Who knew that the Christmas read I needed was a lil instalove romantic suspense? Cynthia Eden is one of the only authors I will exclusively trust with an instalove plot line and I keep coming back for more.

Our heroine is at her wits end and when the police don’t believe her that someone is trying to kill her she turns to a bounty hunter for help. Enter our hero who uses this as an excuse to get close to her (because you bet he has been in love with her since high school).

What follows is some forced proximity and only one bed trope goodness! If you need a short Christmas read then you should definitely check this one out!

I loved Holding Out for a Holiday Hero! The humor. The lovable characters. The spicy love story combined with a murder mystery that needs to be uncovered. 180 pages are perfect for a quick and light read, but I could have continued reading on and on!

Oh my, I loved it, I loved it , I loved it. Nothing like a damsel in distress and a hot, naughty hero, to come to the rescue! Now let me go find hubby and encourage him to be naughty! Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas! PS your not going to want to put it down!


I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you for allowing me to review

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

What a fun holiday romance with gruff bounty hunter, Jake, and sweet, True, who both have had crushes on each other since high school and don't realize it! Talk about opposites attracting, that is True and Jake but they are so much fun to see them grown closer together as they try to figure out who is stalking True.

The police think she is just imagining things until Jake finds a dead body under her Christmas tree - not a good thing for the presents underneath! Sorry no spoilers here, if you want to know who is after True, you need to read the book!

I could not put the book down and just loved reading this holiday romance.

A fun and quick holiday read. Jake hates Christmas until his high school crush comes to him asking for help. True knows someone wants to hurt her, but has no clue who. Enjoyed this one and highly recommend.

Fall in love with Jake and True! This fun holiday read is full of sexy romance, action, and suspense. My only complaint is there wasn't more of it. I wasn't ready for it to end. But I enjoyed the way it did.

HOLDING OUT FOR A HOLIDAY HERO by Cynthia Eden is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, romantic suspense story line focusing on former special ops soldier turned bounty hunter Jake Hale, and museum curator True Blakely.

Told from dual omniscient third person perspectives (True and Jake) HOLDING OUT FOR A HOLIDAY HERO focuses on the protection of our story line heroine. Approximately one year earlier, museum curator True Blakely returned to her home town in the wake of her divorce. Fast forward to present day True believes she has a stalker, and local law enforcement refuse to investigate in the wake of no solid evidence and a perception of coincidence. With no other choice, True contacts a former high school acquaintance, a man who knows how to track people down. Enter bounty hunter Jake Hale, the man with whom True will fall in love. Jake struggles with his reaction to the woman in question, the woman who controls all his fantasies and dreams but when they find a dead body under True’s Christmas tree, all bets are off, when Jake becomes True’s guardian, protector and happily ever after. Jake doesn’t believe himself a hero but he is the only line of defense between True, and the person taking aim at our story line heroine.

The world building focuses on the protection of True Blakely, and the search for a killer. Strange incidents , all placing True in dangerous situations, forces Jake to claim our heroine as his own but with no potential suspects , everyone in True’s radar becomes a suspect until the killer is caught. Jake has never considerer himself a hero but as he story line progresses, more than one person is witness to his true acts of heroism.

The relationship between True and Jake is an opposites attract. Jake dislikes the Christmas holidays, a Grinch by observation, and True is all about the decorating and celebration. Unable to return home, Jake demands True remain by his side, including staying at his place for the foreseeable future. A lifelong confession by Jake finds our heroine falling for the man who has stolen her heart. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting characters include several co-workers and security at the local museum, as well as over extended and over worked Detective Harris Avery, True’s ex-husband Richard, and Jake’s intrepid and eager professional assistant Perry Cornwell.

HOLDING OUT FOR A HOLIDAY HERO is a story of betrayal and vengeance, friendships and relationships, acceptance and love. The premise is intriguing, dramatic and captivating; the romance is passionate and seductive; the characters are desperate, charismatic and determined.



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GOOGLE PLAY (Sandy Sch) posted

His heart isn't the only thing growing twice its size...

