The Candy Cane Kiss
Briarwood High #6
By: Maggie Dallen
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication date: November 1, 2018
Genre: Young Adult Holiday Romance
Rating:
Fake kisses shouldn’t taste so sweet.
When the new star quarterback at Briarwood High winds up in the hospital over Christmas break, he’s sure that’s as bad as it can get.
He’s wrong. His day is about to get so much worse. First he’s stuck with that irritating new girl from school who’s currenly dressed as a holly jolly Christmas elf as she volunteers on his floor. Then his ex shows up and asks his permission to bring her new boyfriend to his family’s Christmas party, and then…well, then he makes it all a million times worse by kissing the closest girl at hand, who just happens to be that weirdo candy striper with a penchant for Grandma cardigans and candy-cane striped tights. She also happens to be the only girl at Briarwood who doesn’t like him. He couldn’t have chosen a worse fake girlfriend if he’d tried. So the question is…if this relationship is all wrong, why does it feel so right?Lola is a self-proclaimed freak and a military brat just waiting to graduate so she can take the first bus out of Briarwood. She’s also more than a little obsessed with all things retro. Including swing dancing. The only problem? Swing dancing requires a partner. Where on earth is she supposed to find a willing dance partner in the sea of conformist mediocrity that is her new high school? Fortunately for her, the arrogant jerk in the hospital bed needs her more than she needs him if he stands any chance of winning back his ex. So yeah, she’ll help him. For a price. But the closer they get, the more she hates the idea of handing him over to his perfect ex, and the more she has to wonder. Will she be the one paying the price…with a broken heart?
My thoughts…
This was a cute fake romance that turns into the real deal for these two characters. Is it cliché that the boy is a popular jock and the girl is the outcast weirdo? Yeah. Is it a story that we’ve read/watched time and time again? Yes. However, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Plus, I really liked that Lola was an old soul that liked dressing in “retro” clothes, listening to the oldies (and NO, I am NOT talking about the 90’s), and watches old style movies with her grandpa. She was such a wholesome character that it was hard not to find the interaction between her and Lucas adorable.
Like all good fake romances, the lines begin to blur over time as each person catches feelings for the other. Watching these two go about their business in complete denial was actually not as annoying as I sometimes find it to be. Usually I’m ready to scream and chuck the book, but these two were just so innocent in it all. Not to mention, that even when they hadn’t fully come to terms with their feelings, they were still very considerate towards the other person and you could just see that they had a bond that they hadn’t quite realized.
While this is the 6th book in a series, it didn’t read as if it was part of a series. In fact, I don’t know if any of the characters introduced in this book were from the previous books. Usually, you get the feeling that you are supposed to know someone, but that wasn’t the case with this at all. So, if you are looking for an adorable holiday romance young adult book, you should give this a read.