Review by Veronica

Her heart was racing too fast. “Why would my danger matter so much to you?” Her fingers were lightly caressing his hand. She should stop that.

She didn’t.

“Because you matter.” Very low. Very deep. “Because Harris caught on to the fact that I’ve been fantasizing about you for a long time.” 

Jake Hale fantasizes about me. Me. And he’s done it for a long time. “How did he catch on to that fact?” Breathless. 

“Because if I saw you walking in town, I tended to lose my train of thought.” 

Holding Out for a Holiday Hero is a fun romantic suspense and perfect for those bookworms who like a little bit of murder with their spice.

Bah humbug. Bounty hunter Jake Hale hates Christmas. He doesn’t do twinkling lights, festive packages, and you definitely won’t ever catch him singing Christmas carols. What he will do? Track down the worst of the scum out there. The former special ops soldier makes merry by tossing the naughty into prison cells and getting a grand pay day. Ho, ho, ho.

Then a ghost from Christmas past walks through his door.

True Blakeley is always at the top of the nice list. Beautiful, sweet, with an innocence that—yep, he might have been tempted to destroy once or twice—she’s there to hire him. There have been a string of dangerous accidents in her life, and True fears that someone is trying to kill her. Not at all the sort of case that Jake would usually take—he hunts down the criminals after they jump bail, not before they’ve even been arrested. But one look into True’s bedroom eyes, and he can’t refuse. Maybe he still is a bit too tempted by the girl who got away…and surely one nice act won’t kill him? For her, he can play the hero.

He’ll close the case and be home in time for Christmas dinner.

Except, on the first morning of his investigation, he finds a dead body. One waiting underneath True’s glittering Christmas tree. The attacks are real, and it’s clear that someone is gunning for True. But Jake is on the job now, and no one is going to hurt her. His protective instincts are in overdrive…and so is the desperate desire that he’s always felt for True. This time, he’s done fighting that desire. He’ll finally show True just how fantastic it can be when you aren’t nice. Welcome to his naughty list. 

I am a huge fan of Cynthia’s books, so it only makes sense to start diving into her Christmas novels. Holding Out for a Holiday Hero is Cynthia’s latest holiday book, which was absolutely fabulous. She can really write a good dark serial killer or stalker romance story that will have you on the edge of your seat. For this book, we get a lighter version of a stalker plotline. It’s not as gruesome or as nail-biting as her other series, which isn’t a bad thing, in my opinion. We still get that sense of danger; there is a sprinkling of fast-paced moments, and the mystery element is interesting. But because this is a lighter novel, we experience more holiday humour and some pretty cheesy (and fabulous) holiday puns. It was really well balanced out and, overall, a really enjoyable read. 

The characters in this book are pretty typical for a Cynthia novel. You have a smart, strong heroine who finds herself in a dangerous situation. True is a likable character, and I enjoyed spending time with her. Jake is the broody, protective alpha male who is a bit broken and believes that he doesn’t deserve True. There is just something about a protective alpha male that is pure cat nip for my soul. I can’t get enough of this type of hero. Both characters are great, and I enjoyed their interactions and watching them try to stay one step ahead of this mysterious stalker. 

The romance is full of lusty tension and spice. Both True and Jake are harbouring pretty big crushes for each other, which they have had since they were teens. And they both think that there is no way the other person would be interested in them. That moment when they both realize that they have feelings for each other is delicious. This is a romantic suspense, which means that the character’s emotions are often running on high, and that heightened emotional state usually means that sexy times are bound to happen and happen a lot. I liked these two characters together. Their chemistry was great. I also thoroughly enjoyed watching Jake and properly date and woo True. It was endearing. 

Holiday Out for a Holiday Hero is a easy breezy suspense romance that is sure to warm you up this holiday season.