🥈 Second Chance
👹🥰 Enemies to Lovers
➡️⬅️ Forced Proximity
🛏️ 1 Bed
🏨 Cozy Holiday Inn
🌶️ Spicy

I just love me some Christmas in July. ❤️

This book did not disappoint and was absolutely adorable. I loved the way the characters’ backgrounds were laid out and how the story got straight to the point. The banter between Jess and Nick was great and the setting was perfect. This novel gave all the necessary holiday romance vibes you look for in a Christmas book.

When I saw aotm bookclub was reading All I Want Is You for a Christmas in July read, I was in. Did I also read most of it while at the beach? Yes and it wasn’t as weird as I thought🤣

I think this might be my second favorite Falon book, behind Lease on Love. This was a fun, quick second chance romance and I really enjoyed the premise of it. Banter is one of my favorite things, and this one definitely didn’t disappoint in that area.

I do think one of the reasons they broke up in the first place really cheapened their relationship and wasn’t necessary, but the other reason was very plausible for this story. I did really enjoy the ending of this one though!

This one is out September 24th and perfect to add to your holiday tbr! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy. All opinions are my own.

Falon is an auto-buy author for me and she continues to deliver with each and every book.

Short Synopsis:
Two romance authors - one successful, one not, are forced together at an awards show. The catch? They used to date.

My Thoughts:
This has all the makings of a perfect holiday read: snow, Christmas vibes, peppermint mochas. I’m a sucker for second chance romances, but add in two authors at Christmas and I’m a goner.

This was such a fun, light book perfect for the holidays. The banter was phenomenal. The tension was sizzling. I loved the conversation about romance books with HEA vs not HEA. (I’m a huge fan of both.) And the miscommunication conversation was so real and so true.

I think it was a bit unnecessarily steamy (people will disagree with me I’m sure! 🤣). But it was fun holiday read!

What You’ll Find:
💕Second chance romance
📚Books about books
❄️Snowed in
❤️‍🔥Sizzling tension
🛏️Only one bed
🔥Forced proximity
🎄Holiday romance

I'm usually not a fan of holiday romances, but this one was different. It didn't feel overly Christmasy. It was short and sweet. Nick and Jess felt genuine. I was very happy while reading this one.

Title: All I Want Is You

Author: Falon Ballard

Publisher: GP Putnam's Sons

Format: The e-book was given to me by NetGalley for an honest review

Published: Will be published on Sept. 24, 2024

Genre: Romance

Romance author Jessica Carrington hasn't achieved the success she hoped for. Her books' sales stats don't place her in the best-selling charts, and she's praying that will change.

Her journey took a downturn when Nick, her former boyfriend, ended their relationship last year, just two weeks after Christmas. Jessica had to find additional work to make ends meet. However, the tips aren't as substantial as she had anticipated, and she's still waiting for her next payment from her publisher. The sales of her books aren't breaking any records.

Then, her agent asks her to attend the Saint Valentine's Press Holiday Ball to present an award to her ex, who is also a romance writer. This is a challenge she's not sure she can handle.

According to Nick Matthews' assistant, Hilary, he has never missed a deadline before. Unfortunately, his deadline is quickly approaching and he hasn't even finished his draft. He hopes his ex, Jessica, will give him a chance to explain why he broke up with her five years ago.

There's a good chance their time together at the publisher's award ceremony will kindle their inspiration to write. Shortly after they see and talk to each other at the inn, Jessica gets an idea for her next book, and an idea blossoms for Nick. He usually has a well-detailed plot before he begins, but he gets right down to writing. The time they spend together reawakens old feelings. But is it enough to prove that they genuinely love each other?

Set during the Christmas season, where bad weather and close quarters are a sure thing, the lack of rooms keeps Jessica and Nick together. However, I thought their publisher would have double-checked that Jessica had a room. Nick inviting Jessica to stay with him made the situation even more difficult for them both, but it forced them to work toward closure or commitment.

This is a story of second chances, of how Nick believed he was doing the right thing but now finds himself questioning his past decisions. It's a reminder that some love stories are meant to be revisited and rekindled.

A number of chapters share a Christmas memory, which allows us to see their lives before the break-up. Also, how Jessica's family really cared about Nick. The Christmas scenes extended the setting, so they weren't always at the inn.

Three and a half shared rooms out of five

Denise Fleischer

Gotta Write Network

July 6, 2024

Loved this book!!!!!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰 the epilogue was CHEFS KISS.

