I enjoyed reading Take Me Home for Christmas by Miranda Liasson. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

Take Me Home for Christmas was so good. I really enjoyed Mia and Brax's emotional second chance romance. I loved their special gifts for each other and the ending was perfect!

What a wonderful book!! It has Christmas the perfect romance, a dog and sadly the word we all dread Cancer but not all people with the C have a sad ending. I love how dedicated Mia is and she is a lovely character. I cried and then I laughed!

Mia D’Angelo is a third year pediatric resident. She loves it. Mia had tragedy in her young life when she lost her twin sister to cancer so many years ago. She also had been hurt before by her cheating ex. Every time she goes home for Christmas, she stays away from her old friends because she’s embarrassed. Will she let that go? She didn’t do anything wrong and she has nothing to be embarrassed about. She’s also competing with Dr. Braxton Hughs. They had a brief affair before he broke it off. They work together and he’s technically her boss. They are also completing against each other for the same job. Who will win? Brax had a hard life too. He and sister were put in foster care and were separated. He never lost touch with her. He made it on his own. He and his sister both made it against all odds. They are very close now. As Christmas approaches, Brax offers to help Mia with her little problem. She told her mother she was still dating Brax because when he broke up with her, her mother just found out she had cancer. She didn’t want her mother to worry about her. He will he be fake boyfriend. Can the two pull it off? Can they fight their red hot chemistry? As they spend time together, can they confide in each other about their past? Can the two heal each other? Will her mother get better? Who will get the job? Both characters are wonderful. They’re kind, loving, have big hearts, deserve the job and to be happy. Sometimes you just have to look at what’s in front of you to find your soulmate. The one who can heal you and help you move forward to the future. WORTH THE READ. It’s emotional, but it all will work out in the end. A Christmas miracle. I received this book for my honest review. I give it voluntarily.

Oh what fun it is to go on a Christmas ride with Miranda Liasson! In her latest, Take Me Home for Christmas, we meet Mia, a pediatric resident, whose tight knit family has overcome more than their share of loss and adversity. In attempt to cheer her mother, she lies about having the perfect boyfriend and commits to bringing him home for Christmas. Enter Brax Hughes, fellow doctor and previous liaison, who agrees to fill in as Mia’s fake boyfriend. The chemistry between these two jumps off the page (cue the mistletoe!), and there connection grows deeper as they return to her hometown and reveal more of themselves to each other. Treat yourself to a Yuletide happily ever after with the first in this new series from Miranda Liasson!

Oh my gosh....another wonderful, heartwarming story from Miranda Liasson. This book has all the "feels" a well written and good story should.
It has all the things I enjoy.......emotional, heartwarming & sweet moments, medical story line, love of family and loyalty, friendships, romance, holiday season and yes, even a dog!!!!
I couldn't put the book down for long because I wanted to see how this would all end.
Any time I read a book by this author I know it is going to be a winner! I was fortunate to receive an early copy and I highly recommend it if you like this type of story.

This story is sweet, poignant, and inspiring. And fun! I cared about the main characters as they wrestled with their personal demons and expectations.

I really liked the growth of the characters in this book. Brax learns how to see his worth and how to be in a relationship. Mia learns how to use her past experiences to help others and to have a relationship that works.

Holiday cheer abounds in this heartwarming story. Mia wants to make her family happy. She even made up a fake boyfriend. The moment of truth has arrived. She needs a fake boyfriend. Brax and Mia dated for a short period of time, but Brax is not the guy you are looking for if you want a relationship. Mr. Wrong cannot possibly be Mr. Right.

They are both pediatric doctors who are competing for the same position. So, now you have added another obstacle to get in their way. But sometimes Cupid comes calling when it is least expected.

The fake dating trope is always interesting to read about, and this one was a lot of fun. All of the characters were unique and engaging. I love to read a romance, but a Christmas romance just makes it a little sweeter. You can never go wrong with anything this author pens, as she has a special knack for the sweet side of romance.

Thank you to Hawthorne House Press and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A life canvas that speaks volumes. From over the top to sentimental, Liasson takes emotions on a tempting rollercoaster that the heart won't soon forget. Take Me Home For Christmas reads like a holiday card. A reminder of humor, heart and hope that captivates the senses and touches the soul.

