I have never read a book by this author before, but I am now certainly a fan.

Super likable characters who are excellent at banter and have amazing chemistry. A new take on a second chance romance and a fun story that involves romance writers with lots of nods to things romance readers love.

A fun holiday read that you definitely should pick up 🩷🩷

Ballard is probably officially one of my favorite romance authors at this point with as many of her books that I've loved. The banter is great, the writing is fast-paced (<300 pages long and read in less than 2 days), and several spicy peppers worth of interactions. I think the only thing that held me back from a full 5th star is that I found the reasoning for their initial breakup a little weak.

You're going to want this one for your winter/holiday TBR!

Thank you to Net Galley and Putnam for this advanced copy.

This was my first Falon Ballard book, and I enjoyed it immensely! Her voice and style are easy to read and I didn’t want to stop reading once I’d started. Nick and Jess were flawed, but I loved the growth between their past relationships and this new tentative one. They got to be honest, open, and lay a foundation for moving forward. Sometimes romance books about romance authors are cliche, but this one hit the sweet spot and leaned into the tropes and genre conventions without being overly cheesy.

Can’t wait to read more of Falon’s work!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
Get your peppermint mochas and your Christmas sweaters ready, because this Christmas romance has all of the holiday cheer!
Nick and Jess broke up 5 years ago. They’re both romance writers, she writes stories that end happily…and he doesn’t. When asked to present an award to Nick, Jess wants to refuse, but her agent believes it’s what her career needs. While in town for the awards, two exes reconnect while sharing a bed in a snow storm and co-writing a second chance romance.
🎄🎅🏻
I really enjoyed the two POVs of Nick and Jess. Nick clearly took responsibility for the breakup, although the reason for it was pretty disappointing for me. All in all, play some Mariah Carey and check out this second chance, snowed in, enemies to lovers, with one bed romance to get you in the Christmas mood!

Thank you so much to Puntam books for an advance copy of this!

This book will be out on September 24th, 2024.

"Do you miss being in a relationship?"
"With you? Yes."

If you don't already know I am a huge Falon Ballard fan. I absolutely adore each and every one of her books. So when she announced she had a holiday book coming out, I knew I would equally love it and guess what - I did! This was a super quick read under 300 pages and I felt that it moved rather fast. I like that there were breaks within the chapters that focused on Jessica and Nick's prior Christmases together. I have become such a fan of second chance romances this year! There is such an art of seeing people re-fall back in love with one another and what makes them get pushed back together. In this case we have two romance writers who are snowed in a lodge after a work ceremony. Like come on! This has all the tropes I love workplace, enemies to lovers, forced proximity and its like Falon knows a way to my heart.

It was apparent that Nick was very much still in love with Jessica from the start. Jessica was a little more apprehensive in even having any sort of conversation with him. I think more so because she knew that if she would let him in, in any sort of way she would fall back in to familiar habits. And that is pretty much what ends up happening as much as she was trying to avoid it. I am glad that Jessica and Nick used that time together to really dig into the root of why they broke up and all the feelings that come along with it.

"I think we both know you are the one who can't resist me."

I do not believe this was as spicy as Falon's prior book but this is not lacking in the intimate department. I felt like I could sense the love between Jessica and Nick especially when we did get those flashback moments. Falon is so good with those intimate moments. And one thing that helped out on the pacing of the book is the way Falon writes her dialogue. She is a master at the banter and flirtatious talk.

My minor complaint is that I wish it was a *tad* longer.

If you are looking for a cozy yet spicy, quick holiday romance set in a snowed in landscape - give this one a read!

4.75

I love that Falon Ballard has dipped her toes into holiday romance. Reading an advanced copy in August was better than discovering peppermint mocha creamer at the store before Halloween.

A few pages in, I remembered why I always like Ballard’s work. Witty banter, flawed but likable main characters, fantastic inner dialogue, sizzling chemistry…the trademarks of her style play nicely against a holiday backdrop.

This would make such a fun holiday gift for book loving friends! It’s a bit Hallmark-esque but with some spice.

This was a fun holiday romance. Jessica and Nick were fun to root for, although Jessica rightfully had more edge and spite for starters as the spurned lover.. The chemistry worked, and the tropes, while obvious, fit nicely throughout the storyline.
Thank you #NetGalley and #GPPutnamsSons for the ARC e-book!

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I was a little disappointed in this book. I love Falon Ballard’s writing and truly enjoyed her other books, but this one missed the mark for me. It seemed to rely only on tropes (miscommunication, single bed, second chance) and not character development. It’s slow burn and for a short book that really didn’t work. It’s cute with some spice but that was it. I just needed more including a reason to care about the main characters. We didn’t even find out why they broke up until over 80% of the way through.

I unfortunately don't think I'll be recommending this one.

Thank you Net Galley and G.P. Putnam & Sons for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this one, I really did. I am the die hard Christmas lover in my marriage and family. But I found myself cringing and rolling my eyes at multiple points throughout the book. I struggled with wanting to pick this back up after putting it down. Some parts felt very forced and like a spicy hallmark Christmas movie.

I saw the end of this coming a mile a way and I had to force myself to finish this one. I feel like if it had a little less spice and actually focused on the root cause of the first break up it would better. But I know that spice levels in books is very subjective to the readers and writers preferences.

I would recommend this book to fans of 'New Girl' who want a spicy Christmas second chance romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and PRH for the arc!!!

Okay this is one of the quickest books I’ve ever read. It was fun!

