Typically, give me a holiday romance or a sports romance and I'll fall in love with it - but putting the two together could be a recipe for success, except something about it just didn't work.

It was like what I loved about both of the cliche stories was gone. On one hand, the story felt too long and not so much of an easy read for a holiday romance, and then, because it was an NFL quarterback on break, the sports part of the story didn't live up to the hype either.

While there was nothing subjectively wrong with it, this wasn't the right book for me (despite the adorable cover) and it could've told the exact same story in half the space.

This book is perfect for Christmas season (or just to enjoy some romance)!
The story is of two best friends Julie and Gavin and can I have that type of friendship? BECAUSE THEY ARE GOALS who haven't seen each other for a long time so for the holidays they returned to their hometown where both families tried to get them together.
They tried their best to just keep it friendly but when Jules gets the idea of having a fling with someone Gavin can't have it!!!
I really loved how both of them struggle to recognize that their friendship morphed to something else!!!

So... this book is super quick to read (I read it in a few hours) and leaves you with warm feelings!!! <3

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

Great read, Read this!
Could not put this book down. I read this entire book in one day! Cindi Madsen knows how to deliver a great holiday read! Will definitely get you in the Christmas spirit!,

I love meddling moms! Friends to lovers in a snowy setting. All the fun tropes you want in a Christmas book.

The one thing that didn’t seem plausible was that they’d never heard of The Parent Trap. It’s a pretty famous movie, even if they hadn’t all seen it, they’d probably at least heard of the Lindsay Lohan version. People were still watching movies that came out in 1998 when these characters were movie age, specifically this movie.

Overall, very cute. Predictable in the way you kind of want a book to be predictable.

This book was a cozy sweet story. I loved reading it and didn't put down until I finished it. The best friends to lovers stories are awesome. Very romantic.

Two life long best friends who now live states apart are reunited at Christmas and feel a spark they never have before. A funny, chemistry laden friends to lovers story where their friends and family (who are all delightful)have figured how figured out how right they are for each other before the main characters do. This book might have been a little longer than necessary but I appreciated how the relationship wasn’t rushed even though their connection was evident from the first page.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love a friends-to-lovers story. It is my catnip. And this one starts off really, really well. You've got socially awkward pathologist Julie O'Neill who is definitely not in love with her bestie-for-life QB Gavin Frost. Even if their parents try to throw them together. Every. Single. Time. the two are back in Crytsal Springs for Christmas. Well, Gavin has been sent home by his boss (must read the boss's book, The Wedding Deal) because said boss is a believer in taking time off and resting. Even for a football star. Now Julie and Gavin will be thrown together in every conceivable way by their mothers. And it seems like this is the year that they might start noticing each other.
I liked most of this book. A lot. But the meddling. Oh my gosh. I like a meddling family but one with more of a deft touch. They see proof that Julie and Gavin are in a relationship and jump right into marriage. Who wouldn't that freak out? To be fair, having the family, rather than a protagonist, cause the last Big Misunderstanding is pretty unique. And I did like that the make up scene wasn't a spectacle but fit in with the story.

Three stars
Follows The Wedding Deal
This book comes out November 16th
ARC kindly provided by Entangled Publishing LLC and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

I have waited patiently (not really) for the 2nd
Book in this series and it did not disappoint! I absolutely loved Gavin and Julie! Their meddlesome family was the absolute best.

Julie and Gavins parents were best friends and Neighbors. Julie and Gavin have grown up together. Basically Julies parents and grandparents are his surrogate parents and grandparents. However they have been trying for forever tp get them together!

This book is full of well intentioned family members, laugh out loud moments! I loved this book and the supporting characters from the 1st book!

I received an advanced copy for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. I loved how Julie is smart, funny and supports her best friend Gavin. Gavin is a NFL quarterback for the Mustangs. Gavin and Julie have been best friends because of their parents. Gavin comes home for Christmas because he injured his shoulder and needs to rest it. Both families do everything in their power to show Gavin and Julie that they are perfect for each other as a couple and not just as best friends. You will love the banter between the two and both of their families antics. Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC for the E-ARC. This is my own opinion.

4.5/5 stars

I always struggle when writing a review about a book I enjoyed, I find myself wondering what I should write about it other than “I really enjoyed it and everyone should read it”.

This book was was an exceptional mix of Christmas and sport romance, plus the usually underrated “best friends to lovers” trope.

Julie is pathologist who lives in Arizona. Her best friend Gavin is a NFL star who works in Texas. They’ve known each other for their entire lives and their families have been trying to get them to realize how good they’d be for each other for years. So when Julie and Gavin go home to Colorado for Christmas, their parents decide to pull a reverse Parent Trap move.