This is a marvelous story that had me laughing one moment and so teary I could barely read the next. Mia D'Angelo and Braxton Hughes are meant for each other but they refuse to acknowledge it. When Mia has been feeding her mom a fictional account of her Romance with Brax who she broke up with months ago she is stuck. Her mom who is recovering from cancer is expects her to bring her boyfriend home for Christmas. Brax agrees to go and it really gets interesting. There is a lot of emotion around a lost sibling, sick children, and cancer but it is all artfully handled by the author. The secondary characters and back stories add richness to the book. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Read it to be swept away in a great feel good story.

Take Me Home For Christmas
The Amazing Doctors of Oak Bluff Series - Book 1
By Miranda Liasson

October 2024

Contemporary Romance


Mia D'Angelo cared deeply. She cared for the patients at the children's hospital where she worked and, even more so, her family. That was the only explanation she could have for the difficulty she found herself in. It hadn't started out as a lie. She had been dating Dr Braxton Hughes, and she had told her family. She found him engaging, attentive, attractive, and basically everything she'd want in a partner. And she had relayed all this to her family. All was true. She simply had kept to herself the part where he'd dumped her.

Mia's mother had been going through treatments for breast cancer and she hadn't wanted to upset or worry her. So she had continued to tell truthful tales of the wonderful Brax Hughes, only leaving out that he was now her ex. Now they expected her to bring him home for Christmas, and she was out of options as to who she could ask to be her fake boyfriend.

Brax couldn't have found a better person than Mia, but he had numerous reasons he wasn't the best person for her. He continued to look forward to working with her, and no, he wasn't jealous when that annoying Drake claimed Mia needed him for something. What could Mia possibly need from Drake that he couldn’t do for her?

Next thing he knew, he was volunteering to pretend to be, well, himself, but also Mia's boyfriend. His childhood didn't have magical Christmas memories, but the D'Angelo family appeared to be picture perfect. But not everything is as it seems. Years earlier, cancer had taken Mia's twin, and now her mother was a cancer survivor. Life gives everyone challenges, and Brax has to decide whether the challenges of his past will prevent him from accepting the brilliant future he could have with Mia.

Take Me Home For Christmas is an emotional read. First, there is a Trigger Warning regarding childhood cancer. The story starts with Mia telling of her sister and how her death affected her. It was intense, especially when you later learn that her mother had been battling cancer. Which was why the family's holiday was extra special that year. It was enjoyable to experience their traditions and her brothers' ribbing of Brax. Everyone was simply entertaining. The romance between Mia and Brax felt true. There had never been a lack of feeling, just the need to let go of the past. I am excited to see that this is now a series and look forward to the next story.



Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com

Miranda Liaason has a talent for creating believable characters and situations that make the reader want more. Take Me Home for Christmas does not disappoint. It has humor and an original storyline with romance without unnecessarily explicit scenes.

This book was a little different from Ms. Liasson’s previous books in that it deals with the difficult subject of a family’s loss of a child to leukemia. There is some sadness, but also a lot of humorous scenes.

I enjoyed this book and look forward to Ms. Liasson’s next one. Thank you to the author, Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The beginning of a new series from Miranda Liasson. I really enjoy medical romances so that already upped my pleasure in the story. Mia D’Angelo is a third year pediatric resident. She has been telling her mother about her boyfriend for the last year and now she needs to bring him home for the holidays. She and Dr. Braxton Hughes actually dated a few weeks but he broke it off asking to remain friends when he realized he was going to be over her as chief resident.

Another Dr. friend was going to pose as Brax to her family but has other plans. Brax is a good guy and volunteers to take his place. So this is a fake relationship but they’ve shared intimacies and are familiar with each other. They know each other as caring doctors but the trip to her hometown gives them time to learn more about one another. He grew up in foster care and is fascinated by her welcoming family. Mia has avoided going home as her ex boyfriend who she was involved with for six years is still there.

This story works for me on many levels. It touched my emotions and let me feel the holiday spirit. The cover is cute but is the wrong dog breed from the story. I’ve read a couple of the author's previous series. And this is my first five star book for her. It is exactly what I wanted in a holiday romance.

I have loved all of Miranda Lissason books I've read over the years. This one included! She has done a wonderful job with Take Me Home for Christmas. I laughed, I cried and I routed for Mia and Brax. From the very start, you can feel the pull between both characters and just know that they belong together.

