I loooved this book!
The characters were warm and real! I adored Liv and Sandy... they were too good... Hunter was a little more rugged than how I like "my" leading men ;) but he was a drool-worthy palate-cleanser... and of course Mia!! She was the bumbling,flawed heroine that we grew to love... she and Hunter had us rooting for them...
Being a total sucker for covers, this one blew me away... so bright, shiny and beeaauuuttiiful!

Kudos Ms Morrey ! Looking forward!

After reading the description what can I say a story about travel, love and Christmas all rolled into one sounded pretty perfect to me. When we are introduced to Mia she has designs on becoming a travel writer even though she currently writes the Hatches, Matches and Despatches section for the newspaper she works at. However she now has the perfect opportunity to take that next step. To do this she will be writing a travel article with a romantic edge following Olivia and Sandy who are due to marry. All seems great until a big complication called Hunter arrives, the problem is Mia and Hunter were once engaged. One word, awkward!

I loved the feistiness that Mia portrays with her first few interactions with Hunter but there is also a down to earth feel to her character that made me like her even more. Hunter is strong and determined but there was a slight vulnerability to him that easily drew me to his character. I was so intrigued as to how and why Hunter and Mia broke up. There is hurt there and I couldn't help but feel for them both at times they equally said the wrong thing and managed to harm each other with their words. This is all interspersed with stunning sights as they travel to some gorgeous destinations with Olivia and Sandy. I have to mention this couple as I loved their connection they were so sweet but not in a sickly way. The four of them together were a great contrast from the loved up Olivia and Sandy to the distant Mia and Hunter.

It was easy to be immersed in Hunter and Mia's story especially as I was intrigued as to what happened to Hunter during the time since he and Mia split up. The Christmas Holiday moves at a great pace and I loved the heartwarming nature of the story. There were plenty of sigh inducing moments that were just wonderfully romantic and I was left hoping for that happy ever after. Perfect for curling up with, even better why not grab a hot chocolate and completely indulge in this gorgeous story just like I did!

With thanks to Jenny at Neverland Blog Tours, HQ Digital & Netgalley for my copy. This is honest and unbiased opinion.

The Blurb :
As winter comes to London, journalist Mia Walker is desperately hoping for her big break as a travel writer, dreaming of exotic locations and sun-soaked beaches. When she’s invited to write a romantic travel piece that ends in a huge winter wedding in London, she jumps at the chance. The only trouble is, the photographer is renowned adventure-junkie Hunter Scott, who Mia last saw five years ago when she ended their engagement.
It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, and Mia knows she’d be mad to say no – even if it does mean spending weeks travelling round the world with the one man she never wanted to see again! But as the wedding approaches, and the magic of Christmas begins to take hold, Mia can’t help looking out for mistletoe – and wishing she hadn’t cancelled her own engagement after all…

My Thoughts :
Just when I thought Maxine Morrey couldnt top her last book, boy was I wrong!.
I absolutely fell in love with this story and the amazing charactors.
Although its called The Christmas Holiday, its not overly festive and it suited well reading this in October before it got nearer to the festive season.
Maxine has a way of drawing you in to her charactors and making them feel like old friends. This was perfectly paced and near the end I had to slow down as I didnt want it to end.
I adored the main charactors Mia and Hunter and watching them reconnect throughout the story, as they were once engaged. But hadnt seen each other in many years. They are both on a working trip to photograph and write a love story for Liv and Sandy, who are due to be married at Christmas. We get to travel to India, Malaysia, America and Scotland, and we get lost in the experiences of the different cultures. I could smell the air with its spices and exotic food, and the scenery was out of this world, and I didnt even need to leave my house. This story has been well thought out and put together and even has some surprises throughout. It was especially refreshing to read the topic Maxine has given to Hunter for his personal trauma, as it fits well in todays society and is true to life that these things do happen.
I really hope we get to revist these four amazing charactors at some point in the future. Top marks for Maxine Morrey and looking forward to her next release in November.

If you are looking for the perfect book to cheer you up and sweep you off your feet in the cold winter months, look no further than Maxine Morrey’s feel-good and uplifting new novel, The Christmas Holiday!

Journalist Mia Walker has always dreamed of becoming a travel writer. Desperately hoping to break into the industry, she is forever dreaming of writing about wide open spaces, blue skies, exotic locations and sun-kissed beaches, but the big break she has yearned for has so far eluded her. But just when she is about to give up all hope, Lady Luck smiles down on her when she is invited to write a romantic travel piece that will take her halfway across the world, before returning back to London for a winter wedding extravaganza. Mia jumps at this chance, however, there is a catch: the photographer who is going to accompany her on this trip is none other than renowned adrenaline junkie and adventure mad Hunter Scott, Mia’s ex fiance!

