4.5 Stars for The Mistletoe Trap ( Heart in the Game #2)
If you love Christmas and friends to lovers romance this book should definitely be on you TBR list.
Julie and Gavin grew up together and their families have always pushed for them to get together but neither of them have been prepared to risk the friendship by crossing the line from friends to lovers.
They have the type of friendship that’s so important, they always pick up where they left off even when they haven’t seen each other for months due to Gavin living in a different time zone playing on a NFL team in Texas. Julie loves her job as a pathologist in Arizona and on the face of it these two are very different but you know what they say about opposites attract.....
I really enjoyed this entertaining read, it was great watching this couple go from best friends to lovers when they realise the friendship they share is stronger with the love they both feel. This book ticked my boxes, l loved all the characters in this book, I swooned and I sighed, I laughed and I held my breath a lot during this read and I highly recommend this book to all romance lovers because it’s a fun, entertaining story that will quickly put you in the mood for the upcoming holiday season.
I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley.

I was given an ARC from netgalley in exchange for my honest review of the book.

The Mistletoe Trap will make you laugh out loud,. I was smiling or laughing the whole way through. As Julie and Gavin navigate a slippery slope, their meddling family doesn't help. While they both live in different states and have great careers, they realize what is important in life. This is the perfect holiday romcom to get you in the spirit. I loved this book and did not want it to end!

The Mistletoe Trap by Cindi Madsen
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Genre: Romance
Release Date: November 16, 2020

The Mistletoe Trap is the second book in the Heart in the Game series by Cindi Madsen. This was easily read as a standalone novel! I will definitely be reading the first book, The Wedding Deal, because I loved this book so much and want to spend more time in this world! Hopefully there will be many more books in the series in the future!

The Mistletoe Trap has everything I needed in a book right now: football, Christmas, an adorable romance, and the power of Christmas magic and having good friends.

I absolutely loved Julies and Gavin and their meddling families. There were so many moments when I laughed out loud or had the cheesiest grin on my face.

I truly loved this book and hope there are many more planned for the series!

I'm so grateful to Cindi Madsen, Entangled Publishing, LLC, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a great best friends-to-lovers holiday read. Julie and Gavin have been best friends since they were little, but have only been friends, despite their parents trying to push them beyond that when the two of them find themselves both suddenly single. It takes some family meddling, a LOT of mistletoe, and some reminiscing for them to finally realize they do belong together and it's only ever been meant to be them together. This book was sweet, funny, and steamy, I loved it. I know it's book two in a series but it's easily read as a stand alone. I'd love to see more books about Gavin's teammates or or even about Julie's failed 'fake' set up date.

**Received an ARC for an honest review**

Can best friends fall in love? You will find out when you read The Mistletoe Trap. A lighthearted story that is the perfect way to start getting into the holiday spirit.

Gavin and Julie are best friends who grew up together and their families are very close. Their moms have always wanted them to marry, but Gavin and Julie have preferred to stay friends. That is, until they both return home for the holidays.

Even though Gavin is now a handsome, charming, big time professional quarterback, he is still Julie's best friend. Julie is smart, beautiful and awkward. She is a pathologist and loves to share her gory stories with her dates or anyone who will listen. When she comes home, her confidence is at an all time low and she asks Gavin for help.

This is a funny and charming story as Gavin and Julie’s families try their best to get Gavin and Julie together. Gavin and Julie are perfect together, it just takes them a while to figure out what everyone else around them has always known. I enjoyed this charming story and Gavin and Julie.

The Mistletoe Trap By Cindi Madsen

I can’t decide how I feel about this book. It had the idea of a perfect Christmas chic flick, but it never became one. The characters Julie and Gavin, are childhood best friends. Their families are extremely close, spending most of their time together including all of the Christmas holidays. Everyone knows they are perfect for each other, except of course, Julie and Gavin. The problem for me was that I found them to be incredibly immature. They both act like 15 year olds and I started to get annoyed with them right at the beginning of the book. At one point they have an icing fight and he tends to tug her ponytail?! Maybe I’m just being boring or old. They were also almost too close, like brother and sister, so once the romance started I found it awkward.

Another great light-hearted romance from Cindi Madsen, set during the holidays. It's a slow-burn friends-to-lovers story. Gavin and Julie have been best friends since they were little kids. Their parents are best friends, and both whole families spend the holidays together in the small town of Crystal Springs, Colorado. It's been a long running thing that their mothers especially are plotting to get them together as a couple, but Julie has decided she needs a holiday fling this year and asks Gavin to help her find someone. Lots of funny moments, some fun holiday traditions, and interesting characters.
This book is part of a series but I didn't realize that before I started reading, and it totally works as a standalone.

The Mistletoe Trap is the second book in the Heart in the Game #2 by Cindi Madsen. A lovely holiday romance that is full of drama and steamy undeniable chemistry. The characters are well-written and develop at a smooth, steady pace making this easy to get lost in.

this was a good light friends to lovers story. I think even though of course I knew where it was going, I never bought that the two characters themselves didnt know they were in love. It didnt feel like a real journey of discovery.

The Mistletoe Trap - A perfect Christmas Rom Com.

