White Lie Christmas by Christine Bell & Riley Murphy

December 9th, 2013 Kimberly Review 55 Comments

9th Dec
White Lie Christmas by Christine Bell & Riley Murphy
White Lie Christmas
by Christine Bell, Riley Murphy
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

The holidays are here, and Leah Latrelle has made a mess of them. When her out-of-town parents’ concern over her non-existent love life threatens to interfere with her father’s health, she invents a boyfriend who quickly turns into a fiancé. Her family is thrilled, and they change their Christmas plans last minute to meet their future son-in-law. Now Leah has no choice but to come up with the goods. She needs a man, fast. When her friend and business partner, Mick, offers himself up as a sacrifice, she’s all over it. He’s handsome, dependable and available for the job. What could go wrong?Tis the season, and Mick Kilpatrick can’t say no to a damsel in distress. Especially when that damsel is his luscious business partner who has been the object of his reluctant desire for the past year. He hasn’t pursued anything because being a dad is still priority number one. A sexy woman like Leah will only distract him from what’s really important and he can’t have that. He’ll pretend to be her fiancé, but when it’s over, everything will go back to normal. Sure, he’s fantasized about her once or...a million times but that doesn’t mean he’s in love with her. Does it?

White Lie Christmas by Christine Bell and Riley Murphy was the perfect holiday novella. It was filled with gooey goodness, heat, romance and then sprinkled with the magic of the holidays. I consumed this in a single sitting as my emotions were swept up in the tale. I laughed, sighed and even shed a tear. Mini review: heart-warming friends to lover trope, with humor, heat and magic.

Here is the set up, Leah Latrelle’s parents moved to Arizona because of her father’s health, but they worry about their single daughter. To appease them, she creates a boyfriend, buys him a dog and yep they get engaged. This over the phone lie works, they seem happy and plan to sell their apartment and make the move to Arizona permanent. Her parents are happy; she isn’t feeling pressured, and all is well. Wrong!! Guess who is coming to visit? *nods head* Her parents call to announce they and her sister are flying in to meet said fiancé. What is she going to do?  Mick, her super smexy friend and business partner volunteers to pose as her fiancé and she desperately accepts. Never mind that she dreams about him, and her knees turn to jelly when he walks in the room. She can separate fantasy from reality, right?

Leah and Mick run a successful business together. Both have fantasies about the other but neither has crossed the line of friendship. Mick is divorced and a single father. He has put his son first above all things and hasn’t been romantically involved in years. He has had feelings for Leah for a while, but is afraid to act. Poor Leah lies awake dreaming about doing unspeakable thing with Mick. His smell, smile, and even his gait turn her insides to jello. She is quite confident he’s never looked at her sideways. This element was hilarious and made the arrangement all the more delicious. I really enjoyed both characters, and Leah was certifiable. Her escapades and the way she handles her own feelings had me rolling my eyes one moment and snorting the next.

White Lie Christmas, is a novella that didn’t feel rushed and had so many elements I enjoy in a holiday romance. I adore the friendship to lovers’ trope, and when you add in the arrangement trope things become quite scrumptious. There was humor, silliness, sweet gooey tender moments and a little family drama. Then the authors sprinkled in some hot, heated smooches and sexy time. The story had substance, flowed beautifully, and the characters experienced growth. While this is dubbed an erotic romance, it is mild and has as no more heat than a MacLean historical romp. While the tale was predictable the ride to my HEA was wonderful, and I became swept up and believed. White Lie Christmas delivered, and I closed the book basking in the magic of romance during the holidays.

If you are looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the holiday for an hour or two, grab a glass of wine and download White Lie Christmas. Enjoy!  I will definitely try these authors again.

