I received an ARC of the book for my honest opinion.

This book is a sweet Christmas romcom. Thanks, #Netgalley. I really enjoy this book. I will be reading more from this author.

The Mistletoe Trap (Heart in the Game, #2) by Cindi Madsen

This is the first book by Cindi Madsen that I have read.... I will be looking for more...
Julie and Gavin have been friends since they were in diapers and their families are closer than most families and have been planning for Julie and Gavin to be a couple for just as long. BUT they are just best friends...
Then things start to change and we have laughs, tears, schemes, misunderstandings and steam all getting us to a very HEA.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Action-packed Easy-to-read Entertaining Funny Great world building Happily Ever After Page-turner Romantic Steamy Witty Wonderful characters

I loved this friends-to-lovers book so much! It was a bit of a slow burn, but I never felt that the story was dragging on too long as I have with others like this.

Madsen does an amazing job of slowly making these two friends aware of the other person as attractive when previously neither thought of the other in that way. The little glimpses rather than a bolt of awareness that is found in so many other books was an interesting and new-to-me way of writing this trope.

I absolutely LOVED that Julie was smart and successful in her field. And for her to still be insecure about herself and her body was 100% relatable.

And Gavin was definitely no "dumb jock", which I really appreciated. The fact that Julie was smarter than him and he never felt intimidated by this just made him that much more appealing.

I wasn't a fan of the parents being so disrespectful of their adult children, but as it's a holiday romance some allowances must be made, I get that. But the other minor characters were so much fun! And I loved seeing Lance and Charlotte, and getting them involved was genius!

I'm so looking forward to whatever the author writes next!

Julie and Gavin are best friends since childhood (literally there’s pictures of them in diapers together), but they couldn’t be more different. Julie is short, brainy, and super uncoordinated, while Gavin is tall, dark and super athletic. Even though they’re totally opposite of each other no one knows them better, so when Julie needs help getting her confidence back after some hurtful comments from her ex enter Gavin, her wingman. Too bad no one told their families that the best friends are too different for each other. While both are home for the holidays they go through a bunch of hilarious scenarios that their families put them through like Christmas pageants, being Santa’s elves for town people and an interesting first date for Julie. Soon Julie and Gavin realize that their feelings are more than friendly, but is a little bit of heat worth losing your best friend? This book has a lot of build up as it focuses on their friendship more than their romance, but there’s a lot of sexual tension, a lot of humor and a great supporting group of characters. This is a nice and sweet friend-to -lover romance with a holiday twist. 4.5 stars. I received an arc copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley for my honest review.

I love this reverse parent trap! These families were so fun and there were times I definitely laughed out loud. This was a very sweet, holiday ready.

Man Gavin and Julie never stood a chance. Not just a Match mom or grandparent, they have both of their whole families plus the whole town in on the match making scheme. I enjoyed reading this holiday romance novel. It's the best kind of best friends to something more.

Julie who is a Pathologist living in Arizona has been friends with Gavin, a pro football player in Texas since they were kids, their parents are best friends and they have spent holidays and vacations together. When the two go home to Colorado for the holidays their parents take this time to finally get the two together.

Gavin has never been eager to jump into a relationship with Julie, afraid it will ruin the close friendship they already have, to him it is not worth losing. Julie needs to prove to herself she is not boring so she has Gavin fix her up with a friend, but when Gavin sets up the date for Julie, he realizes that maybe his feelings go a bit deeper than just friendship.

The book is a quick read, the family is funny as they try ways to navigate Gavin and Julie toward a relationship other than friendship. Julie and Gavin are both very likable, and you do find yourself rooting for them. They have great chemistry between them in whatever situation they are in. The relationship is not a hurried one, it builds gradually, but there were times I had an issue with that, I wanted them together sooner! There is also plenty of steaminess in the book, but nothing that verges toward vulgar.

If you are a fan of sports romances, or Christmas movies and reads, you will enjoy The Mistletoe Trap, it is a fun romance with just the right amount of hotness!

This was a fun, sweet romance between two best friends who seem not to realize that they are meant for each other even though they live in different states and have such different professions. Julie lives in Arizona and leads a pathology lab. I don’t really buy that anyone would have a habit of describing some of the gross things she’s dissecting in the lab, but that’s a mild quibble. Gavin is a professional quarterback for an imaginary San Antonio team.

I enjoyed reading along to see how long it would take these close friends, who were also sexually attracted to each other to figure things out. Their parents were fun and the friendship between the two families was very sweet.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

A feisty young lady who speaks her mind keeps the alpha male best friend real. Throw in a little romance and a bit of steam and you have a great story.