The premise was clever, and I enjoyed seeing Nick and Jess (loved that the New Girl joke was made, too!) stumble over their chemistry while trying to write a book together.

I loved the grand gesture!

I’ll definitely be curious to read more of Falon Ballard in the future

Actual Rating: 3.5/5 stars

I’m a Falon Ballard fangirl and I was sooo excited to receive an ARC of All I Want is You. I love cozy, holiday, and second chance romances! The story centers around exes, Jess and Nick, brought back together five years after their break up at a publishing event. Jess is still struggling in finding her inspiration for her next novel while Nick is a beloved best-selling romance author. Like in any great holiday romance, the weather intervenes and forces these two together to face what truly broke them up in the first place.

Although I felt that the chemistry between Jess and Nick was lacking overall, this was a fun and quick read!

Thank you again to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam/G. P. Putnam’s Sons for a chance to read and review an advanced copy of this book!

This book was so good, it made me want to write a dreamy romcom too. :)

A slow burn, second chance, forced proximity, one bed mixture??? YES PLEASE!

The dynamic between Jessica and Nick was *chefs kiss* so good. The banter was great, the heartfelt parts hit hard, and I felt as though I could actually connect with them. For a story where we don't know everything about the characters backstories, still being able to make a connection is impressive. I loved the Christmas lover and Grinch dynamic, that was a nice way to get the audience into the holidays. This book worked well as an under 300 page book. Sure, I would have read it if it was longer, but it also felt perfect as is.

Falon Ballard will forever be an auto-buy author for me and makes me aspire to do what she does.

This book has everything a holiday romance reader could want - a cozy inn, snowstorm, holiday memories. It also has some of my favorite tropes - forced proximity, one bed, second chance romance. It has all the holiday spirit without being overly cliché.

When Jess and Nick, two romance writers - who are also exes - go to a company party for their shared publishing company, they are forced to face each other again after a bad break up five years prior. Jess never understood why they broke up but Nick went on to be wildly successful so she held on to a lot of anger. When a snowstorm forces them to come face to face, they must work through their past and revisit what first made them fall in love - writing.

All I Want Is You is a fun and fast read that any Rom Com lover will enjoy for the holidays. The story centers around two Romance writers so it’s a fun twist to see them watch their own Romance story unfold. Being snowed in at the cozy hotel, the one bed trope and their second chance romance can Nick and Jess resolve past hurts in time for a Christmas reunion?

The only negative I have is I didn’t love the reason for their original break up. I just didn’t feel that vibe from the characters and so it mesh with the storyline for me. I really did love the perspective of the main characters being romance writers and the twist that Nick never writes a happy ending and how that correlates to how their own relationship ended.

There are very few things that make me happier as a reader than finding a new can’t miss author and I think I officially have a new one! This was an absolutely perfect holiday romance. Just enough tension and spice to stir the pot, but a sweet romance throughout. I absolutely loved this and will recommend to any of my romance reading friends!

3.5 stars This book is like a Hallmark movie but with spice! Very cute holiday romance, fun fast read.

Thank you to NetGalley for another wonderful book by Falon Ballard! I always love her books, and this one was no exception. Featuring fun romance tropes like second-chance love, forced proximity, only one bed, and a holiday romance, it made me want to skip straight to Christmas.

The story centers on exes Jessica and Nick, both romance writers stranded at a hotel a week before Christmas. As they struggle with writer’s block, they find inspiration—and possibly a rekindled romance—as they spend more time together. The book had a perfect blend of lighthearted moments and emotional depth, with humor and sadness woven throughout. The ending was sweet, romantic, and realistic.

Once again, Falon Ballard delivered a wonderful romance, and I can't wait to read more from her!

Just want I’d want to read at Christmas…a low stakes, quick and cozy, second chance romance! I loved this trope heavy (in the very best way) story between to (ex) rival romance authors.

•Dual POV
•The other Nick and Jess 🤭
•Christmas past, present, and future
•She loves Christmas and happy endings
•He hates Christmas and happy endings?
•Short, sweet, and spicy
•All I Want for Christmas is You 🎶

Thank you Falon Ballard, Putnam Books, and NetGalley for the eARC!

Very rarely do holiday romances capture my heart, I tend to find the gimmicky, lackluster, and too similar to the many others out there. Jessica and Nick's story felt like the opposite: just enough Christmas vibes to feel festive, a plot that felt fresh, and a different dynamic than the other Christmas romances I have read. I credit Falon Ballard's great writing and character work for all of the above!

Jessica and Nick's second chance romance had all the components I love about them, hitting on the gut wrenching emotions tied to the other person, witty banter, and heart stopping love confession scenes. I can't wait to recommend this to everyone this holiday season!

All I Want Is You is everything you’ll want from a heartwarming holiday romance that will give you all the feels and some favorite tropes! Two very likeable characters with a past that didn’t end well, forced together for their career’s sake and then trapped at an inn during an epic snowstorm with only one room, and, of course, one bed!
Jessica and Nick were in a loving romance filled with good natured and quick-witted banter until they weren’t. Romance writers encouraged into a collaboration that results in a unique way to express some heartfelt and heartbroken emotions. Told from both POV and both with unresolved feelings and bringing their vulnerability to the table honestly. Their chemistry and connection were felt from start, the banter entertaining, and the steam was on point. The only downside, the way their split came about was meh for me. But the ending did not disappoint!
This is a quick, fun read that will definitely get you into the holiday spirit too!