Snow is falling hard near the picturesque town of Woodstock, Vermont, with its scrumptious bakeries, brightly lit storefronts, and twelve-foot Main Street Christmas tree. Romance is in the air for everybody except spicy Russian Clara Neverov, recently divorced, bitter, and alone for the holidays. As an acclaimed romance author, she revels in her solitary life relying only on Internet book groups … book groups for her socialization under a fake American name pulled from childhood memory and her best friend’s supermodel photo.
Giving up on Christmas after too many of them alone, she adores the solitary life free from Scrooges and messy entanglements. When a mysterious editor from a Goodreads book group shares a sad story about being alone for the holidays after his wife passes away, she accidentally invites him to spend them with her.
The only problem is that her snowy country cottage is nowhere close to the magical Santa’s wonderland that she described when attempting to cheer him up. In fact, it closely resembles the underground Grinch’s lair on an anti-Christmas campaign..
The situation goes from bad to worse when Finn Jacobs drops an email that he’s on his way to spend Christmas with her. He doesn’t mention an arrival date and he believes her to be a trim blonde bookshop clerk instead of her real identity as an overweight author with unruly espresso hair and black eyes. With some festive holiday intervention, icy roads slam her truck right into his car, where she quickly finds herself scrambling for another false identity.
There is one thing that is for sure, that spending Christmas alone is no longer an option. Lose yourself in this sweet and short romantic holiday tale of hope, second chances, and forgiveness during the most magical time of the year.
Please note that this is a mini novelette; longer than a short story and shorter than a novella.
BONUS MATERIAL: Delicious tried-and-true, decadent, and indulgent family holiday recipes as seen in the book. Treat yourself to a cheesy chicken crunch-top casserole, dreamy peppermint dark chocolate mochas, a white chocolate peppermint cake, a melt-in-your-mouth pot roast, buttercream frosted cutout cookies, and many more.
The perfect Christmas short story novelette ideal for sweet romance fans of authors like Debbie Macomber, Nora Roberts, Brenda Novak, Holly Martin, Tilly Tenant, and Jenny Hale.
In the mood for more Christmas? Hop on over to Vivien Mayfair’s Snowdrop Valley Series of full novels that take place in an adorable little book town where literature saves the day and happy endings abound.
Short and Sweet Holiday Reads Series:
Alone for the Holidays
Summer at Sunflower Hill
Wishes on Christmas Eve
The New Year’s Invitation
more
Cute Christmas romance
Alone for the Holidays is the first book in the Short and Sweet Holiday Reads series by the new author Vivien Mayfair. This is the first book I have read by the author and her first published book, so I was not sure what to expect. I had actually got this book last year but somehow I missed reading it in time for the holidays so figured I would save it as a way to start off my this years holiday season, which it did nicely. This is a cute and engaging story with nice characters in Clara and Finn.
I thought the story was well written and nicely plotted with a good pace. There is some drama, humor, emotion and nice chemistry.
I received a copy of this book and am leaving my honest review. My opinions are all my own.
Vivian Mayfair’s “Alone for the Holidays” was a whimsical and entertaining holiday romance. The characters were funny and relatable.
Clara had many secrets which caused turmoil that she had to overcome throughout this novelette.
Bonus with some yummy recipes!!!
Overall this was a fun romance! I am going to definitely check out her other books.
I received this book from the author in exchange for fair and honest review
First thing I want to say is that I didn’t like Clara at all. If she would have been truthful from the start, she wouldn’t have ended up alone at Christmas. Sure, Finn may have left at the very beginning, but you shouldn’t start a relationship with lies. With that being said, I still enjoyed reading this fast Christmas read. If you enjoy Christmas stories, grab your copy and give this book a try.
This is my 1st book by Vivien Mayfair. The story is cute and the characters are engaging. An author, recently divorced, joins a readers group under a fake profile and connects with one of its members. I love how Christmas is a character as well. Ms. Mayfair draws you into the season like a Hallmark Movie. Sweet read.
Holiday novelettes are always my favorites. There is something so sweet and addicting about them. And that’s exactly what I got with this book.
Great characters.
Great story line and the perfect ending.
Clara is divorced, she lives by herself out in the woods. She enjoys being alone. As writer she has the best job, she can be at home in her pjs if she wants. But she strikes up a friendship with another reader online.
When Finn says he didn’t have anyone for Holidays Clara invites him to her cabin, never thinking he’d come. But he does and Clara find herself in a pickle.
When Finn arrives Clara can’t find the time to tell the truth and when it’s out things get a bit rocky. But as always LOVE WINS!
Cute quick read for any romance lover.
*I was given a free advanced copy of this book by Book Sirens in exchange for my honest and voluntary review. All thoughts and opinions are those of my own.*
This is pretty funny! Had me laughing. It also has its sweet moments. There’s no steam and not much depth but still good for a quick read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A fun, clean, enlightening Christmas romance. The characters are fun and entertaining and keep you smiling and laughing as your read through the story. It’s a holiday romance with some tried and true recipes included. How can you go wrong and I can’t wait to try the recipes myself.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A problem we face again and again – many people create a new persona for themselves when on the net, to be a person they want to be, instead of being honest.
Clara, an author, falls for that trap. She is inventing herself new for her followers, who she believes will never know.
But accidentally she invites one man she has met to spend Christmas with her – and he accepts.
