Hunk for the Holidays

Hunk for the Holidays is the newest release from author Katie Lane. The official release date was September 25, 2012. From the back cover.~

Always putting business before pleasure, Cassie McPherson works hard for her family's construction business. That might explain why she doesn't have a date for the company Christmas party. But it doesn't quite explain why she's crazy enough to hire an escort for the event or - crazier still - why she's dying to unwrap him like a present . . .

With whiskey-colored eyes and a killer smile, James is one gorgeous hunk who really knows how to fill out a tuxedo. He charms everyone, including Cassie. And when the night ends, the party doesn't stop. As Cassie falls, literally, into his bed, James falls head over heels in love. Now he has to figure out a way to tell her the truth: he's not an escort. He's her family's fiercest business rival. But all he wants for Christmas is her . . .

I requested Hunk for the Holidays from NetGalley after a friend told me how much she loved it. This is the first book I’ve read by Katie Lane, but won’t be my last since I really enjoyed her voice.

I loved Cassie from the moment she appeared on the page. She is such a strong character yet still hires an escort to take to her company Christmas party to avoid having to deal with sympathetic looks and matchmaking from family and family friends. When James shows up in her office she mistakes him for the escort she has hired for the night, and for the first time ever, she is thinking about sleeping with her paid escort. Unknown to Cassie, James is actually James Sutton, her family’s biggest business rival. He was only in her office because he had an appointment scheduled with her father.

Cassie and James had really great chemistry. While I myself have never experienced love at first sight, I kinda got that feel with Cassie and James…maybe lust at first sight is more appropriate. They really did have great chemistry together and I was really cheering for them to make it the whole time I was reading. I knew Cassie wouldn’t be very understanding when she found out who James really was, and she reacted as I expected. I totally understood how Cassie felt but also had seen James try and tell her a couple of times who he really was. I knew part of the reason Cassie was so mad was because for probably the first time ever, she had real feelings for a man. James had the same problem once he and Cassie argued over their situation. He really fell hard and fast for Cassie, and wasn’t ready to accept less than everything from Cassie.

I also loved the secondary love story between Cassie’s brother Rory and Cassie’s best friend Amy. Amy and Rory had been attracted to one another since they first met when she came to work for the company. However, due to a lack of communication between the two, they hadn’t ever acted on said feelings. While I could see they would get a quick resolution to their love story, I really wish they had been given a book of their own. I would have loved to see Rory romance Amy to win her over.

I really enjoyed Hunk for the Holidays. While the entire romance took place over the course of 3-4 days, I liked it. Made me laugh out loud a few times, fan myself and others, and even tear up a couple of times. I really like when a book makes me feel a wide range of emotions. For more about Katie Lane, check out her website.