Absolutely loved! I was very much looking forward to this book since I read Season's Scheming's last year.

This is an enemies to lovers & roommates story that I read in what seemed like a blink of an eye. I loved Aaron and Olivia. Olivia cannot stand Aaron, or can she? I enjoyed the dynamic between these two and thought they had great banter and chemistry. I thought it was a fun idea to make these two roommates. I thought it was a clever way to force them to spend time around each other. Plus it added so much yearning, angst and tension to the story! This was probably my favorite part because the anticipation is part of the fun, no?

This is a clean romance but we do get some steamy kisses and innuendos.

A very enjoyable holiday romcom! Would recommend!

After leaping into this book from Katie Baileys first instalment I was already feeling the Christmas vibes.

Although this book was an interesting change as it was deeper and more heartfelt than the Christmas joy book 1 brought.

Liv hates Christmas and as the book goes on we truly get to understand where she’s coming from. I loved the way we start with fun and banter but behind it all is a fear of loneliness and abandonment, it feels quite a contrast to the light and fluffy feels we had in book 1 but also, loved the character development. Because I felt as I reader, I was also on the outside until she let me in.

Aaron is just that family Christmas spirit embodied. I love the fact he wasn’t over kill on Christmas but enough that you really felt it meant something to him. And he wants to give Liv that experience which is, to put it mildly, freaking adorable.

They have a mutual hate for each other and plenty of banter to go with it. But is it really hate or hidden attraction??

After my buzz from book one I loved that this book was the same great writing but a different take. It’s wasn’t just a carbon copy, it had a totally deeper connection and storyline. Maybe in a way, more of the traditional hallmark feels, the heart strings were pulled with this one, and definitely “true meaning of Christmas” vibes.


The tea ☕️

💞 - enemies to lovers
🚫 - best friends little sister
🎄- Christmas setting
🚻 - roommates
🛏️ - one bed
🥸 - little bit of fake dating
🚪 - 0 spice but a nice burn

***warning - highlight quotes may give clues to spoilers***


—- Highlights ——


“As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also sporting some annoyingly sexy stubble, alongside an even more annoyingly sexy backwards hat. The devil has no business looking this good.”



“Objectively, Aaron is disgustingly good-looking and I hate that for him.”

“She looks back at me like she’d like to stab me with the sharpest skate she can find, and I chuckle to myself. Suddenly, all is right with the world.”

“He then turns to me, but doesn’t attempt to give me a hug as he did Sofia, thank goodness. Probably because I absolutely would have kneed him in the unmentionables if he had done so, and he knows it.”

“Fricking Jing and her fricking romance books making me almost forget that this stuff isn’t meant to be attractive.”

“I’ve been going half-crazy the entire drive home thinking about your lips, I wanted to show you that this is more than just physical. That I haven’t just been waiting to get you home, but that I’ve been craving your company as much as touching you. Your laugh as much as your gasps.”

“I shrug a shoulder. “Told you I was a bit obsessed with you.” Still am.”

“After living in that guest room for a couple weeks, I was a little sick of staring at my own face. Which I didn’t think could ever happen, but here we are.”

“I love Olivia. I don’t know if it’s chemistry or astrology or damn alchemy that dictates that, and frankly, I don’t care. I just know it’s right.”

“Never say never, bro. If it’s right, it’ll happen. Even against all odds. Love has a funny way of showing up when you least expect it—and where you never dare to imagine it.”

Enemies to lovers, brother's best friend, and fake dating, say less. This was such a good mix of some of my favorite tropes, and it was done in such a believable way.

When Olivia's brothers' best friend crawls into her window as a teenager and offers to be her first kiss but then backs out at the last minute and escapes, the only obvious solution is for him to be her enemy. Now he is a star NHL player, and she has moved back to the city to spend more time with her brother. She cannot forget how he made her feel, and he plays into the banter. However, she has known him most of her life and even though she acts like it she really does not hate him, so when he asks her for help, she agrees.

The banter between Olivia and Aaron was great. They were both really good characters. I could see this exact thing playing out in real life. You could tell by the banter that they both really did not hate each other so when they were forced together it was inevitable that they would end up together. I also like the ending; this book just felt a little less like make believe to me.

This is a closed-door hockey romance with actual hockey! Such a plus now days, there was some actual hockey playing in this book and not just something that was added to attract readers.