This was a fun, fast paced best friends to lovers holiday romance. They've been pushed by their families to become more than friends their entire lives, but they are adamant they are only friends, albeit extremely close friends. But then while they were at their parents place for the holidays, they both suddenly seen the other as someone they want more with. While trying to deny their feelings and fight the attraction, they also wouldn't want to do anything that would jeopardize their friendship. She is a bit of a nerd with her job in the medical lab dissecting the human body. She is also a bit of a klutz. He is the starting QB of an NFL team who is slowing rising in the ranks thanks to him. He is also one of the very few to understands and accepts her and all her quirkiness. There is plenty of humor in this and while the characters are struggling with their feelings, it's a light-hearted read. There is that one heartbreaking scene as well as the grand gesture. The sexual content is limited. (Just one scene.) This is book two in the Heart in the Game series, but can be read as a complete stand alone (though there is a cameo appearance by the couple in book one.) It alternates POVs. While this is a holiday read, it's not overdone. Most all of the holiday related stuff is just in the settings.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

I have a love/hate relationship with this author’s books, and even though this one sounded like a good one, it turned out being not so great for me.

The writing is fine, the storyline decent (friends-to-lovers), but the heroine was a problem for me and a total irritation. She was whiny, sought confidence from other people (constantly beating up on herself when there was no reason), and at 25+ she was just plain immature. She ruined it for me, and at times I did consider DNF’ing it. Another annoyance were the leads’ families...talk about meddling! They were so over-the-top it was unbelievable.

Some may enjoy this for a light read, but it was more of a slogfest for me.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #EntangledPublishing for providing me the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

I was so ready for holiday reads!! This one was amazing! I could not put it down and I need more. I haven't read the first book in the series but its ok since they are all stand alones. This one hit all the points I was looking for in a story! It was a cute holiday romance that I fell in love with and so will you!

Thank you NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

This is the first book I’ve read in the series (didn’t realize that when I requested it) but it didn’t seem like you need to have read the first one in order to read this one. Overall, the book is really fun like a Hallmark channel movie just a little bit more sexy. Also, while is billed as a Christmas romance I didn’t find it to be overly cheesy like some Christmas romance books can be.

Overall I’d give this a solid 3.5 stars and I’m definitely going to read the first book in the series now.

I loved this story! 5 Christmas stars for this one!
Here we have a story about life long best friends, Julie & Gavin. Their families are just as close with each other and have been on a mission to get these two friends together every chance they get.
Gavin is a starting quarterback for a new team, he's finally reached his dream. When an injury sidelines him for him a week, he heads home for the holiday, and gets to spend some time with his best friend Julie.
Julie is a quirky girl, who works in labs analyzing tumors, and best of all, has shared pictures and explanations with her bestie Gavin, among other men in her life. No one but Gavin gets her, but she would never cross the line of just friends with him, she could never lose that in her life.
Read along and enjoy this holiday story, as their parents and other family members try to get these two together!

3.5☆
Cute

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Friends to lovers
Part of a series: Heart in the Game
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue

I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Gavin and Julie have been best friends since they were in diapers, and their parents have the pictures to prove it. Though they now live in different states, they’re as close as ever and looking forward to spending time together and with family for the holidays. However, as their feelings grow into something more than the close friendship they’ve always had, will Gavin and Julie give in to their desires, or will they forever remain in the friend zone? Their parents are more determined than ever to push Julie and Gavin together, and this holiday season, the pair might not be able to resist.

I enjoyed The Mistletoe Trap. The characters are fabulous, and I loved the budding romance between Julie and Gavin. Julie was my favorite character in the story, and it’s not just because we share the same first name. A quirky pathologist who loves to share her passion for her career and all the graphic descriptions of body parts that come with it, Julie blurts out whatever is on her mind and is embarrassingly awkward. I adored her. She is such an endearing and relatable character, and her clumsiness and humor were totally charming.

Gavin is an NFL quarterback with a football injury jeopardizing his career. He has a lot of uncertainty in his life, but his one constant is Julie. He and Julia have so much chemistry, and there is an ease to their relationship. I love that they have that romantic spark and that they love each other unconditionally. They accept and support each other faults and all. I also love how much they laugh together. It’s clear they enjoy each other’s company and that they have a deep bond. It just takes them a bit of time to realize their true feelings aren’t completely platonic.

I also loved the secondary characters. Julie and Gavin’s family members are hilarious, and I enjoyed the scenes when the families were together. They have their kids’ best interests at heart, but they sure are over the top! Gavin’s teammates are also fantastic and funny, and I enjoyed their hilarious banter.