Okay. So. I love that their names are Jess and Nick. I also LOVED the author aspect. It was so so fun that they both wrote romance and ended up writing the same type of story but having a hard time with the endings based on how their personal relationship had ended. That twist was perfection! I’ve never read a book like this one. The icing on the cake was when they had to join their books and still couldn’t agree on the ending until they worked their stuff out.

Now….. miscommunication tropes are my least least favorite tropes ever. I hate them. And while it wasn’t my favorite part of this book, I actually kind of liked that they were both at fault. It was unique that Jess also played a part in the breakup even though Nick ultimately made the decision. Also, Marcus? What kind of friend is that lol anyway, overall just a lot of unique qualities in this book and I binge read it in two days.

I do wish their had been more Christmas in it like maybe have them go sledding or have a Christmas party at the Inn where everyone else was stuck, things like that to make it feel more Christmas-y but overall it was so good!

4.5 ⭐️

This is a perfect Christmas book! This book follows Nick and Jess, they used to date but seemingly out of nowhere Nick broke up with Jess and broke her heart. Now 5 years later, Jess is asked to present Nick with an award, she wants to say no but she agrees because it will be good for her career. Both Nick and Jess are romance authors and where Nick's career has taken off, Jess is kind of stuck somewhere in the middle. Presenting this award will get her name and face in front of the higher ups of her publishing house.

This book has all of the best romance tropes. First of all it is a second chance romance. It is completely obvious from the very beginning of this book that Nick and Jess still love each other. It's a book about authors and books. Both of these characters are struggling with their current projects but reconnecting fuels their creativity. They get snowed in at a cozy inn, and Jess' reservation is messed up, so she stays with Nick in his room and their is only 1 bed. Again, two more amazing tropes! I loved the forced proximity, and the tension between them was delicious.

I loved these two characters so much. Nick was so sweet and kind, and it was killing me to find out why her broke up with Jess because it was completely obvious that he was still in love with her. Jess was obviously angry at Nick and had every right to be, but she was obviously still in love with him too. I just wanted to scream at them to get over it already 😂.

The only part I didn't like, was the reason for the break-up originally. There were a couple of reasons for Nick to break up with Jess, one of them was understood I didn't like it but I could see his point of view. The other reason seemed really selfish and I did not get that feeling from Nick through the whole book so it felt really out of place and a little unnecessary to include it.

The grand gesture was probably one of the sweetest I have ever read and the epilogue had me swooning.

If you love a holiday book with a second chance romance, all the best tropes, and some delicious spice this is the book for you!

I really enjoyed this one! The first half didn’t seem quite Christmas-y enough, with just a few holiday references thrown in here and there, but from middle to end it got there & I think all in all it’s a very cut holiday story. It was a quick read but I liked that it kind of matched the timeline in the book (the majority happens within a few days). I think my favorite thing about the book is that the characters actually communicated (or at least figured out eventually that they didn’t communicate well enough the first time) - obvious lack of communication a major pain point for me and drives me nuts! Fallon Ballard did great with this one & is the most realistic “romance” I’ve read in a while (but also still totally cute and fun and young). Sweet & spicy - exactly what I hope for in a FB book!!

Wow! This might be my favorite new release Christmas book this year. The second chance romance of ex lovers and two romance writers with one bed during the Holiday season was absolutely swoony and delightful! Can we talk about how much these two main characters were meant to be together?! This book is short and can be read in one sitting by a Christmas tree and I'll tell you one thing, your heart will absolutely be feeling the love! I may have shed a tear or two at how cozy and adorable this was. There was also a good amount of spice in this one too. I would absolutely recommend this one if you're a romance reader and especially if you love Christmas books like me!

I have not read any Falon Ballard's work and I might be a stand now. Ballard’s work is an auto buy for now on.  I am absolutely in love with it, felt like she was writing it just for me. It has a very "Emily Henry style" of writing. I read this in one day and I did not expect to read this as fast as I did.

A week before Christmas, romance authors Jessica and Nick,  find themselves stuck at a hotel. While the two are struggling separately to write their next novels, they are compelled to spend more time together, which inspires them both to write and gives them hope for a romantic comeback.

Alrightly have to admit, this is a magical, heartwarming Christmas read, and also a great enemies-to-ex-lovers, forced proximity, second chance romance that I truly enjoyed!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an exchange of a honest review.