The story is quite funny and entertaining. A short novelette it balances the story flow quite nicely. An enjoyable holiday read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really enjoyed this book. It made me laugh so hard at times and sad at others. I loved the ending of this book. I loved the sense of humor that this author had while writing it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Clara, an author, joins a reader group at goodreads.com, using an alias and fake persona so no one will realize who she is. She and Finn, another group member, become friendly, and she halfheartedly invites him for Christmas in Vermont. He tells her he’s coming when he’s almost there, and they run into each other on the road. Literally. She doesn’t have the nerve to confess the truth to him, even as they are falling for each other. When she finally spills it all, he leaves. Clara learned a lesson about honesty, how to accept herself as she is, and that happiness comes from within. Sweet, clean holiday romance, I enjoyed Clara’s journey, and her happy ending with Finn. This is my first read from this author – not the last. I especially liked the family recipes included at the end of the book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Clara Neverov is an author or erotica and romance novels. Supremely ironic since her now ex husband the pilot/ heir to an airline left her alone a lot to spend time with a half dozen other women whom he supported.
She enjoyed being part of an online book group, using a pseudonym and the photo of a friend.
Somehow she found a friend through the group, and he invited himself for Christmas.
So is it time to confess her true identity? Maybe it might be fun- or less embarrassing- to just let him think she was the roommate.
Hilarity and humiliation follow.
Fun and funny KU short romance.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a nice, sweet holiday story of two lonely souls who find comfort and joy in preparing for a joint Christmas with a huge secret hanging in the snug country cottage’s atmosphere. Clara’s self-esteem issues lead to some big deception and obfuscation, but, given her marital history, she has reason for her insecurities. I really sympathized with her. Since the story is told from her perspective, her surprise holiday guest/on-line flirt remains a bit of a mystery and not as fully developed. With a good plot, lots of nice, cozy Christmas touches and some tart, self-deprecating humor, I enjoyed this short gem.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was my first time reading this author and her story and characters were awesome. It’s a fast read that will get you into the Christmas and Holiday spirit. There’s also recipes int the book, what more could you ask for to get you in the Christmas mood? If you want romance and the feelings of Christmas than this book is for you! I will definitely be reading more form this author!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A quick short story to read. This is the first book by this Author that I have read and it looks like this is her debut book. I will be looking for more by her. There is some really good recipes at the end of the book that I will be trying some of them, this is one of the ones I want to try Triple-Decadent Peppermint Hot Chocolate for One, and Christmas Morning Brown Sugar Coffee Cake sounds like another very good one. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a super little read and i liked it while I did not agree with what Clara did but I did kinda understand why. This was an entertaining book I liked the characters and enjoyed getting to know them.
I enjoyed Alone for the Holidays. This was my first book by Vivien Mayfair. I like Clara and Finn. I understood Clara a lot, though I was horrified by what she did. To be fair, so was she. She and I have some things in common. Finn was hunky and more. I loved the ending to this book. I definitely can’t go into that. Suffice it to say, my fascination turned into anxiety for a bit, in a good way. I loved that this Christmas book had a lot to do with Christmas. It was more than a background prop, (I’ve run into that a few times). This book gave me all the feels of Christmas all the way through. It is a short quick read. Perfect reading when your low on time but need to unwind. Get in the Christmas mood, any time of the year, with Alone for the Holidays.
The author has included recipes from the story. I love making recipes that characters I enjoy have made. The Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes, Gooey Chicken Casserole, Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast, Triple-Decadent Peppermint Hot Chocolate along with a couple of tasty but easy recipes I’ll let you discover are all going on my menu. As I live in Alaska, the hot chocolate recipe will be put to the test later today and be made often.
*I received an ARC via BookSprout. My review is voluntary and reflects my honest thoughts and feelings about the book.*
Oh my!
We’re laughing at the hole she’s digging herself into and then WHAM! ugly crying at how insecure and rightfully hurt she is…
Great story-telling. Obviously I grew to care for these two or the emotions wouldn’t have hit so strongly.
Clara meets Finn in an online readers group. They feel a connection and soon form an online friendship. The only problem is, she is pretending to be another person named Abigail. Her ruse is complete with a fake profile picture. She just wanted to be a normal part of a reading group without people knowing that she is a famous author. Clara invites Finn for Christmas as a gesture of good will to cheer him up. Little did she think he would take her up on the offer. Clare just keeps spinning a bigger web of lies when he shows up in her neighborhood. Her identity may be a lie, but Clara and Finn can’t deny the truth of the feelings that they are developing for each other. The joy of Christmas has truly brought love back to their fragile hearts. Can they keep that love alive when Finn finds out her real identity, or will her deception drive him away? I really loved this story! The characters and the story were very sweet. I thought the recipes at the end were a cute bonus! I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Christmas is a time for family and friends, but Clara is alone again this season. After being left by her ex husband, her only friend lives across the country, Clara gets a surprise in the form of hot and sexy Finn, that she has been crushing on for months. Meeting through a chat group many months ago, she throws out an invitation in jest, not thinking it would truly be accepted. Much to her horror, Finn accepts her offer and heads out on a road trip…straight to her…..the only thing is, she isn’t who she says she is…..
Nice story concept, great characters, entertaining read. Written as a 3rd person single pov.
Would I recommend this novella? Yes
Would I read more from this author? Yes
Sassy Beta Reading and Review
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is my first read and I found the story OK. There are likeable characters, even Clare. I am tired that so many books push lying as the norm for behavior. Personally I avoid liars, cannot trust them, but other than the worn out lies theme, this is a good, sweet story well done.
The ending seemed rushed but Clare was an interesting person, although several things put Finn in a poor light as not too smart, but the story could not have went on along as it did.
The recipes took up a lot of pages and I cannot not recommended any as healthy, but rather amateurish about ingredients. Why organic sugar when the other ingredients are processed? Admitted food snob taught by German and Swiss-trained chefs, so processed foods laden with chemicals would never be a consideration. If you think Mickey Ds is the bomb, then these are for you.
I found this book on Booksprout. 3*