I received this book for free from the Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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A sexy Christmas novella that’s a cross between The Devil Wears Prada and Holidate.

Holland McQuaid works for the toughest designer in New York City. It’s a dream job. It’s heaven and hell at the same time. But when she gets her lucky break, and the job turns into something she never expected, it comes with strings. Such as showing up to the holiday ball with arm candy hand-picked by her pretentious boss.

She has no clue her escort is one of the sports icons of the decade. Rich. Handsome. Athletic. And more her equal than any man she’s known.

It’s lust at first sight for both of them, and they offer each other a night they’ll never forget.
But when Holland can’t keep him out of her mind, and he insists on putting the Merry in her Christmas, things get far more real than she ever anticipated.

I recently had the honor of joining Samantha Christy’s ARC team, and I’m so excited about that. I love Samantha’s writing and I’ve read several of her series. So when I received a Christmas themed novella, based on the sister from the McQuaid Brothers series I was so excited and started reading as soon as I could.

In ‘Love by Design’ we read the story of Holland McQuaid, who we got to know a little bit in the McQuaid Brothers series. Holland is working for a prestigious designer when her own work gets the publicity most only dream about. When Holland is in need of a date for an upcoming ball. Her boss sets her up with a blind date. You can imagine Holland’s surprise when Stryker Taylor, a Baseball star, is waiting for her.

From the moment Holland and Stryker meet, there is this intense connection between them. But Holland has never wanted a guy for longer than a night. She is all about work and making her designs. Stryker changes everything though. He is determined to make Holland work less, and enjoy Christmas more.

‘Love By Design’ was such a sweet, sexy Christmas novella. It was short and I easily read it in little over an hour. I found myself hooked to these pages and I definitely got Christmas vibes. The one problem with this read.. it was just way to short! I could have easily read a whole book about these two characters. Their chemistry was amazing and I loved how easily they connected and wanted to spend time together.

Ever since reading the McQuaid Brothers series I’ve been wanting to read Holland’s story. So this was the perfect Christmas present by Samantha Christy. And if you haven’t read the series yet, this short novella will still be pretty amazing. Trust me!

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Check out my reviews of the McQuaid Brothers series:

About Samantha Christy

Samantha Christy writes sexy new adult and contemporary romances. Although each book is written as a standalone, her series' tie together so you'll enjoy seeing characters pop up over and over again.

Regardless of where you start your Samantha Christy journey, you can count on three things: Every book feels REAL (you'll see bits of yourself in each heroine.) Every story has PAIN (because what's a good romance without it?) And all her heroines find LOVE (because true romances have an HEA.)
Real. Painful. Love.

Samantha enjoys life as a full-time author under the warm Florida sun with her husband and four children.

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Maureen Bakker

Maureen is a mom, wife, nurse, and Ravenclaw living in the Netherlands. She spends her days juggling mom-life, reading, blogging, planning date nights with her husband and working as a nurse. Maureen also is a big Anglophile, loves cooking, Gilmore Girls, Bridgerton and Harry Potter.. Always!  Facebook | Instagram