This book had everything I’d usually want in a little romance. It was super Christmas-y and cutesy small town Hallmark movie. But there was something about it I just didn’t care for. I felt disconnected from the characters and didn’t feel any real chemistry from them. I think that was my main issue with it.

The bones were there for a perfect Christmas story though!

I absolutely loved the cover of Wrapped with a Beau, which is the main reason I requested an arc of this. I also liked the premise, but the execution wasn't the best. While there are some funny moments between Ves and Elisha, I had some issues with the way the dialogue is written--it's stilted and weird in some places, and I didn't feel like their relationship was developed enough, but overall it was cute.

what a precious and fun read!! i am always so thankful to netgalley for giving me access to books before they come out. this was such an enjoying read! you should definitely check it out when it comes out!!!

I’m fully embracing Christmas in July right now, and this book was a great addition to my festive bunch. It’s one that should definitely be on the radar of anyone looking for a Hallmark movie-with-spice vibe in their holiday reads this year.

Ves inherits his great aunt’s home, which was featured in a beloved Christmas movie, and plans a quick in-and-out of town to deal with the estate while avoiding any kind of emotional attachment. Elisha lives across the street and is responsible for securing the rights to use the house in the upcoming sequel film being made. After a bit of a meet-disaster that involves a candy cane lawn ornament, Ves and Elisha find themselves tangled up in a whole lot of ways neither of them expected.

I really loved Ves and Elisha and their relationship development. There was a lot of fun, flirty banter between them, and the way Ves almost immediately starting opening his heart to her was adorable, even if he was in denial cover it. He’s the grump to her sunshine, but his ‘grump’ is really just his fear of emotional attachment after so many rejections that began with his own family. Elisha was a fun, upbeat, charming ambassador for her town. I really loved how she saw Ves and didn’t try to force him into anything that made him uncomfortable but gave him a person he could trust and rely on while warming up to change.

My only real complaint about this book is that it felt like there were quite a few underdeveloped secondary storylines that didn’t feel necessary, particularly the ex-moving-into-town. There were scenes driven by that plot, but I think the book would’ve been perfectly fine without them and wouldn’t have lost any emotional value.

Overall though, I thoroughly enjoyed this one and look forward to rereading it during the holiday season this year.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you're into Christmas books then this book is perfect for you. I absolutely loved Ves and Elisha's relationship there was a ton of chemistry and their banter was fantastic. Also Elisha's family is fantastic as well.

It did take me a little bit to get into the book though. It took till about 20% until I was fully invested in what was going on.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I loved all the Christmas feels in this book! It is full of small town Christmas vibes. I want to visit this town!

This book follows Elisha, who has just moved back to the small town she grew up in, and Ves, who lives in New York City but has inherited a house in the small town so he arrives there to go through it and get it ready to sell.

This book is packed with Christmas spirit and cheer. I loved all the little details of Christmas, Elisha’s nutcracker nail art. It definitely read like a hallmark movie but with some steamy moments as well.

I also loved Elisha’s family, especially the grandfather. They were so friendly and welcoming. Their little Christmas candy shop sounded amazing as well.

The romance was cute, though they weren’t my favorite couple ever. It was still fun to follow them both as they are very different from each other.

The one thing that didn’t really work for me was the third person present tense. That’s not the book’s fault; this tense is my least favorite and I almost always have difficulty with it.

But other than that, this was a fun read sure to make your spirits bright!

***Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Group and Lillie Vale for the ARC. Opinions are my own***
Release date: 09.26.2023

I felt E V E R Y T H I N G in this book. Now I am ready to sell my house in Virginia and find a Christmas town like Piney Peaks. Elisha Rowe is working on getting a sequel to Sleighbells when her neighbor, the homeowner of the beloved house featured in the movie, passes away and leaves the house to her distant relative, Ves. Ves just wants to get rid of the house, get back to his life, and get back to New York. The first time Elisha meets Ves goes ... less than optimal and he does not want to let her use the house for the movie. As she's commiserating at the bar with her best friend ... guess who strolls in with his new wife - yep, her former fiancé, who didn't want to live in Piney Peaks when they were together. As the two (Ves/Elisha) spend more time together, they realize they actually do have a lot in common and enjoy each other's company - they agree to date but with a deadline (when Ves goes back to New York / the house sells). However, as time passes, Ves starts to see the magic of Piney Peaks and falls he and Elisha fall for each other. But what to do when the Christmas season and magic is gone?
4.5/5 stars, would recommend to a friend.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for the ARC

Christmas season has to be the best season and a Christmas town is something I always dream of visiting. What’s better than that is love at Christmas. This book has it all. I really loved it and am now impatiently waiting for Christmas to arrive. This should be made into a Christmas movie!