The last time she had clapped eyes on Hunter had been five years ago when Mia had ended their engagement, so she is not exactly jumping for joy when she realises that she is going to be spending so much time with the one man she never wanted to clap eyes on ever again. However, opportunities likes this do not come around very often and Mia knows that she must swallow her pride and get on with the job. But that soon proves to be easier said than done…

Mia is determined to keep things strictly professional with Hunter, but when old feelings begin to resurface, she begins to wonder whether five years ago she had been too hasty in her decision to end their engagement. As the magic of Christmas begins to take hold, will it be second time lucky for Mia and Hunter? Or has too much water flown under the bridge for the two of them to ever have a future together?

Maxine Morrey certainly knows hot to pen an entertaining and engrossing read and I found myself totally unable to put The Christmas Holiday down! Funny, heart-warming and sprinkled with plenty of charm and warmth, The Christmas Holiday is a terrific read about second chances, putting your heart on the line and healing from the past that will deftly and effortlessly touch your heart and tickle your funny bone.

I absolutely loved Mia and thought her an absolutely wonderful heroine and Hunter is a gorgeous, charismatic and sexy hero I could not help but adore.

A terrific read from a wonderful writer, The Christmas Holiday is an outstanding tale from a rising star of the genre: Maxine Morrey!

Maxine Morrey has got to be one of my most favourite romantic comedy authors. Why? It’s quite simple really; this authors hilariously heart-warming writing style is enough to make me go weak at the knees. No joke. Having loved Morrey’s previous novel; ‘The Christmas Project’, I was beyond excited to read her latest offering; ‘The Christmas Holiday’. Of course I had high expectations, I’m not going to lie! After all, her previous novel did earn a coveted five stars…

Did ‘The Christmas Holiday’ match up to my expectations? Yes, yes and YES it did!

Have you ever split up with an ex and told yourself that the last thing you would ever want to do, is to be in the same room as them or worse still – having to work with them? -raises hand- To be honest, I’m quite sure that there will be a lot of readers answering ‘yes’ to that question. But let’s see what your answer is to this one: with the same ex in mind, have you ever come face to face with them and felt a large pang of regret for letting that person slide out of your life? Yes, yes, you can stop laughing now. It IS a fair question though! Even the main character in this story felt like laughing when her conscience decided to tell her not to dislike the man! But is that regret merely just…regret? Or is it just a mistake waiting to happen if followed through with?

Once again it didn’t take me long to lose myself in Maxine Morrey’s storyline, and the main characters life; including her rather impressive work ethic. It was pretty clear when the strapping man walked into Mia’s work, that she was going to have some sort of history with him. Thankfully the surprise element was still included in the storyline, as we weren’t told at the beginning just HOW much history both characters had. All we knew was that Mia knew Hunter Scott, and Hunter Scott knew Mia. In regards to her job, Mia knew that her boss had given her the opportunity of a lifetime and regardless of any personal history with the photographer, she wasn’t going to let the ex love of her life, ruin her chances with the job assignment. Regardless of how much Hunter Scott wasn’t going to let sleeping dogs lie. Snore.

If you ever need a book to natter about with your friends, I beg of you to buy this one and demand a coffee morning with your good pals, purely so you can chat about Hunter Scott’s peachy backside. Oh, and the storyline…of course. I absolutely adored every single word, every single page, and every single element of Maxine Morrey’s – The Christmas Holiday. Not only did my heart get warmed by the romantic themes throughout the story, I also got to experience various different cultures when the setting of the book changed destination several times. Obviously my experiences were third hand, but due to the authors vivid writing style, I felt like I was able to experience each individual destination with all of the characters involved. There aren’t many books which you can say that about, is there?

I said this last time, but I’m not afraid to say it again – Maxine Morrey has exceeded my expectations by writing such a moreish and touching novel about love, regrets, and working out how to make the right decision for the moment that you’re in. The entire novel was extremely relatable due to its realistic situations and relatable scenarios. If the novel itself didn’t contain those features, I really don’t think the storyline would have worked as well, as it could quite easily be dubbed as ‘predictable’. Personally, ‘The Christmas Holiday’ is in no way predictable. Yes it was clear that the main characters would have some sort of connection at the beginning, but aside from that any predictability became hope.

