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.

I really enjoyed this book, it was just the sort of read I was looking for, where the focus was on the relationship between Gavin and Julie rather than sex.

Julie and Gavin have been friends for years and have never come close to crossing that line. Finding themselves back at home for the Christmas with Julie aiming to have a fling to rebuild her confidence and Gavin healing from a recent sport injury they are spending more time together than they have in years.

They have never seen themselves as anything more than the best of friends, however their families didn’t get the memo. Their mums have been scheming for years to try and get them to become more than friends but Gavin and Julie have always resisted.

I liked the way you saw the story from both Gavin and Julies perspective as it gave more depth to the story than you would normally get where it is written in the first person. Both characters are well written and you get a sense of the history within their relationship and how much they both truly care about each other.

I felt the shift in their relationship was well handled and believable, as sometimes these friends to lovers stories can have a rapid about turn, whereas this was a gentle build up. I really felt for Julie and Gavin, I understood how devastated she was, and how conflicted and confused he was.

I am still working out what I thought of the ending, in some respect it made sense but it also seemed a bit farfetched. That being said I am not sure how else it could have finished. The main thing for me is that it ended happily, and it does hint at another of the authors books The Wedding Deal which is actually the first book in this series, however they are all standalone stories.

The Epilogue finishes the story off well and hints at the next story in the series which I will be keeping my eye out for.

The Mistletoe Trap was such a fun holiday read and definitely did the job of getting me in the holiday spirit!!

I loved Julie and Gavin. They are the best of friends but I loved this wasn’t like most friends-to-lovers stories (my favorite!!) I usually read. This isn’t one of those books where these characters have been fighting the attraction for years and years and years. It was one of those organic growths of a relationship that I absolutely love with all of the typical ‘will this ruin what we have’ angst.

I wasn’t at all a fan of either of their families since they seemed too toxic and enmeshed to ever come close to healthy but that didn’t stop me from truly enjoying this book and how Gavin and Julie ended up with their own HEA.

A good sweet Christmas romance with some humor.
Love the characters the parents ,siblings and of course Julie and Gavin.
Julie and Gavin been friend since childhood and always there for each other.
Can spending time together over Christmas can they become more than friends.
Great eayt good read.
Voluntarily reviewed.

This is the perfect feel-good book to curl up with as the cold season sets in, or at least on my side of the hemisphere ^^
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Julie and Gavin have been best friends forever, despite their family's constant meddling, until one Christmas holiday, things change. The mistletoe trap is set and ready to close in on the two best friends.
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Julie was perhaps the highlight of this story for me, or maybe it was their friendship. She's is this quirky and nerdy woman who is full of idiosyncrasies that might bother others, but that Gavin accepts and understands. The dynamic between them coupled with the family's efforts to get them together made for the sweetest story peppered with comical moments.
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The Mistletoe Trap is a funny, sweet read with a quirky heroine and a hero who's the kind of best friend that dreams are made of.
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4/5
~ #fridayinaprilbookreviews
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I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a sweet and funny book to curl up with in front of the fireplace and get into the holiday spirit.

The Mistletoe Trap is a slow-burn, friends to lovers with so much heart and spirit.
Julie and Gavin's friendship is #goals. Julie's quirkiness and awkwardness is utterly endearing and Gavin is supportive of her to a fault. The amalgam of family and friends have so much character and spirit you'll burst out laughing over their meddlesome antics more than once, while shaking your head at their blatant disregard to anything other than their own beliefs and excessive amounts of mistletoe.

This is a great story, with plenty of funny parts and a wonderful relationship between the characters. A perfect book for the Christmas season.

4.5 stars and a plastic shovel

Damn, but I love a romance with a mixed-race couple! I have read one book by Cindi Madsen before and really liked it so I was excited for this Holiday Romance.

Gavin is a professional football player who has sustained an injury and is feeling uncertain about his future in the sport. He returns home for the holidays to rest his hurt shoulder. Julie is his super-smart, but sometimes socially awkward, best friend since they were born. Their parents are both in very happy marriages and decide to try and push these two to change their relationship from friends to romance over the Christmas visit.

These two were so cute together and I loved watching their relationship begin to slowly change as their attraction to each other suddenly grows. This is a very slow burn and I didn't feel like we got a lot of forward movement until well beyond 50% through the book, but the moments of sizzle and the sweet friendship between these characters were enough to keep me reading.