First off, can we just take a moment to appreciate the title alone? I mean, that’s one AMAZING title! It gets a whole 5 stars all by itself. The cover, too, is absolutely gorgeous. If I saw this in the store, I wouldn’t even read the blurb, I would just snatch it up off the cover and title alone.

This book is absolutely incredible. The characters are lovable and well developed, which I absolutely adored. Literally every character in the town added something to the story. The small town of Piney Peaks was so cozy and perfectly complimented the plot. I mean, it’s June and I’m reading a Christmas Book but it made me FEEL like I was reading this in December. Absolute perfection.

The plot is so unique and entertaining that I couldn’t put this book down once I started it. From the not-so-meet-cute of the main characters to the drama with Elisha’s ex to Ves’ resistance to let go of his protective emotional barrier, the story is jam packed with everything I could ever want in a contemporary romcom! And the banter between Elisha and Ves was SO good. I could read their dialogue forever and never get tired of their amazing chemistry.

As a Hallmark Christmas movie lover, this book was everything I wanted. It was cute and cozy... exactly what I wanted to read in June....(sarcasm)...but that didn't mean I didn't absolutely love it.

Piney Peaks and the Christmas House are the stars of this book, and they sound like the perfect spots to put on my bucket list! There's a bakery, Christmas decor, snow, and everything else to make anyone's Christmas loving heart happy. We see Ves and Elisha go through years of history in the Christmas house and fall in love along the way. Thank you Netgalley and GP Putnams Sons for the free ecopy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Such a fun Christmas read! I loved the storyline and the cute small town. Definitely recommend this one for a fun Christmas RomCom read!

Super cute winter themed story. These are such a comfort read for me and I adored the characters. I can’t wait to snag a copy

special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book!

MAN I JUST WANT IT TO BE CHRISTMAS ALL THE TIME!! and this book just further proves that!!! i want to crawl inside the pages that describe this town's setting so bad and live there forever, truly. loved this little holiday romance and how much i related to both MC's. even more bonus points for all of the food descriptions that had me wanting to start holiday baking in the middle of may...so excited to read other books by this author!

I received a free copy of, Wrapped with a Beau, by Lillie Vale, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Elisha is not the most honest person, saying she has permission to film in the perfect house for her sequel to Sleighbells, is not true at all. Ves is in town to sell to sell his aunts house, not let a film crew film in it. Sparks fly between Elisha and Ves, will she be able to film in the perfect location, and fall in love at the same time? A nice read for the cold holiday months.

The story line was cute! It felt like a happy hallmark movie. The town sounded so beautiful and sweet! However, there was not enough character or relationship development for me, I didn’t really connect with them and feel their journey. Their feelings didn’t get discussed a lot until the very end, and it wasn’t as deep as I like. The title didn’t make sense to me either. There were very cute moments in the book that were swoon-worthy! Overall this was a cute, Christmas-y slow burn!

Well, this was adorable! Even though it’s May, this book put me in a festive mood. It’s like a Hallmark movie but with some spice.

Elisha wants to put her hometown back on the map, and she plans to do that by securing a historic Christmas house as the filming location for an upcoming sequel to a beloved holiday movie. Ves inherited the house from his great-aunt and he’s only in town temporarily. When Elisha offers to help him clean up the place, sparks begin to fly.

Wrapped with a Beau was cute, charming, and witty, with super likable characters. Highly recommended if you enjoy Christmas romances!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

What a cozy AND spicy read. When it starts as a mutual beneficial fake dating, to a real dating with a time limit, is it possible to become a happily ever after?

Elisha loves Christmas and her hometown. Ves has legitimate hang ups about Christmas and wants out of this small town he finds himself in temporarily. They can both help each other out in more ways than one.

I thought this book was very cute. Elisha and Ves had banter, steam, and the right amount of realistic problems that didn’t overtake the story too much. I throughly enjoined it.

Thanks NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP for the ARC.

I received this book as an ARC and hate to rate it so low but I was not a fan. The writing felt middle grade and immature to me. The characters were annoying and not likable imo. The *sexy* dialogue made me laugh most of the time. “Hot nudge in his pants”? Sorry but it’s not doing it for me. There were also a lot of pop culture references which I wasn’t a fan of.

This book is absolutely adorable! It felt like such a unique twist on the small town holiday romance trope and I loved every second of it. Lillie Vale has quickly become one of my auto buy authors!