Christmas in July! What a cute holiday romance book by Falon Ballard! This is my first book by her and I loved this book so much! The characters are great and when together it’s fireworks! Jess and Nick are two romance authors who are under the same publishing company. Both of them attend an SVP holiday ball where Jess has to present an award to Nick. After the holiday ball awards Jess finds out that she doesn’t have a room reservation which leads her to share a room with Nick. With both of them struggling to write their next book they find inspiration within each other and work together to write their second chance love romance book. While writing together they have to both decide whether they can have real second chance romance in real life again. 5 star book review and I can’t wait to read more books by Falon Ballard! Thank You NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam and Falon Ballard for an early copy of this book for my honest review!

Thanks to Putnam for the copy of this book!

This is a perfect holiday read. Short, bingeable, light, swoony, and heartwarming. I loved that Falon delved into the world of romance writing with both of her MCs, discussing the how the dynamics of publishing affect a relationship, how miscommunication happens on and off the page, and demonstrating the importance of an HEA in a romance novel… All while snowed in at a hotel!! The ending was absolute chef’s kiss perfection.

This book a short and sweet for a nice holiday read. If you are looking for a story about second chance romance with a side of Christmas cheer, then this one is for you.

Jess and Nick are pushed together by work and then inevitably start to fall for evahother again, wondering if they can get over their past.

I wish the story was longer to dive deeper into the past events of the 3 christmases they spent together and also to learn more about the character development of the main characters and details about side characters.


Overall the book is cute and a quick read!

This heartwarming Christmas romance combines enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and second chance themes, creating a magical and engaging read. Similar to "Beach Read," it follows a romance writer and a cheerful heroine as they navigate rekindled feelings amidst the holiday season. Despite a slight issue with the hero's past decision, the overall story is enjoyable and captivating. The plot revolves around Jess and Nick, both authors, who find themselves reconnecting at an awards event, leading to unexpected revelations and a possible rekindling of their romance. Snowed in together, they confront their past and present emotions, offering a swoon-worthy and satisfying read for fans of the author. Grateful to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/G. P. Putnam’s Sons for the opportunity to read and review this delightful holiday novel.

I really liked this book and felt it had the perfect amount of everything you look for in a Christmas story. It was short, sweet, and never felt overly holiday-cheesy. The banter and tension were spot on. I adored both main characters and found myself rooting for them to get back together from the start. It's slowed down a little bit for me in the middle, but picked up momentum towards the end.

What to Expect:
Dual POV
Second Chance
Romance Writers
The One Who Got Away
Snowed In
One Bed

Thank you to #NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced reader copy!

Since it’s July, I figured I’d get started on some of my Christmas ARCs. This was a great start! Falon always writes great pairings, and I loved Nick and Jess. Second chance romance is one of my fave tropes, so it was very fun.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

I was really excited to get an ARC of this book by Falon Ballard. I loved Lease on Love and Just My Type and this holiday book was another great read for me! This was a super cute second chance romance that had humor, spice, and emotion. With two romance writers stuck in an inn during the holidays, one who writes happy endings, the other who writes tragic endings...who will win in the end?

I really loved this book & felt like it had the perfect amount of everything you look for in a Christmas book. It was short & sweet and never felt holiday-cheesy. The banter and tension was great. I loved both MCs and wanted to push them back together from the beginning.

Nick & Jess end up writing a second chance holiday romance together while snowed in at a cottage. Spoiler alert: There aren’t enough rooms and there’s only one bed 🤣

• dual POV • second chance • romance writers • the one who got away • snowed in • one bed •

When I tell y'all that second-chance romance is one of my absolute favorite tropes, I am not exaggerating in the least! Throw in some Christmas cheer, and I'm a goner! So, when I read the description for this story, I knew that I had to give it a shot.

Jessica and Nick were such interesting characters to read. They'd once shared a romance for the ages, but hadn't had to interact much since their breakup until the inevitable crossing of paths due to their shared literary backgrounds. What's more? They wind up stranded in the adorable inn that they both happened to be staying in, and what ensures is the most intense, yet adorably awkward series of interactions between to exes.

Their chemistry through the pages was palpable, and it was painfully obvious from the beginning that there were some unresolved feelings from both sides of this awkward "situationship". The flashbacks of their relationship were used so effectively that you felt like you met and knew the characters at both points in their lives; the past and the present.

If you enjoy a cozy, Christmas romance that carries more depth than your typical holiday rom-com, you definitely want to give this one a shot!

4 ⭐️

I always love a second chance romance and this one did not disappoint, you can really enjoy this book anytime of year because I did in the summer