Thank you Eleventh Avenue and Netgally for this title. This is my honest review.

Genre: Holiday Romance
Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️
Spice: .5/5 🌶️

Summary: Olivia is a flight attendant getting tired of her international base so she decides it’s time to relocate closer to home and her brother in Atlanta. The only catch? Moving means being in closer proximity to Aaron Marino, her brother’s best friend and hockey teammate—the same guy she’s despised since high school.

Thoughts: This book was exactly what I needed! I absolutely adored the characters, and the enemies-to-lovers banter was so well done and I have high standards for that.

The hockey aspect added a fun layer to the story without ever feeling overwhelming. Everything about this book felt so natural—the timing and pacing had me enjoying every page.

Even though it’s a closed-door romance, the chemistry between the main couple was on fire, and their connection could be felt in every interaction.

There were a couple of slower moments that kept it from being a full five stars for me, but it’s still one of my favorite Christmas reads this year.

Huge thanks to the author and publisher for the gifted copy! All thoughts are my own, and I’m happy to share this honest review.

Holiday Hostilities by Katie Bailey follows Olivia Griswold and Aaron Marino. Olivia just transferred to Atlanta to be closer to her professional hockey player brother, but ends up in a crazy living situation with roommates that play bagpipes at all hours, steal her underwear, and beg for money to get their boyfriend out of jail. Besides the bad roommates, the other downside to living in Atlanta is running in the same circles as Aaron, her brother’s best friend and teammate who she hates and has skillfully avoided the past decade. With Christmas coming up, a holiday she has a bad history with, her only joy is knowing she should be far away from all of it with her job as a flight attendant.

Aaron is captain of the Cyclones, but has had a female fan stalking him recently which has caused problems with the media and Cyclones owner questioning if he is really the best choice as captain. At a Cyclones’ Thanksgiving get together held at Aaron’s, Olivia finds out that she won’t be working over Christmas and instead will be stuck with her weird roommates. Depressed by that news, she lets Aaron drive her home and after he sees her terrible living situation he offers her a deal, she can live at his place where they will be “two passing ships” anyway with their jobs taking them out of town often, as long as she bids and wins a date with him at the Cyclones’ Christmas Gala so his looney stalker doesn’t win the date. She agrees and moves in with “the enemy”.

I thought this story was both festive and adorable. If you like Hallmark romance movies you will love Olivia and Aaron’s story. It hit so many fun tropes; brother’s best friend, he falls first, forced proximity, and a Christmas themed date worthy of a cuteness award. Olivia’s past pulled on my heartstrings and Aaron is the greenest flag with his crocheting and how sweet he is with his mom and nonna. Overall, this was a 5 star holiday romance that I would recommend to anyone who’s looking for a Christmas themed hockey romance.

Such a cute festive hockey romance.

The perfect blend of all our favourite tropes, brothers best friend, enemies to lovers, housemates to lovers, he falls first, and a smidge of second chance, all wrapped neatly in a Sports Romance printed bow. Perfection!

From the beginning you’re straight into the reunion of Olivia (his livvy) and Aaron who’ve not seen each other for a few years while Olivia’s been living in London as an air hostess. She’s moved back to Atlanta to be closer to her brother Jake, but she’s moved into a hovel with a bunch of quirky (👀) housemates, when Aaron ends up giving Olivia a lift home, he sees the area she lives in and insists on walking her up, when he sees her living arrangements he knows he needs to step in, and as it so happens, he needs something from Olivia in return… Aaron is the target of an online-turned-in-person stalker, and he needs someone to bid for him in the upcoming Christmas charity event, enter Olivia with a paddle and his bank account - she saves the day and wins a date with Aaron too.

The chemistry is instant, you’re rooting for them from the start, and it certainly pays off.

Aaron and Olivia and to be honest her brother too were the perfect addition to this series. I loved Maggie and Seb's story so I was excited to read book 2. It did not disappoint. The growth and strength to not be set in the mold society, family or your own mind forces on you was displayed beautifully here. And that press conference moment... swoon.

I genuinely loved this story and was a nice way to kick start my holiday season!

Katie Bailey does it again! I have read previous books by her and she didn't disappoint again! This is a fun enemies to lovers, forced proximity hockey romance. Along with a brothers best friend story! It was sweet and fun! I hope Katie continues with this series so we can hear more stories from the others guys on the team!