Five cups of coffee out of five
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

Photo of kimbacaffeinate
About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

55 Responses to “White Lie Christmas by Christine Bell & Riley Murphy”

  1. Cyn

    This looks cute! I`m always in need of more holiday novellas & since I only have one exam left, I actually have time for it 😉 Also, you had at me a novella that doesn`t feel rushed haha. Awesome review Kim!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      This was such fun, hope you enjoy it and at 1.99 its perfect for a school budget 🙂

    • kimbacaffeinate

      LOL, Dani if you haven’t already done so, go request Sleigh Bells in the Snow..it was my favorite book of the season 🙂 NG

  2. sharonda

    thise does sound like a awesome read 🙂

    As always…lovely review Kim.

  3. Lily B

    Aww this sounds very sweet. I love holiday novellas, they tend to cover the story well. You still end up wanting more, but most of them are well done.

  4. Kristin

    Dang!!! I’m going right now and buying this one!!! You’ve totally sold me!! You don’t give away your 5 cups of coffee very often and, well… I love these classic set-ups!!!

    Thanks for finding this one and reviewing it!!! I owe you, again!!!!!

    Hope you’re having a great holiday season!!!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Enjoy, only 2 holiday books managed a five this year, next Monday I will share a full-length novel called Sleigh Bells in the Snow and it was delicious!

  5. Lauren

    Another sweet Christmas romance to add to my list, though this one is nice and short, so I can do it in between shopping and other things. Leah and Mick sound wonderful, can’t wait to meet them. I always love when two people are fantasizing about each other and are SURE the other one doesn’t feel the same way. It makes for such delicious tension. Thanks for your lovely review!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      This was a fun one Lauren, and certainly got me in the Christmas spirit. Seriously for 1.99 ya cannot go wrong.

  6. Mishel

    I just love the play on the title and how it was worked into the cover! Very clever =D This sounds great, I’m so glad you enjoyed it.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      It was the perfect read for me at the time and I quite enjoyed it 🙂

  7. Andrea

    A Five Cup novella?! White Lie Christmas sounds perfect! I will definitely attempt to fit this in over the holidays!

  8. Candace

    Wow, this one does sound great! And the single father romantic interests always intrigue me. I may have to consider reading this one over the holidays!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I really liked him as a hero, and seeing these friends with hidden feelings forced into a romantic situations was delightful!

  9. Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf

    Some tried and true plots always work and the friends to lovers while pretending to be a couple thing is one I always enjoy. 5 cups though…this must have been a stand out example! Great review!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      It has all the right elements, including snark and humor without any overkill on angst.

  10. Mary

    Aw, yay! Love when you find that perfect little story that makes your insides go all gooey and happy. ALL THE FEELS!!

  11. Victoria (aka Zemfirka)

    This sounds fun, and right along the lines of ABC Family movies! I watched at least 3 x-mas themed movies yday back-to-back and I think I can totally see this as one of them. Nice and sweet. 🙂 Just perfect for the holidays.

      • Victoria (aka Zemfirka)

        Apparently I’m too (a holiday movie addict that is)! Hubby sat with me for a little then rolled his eyes and went to play computer games… lol but what can I say, sometime you just want sweet love stories!

  12. Michelle

    Awh! The perfect holiday novella? That sounds perfect. I like to sprinkle novellas in when I am doing a read-a-thon to keep the pace going. haha

    Creating the boyfriend is an old trick but always a goodie for me. I think I may have to give this book a try!

    Great review Kimba 🙂

    Michelle @ Book Briefs

  13. Jenny

    Well sign me up for this one Kim! I’m a huge fan of the friends to lovers setup as well, it’s one that I just never get tired off. Add in humor and sexy times and I think this sounds like an all-around winner. Thanks for putting it on my radar, it’s just what I’m in the mood for this week!

  14. Sherrey Meyer

    Sounds like a fun read! Especially with the holidays coming up, I love to find books that are centered around Christmas and/or New Year’s. Thanks for the review!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I do too Sherrey, for some reason romances around the holiday have a magical element.

  15. lupdilup

    Yes!! You know how much I love a 5 cops of coffee review 🙂 This sounds like light and all around fun read. I know I wont find it on audio, novellas hardly ever get publish in that format, but it will fit perfect in my reading schedule for my Christmas road trip.
    Thanks!