Thank you Penguin GROUP Putnam for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own!

This is the story of Elisha Rowe a successful film liaison. She wants to one thing and one thing only, to put her hometown back on the map. There is an opportunity for a sequel of a beloved holiday movie to be filmed in her hometown. However, the catch is she needs a historic Christmas home to be available for filming. How hard could it be to get the owner to allow them to use the house for the movie? Extremely hard, when the hot new owner denies her.
Ves Hollins is a City boy who is only back in Piney Peaks to sell the house he inherited from his great-aunt. He has always found the holidays to be tough for him, and his neighbor Elisha is not making it any easier by bringing back memories from a Christmas long, long ago. Will Elisha be able to melt Ves's frosty heart, or will they just have to film the sequel somewhere new?

Content: Sex scene, swearing

Read if you enjoy:
Opposites Attract
Christmas Romance
City Boy
Small Town

Lillie Vale's book is a heartwarming and joyous holiday romance story. The characters and plot were very festive and fun. It's a must-read, and I recommended it for sweet holiday love stories fans.

A bit too much Christmas in this novel; felt a bit like every Hallmark movie was all thrown into one and it was overwhelming at times. The grumpy sunshine trope was the only thing I truly enjoyed but there was not enough grumpiness compared to what I normally like. Overall it was a decent read, not my favorite, but also not my least favorite and I rated it 3 stars.

This was just so cute! I love when an author successfully makes the town a character and I think Vale did so perfectly in this book. If I could visit Piney Peaks tomorrow, I'd be there in a heartbeat. It was sweet and heartwarming and everything I want in a holiday romance.

There is something so incredibly cozy, warm, and almost nostalgic feeling when it comes to small town holiday romances. Wrapped with a Beau is one of those reads that just hits all the marks. With a dual POV narration, a splash of steam to warm you up, and all of the warm fuzzy feelings of small town quirks and workings- this is honestly a great read no matter time of year for someone itching to read something smile worthy.

A classic grumpy v sunshine trope, our main characters ebb and flow together really well. They break down walls and barriers each have built up and have some beautiful and vulnerable moments of growth. The relationship blossoms in a believable way. This was essentially Hallmark in a cup and pure holiday magic.

Read if you're a fan of opposites attract, sunshine v grumpy, holiday small town settings, cozy winter dates, and a happily ever after that leaves you smiling.

In trying to jog my memory I went looking at Goodreads reviews and found this one that said "This was cute and silly but so forgettable that I forgot I didn't mark this as read on goodreads. It basically vacated my mind as soon as I was done." Which, yes, same. The cover doesn't even look familiar to me anymore, which really says it all. If one does not remember a Christmas book does it even exist? A question more interesting to explore than whatever the mediocre and forgettable plot of this book was.

This is an adorable small town grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, girl next door romance. It was fun holiday read. Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This was sweet enough and a very easy story to dive into. It won’t be a new favorite but it was enjoyable for the holiday season

This is a lovely holiday romance set in a small town. When Elisha returns to her hometown, she hopes to boost it by rebooting the Christmas movie that made it famous. The catch is the new owner of the house that starred in the film is creating an obstacle. Will Elisha get to accomplish her goal and will she find love while she's at it?

The set up was good and intersting, but I didn't get enough investment into the two leads to really want it all to happen

Elisha meets Ves when he comes to town to deal with the sale of his great-aunt’s home. Elisha’s grandmother was best friends with Ves’ great-aunt and so she felt like family to Elisha. Elisha’s favorite Christmas movie was even filmed there 50 years ago and she’s been working on getting a sequel made.

Ves was just planning to sell the house and get out of the quaint town and back to his life in NYC. But Elisha charms him almost immediately.

Soon they’re spending almost all their time together despite both of them agreeing that their relationship has a defined end date. When Ves goes back to NYC they will end things. But they aren’t counting on feeling more of a connection with each other than they’ve possibly ever felt with anyone before.

I liked the characters and the sweet town this was set in. It was a really quick read despite the length of the story.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley, thanks!

With Hallmark Christmas movies filling the holiday season year after year with holly jolly cheer, it’s no surprise that novels in a similar vein are gaining popularity with lovers of everything merry and bright. Lillie Vale’s new novel Wrapped with a Beau even incorporates a Hallmark-esque film into its storyline by way of a historic home that served as the set for an infamous holiday movie made in the 70s.

Vess Hollins is in the town of Piney Peaks to handle his late grandmother’s estate. He wasn’t close to his grandmother and just wants to get the job done quickly and leave town, but there’s one problem. His grandmother’s home was featured in a much beloved Christmas movie, Sleighbells, 50 years ago, and the town, and one woman in particular do not want to see it fall to the wayside.

