Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Review of Holding Holly (Love and Football #4.5) by Julie Brannagh

"My girl. My sweetie. You." - Derrick Collins

Holding Holly
Series: Love and Football # 4.5
Author: Julie Brannagh
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Release Date: December 2nd, 2014
Source: Edelweiss

Purchase Links: Amazon - B&N - iTunes
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Holly Reynolds has a secret. Make that two. The first involves upholding her grandmother’s hobby answering Dear Santa letters from dozens of local school children. The second...well, he just came strolling in the door.

For the last two years, Holly has not been able to stop thinking about gorgeous Seattle Shark Derrick Collins. His on-field exploits induce nightmares in quarterbacks across the NFL, but she knows he has a heart of gold.

Derrick has never met a woman he wants to bring home to meet his family, mostly because he keeps picking the wrong ones-until he runs into sweet, shy Holly Reynolds. Different than anyone he’s ever known, Derrick realizes she might just be everything he needs.

When he discovers her holiday letter writing, he is determined to play Santa too. And as the pair team up to bring joy to one little boy very much in need, they discover the most precious Christmas gift of all: love.


I have a (not so) secret confession to make. I am addicted to Christmas romances. Whether it be a Christmas movie or a Christmas book, it doesn't matter. As long as the two main characters meet and fall in love during the most magical time of the year, I'll be swooning and falling in love right along with them. So it'll come to no surprise that I loved Holding Holly. It was an adorable romance between two characters that tend to put others before themselves. I have loved Derrick since meeting him earlier in Julie's Love and Football series. He is fun loving and hot-damn sexy. Holly has a heart of gold. She's hardworking and she doesn't take anything for granted, two attributes that Derrick admires most about her. I loved the two of them together. I loved that their romance started off as acquaintances and grew to a friendship before turning into something deeper. I only wish we had gotten a full novel for Derrick. I felt that he had a lot more to offer with his over the top personality. Honestly, I was a little disappointed that he was only getting a novella. If anyone had enough antics to fill an entire book, it would have been Derrick. Still, I was over the moon happy that he got his happily ever after and that we get to witness Derrick and Holly finding their own Christmas romance.

If you are like me and are absolutely addicted to Christmas romances, Holding Holly is a must. It was an adorable novella that'll not only make you smile, it'll also make you swoon with Christmas love. I cannot wait for Seth's book next year. Until then, we'll always have Noel, Seattle. 



Julie Brannagh has been writing since she was old enough to hold a pencil. She lives in a small town near Seattle, where she once served as a city council member and owned a yarn shop. She shares her home with a wonderful husband, two uncivilized Maine Coons and a rambunctious chocolate Lab.

When she’s not writing, she’s reading, or armchair-quarterbacking her favorite NFL team from the comfort of the family room couch. Julie is a Golden Heart finalist and the author of contemporary sports romances.

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