A quick and fun friends-to-lovers romance, The Mistletoe Trap is a heartwarming contemporary story that made me laugh, swoon, and cry. I think it will appeal to readers who like sports romance, meddlesome families, and fun banter. Thanks so much to Netgalley, Cindi Madsen, and Entangled Publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I read nearly 100 books every year, yet I seldom run into the situation I had with this book. Within the first five pages, I knew that I would have at least one sleepless night, because I wasn’t putting the book down until I finished it!

Cindi Madsen’s “The Mistletoe Trap” is about a nerdy woman named Julie. It’s easy to fall in love with Julie’s bubbly personality and quirks. Although some might consider her “the girl next door,” Madsen throws a wrench into that notion. Julie’s conversations are often sprinkled with odd trivial facts about the human body. Which might sound a bit risqué, since this is a romance. But we're not talking "those" parts of the body. No, she likes to share facts about engorged kidneys, the size of a human’s intestines, and other delightful tidbits we never wanted to know. She’s not obsessed in a fetish way. She just loves her job as a pathologist, and tends to share stories of her work, much to the slight disgust of her friends, who do not share her interest in obscure body parts and their functions.

The story is also about Gavin, Julie’s best friend since childhood. Julie and Gavin have grown up together since their parents are best friends. Much to their embarrassment, each family has a photo of Julie and Gavin playing together on the beach in their diapers. It is proudly and prominently displayed in each family’s home, ensuring friends, families and visitors can see it and say “ahh, how cute!”

Gavin is no longer the toddler in the photo who stole Julie’s sand shovel. Instead, he’s turned into the dream guy – tall, muscular, handsome, charming, and funny. He even has a well-paying job as the recently recruited quarterback for the San Antonio Mustangs NFL football team. With him living in Texas and Julie in Arizona, they don’t see each other often, but still maintain their strong friendship through very frequent texts and phone calls.

Their mothers have always dreamed they would become a couple, but Julie and Gavin have vowed that they would never ruin their friendship with a romance. Nonetheless, their mothers continue to look for events and activities to bring them together. Since this book takes place at Christmas, both of them are home for the holidays. The mothers take advantage of that, plotting a way to make Gavin realize he cares more about Julie than he realizes (by sending her on a date with another man), and scheming to bring them together by dressing up as elves and handing out gifts. Some of the ensuring scenarios are hilarious.

Of course, this is a romance, so their attraction grows beyond friendship. Each person slowly realizes that their best friend fills a hole that can’t be filled by another person. Yet fear of losing their friendship prevents them from succumbing to temptation.

Or does it?

I guess you’ll have to read the book to find out!

I definitely recommend “The Mistletoe Trap” if you’re looking for a holiday romance that has you cheering on the hero and heroine, hoping they will finally get together. This is one of those stories that makes you feel good, although a bit sad when you reach the last page!

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

I loved this book! This was a quick and easy read. The main female character Julie, is a pathologist, she is quirky, weird and tend to blurt out whatever was one her mind. Her male counterpart, Gavin is an NFL player and has been best friends since they were in diapers. This book was the perfect contemporary romance with the mix of Christmas and sport romance, plus the usually underrated “best friends to lovers” trope.

Their crazy family members were just hilarious, the stunts they pulled to get Gavin and Julie to realize that there could be more than friendship between them. The parents, grandparents and Gavin’s sister were funny and it was obvious they had good intentions even when they were meddling and pushing them together. Gavin's team mates and the entire football team helped to spur the romance along.

Another great thing about this book was the representation, Gavin was biracial and even a side character was gay. This was a cute reverse Parent Trap story!

Just what I wanted!

What a terrific story! Just the kind I like to curl up with and lose myself in the telling. Gavin, a pro quarterback, and Julie, a brilliant, if a bit socially awkward, pathologist, have been best friends since they were in diapers. Their friendship is long distance but deep and unwavering and always solidly friend zoned. This despite the closeness of their families and everyone’s desire for them to be “more.” A shoulder injury and a trip home for both to share the upcoming holidays throw them together at every turn. Manipulating family and friends want a HEA, but do they? Well worth reading to find out!

This is my honest review of this advance reader copy and I have not been compensated in any way

Oh my gosh I ADORED this book! Friends to lovers is one of my favorites, and this book is why. I loved Julie and gavin's relationship from the very begining, so watching everything unfold was pure romance magic. I've never seen the Parent Trap, so the title was lost on me, but the story was so darn good. I had a cheesy smile on my face through so much of it!