I have to say, I know part of this trope is external forces trying to push the main characters to change their relationship, but I found the interference by the parents to be over-the-top to the point where I felt pissed off.

I also wish there was a bit more discussion about the fact that these two are heading into a mixed-race relationship. There WAS some discussion of race by Gavin's sister as she discussed being both female and black in the world of sports, but we get no other nod to the fact that these two lead characters are mixed race besides their physical descriptions. I don't want that to take over the entire book, but to not acknowledge it at all seems like a wasted opportunity.

Now, to the important stuff. Holy Shma-Moly! When these two finally decide to get it on do they ever GET. IT. ON. Their steamy scenes are super hot and I was so here for it! I also loved that when the crap hit the fan that Julie was completely up front and unapologetic about her feelings. She was strong and didn't people-please. BRAVO!

This is a steamy and sweet read of friends to lovers with a holiday theme that will melt your heart this Winter!

I really enjoyed the story and its characters, I read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down!

This may be one of the best build-ups of sexual tension that I’ve ever read. Fox Mulder and Dana Scully have nothing on these two, despite the fact that theirs was on a TV show and this was a book. I've probably dated myself with that reference, but it couldn’t be helped. The internal angst involved on the parts of both Gavin and Julie was masterfully described, the tiptoeing up to the line, then retreating feeling utterly real. Time after time the reader is led to think “this is it,” only for Gavin or Julie to pull back again. The tension ratchets up scene by scene for more than half the book, for cryin’ out loud, but when they finally succumb, the fireworks are intense.

The extended family, who played a huge part in the romance between these two, were lovable and realistic, making a vital and welcome addition to the cast. Likewise, Gavin’s teammates were integral, and never felt contrived or cliched. The humor landed every time and some of the jokes made me feel like a participant in their interactions.

Julie’s awkwardness was endearing and always good for a laugh. Although it was silly, her attempts to date and have a fling with Kory were believable, and honestly, logical. Of course, she didn’t want to mess up her friendship with Gavin. It was also believable when Gavin, unwilling to admit to himself that he might have more than “best-friend” feelings for Julie, offered to help her seduce Kory. He observed her first interaction with Kory and their attempt to secure a date for dinner. Gavin watched Julie: “She said it like the British did, shed-yool instead of using the K sound, and why was she tipping an imaginary hat?” Julie’s repeated efforts to appear cool while actually appearing as nerdy as possible were quite amusing, especially when she tried to let Kory know she was interested in him: “Sexing you up? That was at least the third or fourth odd reference she’d made, as if she’d read a book called ‘Ways you shouldn’t refer to hooking up’ and thought it was a how-to manual.”

The narrator shares a few laughs with the reader as well, making fun of some obvious foreshadowing by making the following observation: “In life, there are certain questions that should never be asked. How bad can it be was one of them.” But this is no shallow rom-com because some of the depictions of emotions are simply adroit, like one of the times when they almost crossed the line before pulling back: “Julie glanced down, and just like that, whatever spell they’d been under broke, the intimate bubble popping and splatting against the tile floor.”

Attempts to deny their attraction are depicted in ways that engage the physical and emotional, like when “Julie placed her hand on the center of his chest, and his traitorous heart threw itself against the mercy of her palm, determined to be the next part of his body to give him away, apparently.” Shortly thereafter, Julie blinked her blue eyes, “and it jerked the reins he’d used to constrain his thoughts right out of his hands. They didn’t just gutter dive, they rolled around in the muck.” Still trying to fool himself, he wonders, “Had time halted or was this one of those moments of clarity that held enough weight to draw it out longer?” This was a great visual, another indication of how in thrall he was to her: “That dimple in her right cheek was seriously going to kill him. Her red lips were like the line of an exclamation point, and that indention was the accent.”

Finally, I loved the family so much that I completely understood the need to meddle and found myself a willing coconspirator (if not, participant). When Julie realized what they’d done and attempted to interrogate them to put the pieces together, they seemed so proud of themselves, each offering their own contributions. Trying to remain annoyed, she chastised them saying, “This is a trial, not an awards ceremony.” I couldn't help feeling a bit like it was cause for awards. Naturally, this story would not be complete with a HEA, but it’s not easy to get there. That just makes arriving there even more rewarding.

Found this to be an entertainingly, humorous romance. The characters are delightful with deep connections and terrific chemistry. Was impossible to put this amazing book down. Well worth the read!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book; all opinions expressed are my own.

