***I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.***
Welcome to Piney Peaks home to a beautiful home that was the setting of the Christmas film, Sleighbells under Starlight. Now fifty years after the film’s success, Elisha Rowe is hoping to land a sequel to be filmed in her beloved hometown again. The only thing standing in her way is Ves Hollins who just inherited the Christmas home needed for the sequel. He is a bit of a Grinch so she has her work cut out for her. She sets out to sway Ves to her side of the matter. As his frosty exterior begins to melt, he finds himself appreciating the small town and all of the charm that comes with them.
Be swept away in this sweet, romantic book in the glow of your Christmas tree. I loved it all! It was like a Hallmark Christmas movie on the pages of a book. Definitely pick this one up to keep you cozy and warm this Christmas season!

3.5 ⭐️

Lillie Vale really delivers on the festive vibes but I was a bit underwhelmed with Elisha and Ves. If you're looking for a Hallmark-type Christmas story with a bit of spice, Wrapped with a Beau has you covered!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a great way to get into the holiday mood. This book appeals to those of us that enjoy all of the elements that make for a Hallmark-esque book but want a little more....action ;). We get small town vibes, "grumpy" meets sunshine, and some deeper subjects that help us understand our characters a little more. Overall, this was a traditional type of holiday romcom but yet unique in its own way.

Small town rom coms are my favorite and when I saw this was for a Christmas lover I was sold. This was sweet and light and definitely put me in the holiday feels. Both MCs were cute - I always love a grumpy-sunshine couple and this delivered. If you are looking for a book that reads like a Hallmark movie than this one is for you!

We love a Christmas-obsessed small town! This one, Piney Peaks, got its claim to fame from a Christmas movie filmed there years ago. Our MC Elisha needs to win over grumpy Ves to allow a sequel to be filmed in his great-aunt's house.

I love a grumpy/sunshine romance, and Ves and Elisha's relationship was so much fun. It's a bit of a slow burn, but the anticipation makes the wait worth it.

The townspeople in this book were incredible. The best character was Elisha's grandfather, but everyone was so wonderful. Wrapped With A Beau was a great addition to my holiday reading list.

Thank you to the author, publisher and @NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Cute little world building of Piney Peaks, the perfect Christmas-y town and the nostalgia of a favorite Christmas movie.

However, the story struck me as B- Hallmark movie fodder 🤷‍♀️ and I think it was more that I didn’t get their attraction. Elisha and Ves were lukewarm at best.

This was an utterly heartwarming, small town, dual POV, opposites attract, interracial, slow burn holiday romance. Set in the town of Piney Peaks whose claim to fame is being the location of a classic holiday movie, film liaison, Elisha is tasked with ensuring the remake goes off without a hitch.

The only problem is Ves, the new owner of the iconic house from the movie, is less than interested in cooperating and is only in town long enough to sell the property he inherited from his great aunt. Elisha will have to pull out all the charm to get Ves in the holiday spirit and agree to help her out.

I loved the instant attraction between the two MCs and that they didn't just jump into bed right away but took the time to get to know one another agreeing that nothing more than a holiday romance could be in the cards for them. Full of delicious South Asian recipes, side trips to NYC, open door spice and complex family relationships.

I really enjoyed this one on audio narrated by Keylor Leigh and Sean Patrick Hopkins. Recommended for fans of books like Chantel Guertin's It happened one Christmas. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

4 stars!

"Wrapped with a Beau" by Lillie Vale is sooooooo adorable, one of the better small-town cozy Christmas books I've read recently. It's giving Hallmark, it's giving comfort-read, it's giving read by a fireplace in your elf pajamas. It's the perfect mix of holiday sweetness and sexy spiciness, with a good helping of heart-string-tugging and fake-dating that I love. It will for sure put you in a Christmas-y mood! I found the main characters, Elisha and Ves, to be excellent. Both are well-written, fully fleshed out, and realistic. I am also glad we got to experience both of their points of view in this novel. Vale really goes above and beyond, giving both of them terrific backstories that will make readers root for them to sort out their issues and resolve their Christmastime traumas. Ves is a grade-A grump, though his reasons for not wanting to let Elisha and her town of Piney Peaks use his great-aunt Maeve's house to film the sequel to a wildly successful 1970s Christmas movie are flimsy at best. You've gotta love a grump. I adored Elisha and Ves's chemistry as they went from being "enemies" to lovers. Books like this make me want to move to a small town and immerse myself in their holiday traditions and fun. I say, light a cinnamon candle, grab some cocoa, and nestle in to read this fun, splendid, very well-done book! You won't regret it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lillie Vale, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

(I took off half a star for the explicit content. I prefer closed door)

Lillie Vale’s Wrapped with a Beau, may appear to be another formulated Christmas romance, but there is more to what meets the eye!!!

Returning to your hometown is never easy, even for the town sweetheart. For Elisha Rowe, moving back to Piney Peaks is her one shot to put her beloved town back on the map and jump start her career. However, things fail to go as planned with the unexpected return of, Ves Hollis. After losing his Great Aunt Maeve, Ves is anxious to sell her home and get back to his writing career in New York City. Unfortunately, he solely holds the power to end Elisha’s career (before it even begins). Will the two parties be able to come to an understanding that works for them both, or will they stand in each others way?

The deceptively cute title and cover would have readers assume this is a sweet love story. While the small town romance has a hilarious meet-cute, that is where it ends. Wrapped with a Beau is a steamy romance that features opposites attacking, no strings attached (dating for the holidays), and sexy banter.

I am a sucker for multiple POVs and loved Vale’s choice to alternate between Elisha and Ves. This allowed each of their characters to feel more complex and as a result, well developed. I loved them individually, but even more when they were together.