Take Me Home for Christmas is a touching story about two pediatric doctors who both would do anything for their patients and each other. The story starts off with Mia looking for a fake boyfriend to get through Christmas with her family but turns into so much more. Read along on Mia and Brax's journey that they take both together and separately to become the best versions of themselves while enjoying the Christmas holiday.

This is a must read book! Especially with the Holiday Season quickly coming upon us. Who doesn't love some romance and Christmas Cheer thrown together?

This book would be a perfect Hallmark Christmas movie! I am rooting for it 2025!!
If you like sweet romance, this author is for you. All of her books are low on steam but high in romance and love. Her characters are realistic with maybe a little more shine than realty but gee, real life is too real sometimes, you know what I mean?! They are people who you will want to have an HEA. In this story, the reader will especially feel that way about Mia who lost her twin sister when they were 8yo to cancer. Because of her family’s trials, Mia has become an exceptional pediatric resident. Her latest dilemma comes in bringing home her pretend boyfriend. Too complicated to explain here and should be read to appreciate. Brax hears through the very chatty grapevine that Mia needs a pretend date for Christmas weekend. He volunteers! This starts a chain of events which are funny, poignant, tearful, and fortuitous. My favorite two lines: about Gracie: “she lived in Technicolor” and from Brax: “I don’t want to dump you. I just want to deserve you.” You will learn about his troubled past and why he thinks that. Thoroughly loved this book. I volunteered to review an ARC of it through NetGalley.

This first story in the series , takes us to Oak Bluff and to a group of medical residents who are working non-stop to become physicians. One of them is Dr. Mia D’Angelo. Mia lost her twin sister Gracie to leukemia when she was very young. That loss inspired Mia to become a doctor working with kids with cancer.
Meanwhile Dr. Brax/Braxton Hughes. the chief resident for the 1 year residents, has worked hard to overcome adversity and get where to he is nowadays.
Last summer, these two had a short lived relationship. But when Brax broke up with Mia, he really left her heartbroken, though the attraction didn’t ameliorate.
When Mia is due to go home for Christmas, she finds herself in a bind. Mia had told her mother about this wonderful boyfriend, Brax, in order to keep her mother’s spirit high while she was undergoing chemo, never mentioning the break up. Brax offers to help and what starts as make believe becomes complicated.
Will they survive the holiday? Will seeing a real family have an effect on Brax? Will they both learn that love is possible in their lives?
This was a story about family. It’s a story about overcoming a great loss. It’s also a reminder that our past, especially that of a child, affects us as adults. Sometimes guiding us to become whom we are today.
A reminder that though life can be messing, finding “the One” , will make it all worthwhile.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

What a wonderful and heartfelt Christmas read.

Mia has a big dilemma when she led her mother to believe she was still in a relationship with Brax a fellow doctor. She was keeping her mother’s spirits up while she was undergoing cancer treatment. So, she just continued with fake relationship, until push comes to shove, and her mother wanted her to bring Brax home for Christmas, so Mia had to either tell her mother and break her heart or find someone to bring home for Christmas. When Brax hears of her situation, he volunteers for Christmas. But both Mia and Brax are keeping secrets and when they come out, can their newfound friendship and budding love find a way to a future not only in their medical careers but their love life too.

This story was so full of Christmas cheer and also a lot of heartfelt moments that you cannot help but love it. Mia and Brax are so suited together, and it takes Christmas and her family and friends to see that they are meant to be together. It will have you laughing at some of the antics in the hospital and have you also catching a falling tear as this has a lot of moments with children who are suffering with cancer and other medical afflictions. And Mia’s dog Cooper will bring a lot of wonderful moments to the story. And little Emma, Mia’s niece who just can’t wait for Christmas. This is a wonderful book full of Christmas and romance.

I fell in love with the cute cover and enjoyed this compelling and entertaining romance.
A mix of classic romance trope, a could be lover that is a bit unpredictable, Christmas with family that wants to meet your boyfriend.
Entertaining, recommended
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I really enjoyed this cute Christmas romance! I loved the workplace vibes along with the second chance between these two. I especially liked that the second chance only a six month time frame and it was more because of him not thinking he was good enough for anyone. I loved the fake dating and all the Christmas throughout. I’ve read this author before, so I knew going in what style of writing I was going to read, and it did not disappoint. If you are looking for a fade to black workplace Christmas romance, I highly suggest this one! I seriously didn’t want to put it down!