The Mistletoe Trap is a friends-to-lovers romance, written by the wonderful romance author Cindi Madsen.

This was a well-written slow burn romance with two frustrated characters and meddling families! Gavin Frost and Julie O’Neill were destined to be together after growing up side by side. Now, as adults, they both have developed their lives and occupations (he is an NFL quarterback, she is a pathologist). However, an injury brings Gavin home to the holiday family festivities and back into the life of his bestie, who is trying to have a holiday “fling” and needs his help…but not his body or heart.

This was a great story, a lot of funny parts, lots of characters (mostly family) who were all over the scale of insanity and pushiness. Fun, holiday-based romance with a super cute cover! 4.25 stars!

Best friends Gavin and Julie have been each other’s person for as long as they can remember. Always being there for each other no matter where or when. Until things turn to more then friends. Great characters and fun banter while they discover there has always been something more there.

Although I loved the Christmas theme, the characters and the entire story line I just couldn't get into the casualness with with sex was treated in 'The Mistletoe Trap'. It was so far fetched from my realm of experience to have parents so involved in the intimate (sex) lives of their children. For me this was in no way close to a Hallmark feel good story because of the extensive sex and language surrounding it. All that being said I found the transformation of the feelings of the main characters as charming and heartfelt. This was just not for my sensibilities.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Julie and Gavin have grown up together and are best friends. Their parents keep trying to match make them without any success, not that that deters them, and they again have a plan when Julie and Gavin come home for Christmas.
I found the mistletoe trap as a very cute read. Julie as a quirky, bubbly nerd was just adorable, and Gavin a perfect hero, swoon worthy. I enjoyed their transition from friends to more. It was entertaining and endearing.
I enjoyed reading this friends to lovers, sports related centering around Christmas read

An enjoyable and cute holiday read by Ms. Madsen about two people who grow up together but keep getting pushed together by their families. Julie and Gavin are both successful individuals, who have remained best friends, yet do not realize they are in love with each other. Neither have has luck with relationships lately, among other things. Julie needs a boost in self confidence and Gavin is the man to do it. Both visiting their home town for holidays, they get thrown together constantly, which leads to mischief and mayhem. But the more time they spend together, more feelings come to the surface and they can no longer deny the truth. What begins as fun, turns into something more complicated. But they agreed to not let it interfere with their friendship, but you can change your mind, right?
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Mistletoe Trap is a fantastic holiday read. If you love a cute Christmas read that will put a smile on your face along with a sports romance then look no further then this one. Julie and Gavin have been best friends forever. Neither expected the feelings of more. You will laugh at the antics their families go through to finally make them a couple. You will get all the feels once Julie and Gavin give in. I love how strong Julie is and how she puts Gavin in his place and makes him work for it. Gavin never expected the one to be Julie and you will love the length he goes to keep her. I loved this one so much.

This book was just the feel good read I needed. I’m a sucker for a cute Christmas story.

Julie and Gavin’s friendship is what friends to lovers romance is all about. Their quirky connection, their history and their slowburn chemistry was sooooo good!

I loved their extended family and the small town feel of this one. It made me smile from beginning to end.

5 Star Review of The Mistletoe Trap (Heart In The Game #2) by Cindi Madsen
This is a friends to lovers, sports romance centred around Christmas so all in all a win/win for me. Their families have always pushed for them to get together but these Julie and Gavin have remained in the friend zone. Julie and Gavin are friends who can pick up again no matter how long it has been since they have seen one another. Gavin is an NFL player in Texas while pathologist Julie is in Arizona.
I loved that the relationship that evolved was based on such a solid friendship. The chemistry between them is strong and as their relationship bloomed, it made for an entertaining read and made it seem more realistic, if that makes sense.
The characters were easy to relate too and Gavin was totally swoon worthy, romantic and a man I could easily fall for. The secondary characters, particularly the families were just as fun and I loved how much they poked their noses into Gavin and Julie’s relationship.
The writing is strong, the story flowed well and ticked the boxes for me. I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

The Mistletoe Trap is such a fun read. It had me laughing out loud so many times and this book kept a constant smile on my face. I loved the friendship between Gavin and Julie. I thought that they were perfect for each other when they still thought they were just friends. Once I picked up this book I could not put it down. Their journey from friends to more then friends was a really great read. Mistakes were made and feelings were hurt but the author did such a wonderful job of bringing everything full circle. I would high recommend this book. Thanks Net Galley. I voluntarily reviewed this book in exchange for an honest review.