This was a fun Christmas read. So much so, that I hate to leave the world of Piney Peaks. I would love to see Vale write another book featuring some of the minor characters in the story. With so many great side characters to choose from, this could easily turn into a series. Fingers crossed. 🤞

Special thanks to Netgalley, Lillie Vale, and Penguin Group Putnam (GP Putnam’s Sons) for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

I loved the shaadi set up, and the decoy girlfriend for me was just an okay read so I was excited to dive into this one and see where it landed! A cavaeot from me...I will read a holiday story any time of year so feel free to take that into account 😊 Ves and Elisha's story starts of with her breaking into what is now his house to try to save hit from what she assumed was him breaking in. Her weapon of choice? Decorative candy cane, which she ends up hitting herself with. A meet cute if I ever saw one. But then the pacing of the book just felt off. Like the characters never really got into their groove. Great friendship, quirky town, hallmark moments but the romance just wasn't quite there. I will say this though, it was definitely a plunge you into the holiday spirit type of story and I am here for it!!

Wrapped with a Beau is everything I want in a holiday romance! Adorable meet cute involving an assault with a candy cane and elf pajamas? Check. MCs with different views on Christmas? Check. An adorable small town that loves Christmas? Check. I am very much a big city person but books like Wrapped with a Beau make me want to move to a small town and buy an old Victorian house. I loved the history of the town and the Christmas house. I also really liked learning about Ves' family and great-aunt throughout the story. I wanted to snuggle up in the Christmas house and read all of the romance books! I also liked Elisha and Ves' relationship. When he told her if she was his she would never wear clothes from another man before they were even together I was in! This is the perfect combination of a great setting, interesting characters and a good story. This one is a must add to your holiday TBR!

Elisha is determined to put Piney Peaks on the map as a filming destination once again. 50 years after the release of a classic holiday movie filmed in the town, a sequel is set to film there once again. That is, if, Elisha can secure the rights to use the home from the OG movie as a film set. But her beloved deceased neighbor's nephew, Ves, is the new owner and he's set against it. After a disastrous first meet and an even worse run-in with her ex, Elisha is set to charm him into agreeing to film and maybe fake dating--but she may be the one being charmed instead.

In an odd turn of events, I found the middle third of this book to be the best part. The beginning left something to be desired, with Ves having no real reason to disagree with filming in the house, and his seeming grumpiness feeling like a fake obstacle. And, I can't believe I'm saying this, but the first page jumps in too quickly--I feel like I'm getting the second half of a story I should have been there for. But once Ves' squishy interior is revealed, and we get to see him and Elisha grow closer, I really got into this book. I loved watching their relationship develop, especially in the midst of the holidays and film aspects. However, even as I grew to enjoy the book, the ending still bothered me. This is minorly spoilery, but I was kind of hoping for a reverse Hallmark a la Emily Henry's Book Lovers, but instead ended up with your standard, predictable, holiday fare.

Thanks to Putnam for my eARC and finished copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 stars - 7/10

I absolutely love the way how Vale gradually builds excitement in the reader that has everything to do with the way she captures the emotions of her characters and makes us connect with them. The romance has me swooning. I loved this book.

I loved the shaadi set up, and the decoy girlfriend for me was just an okay read so I was excited to dive into this one and see where it landed! A cavaeot from me...I will read a holiday story any time of year so feel free to take that into account 😊 Ves and Elisha's story starts of with her breaking into what is now his house to try to save hit from what she assumed was him breaking in. Her weapon of choice? Decorative candy cane, which she ends up hitting herself with. A meet cute if I ever saw one. But then the pacing of the book just felt off. Like the characters never really got into their groove. Great friendship, quirky town, hallmark moments but the romance just wasn't quite there. I will say this though, it was definitely a plunge you into the holiday spirit type of story and I am here for it!!

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Wrapped with a Beau is a sweet Christmas romance book! HOLY GUACAMOLE it is spicy. Very open door, so if you aren't into that, this one isn't for you. If you enjoy a good Hallmark movie with some extra spice... you will love this book. It's full of all my favorite things about a Christmas rom-com: cozy vibes, small town charm, Christmas movie set, all the holiday baking, enemies to lovers trope... it's great. If you don't like the "curmudgeonly, sarcastic guy gets the girl" trope, maybe skip this one. Personally, I LOVE the grinch male character and girl-next-door female character romance. The tension and banter was 10/10.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I agree with another reviewer who said the Hallmark vibes are strong with this book. I definitely felt that way while reading it.

4.5⭐️
Ahhhh, the Hallmark movie vibes are strong with this one.

I love when we have this grumpy, big city man who has to return to a small town to settle some business (in this case his great aunt’s house) and swears he’s leaving as soon as he’s done. This grumpy human then meets the human embodiment of sunshine, starts falling for them, and all of those plans change.

It’s basically a foolproof formula for a happy Lara.

So yeah, I loved this book. Is it a little cheesy at times? Sure. But the love interest Ves is a middle grade fantasy author, who had a terrible childhood (his parents honestly still suck), and he’s seriously the sweetest. I love him. Don’t worry I also love Elisha and her friend group… and her family… okay I love the whole town.

I was not able to finish the book and therefore do not feel that I can give an unbiased review about the book, its plot, characters, or the author's work. I might revisit this book at a later time and finish it then, but not right now.

Thanks so much to Penguin Group Putnam and Lillie Vale for the ARC copy of this book. First off, I absolutely love any type of Christmas Books. This was right up my alley and filled my Christmas loving heart right up. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves Christmas, Romance and Hallmark movies.

This was such a fun holiday read! I loved the connection to Ves's aunt and the town's history. The connection between the two main characters was fantastic!