The chemistry definitely didn't get chilled through this winter romance. It felt like an inside look at the making of a Hallmark movie - and I ate it up! I know that anyone who enjoys a cheesy winter romance will love this.

Move me to Piney Peaks asap! The book gave me all the warm feels of Christmas in a small town.This needs to be a hallmark movie!! Must read if you love meet cute/found family books with a hint of spice. The build up is worth the wait.

I loved how fast paced this book felt.
You’ll fall in love with the main characters Elisha and Ves. For me towards the in Ves was by far my favorite. His character development is beautiful!

Would highly recommend to all my friends!

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
SPICE: 🔥🔥🔥
Elisha Rowe has a problem. She promised her hometown Piney Peaks' Christmas House to the sequel of the holiday classic Sleighbells under Starlight. Unfortunately, she has not quite secured permission to use the location from its owner. Actually, he might even have said no. Now her mission is to convince Piney Peaks' Scrooge to change his mind not just about the house, but even about the holidays.

As a Filipino, I am THRILLED to start the holiday romances early this year. It might actually help with getting me into the holiday spirit in a couple of months.

This was definitely a good start. I love the grumpy/sunshine dynamic between Ves and Elisha. It brought dimension to their journey as Elisha tries to persuade him to open the doors to the Christmas House and enjoy the holidays. There is also an element of fake dating as Elisha convinces Ves to be her pretend boyfriend to keep her ex-fiancé at bay. Their chemistry was oh-so-good that the slow burn -- and yes, I mean SLOOOOOW burn -- was driving me wild.

The festive backdrop that Lillie Vale builds around our main characters was incredibly fun. I especially enjoyed the treats (BIBINGKA!). I love how the holiday backdrop weaves in nicely to the love story.

If you adore Hallmark Christmas movies, you will absolutely love this read.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Lillie Vale, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley for providing an ARC. **

3/5 stars! The cover of this book was adorable and really set my expectations high for this book. It was cute and it worked as a holiday romcom, but it really lacked depth. It felt like something you read and are like "aww," and immediately forget 10 minutes later. Elisha was full of blind optimism and that felt a bit naive to me. If you're looking for a quick and simple holiday romance, this should work for you.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is every girl who lived hallmark Christmas movies, dream book! I enjoyed it very much it was so much Christmas packed into one book and I loved that. Elisha is planning to film a sequel at her hometowns “Christmas house” cue small town romance vibes. However Ves is trying to sell it, do I see grumpy sunshine? 😀 cue the Christmas music and grab a cozy blanket to dive in. Worth the read.

Well, now I am truly excited about the holidays! If you're looking for a Hallmark romcom, look no further.

This was an adorable, albeit predictable book. Would I read it again? Absolutely.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this book!

A great festive read, the story of Vas and Elisha. He is in town temporarily to sell Christmas House. Will be convinced to stay?

3.75 ⭐️

I have been on a very specific quest. A quest to find a Christmas book that reads exactly like a Hallmark Christmas movie, but features a delicious amount of steamy that Hallmark refuses to include in its movies, no matter how many letters I send. And at long last, my quest has ended. Wrapped with a Beau by Lillie Vale features the saccharine sweetness that I find myself craving for a very short amount of time each year AND adults making…adult decisions.

This opposites attract romance follows Elisha as she attempts to bring magic back to Piney Peaks fifty years after beloved holiday movie Sleighbells Under Starlight put the town, and its charming Christmas house, on the map. When a sequel to the film is announced, Elisha promises production the use of the Christmas house in tribute to her late friend Maeve. There is just one slight problem. Maeve’s great nephew Ves is desperate to sell the house quickly and get back to his life in New York, away from Piney Peaks and all things Christmassy and away from his nosy neighbor that attempted to harm him with a yard decoration. Elisha refuses to take no for an answer and may have the perfect proposition to get cold-hearted Ves to rethink his first impressions of Piney Peaks and Elisha.

Overall, this was a fun read and I gobbled it up for the pure Christmas joy it spread. I thought Elisha and Ves’s relationship had a great, natural progression. The side characters were adorable and really helped the town come to life. If you are in the mood for a Hallmark read with a touch of spice, pick up Wrapped with a Beau and embrace the holiday season.

*Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and Netgalley for providing this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A hallmark type Christmas romance with some added spice. Ves Hollins writes books for middle-schoolers. He inherits a house from his great aunt which he visited once when he was seven. The house is historic and was the backdrop to a very popular holiday movie that was filmed in the town decades before. He just wants to clear it out, sell it and return to NYC. Elisha Rowe lives across from the big house. She loves her small town and uses her job to promote the location for movies and other film endeavors. It starts off with his grumpy vs. her being happy holidays personified. But they get to know each other fairly quickly. It is still slow burn taking it to the next level, but there is a nice honest that develops between the two. He has family baggage to get over especially where it relates to Christmas.

Thanks to NetGalley for this eARC to get me in the mood for the holidays!

