Three Bells, Two Bows, And One Brother's Best Friend by Willa Nash (Holiday Brothers #2)

I pride myself in being grounded. Sure, I’ve had my share of childhood fantasies. Winning an Oscar. Winning the lottery. Winning an Olympic medal for an athletic talent I have yet to discover. But the only fantasy I ever thought might actually happen was winning my brother’s best friend.

Heath Holiday.

My crush on him has ebbed and flowed over the years, but the day I started working for his construction company was the day I smothered it for good. Sort of. Mostly. It was on my to-do list. Making it a priority would have been easier had he not arrived at his family’s annual Christmas party looking ridiculously handsome in a suit.

Then he kissed me. We stepped into an alternate universe and he kissed me. I assumed the next day I’d just be Guy’s little sister again. The office newbie. Our kiss forgotten. Except he keeps showing up at my house. With gifts.

A gold bracelet carrying three jingling bells. Two dainty jeweled earrings, each shaped as a bow. And finally, he brought himself.

One brother’s best friend, asking if I can keep a secret.

Series: Holiday Brothers #2 | Genre: Contemporary Romance  | Source: Kindle Unlimited  | Rating: 3

 ‘Tis the season to date your brother’s best friend…This is the second book in the Holiday Brothers trilogy and it was cute, for the most part.

 

Stella’s had a crush on her brother’s best friend since she was old enough to know what a crush was and, while Heath’s also shared the same feelings for Stella, as his best friend’s little sister, she’s been off limits. Now that they’re working together it’s a little harder for them to deny their attraction, especially when things heat up at his family’s Christmas party.

 

Okay, I liked the start of this: the banter between Heath and Stella, Stella’s awkwardness, Heath’s desire to be close to and protect Stella. Then came the ‘secret relationship’ part and I wasn’t a massive fan of that. Honestly, they should have just stepped up and handled that situation before it started. I just didn’t care for the level of immaturity everyone showed regarding that issue. While it was handled somewhat quickly (due to this being a novella), it still annoyed me.

 

While this one had its issues, Stella and Heath’s romance was a bit more believable, even though it was still an insta-love romance, because they did have a closer relationship growing up. There’s that bit of history that added more credibility for the quickness of their relationship.

 

This is the second in the trilogy and they do share the same timeframe, so the storylines are overlapping. There’s a lot of reveals about Heath and Stella in the first one and, while it didn’t spoil the book, it made their big moments a little less thrilling. While the first book made me eager to read Heath’s story, this one dampened my excitement for the last book as I feel like it revealed too much about the story.

 

Overall, this was an okay read. It’s quick, the characters are mostly likable, and it’s very light on the Christmas aspect. I thought this was going to be my favorite of the series but, sadly, I was wrong.