Holiday Hostilities is an enemies to lovers, hockey romance. The writing is excellent, I enjoyed the pace and the characters. Highly recommend.

Holiday Hostilities is a festive and joyful holiday novel. This book can be read as a standalone but I personally think it was more enjoyable after having read the previous Katie Bailey book(s).

I adored Katie Bailey’s holiday read of 2023, Season’s Schemings, and whereas I found the beginning of this book to be a bit slow I nevertheless was swept away by the story fairly quickly and the Christmas shenanigans were on point as well.

If you are looking for a Hallmark Christmas movie in book form – I know I am, always – with cozy vibes and some great banter then this one is for you! Enjoy!

I loved this book even more than I expected would. I have read and loved all her other books so it shouldn't be a surprise that I and this one.

Your will enjoy this if you like...

-enemies to lovers
-forced proximity
-grumpy sunshine
-older brother’s best friend

Enjoy!!

This was a strong sequel in the Cyclones Christmas series, it had that feel that I wanted and enjoyed from the first book. The characters had that feel that I was looking for and enjoyed how it was used in the romantic comedy for the holidays. I enjoyed the way Katie Bailey wrote this and had that element that I was hoping for.

I’ve read a lot of Katie Bailey’s books, and I keep coming back because her stories are always simple, heartwarming, and exactly what you need when you want a little romance to take your mind off things.

This story follows Olivia Griswold, who hates two things: Christmas and her brother’s best friend, Aaron Marino. He’s the NHL’s favorite playboy, adored by fans but despised by her since high school. When Aaron offers Olivia an escape from her nightmare roommates in exchange for being his date to his hockey team’s Christmas gala, it seems simple enough—until proximity stirs up a whole lot more than holiday cheer.

This book hits all the tropey goodness you could want: enemies to lovers, brother’s best friend, forced proximity, all wrapped in a festive holiday setting. Honestly, these are all the reasons I picked it up in the first place.

That said, I had a hard time fully connecting with this one. It felt a little young for my taste, and even though it touches on some meaningful topics, it didn’t quite stick the landing for me emotionally. Still, I loved the nod to Monterrey! As someone from there, it was so fun to see a character representing my city—and drinking Dos Equis like a true regia. If there’s ever a whole story about her, sign me up as a consultant!

Overall, it was a sweet, light read and a great palate cleanser between my romantasy binge. Big thanks to Katie Bailey, NetGalley, and Eleventh Avenue for sharing this story with me—I can’t wait to see what Katie comes up with next!

A Holiday, Hockey, He Falls First, Hot Romance.

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️

Olivia has been enemies with Aaron since they were teens and he became friends with her older brother. Their constant insults and jabs ended one disastrous night his senior year, but now they're back in the same town after several years apart and picked up right where they left off. The bickering continues until Olivia needs an escape from her crazy roommates and Aaron needs someone to bid on him at the Christmas charity gala. Can they stop the fighting long enough to help each other out?

I always love it when she's the grump (or grinch in this case) and this book did not disappoint. I have been loving this cover on Instagram, I stop scrolling every time it appears, so was thrilled for the chance to read the ARC thanks to NetGalley and Eleventh Avenue Pub. Katie Bailey always delivers with great stories, characters and comedy and did that here. Olivia's reason for avoiding all things Christmas is completely understandable, but Aaron works hard to help her see another side of the season. I'll be going back to read Season's Schemings and hope to see more of the Cyclones in future books. I also appreciate that I can share Katie's books with my teen daughter because I know she keeps it clean. Highly recommend to fans of clean holiday romcoms.

Katie Bailey’s books are a MUST READ for me. Great clean romance stories. This story was so great! Tropes like enemies to lovers, housemates, forbidden love, best friends sister, forced proximity, and all happening at Christmas!

A fun, adorable, and festive enemies to lovers holiday romcom!

A fun, adorable, and festive enemies to lovers holiday romcom!

Flight attendant Olivia hopes to set down some semblance of roots near her brother in Atlanta. Her roommate situation is pretty dire, but she doesn’t want to be the third wheel in her brother’s happy relationship by crashing at his place.

Problem solved? Her brother’s best friend and fellow hockey player, Aaron, offers her a place to stay in his gorgeous house. All she has to do is go to a charity auction and bid on a date with him so his stalker can’t get any closer to him. Simple, right? Only she’s loathed Aaron ever since she met the cocky player in high school, yet also feels the chemistry between them.

