If you’re in the US, I hope today finds you stuffed to the gills with turkey, dressing and all the fixings. If you’re not in the US, well, enjoy your regular old Thursday workday! My Thanksgiving stress level is remarkably low. It’s just my immediate family, so we probably won’t even make it out of our pajamas all day. Just good food, no weird seating arrangements, parade watching from the comfort of my couch and Christmas tree decorating with a side of pie; zero stress only, and for that, I am very thankful.
Needless to say, today’s #ThrowBackThursday is Thanksgiving related. I look forward to recommending this book every year because it is quite frankly, one of my all-time faves!
Her Naughty Holiday (Men at Work #2) by Tiffany Reisz
When I first read this book back in 2017, I described it as such: “If Aaron Sorkin and Amy Sherman Palladino had a baby, it would write banter like Tiffany Reisz.” I still stand firmly by that sentiment, the woman writes the best, wittiest banter. It’s sharp and crisp and paced to perfection!
In Her Naughty Holiday, our heroine Clover Greene needs a date for Thanksgiving dinner with her family. They are bringing their own intense brand of passive-aggressiveness to her house to feast and no doubt, judge. Clover is smart, kind, funny, completely capable, and accomplished even if her family fails to recognize it. Her family is truly a piece of nasty work.
Erick Fields is the father of Clover’s young assistant. At his daughter’s insistence, he agrees to take on the task of pretending to be Clover’s boyfriend. This is not a hardship for Erick since he and Clover have been subtly flirting with each other for a while now. Erick is damn near perfect and I’m going to tell you why. He does this one thing, just one simple thing which could mean the bar is set pretty low but whatever, he does this one thing so exceptionally well he deserves to win all of the prizes. He listens. That’s it, that’s the whole tweet. He listens. It’s that simple fellas, he just listens. Ladies, if you can find yourself a partner that actively listens, it’s sexy as hell, and you need to lock that shit down. It means he respects you and considers you his equal. Erick is also hot and has a dirty mouth he can’t seem to control when he’s aroused and lays the pipe exceptionally well but, he also listens to Clover. That’s something no one in her family has ever done, so it’s a big one.
Her Naughty Holiday is my favorite November re-read. I strongly recommend you take time from your pie and give it a read.
Thanksgiving Themed Honorable Mentions
A Match Made for Thanksgiving (Holidays with the Wongs #1) by Jackie Lau
Meddling parents with good intentions mean Nick is stuck watching his brother being set up with Nick’s latest one-night stand. The very woman he hasn’t been able to shake from his brain since that fateful night of sexy times. Nick spends the holidays wrestling with these new-found feelings and trying to convince the girl he let get away to come back to him forever.
Apples Should be Red by Penny Watson
A novella-length seasoned romance with a sixty-two-year-old crusty curmudgeon and a fifty-nine-year-old sexually repressed know it all. You’ll also get a beer can turkey, nudists next door, and garden gnomes. Everyone loves finding true love when opposites attract, and second chances at love come at every age.
