Review of Holly vs. Mr. Ivy by Amanda P. Jones

 

Holly

I’m barely scraping a living off my chef’s salary after paying for Mom’s medical bills. When my boss forces me to work with the new, annoyingly handsome and all too cheerful general manager, I want to quit. Listen Rhett, no one is really that happy all the time. But if we don’t turn the restaurant around by New Year's Eve, I’ll be out of a job and a roof over my head. January can’t come fast enough. Although, as the months go on, and I see past Rhett’s facade, I’m dreading when he leaves me behind like yesterday’s scraps.

Rhett

Not everyone can commit to a long-term relationship, myself included. The last time I tried, my ex fled faster than Santa's sleigh. No one wants someone mentally broken. Instead, I hide behind my friendly (aka flirty) behavior—something the beautiful curmudgeonly chef at work loathes. Come on Holly, loosen up a little and enjoy the magic of the season. Even though my uncle doesn’t allow fraternization between staff members, my goal is to help Holly be a little more jolly since she has a way of making me feel like a precious gift instead of a misfit. But when my promotion is on the line, I'm torn between Holly and my career.

Holly vs. Mr. Ivy is a sweet with a sprinkling of heat, closed-door romantic comedy. All books in the Christmas in Connecticut series can be read as stand alones, but they are best enjoyed in order.

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This book was a Christmas rom-com, but it definitely was not your mother's Hallmark-like Christmas rom-com. The characters have real struggles, and not just their jobs being on the line if they don't get their restaurant's numbers up- or fail to comply with the no-dating coworkers policy. The heroine has had a major past trauma from a professor, and is now caring for her very ill mother. The hero has abandonment issues and struggles with both depression and anxiety. Both are have suffered past family losses and are dealing with current family drama. The restaurant business is high-stress, so they are used to juggling so many tensions- but can they avoid the different kind of tension between them?

I appreciated the very real world aspect of this story and watching the characters as they process their pasts as they prepare for their future, especially the hero's mental health struggles. I also always love a good forbidden coworker romance, and this certainly delivered there!

Note to more sensitive readers: the couple are very physically attracted to each other.

I would recommend this book for romcom readers looking for their next story this December.

I received a copy of this novel from the author. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

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