Elisha Rowe loves her hometown of Piney Peaks and her job as a film liaison, securing quaint places for potential movie sets. She would love to see a sequel to Sleighbells filmed in Piney Peaks, but it is going to take some convincing of the Grinch who has just arrived in town, AKA Vess Hollins. Can Elisha find a way to persuade Vess to honor his grandmother’s legacy and continue on the film series that she loved so much?

Wrapped with a Beau is one of those novels that starts strongly, but begins to waver as the story progresses. I really enjoyed the first half of this book as Elisha and Vess get to know one another as we learn more about the town of Piney Peaks, the Sleighbells movie, and Elisha and Vess’s upbringings. However, once the book moves on to “more than friends” territory, I found that the story weakened due to the characters acting, well, out of character! Elisha especially felt phony and so unlike how she presented herself in the preceding parts of the novel - I just could not connect her to the girl we got to know in the beginning of the book.

With all that being said, while I have read better Christmas novels, I have also certainly read worse, so Wrapped with a Beau falls somewhere in the middle of the available holiday fare. If you’re looking for a light, comfortable Christmas read, this book will do it for you, as long as you don’t mind some very steamy open door romance scenes!

This was a simple, syrupy-sweet Christmas novel that I felt like I’ve read before. It was a cute, fine story, but there was nothing particularly memorable with this holiday romance. Rivals due to an initial misunderstanding + fake dating = lovers. There was some steam to the sex scenes, which started about 65% in to the novel, so there was quite a bit of buildup. Not one of my favorites, so it’s a 3 star ⭐️ book for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for review.

I think I hit my holiday reading max and would have enjoyed this one a lot more had I read it earlier in the month.

Still a great small town holiday romance - but timing definitely left me

Things I loved:
-small town well known for a Christmas movie
-Christmas fan Vs grinch
-making a Christmas movie
-shitty ex boyfriend gets what he deserves
-mouthwatering food descriptions
-instant attraction, dating with a set end date

Things that weren’t my fave:
-just kind of meh about it all (again - I think it’s a timing thing for me)

3.5 stars rounded up

This cover is seriously adorable! Also, so is this book! I love Christmas movies and a book about Christmas movies is just perfect. Not to mention an opposites attract love story I’m all in. Add this to your Christmas reading list.
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Thank you #penguin and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 3 ⭐️

I think this is a cute holiday rom-com. It gives hallmark Christmas vibes which everyone needs, and I love.

Synopsis: Elisha Rowe is a film liaison who wants to bring attention to her small town by having their town featured in a new movie. Ves Hollins owns a historic home that Elisha would love to use for filming, but he denies her request. Ves is a grump and Elisha is sunshine, can they work things out?

What I liked:
-Dual POV
-Characters had good chemistry
-I love the holiday aspect of the romance
-Enemies to loves
-Good banter

What I didn't like:
- The pacing is slower in the beginning
-I feel like we don't get very deep into the characters for the length of the book
-I felt like this could be a little bit shorter and have more of an impact.

This book started off slow but picked up about half way through. It was a pretty typical Hallmark type story line with a good many bedroom scenes thrown in. A perfectly fine read, but not one that’s will stick with me over time.

Cute christmas story but not enough to make me fall in love with the two main characters. And that's why this book only gets 2.5 stars for me (GR gets 3 cause I'm feeling generous as it is Christmas time)

Overall, if you like a Hallmark Christmas movie, this might be the book for you.

Thank you Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

"Wrapped with a Beau" by Lillie Vale is a delightful romantic escapade that swirls around the enchanting backdrop of a holiday season. Vale intricately weaves a heartwarming tale of love, second chances, and the magic of Christmas. The book follows a charming protagonist navigating a whirlwind romance while confronting personal challenges, making it a perfect blend of sweetness and depth. Vale's vivid descriptions and captivating storytelling create a festive ambiance that envelops readers, evoking the warmth and joy of the holiday spirit. "Wrapped with a Beau" is a feel-good read that sparkles with love, hope, and the enchantment of the season, leaving you with a cozy and contented feeling long after the final page.

A cute enemies-to-lovers holiday romcom! 🧣

Ves not only has to travel to Piney Peaks and sort out the house and possessions he inherited from his great aunt after she passes, but when he arrives, his aunt’s (hot) neighbor who thinks he’s a burglar attacks him with a candy cane garden stake.

Elisha is horrified not only to realize that she made a mistake thinking that the new (and hot) owner of the Christmas House is a burglar but that she’ll also need his signature to secure the house as the primary filming location for the sequel to Sleighbells which will help put her small town back on the map.

Wrapped with a Beau was so entertaining that I flew by the first 100 pages! I loved the banter and smart exchanges between Elisha and Ves — she was such an unexpectedly random character that made it tough not to melt Ves’ icy exterior. I also really liked how the author handled the instant attraction but the slow process of actually falling for one another.

Oh and it’s a bit steamy!

Truth is I didn’t care as much once they actually started dating and the end was a bit Hallmarky BUT I did still enjoy it! Certainly recommend and note to self to read more by this author!