Christmas in the Cityby Bria Felicien
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: December 12, 2019
Genres: Romance
Pages: 59
Source: Kindle Unlimited
My rating:
Zoe is trying to survive the holiday season without succumbing to winter gloom. By chance, she meets DeAndre, who approaches her with an offer she can't refuse.
This was a quick, fun holiday read, with some of my favorite tropes – a fake relationship and “just one bed.”
“What?”
“Nothing, it’s just corny.”
“That’s the point, DeAndre.”
“Whoa, you pulled out my whole government over a Christmas movie?”
Zoe’s struggling through her first Christmas without her cheating ex-boyfriend, who’s now a popular music star in LA. Zoe, on the other hand, is directing a web series while still working at an event company in Atlanta. Her experience with her ex means she’s less than impressed when she meets Dre at one of those events, and she doesn’t think much of it until she runs into him again later while out with a friend. Dre, however, has been thinking about her, and when his record company comes down with a new request – apparently, being in a relationship will help promote his new album. Naturally, the first person he thinks of is Zoe… if he can get her to agree to pretend with him for the next few months.
I totally have a thing for the fake relationship trope, especially if it’s with a famous person, and this hit all the right notes. I love how unimpressed Zoe was with Dre’s status, but she realizes that the relationship could help her directing career – and she’s not afraid to ask for that, and written down in a contract, too! Dre was similarly down-to-earth and I liked how he kept trying to put her at ease. The progression from strangers to friends to maybe-there’s-something-there is smooth, and honestly was perfect for the length of the story. While this does have the “only one bed” trope, the heat level stops at a few kisses – including some while watching cheesy Christmas movies on Netflix, so bonus points from me!
I knew this was a short story going in, but I still wish there was more, as it ends just as they start getting into a real relationship. I would love to see more of Zoe and Dre as an actual couple, and see how they overcome more hurdles dealing with Dre’s record company and being in the same sphere as Zoe’s ex.
Overall, I’d give this around 3.5 stars, rounded up for goodreads. I’ll definitely be checking out the author’s other work.
