Review by Ronny
A Billionaire for Christmas is a laugh-out-loud rom-com that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
Favourite Quote:
Just as she was about to close the door, he suddenly turned and caught her staring again. Molly froze. The next few seconds happened as if in slow motion. He raised his glass, lazily downing the drink without once breaking eye contact with her.
Book Synopsis:
When talented chef Molly’s best friend and business partner, Ava, passes away, she leaves Molly their beloved restaurant – and a wild, impossible bucket list to complete. But thanks to a legal mix-up, Molly’s inheritance is at risk unless she ticks off every outrageous item before the Christmas Eve just twelve days away.
Determined to honour Ava’s wishes and desperate to save her dream, Molly searches for a billionaire willing to share Champagne with her in a hot tub – one of the more extravagant challenges on the bucket list. She’s in a luxurious ski resort in the French Alps so it might just be doable. But then she meets Levi. A devastatingly handsome billionaire, yes, but infuriatingly resistant to getting involved!
As the snow falls and sparks fly, Molly is entangled in a series of increasingly embarrassing escapades. With time running out, can she pull off the impossible – and maybe even find love along the way?
Review:
I love a holiday romance that is delightfully bonkers, and this book had this in spades. I read this book in my backyard, and I am pretty sure my neighbours think I must be crazy, because I was cackling pretty much the entire time. Be warned, you have got to love your romances a little crazy (in a good way), filled with embarrassing situations, and a family that is bursting with drama. I love a book where the heroine is up against the wall and racing the clock. Molly finds herself having to complete her late best-friends’ bucket list, or she will lose their restaurant and apartment. The motivator behind completing the bucket list is a will that is worded funny and makes it seem like Molly needs to complete the list in order to inherit, so pretty much for complete romance reasons. I don’t care if the motivator isn’t realistic; it doesn’t need to be. This book sets out to be a fun, laugh-out-loud romance about family and learning to step out of your comfort zone, and it does that.
The items on the bucket list are a hoot and so completely ridiculous. They are meant to encourage anyone doing them to embrace the crazy and be spontaneous because you never know where it might take you. Every time Molly completes an item on the list, chaos and embarrassment are sure to follow. It was great. It makes for a really joyful read. Poor Molly constantly finds herself in an embarrassing situation around Levi, who often takes the craziness in stride. Family plays an important part in this story. Levi’s family comes together for the holiday season and stays at this luxurious cabin, where Molly is to be a personal chef. You have got to like your secondary characters loud, chaotic, and with big personalities. I thought they were great. It was like watching a soap opera unfold in front of my eyes, and I ate up every moment of it. One thing I liked was this message that even though this family has everything they could ever want in terms of material possessions, they were all unhappy and alone. They were missing those things you can’t buy with money. It’s clear that this family needs to sit down in a locked room and work through their problems. I really enjoyed them as a family unit. Their relationships at the beginning of this book are distant and strained, and it was lovely watching as this family started to come back together.
Molly is great as a heroine. She still finds herself grieving, and because of the will, she really hasn’t had that time to grieve the loss of her best friend. Her grief and the pressure from having to complete the bucket list mean that Molly’s emotions are kind of all over the place (understandably). If I were to say what Molly’s growth in this book is, it would be around coming to terms with her grief by opening up about what she is dealing with. Outside of the grief, Molly doesn’t need to grow or change. She is a great character who is actually the most level-headed and centred person in this book. It’s Levi and his family who grow, individually and as a family.
The romance in this book is a slow burn with lots and I mean lots of stops and starts. Levi runs hot and cold throughout 90% of this book. It’s clear that he has feelings for Molly, but one moment he is acting on those feelings and in the next he is so distant with her. We don’t get to see what is going on in Levi’s head, which means it’s hard to figure out what is triggering these withdrawals. There are lots of miscommunications and misunderstandings between these two. It really stems from Levi’s unwillingness to really talk to Molly and Molly being unsure how she can explain the whole bucket list situation. I liked their chemistry, and when these two are bickering, the banter is sharp and witty. I enjoyed spending time with them, and I loved their HEA.
A Billionaire for Christmas is a crazy, holiday romance, and I loved every moment of it.
Thank you, Boldwood Books and Rachel Random Resources, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