This had literally all I want in a contemporary romance.
So, I’m just gonna list all the things I loved about it.
The friendship: before it turned to “more”, the main characters had a very healthy and realistic relationship, they couldn’t see each other as much as they wanted because of them living in two different states but still they cared deeply for each other. The transition from best friends to lovers was very very gradual, moreover they had great chemistry before and after and because of this the evolution of their relationship felt even more natural, like that was meant to happen all along.

Another thing I really appreciated were the characters: both the main and secondary ones were likable.
My favorite one was Julie, with her having a cat with a funny name and constantly putting her foot in her mouth. But Gavin too was a swoon-worthy hero, he was charming and sweet. Their parents and Gavin’s sister were funny and it was obvious they had good intentions even when they were meddling in their children’s business.

One last thing I want to mention is how not vulgar this was and I don’t want people to misunderstand. I love explicit scenes which this book had but I think there’s a very thin line between vulgar and disrespectful and not many authors can pull that off but this book had “respectfully steamy scenes”, that’s what I’m gonna call them and by writing that I mean exactly that: the hero and heroine always respected each other and their involvement in any intimate situation was always 50/50 which to me is extremely important.

There was nothing I didn’t like about this novel, though I did fear for a while that there was gonna be a “pitting women against each other for the attention of men” kind of situation which always makes me frown but that luckily didn’t happen.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable Christmas romance and I’m very very glad I requested an arc. I will definitely keep an eye out for this author’s next books.

From the beginning, this one really made me laugh out loud. The writing is so good. The characters are fun! They have amazing chemistry and banter. You can't help but fall in love with them and everyone else in the book. You'll be rooting for the two best friends from the first page.

This was a cute best friends to lovers sports Christmas romance (wow that was a mouthful)! I really like Cindi Madsen’s books and this one doesn’t disappoint. It is the 2nd in the series but can be easily read as a stand-alone without needing to read the first book. Having really enjoyed the first book in the story, though, it’s nice to see familiar characters in this book.

Gavin and Julie have been best friends since they were babies. Their families are so close that have integrated into an extended family. Gavin and Julie are the kind of ride and die, soul mates best friends, love you unconditionally and that only happen if you are really really lucky in life. So if you do happen to fall in love and things go pear shaped, it would be devastating on epic proportions. This is also a story of a well meaning family, a cat, and very likeable characters. It’s a feel good story that will give you the occasional giggle. Can’t wait for the next book in the series with characters that we got to know in this one.

Thank you to the Author, Entangled Publishing & NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book and all opinions are my own and unbiased.

This was a sweet Christmas time read. I liked how both families were so close to one another and spent lots of time together.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

From the very beginning, I knew The Mistletoe Trap was going to be my kind of holiday romance. It was so fun from the start that I didn't notice it was in third person (and normally that's a turn off for me). The humor was there and so was the chemistry. I loved the friendship Gavin and Julie had going on. They were friends underneath it all, and that made their new found attraction to each other all the more entertaining and special. All the hoops their hilariously devious family members put them through to push the together helped move the romance forward in the best of ways. The only small complaint I have is how LONG it took Gavin and Julie to move past friendship. I wanted more of them acting on their love for each other than I got. Other than that, The Mistletoe Trap was exactly the holiday romance I was hoping would be.

A cute story about best friends since birth who are set up by their parents to fall in Loe over Christmas. It is a versus Parent Trap!!
Julie is a brainiac and Gavin is a NFL quarterback. Neither have seen what has been in front of them their whole lives. Thankfully their mom push them in the right direction to see what every has always seen!

This is the second in The Wedding Deal universe which you don't have to read as this is a stand alone. However, since Wedding Deal is one of my favorite books by Madsen I'd strongly recommend reading it even if it's out of order. Which brings me to my review. We met Gavin in the previous book and Julie was briefly mentioned as his friend so I was hoping we'd get another story in this universe.

This is a best friends to lovers story that checked all the boxes competently but for me it lacked the spark of the first book. Gavin's motivation toward the end for the inevitable step back rang hollow for me, though I loved how he groveled with a little help from his friends. I never completely warmed up to Julie for some reason, I never felt close to her, she felt like a collection of traits that wasn't quite realized in to a fleshed out character. Gavin was better realized. I loved going back to this universe which added a star for me. This is a solid story which follows a predictable path and was a nice respite from reality.

I received an advance copy of, The Mistletoe Trap, by Cindi Madsen. Julie and Gavin are best friends, though their parents wish they were closer then that. Will the be their Christmas?