Holiday Hostilities is just the cutest. Aaron has an absolute heart of gold under his playboy exterior, and Olivia slowly realizes she may have been mistaken about him. The banter is witty, there are lots of both sweet and funny moments, and the story comes together beautifully. Plus the side characters and found-family feeling of the hockey team made it even better.

Though it’s a no-spice romcom (nothing more than some passionate kisses), you can feel the tension and enjoy the banter. Best part? No third-act breakup!

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

Review: 4.2
Themes and Tropes: Brother's best friend, enemies to lovers, hockey, he falls first, great banter, holiday romcom
Steam: None/Closed Door

Another amazing Christmas story from Katie Bailey . Aaron and Olivia know each other for over ten years because he is her big brother best friend from school and now they are teammates on Atlanta's hockey Cyclon hockey team . Olivia after 8 years working and living in England as flight attendant she return to Atlanta to be close with her brother Jake . The only negative is that she has to co exist with Aoron Marino her nemesis . Every time time they meet they bickering until he asks her to come live at his place while she is looking for a new place to live and he can take her as his date at the Christmas Gala the team is organise . Living at his house she discover that the man she thought he was is not real but he really loves and cares about lot of things . Will she be able to resist him ? I loved all the hockey players and I would love to read the story of Reagan and Jimmy .
I received this book from netgalley , the author and the publicer as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .

Katie Bailey’s books are always adorably sweet and adding the holiday season makes for a festive good time.

Aaron and Olivia have been at odds for years, even without seeing each other much at all. As Olivia’s brother’s best friend and teammate, Aaron is still there whether she likes it or not. Unsurprisingly, they both have a different point of view on the event that led to the contentious relationship they have now. A little bit of faking to save Aaron’s reputation and captaincy plus a side of forced proximity gives them the opportunity to lay their armor down to love rather than fight.

This was another super cute read from Katie Bailey and she’s a great go-to if you’re looking for a sweet, spice-free read. Thank you to NetGalley and Eleventh Avenue for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

There’s only one thing Olivia Griswold hates more than Christmas: her brother’s best friend, Aaron Marino. The NHL’s favorite playboy has hordes of adoring fans, but to her, he’s still the cocky jerk she’s loathed since high school. But when Aaron hears Olivia’s spending the holidays with her roommates from hell, he offers her a place to escape to. His place, to be exact.

In return, all she has to do is be his date to his hockey team’s Christmas gala. It seems simple enough, but Olivia soon discovers that sleeping behind enemy lines is a dangerous game—especially when the enemy looks like that. Olivia knows she’s playing with fire, but she won’t let herself get burned again.

Katie Bailey is the queen of banter. This story was so much fun. I love Olivia's attitude, Aaron's tenderness, and the heat of their relationship, despite the low spice. Excellent holiday romance for the season! 4.5⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. This is my honest opinion of the book.

Okay, this was my first book I've read by Katie , but now I think I am hooked! This story was so great! Tropes like enemies to lovers, housemates, forbidden love, best friends sister, forced proximity, and all happening at Christmas! Once again we have a THIN line between love and hate.... Olivia and Aaron are known for their hate for each other. They are always at odds, and always teasing each other. But do they really despise each other or is all of that their way of keeping their feelings in check?!

When Olivia needs a place to spend Christmas and Aaron needs help getting a stalker away from him they call a truce and help each other. She moves in with him for a few weeks, and she bids on him at the charity auction- to keep the stalker from winning. They think it's all a safe bet, given they can't stand each other. So no one is bothered that the two are now room mates. But a whole lot of forced proximity, movie nights, scramble, meals, parties, etc. Start to pull down all their reasons for hating each other and THAT is when things get tricky. They aren't supposed to date. He would be at risk of losing his position as captain if anymore relationship drama hits the press. And most of all... Olivia is Jake (Aarons best friend's) little sister. A relationship can't happen. Plus, she's moving out soon.... and that's that. But is it?!

This story was wonderful. It was definitely a more steamier read than my normal, and it also had some innuendo and mild language. But all in all, it was still a closed door romance, which was just what I was looking for! All in all 4.5 rounded to 5 for me. I can't wait to read the next book!