Blog Tour Review: Naughty-ish by L.B. Dunbar

I received this book for free from Wordsmith Publicity in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Naughty-ish by L.B. Dunbar
Published by L.B. Dunbar Writes Ltd. on November 21, 2023
Genres: Adult Holiday Romance
Pages: 178
Source: Wordsmith Publicity
Format: E-galley
My Rating:
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With the name Holliday, you’d think I’d be all about the Christmas season. Most years, I am, but this one not so much. Between my ex being a real Scrooge-in-the-backside, re-entering the workforce, wrangling my two children, and evading my eight-year-old’s questions about Santa’s existence, I’m struggling to believe in the magic myself.
Enter Nick, my next-door neighbor. My very hot, single, fireman neighbor. He’s full of the seasonal spirit from hanging my outdoor Christmas lights to playing Santa for the local church breakfast.
Funny thing about Nick, he kind of resembles the man in red, in a younger, sexier, silver fox way, complete with snow in his beard but rather tight abs suggesting cookies are not part of his diet when they are a staple of mine.
Anywho, he’s sweet in a rugged sense, and if he were the man making a list and checking it twice, I’d like to be in his naughty column. Because something tells me being a little naughty-ish with Nick from next door might bring me tidings of comfort and restore my joy in this season.
When he discovers I have a seasonal list myself, he’s determined to help me accomplish all the to-dos, only falling in love with my next-door neighbor wasn’t one of them.
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From L.B. Dunbar comes another SHE-grump Christmas tale of holiday shenanigans and jingling bells with a sunshine silver fox fireman.

Blurb:

With the name Holliday, you’d think I’d be all about the Christmas season. Most years, I am, but this one not so much. Between my ex being a real Scrooge-in-the-backside, re-entering the workforce, wrangling my two children, and evading my eight-year-old’s questions about Santa’s existence, I’m struggling to believe in the magic myself.

Enter Nick, my next-door neighbor. My very hot, single, fireman neighbor. He’s full of the seasonal spirit from hanging my outdoor Christmas lights to playing Santa for the local church breakfast.

Funny thing about Nick, he kind of resembles the man in red, in a younger, sexier, silver fox way, complete with snow in his beard but rather tight abs suggesting cookies are not part of his diet when they are a staple of mine.

Anywho, he’s sweet in a rugged sense, and if he were the man making a list and checking it twice, I’d like to be in his naughty column. Because something tells me being a little naughty-ish with Nick from next door might bring me tidings of comfort and restore my joy in this season.

When he discovers I have a seasonal list myself, he’s determined to help me accomplish all the to-dos, only falling in love with my next-door neighbor wasn’t one of them.

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From L.B. Dunbar comes another SHE-grump Christmas tale of holiday shenanigans and jingling bells with a sunshine silver fox fireman.

My Review

I adored this fast paced, steamy, holiday romance. If it had been a weekend day, or during a break from school, it would have been devoured in one day. As it was I might have sneaked in finishing it at my desk on the Friday before our Thanksgiving break at school. Like the little image above, I do really wish I could get my own Nick for Christmas. I mean, he was perfection. And the way the author told the story, I almost wondered for a bit if he was supposed to be THE Nick we all think about for the holidays. Especially when he kept saying things but being cagey about who his family was.

I had a tiny bit of irritation with how Holliday kept pushing Nick away, even as I understood it based on what she’d dealt with her ex-husband. But oh my gosh was Nick really just perfect. While the story itself took place during the holiday season, we got a quick look back at when Holliday and her kids had first moved in and what the interactions between her and her new hot firefighter neighbor since that time. I loved how all of it, included one of the very first interactions, led up to a perfect connection between the two. This book made me smile, laugh, swoon, and fan myself at several points. The perfect holiday read that I needed this year!