Jake is a bah hum bug, grinchy grinch. He likes it that way. He's a bounty hunter that does not do feels. But he has a soft spot for True. She hires him to be a bodyguard, instead of a bounty hunter. When a dead body turns up as an unwanted present under her tree, things get serious for Jake.

This was a steam, fun, action packed holiday themed read that makes a perfect stocking stuffer.
Recommend. Oh, yeah. Jake's heart isn't the only thing that gets bigger.

As soon as I read the complimentary first chapter, I knew that I HAD to read this book…and I loved it! Following her divorce, True Blakely has returned to her home town, Rosewood, Georgia, hoping to revitalize the local museum. She is barely home when she is threatened and believes that someone has been in her home. Reporting the incidents to the police hasn’t made her feel safe. Working in the museum she barely escapes injury from a falling exhibit; she needs help! She decides to contact former Special Ops and current bounty hunter, Jake Hale. She attended high school with Jake, but had never felt that he was interested in her. Jake is shocked to find her in his office; she says that she needs him…what?? He was always attracted to her, but with trying to support his mother and younger brother he kept those feelings to himself. He is determined to protect her, but will he be able to learn to tolerate or maybe even like the Christmas holidays? The incidents continue with the man in her home, under her tree, yikes! Moving her into his home, will he be able to keep her safe from her attacker? When her ex arrives in town, is he responsible for the threats against her? I don’t believe that I will ever think of “jingle” and “sleigh bells” in the same way – lol! I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

So fun!

Endearing, sweet, humorous, intriguing and just downright awesome! I loved Jake’s character.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

Scrooge!!
What a great holiday read by one of my favorite authors. Jake and True sizzle the pages of this suspenseful Christmas story. Just what you need to get you in the right mood for the holidays.

Bounty hunter Jake hates christmas. True hires him to help her stop someone from killing her. His attraction to her means that he can't refuse her...

Lots of action. Fun and sexy scenes. Love how loyal Jake is. True is a joy. :) Love this romantic story. A quick and fun read.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Holding Out For a Holiday Hero is a romantic suspense book with the emphasis on romance. By Cynthia Eden, I never doubted that True Blakeley was safe in the arms of Jake Hale. He was smart enough, tough enough and determined enough to keep her safe. No one does alpha males better than Ms. Eden. True was certainly smart enough too and learn the defense skills she needed.

Their story is one of high school crushes that came to fulfillment when they were older and more mature. It was also a case of doing the right thing can lead to danger. A holiday Scrooge type story, it was fun to see Jake’s opinion of Christmas transform. The only negative is all of the foul language, I grew weary of it. I do think a successful businessman such as bounty hunter Jake would have had more fitting words in his skillset. I have been reading Ms. Eden books for many years, the bad language has not always been so prevalent.

This is a sexy mystery romance. It is a fast read with likable characters. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Jake is True's holiday hero, but True is Jake's Christmas miracle. I had a hard time putting this book down. It's full of suspense and humor. A definite must read that I will be telling all of my friends to read.

A great read, the story of True and Jake. Someone is out to get her, and can Make save her? A fun, fast paced read,which keeps you guessing. I liked how it was told from both points of view.

This was such a fun holiday read! If you're a fan of "Die Hard" and arguing over the question if it's a Christmas movie or not, this book is for you. At just 185 pages, it's the perfect length for such a busy time of the year.

The story follows True (FMC) and Jake (MMC). When True believes someone is trying to kill her, she goes to the one guy she can trust, Jake. Oh, did I mention Jake has had a crush on her since he was 16? What follows is a book full of twists, turns, steam, and hilarious Christmas puns. And I love a hero who's secretly a cinnamon roll and that is 100% Jake.

This book is written in dual 3rd person POV and has no third act breakup. Honestly, that's one of my favorite things about romantic suspense. Many skip the foolishness and keep our couples together through all the danger.

A few of my favorite quotes:

"This is not a Christmas miracle. That is a Christmas homicide."

"Go big or go ho-ho-home, am I right?"