Wrapped with a Beau is as sweet as a sugar plum, sparkles like a tree covered in tinsel, and has more Christmas references and puns than Santa has presents in his bag. This book is Christmas, all Christmas, nothing but Christmas...and it's delightful.

Small town powerhouse Elisha Rowe is trying to bring Piney Peaks back into the spotlight with a sequel to a Christmas movie filmed there long ago. Big city boy Ves Hollins is just trying to deal with his beloved Great Aunt's house before heading straight back to NYC. But his house is THE house, the Christmas House, and Elisha is determined to use all of her charms to convince Ves to let filming move forward as planned. Ves cannot help but be captivated by Elisha, her many cheerful friends and a setting to rival Stars Hollow. This book has a lot of sugar, but a bit of spice as well, and readers will swoon at Elisha and Ves's chemistry.

This is a smart, fun, Hallmark movie in a book, and readers are sure to be swept up in the Christmas Spirit. I give it a 7/10 and recommend it to all readers of romance and lovers of Christmas.

Loved this! Fun, festive, heartwarming, with great characters and some depth. Great holiday read! Will definitely be recommending for holiday reads!

Delightfully sweet, undeniably cute, and humorously Christmassy, yet despite my hopes, this book failed to stir any emotions within me. Oh, how I yearned to adore it!

Alternatively, it could be the familiarity of the storyline, which resembles countless others I've encountered. The ubiquitous presence of an ex, two attractive main characters, and the meddling but endearing family members—all too Hallmark Christmas for my taste, lacking that unique spark.

Maybe it's just me, or perhaps it's the narrative style—written in third person and present tense, not my preferred choice. The timing could also be a factor; I began reading this book when I longed for sun instead of snow, with spring finally gracing us with its presence.

In any case, despite my initial excitement, this book left me wanting, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Wrapped with a Beau is the perfect holiday read! This book was super cute, and just a little bit spicy (actually more than I anticipated, but I didn’t hate it!) This book definitely felt like a cozy Hallmark movie with some added steam!

The story follows Elisha who is working in her hometown as a film liaison. She is currently working on securing the perfect holiday house for a 50 year sequel film to a very popular and iconic Christmas movie. However, the beloved owner of the home recently passed and her nephew Ves, who now owns the home, definitely does not have the Christmas spirit! Elisha has to win him over in the hopes to be able to use the house in the new film.

I loved the dynamic between Ves and Elisha! They had quite the rocky start, but had a pretty strong connection and chemistry after that. My favorite thing about them was reading Ves’s POV because he is so confused by his emotions and he experiences a lot of healing throughout the story.

I also love the small town vibes! All of the side characters were unique and interesting. Everyone stood out and had that typical nosy small town neighbor vibe, but I eat that up every time.

Read this book if you like:
Small town romance
Christmas vibes
Slow burn
Dual POV

A 3.5 book for me. Cute holiday story and I could see the potential but it was a little bit difficult for me to connect with the characters. It is a nice easy read and would be great for the holiday / cozy winter season. I really like the setting (Piney Peaks) sounds so cute and did give me Hallmark vibes and the premise of the book. Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Like a lot of holiday romances, this one read like a Hallmark movie (in a wonderful way), but with a bit more spice to it. The main characters had great chemistry and the backdrop of the movie setting was a lot of fun. This was a really enjoyable read for anyone looking for a classic holiday romance!

Elisha, a film liaison, is determined to revive her town. So when she has a chance to film a sequel to Sleighbells, she finds herself tangled in a charming predicament when she clashes with the handsome Ves over the historic Christmas house.

With frosty attitudes and warm hearts, they embark on a journey that proves love and the magic of the season can melt even the chilliest of hearts. This is one of our favorite romance Christmas books of 2023. #gifted

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for a copy of this book. Overall this book was a cute Christmas/holiday romance. I really liked that even though it was based around Christmas, it didn’t just revolve around Christmas. The 2 main characters growing relationship I enjoyed reading about in the book. Also, the town of Piney Pikes is a holiday town I would want to go and visit around the holiday time.

I would recommend this book!!

This book was a little too slow for my liking. I just couldn’t get into the story line or connect with the characters like I thought I would.
It took me forever to get through the book and had to force myself to actually finish it

The Facts: Opposites attract, holiday romcom, grumpy vs sunshine, slow burn, fake dating.

This might be my fav Christmas book cover ever. It's just so cute. I love it. Ves, the grumpy Scrooge, inherited the Christmas house, and Elisha wants to film the sequel to a Christmas movie. While this was a lighthearted read, there were some heavy moments in here, which made the book even more enjoyable. I see this as a book that I will read every Christmas!

*4.5

This was adorable!! I love a fun small town holiday romance. It was cute to see Ves open up and see that people can really love him and that he can choose his own family. I love that he was accepted by the town and that they all wanted him to stay. Elisha and Ves were great together and I need bonus content of them.

I received an arc through netgalley.