Everyone lies around the holidays. We lie about the money we’re spending. We lie that we’re following our diets.
What am I lying about this year? The fact that my workplace nemesis has become my friend-with-benefits.
Collin Machlan and I have been each other’s competition since we joined our college’s radio station freshman year. Six years later, we’re both hosting shows for the country’s most popular podcast network.
Just as everything starts turning red and green, our boss announces a promotion, and whoever gets the most listens during this merry season will be crowned the winner.
There is just one catch; the only way to draw an audience in December is to theme every episode around Christmas. For a woman who typically celebrates alone with takeout and slasher flicks, I’m at a big disadvantage.
Going toe-to-toe with the guy I’ve never been able to intimidate is only made harder by the fact that Collin doesn’t seem to want to play our usual games. Add in some mistletoe and a Secret Santa swap, and I finally give in to his shameless flirting.
Maybe it’s the delusion of cuffing season, but suddenly I’m spending every night with him. No one at work knows. Neither does his family, or my friends. I lie that it’s just physical. That me, a self-proclaimed bachelorette, couldn’t possibly be on the brink of a relationship. I lie that we’re still competing for a job he doesn’t even want.
Until one too many lies threatens to topple my life like a crooked tree with poorly-distributed ornaments. And I’m left to decide between my lonely and blue traditions, or a love that lasts all year round.
This one had a little bit of everything I needed. We had grinchy Lark, who hates all things Christmas and her archnemesis, Collin, the Christmas loving dude-bro who’s also her biggest competition in the office. When a prime new timeslot opens up, Lark knows her podcast is the one that deserves it but she’s not drawing in enough new listeners to beat Collin’s jock-talk. Everyone and everything else in the world is holiday-themed right now and though it’s the thing she hates most, Lark realizes she has to jump on the Christmas bandwagon to draw in the listeners this time of year.
There are always sparks between them as they go head-to-head in the ratings each week, but one night Collin does something nice for her and suddenly, they’re both having crazy thoughts. An enemies-with-benefits situation is born but maybe they’re not so different after all. I loved Lark with her dark past and humbug attitude because she wasn’t one to wallow in self-pity and she was open to change. Collin was sweet and attentive and definitely earned a spot on the book boyfriend list. Their story was sweet and steamy and fun to read, and the Christmas magic made it even better. I received an ARC from Grey’s Promotions in exchange for an honest review.
