, all while maintaining the sizzling connection between her protagonists. The closed-door romance leaves just enough to the imagination, focusing on emotional intimacy and magnetic tension.

Whether you’re here for the snarky one-liners, the sweet undercurrent of redemption, or the undeniable sparks flying between Olivia and Aaron, Holiday Hostilities is a holiday romance that will leave you smiling long after you’ve turned the last page.

⭐️ 4/5 🌶 1/5

Lord, have mercy, I can't have a shower without thinking about Aaron Marino 🥵

Since I'm in my hockey romance era, and it's almost Christmas, this seemed like the best ARC to pick up. And oh boy, was I right!

Tension, angst, a dash of enemies, flirting, pining, and a whole bunch of lust.

It was captivating, funny, exciting, and swoon worthy.

This was really cute! After I read it, I read two more books by Katie Bailey, who was a new to me author. I will definitely look for her books in the future.

I absolutely loved Holiday Hostilities! So much so, I’m already planning to go back and grab book one in this series because I don’t want to miss a single moment in Katie Bailey’s world.

While I usually prefer my romances steamy, this book delivered a perfect balance of tension and chemistry that kept me hooked from start to finish. The slow burn and romantic tension between Olivia and Aaron felt just as satisfying as a full-blown steamy scene. Katie has a way of making the sparks fly through witty banter and heartfelt moments, and I’m here for it.

Olivia and Aaron’s enemies-to-lovers dynamic had me laughing, swooning, and cheering for their happily ever after. Plus, the holiday backdrop and hockey vibes added an extra layer of charm to the story. I guess I'm fully in my sports romance era now.

I’ll definitely be reading more from Katie Bailey. If you love a slow-burn romance with plenty of heart and humor, don’t miss this one!

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