Romance, Contemporary
Audience: Adult


Julie and Gavin have been friends since they were in diapers. Their parents are also best friends and would love nothing more than seeing them together. After an injury, Gavin’s Christmas holiday vacation is extended and Julie is joining him. Julie is a sweet and somehow awkward, yet very funny friend. Gavin is laser-focused on proving himself as a new quarterback. Their friendship means everything to each other and nothing can change that until their parents decide to do a reverse parent trap.

I really enjoyed the reverse parent trap idea, which created hilarious scenes. The meddling parents are funny and not-so-subtle. The cast of characters is perfect. Gavin has a nice character arc in this story. Julie accepts herself a bit more as the story goes and these transformations are nice to read about. The chemistry is sizzling.

The only reason I did not give this a 5-star rating is that I found Julie a bit annoying at the beginning, but it didn’t last and I really enjoy how she grew. Overall, this friend-to-lover romance is truly a funny, witty, and sexy story that I highly recommend.

Thoroughly enjoyable friends to lovers romance. Julie and Gavin have been best friends since they were in diapers. Their families have been trying to push them together forever (their mothers have even called Gavin’s past girlfriends “not-Julie”). Gavin is the starting Quarterback for the San Antonio Mustangs and has a week off at Christmas due to a shoulder injury. Julie has just received a promotion at her lab in Phoenix, has been recently dumped and is also going home to Colorado for Christmas. Julie wants to enlist Gavin as a wingman for a fling, but of course, this starts both of them thinking about each other as more than friends. Both Gavin and Julie are delightful characters, and the slow build to their eventual romance was enjoyable. This is the second book in the series, but can be read as a stand-alone book. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

Friends to lovers sports romance holiday read about Gavin and Julie who have been friends since diapers whose families are really invested in them becoming an item, so expect a high level of meddling.
Slow-paced, decent trama, sort of there h, and some steamy moments.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book received from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cute and funny story between Gavin and Julie... This book made me laugh... The sexual tension between Gavin and julie is crazy!

I love me a Cindi Madsen book. Anything she writes I’m hooked on. Must read book. Go read it. She writes books that makes me love reading

Childhood friends are constantly being setup by their parents! Hence, the mistletoe everywhere in the house where the Christmas party is to be held! Gavin and Julie are pushed into playing Santa elves where they are forced into wearing very revealing costumes. Both of them look at each other a little differently!
Uh oh, could the parents be able to get the two together or will these two souls find others? This is one book that the author throws in some curve footballs you won’t see coming!

If you want a lighthearted Christmas read, then I would recommend this book for you!

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

I LOVE friends to lovers romances and this one has a lot of meat on its bones. The story is only improved by the cast of overly involved family members, a football team, and a moody cat. There is one sex scene, and it’s a nice one. It’s a very satisfying read!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Mistletoe Trap by Cindy Madsen was a cute read. It featured a best friends to lovers romance, but it was slow burn which I loved. I loved how we got to really see them around each other as friends. I loved how protective Gavin was over Julie. His football team was even protective over her also.

This book also had a very cute Hallmark setting type of plot and I loved every moment I spent reading it.

It was a four star rating. Thank you Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

A blog post link will be up sometime tomorrow or the next day. Thank you!

The story of Gavin and Julie.

For years their parents have been trying to set them up with each other, but things seem different this year when they set Julie up with a date with someone else. She enlists Gavin to help her out, as she has never been any good at dating. Will it make him realise that him and Julie should be together?

A great festive read.

4⭐️

I loved it. This was truly a feel-good read.

It started slow. There was even a time when I've questioned when will this pick up, but it did about 30-35% in.

I also would've wanted a little bit more angst, groveling and jealousy on Gavin's part.

But overall, I loved it. Christmas is all about family and knowing Julie and Gavin's family background, there's no wonder why. I'm sorry, I'm being vague. But it's a fun and easy read. I kept on thinking that I wish to see this on screen. It's like something Netflix or Hallmark will show.

This was a wonderful read! THE MISTLETOE TRAP had everything I look for in a romance plus the holiday setting to make it even more romantic and enjoyable.

Gavin and Julie have been best friends since childhood. Their relationship has grown stronger as they moved into adulthood, so much so that not even distance had made a dent in their friendship. Kudos to Cindi Madsen for making that obvious to the reader because I LOVED that I got to see how deeply connected they were as friends, otherwise their move from friends to lovers would have been an EPIC fail for me

I loved that all the elements in the story worked so well together. The sporty aspect coupled with the friends to lovers romance and the holiday setting made for a fantastic read because the author balanced all the concepts well. I liked that I got to see Gavin in his element, with his teammates and his struggles as a professional athlete. But I also enjoyed him with his family. It brought another side if him to the page, one that sold me that he truly was a great guy and deserved to find his HEA. And Julie was the perfect girl for him. She was awesome! She was kind of nerdy with a great sense of humor. I loved her interactions with Gavin and their easily camaraderie.

What I loved the most though was the slow burn aspect of the romance. Chemistry was strong between these two, but they were so oblivious, it was hilarious! I''m glad the author decided to go the slow route, because I loved how surprised both Gavin and Julie were when they started "seeing" their friend differently. It actually brought a smile to my face.

Although this is book 2 in the Heart in the Game series, it can be read as a stand alone. I am definitely reading book 1 now since I enjoyed Cindi Madsen's writing so much.

All in all, a fantastic holiday romance with plenty of humor, emotions and connection to make it a must read this holiday season.