‘The Christmas Holiday’ is such a heart warming, huggable, and delectable treat which is full of everything you could ever want from a book. Hilarity, strong characters and believeable storylines; Maxine Morrey’s latest novel ticked all of my boxes, and left me feeling like I was floating on air after I had finished reading.

Maxine Morrey certainly is an author to watch…and not just to see when her next book will be coming out! Absolutely brilliant.

Thanks NeverlandBT.

This is a great book to start off some Christmas reading as it is light on Christmassy motifs and follows a pre- wedding trip around the world in the run-up to Christmas- the mince pies and twinkling stars only appear towards the end. It lives up to its billing as a rom-com with plenty of genuine humour. You feel for Mia as she is given her big break as a journalist to get into travel writing, only to find that her ex is also going along on the trip. They are there to document the holiday for the engaged couple and as the extract above indicates, he is out to get her taken off the assignment. Will the spark between them overcome their past? You have to read the book to find out!

As escapist reading The Christmas Holiday certainly fits the bill. The exotic locations which are visited are vividly evoked and the perfect backdrop for the different activities which have been planned. The relationship between Mia and her ex-fiance is captured well and their dialogue beautifully dealt with, reflecting their familiarity and self-awareness. You gradually find out more about both their backgrounds and why they parted and you find yourself rooting for them.

In short: a warm, feel-good seasonal read.

Although this is a holiday themed novel, it is not over the top about Christmas.
The main story focuses on traveling with a couple who are about to be married and the couple who are no-longer-a-couple who travel with them to document the trip. This is a eecond chance romance that reminds us love comes in all forms but is never a smooth road.
Mia and Hunter have a past. Hunter's past (post Mia) has been quite well publicized. Mia is still a struggling journalist working towards her dream while it seems Hunter is living his dream life.
When an opportunity arises for Mia to get a foot in the door to her dream promotion, she is dismayed to find Hunter is key to her success.
For the readers this is an escape and a look at a lifestyle most of us will never experience.
It also shows us that how things appear on the surface or from a distance does not tell the whole story.

Hunter and Mia broke up- but now they have to work together in what's always a pressure filled situation- travel. Liv and Sandy are on a round the world journey in advance of their wedding and Mia and Hunter have been hired to document it. What a concept! What a job! There's a lot of back and forth between Hunter and Mia (as can be expected) and you'll be able to guess what's going to happen but Morrey does a nice job with the story. Locations along the trip are not as important as the romance and that's my quibble. That said, it's a good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book!! I thought that it was a real page turner and have given the book a shiny 5 star rating!! For me this book was a real page turner - the characters were strong and worked really well together and I thought that the story was excellent, they are very likeable and so entertaining!! The attention to detail in the story was spot on, not too much so that you would be tempted to skip a page, just enough to make sure you want to read every work the author had written. I really liked the writing style and am definitely looking forward to more of the same! Loved it!! 5 stars from me!!

Mia is entrusted with the care oif the write up of the preserving holiday of her boss' daughter (along with the added benefit of the permission to wet her feet a little note with travel writing. Perfect, everything sounds perfect--that is until she discovers that the photographer tasked for the trip is Hunter. Hunter her ex-fiance, Hunter.

After the initial shock Mia digs her heels in and decides she will be professional. That plkan lasts for only so long when she begins to questions each oif Hunter's motives and tries to prove herself.

Slowly, the two begin to rekindle a semblance of a relationship, but with all their unresolved past hurts and current secrets--is there hope for their future together?

It took me a while to get into this book. I didn't appreciate the main characters, Mia especially. She seemed to be argumentative at the drop of what for the smallest thing. She seemed oblivious. As the book progressed my opinion changed slightly...but I still wasn't as impressed with this book as I though I would be.

This is a delightful second chance journey to love where readers are treated to join Liv and Sandy on their pre-wedding holiday around the world for a couple of months accompanied by their friend, photographer Hunter Scott, and a journalist - and Hunter’s ex - Mia Walker. Mia  is working on the weddings section of the newspaper, hoping she’ll get considered for a job as a travel journalist soon. When her boss offers her the opportunity to spend two months travelling the world with his daughter and her husband-to-be, chronicling events for them and writing articles on places they visit, Mia jumps at the chance. That’s when she discovers the photographer accompanying them will be Hunter. It is almost five years ago since their engagement ended and Hunter has made a name for himself and can choose which jobs to take on and he also makes it very clear he’d rather a different journalist joined the journey! After such an inauspicious start, will there be any chance of rekindling their romance or is it now almost five years too late?

This is a lighthearted, fun read with a slow rekindling of romance after much reticence, angst and turmoil. There are secrets to be revealed, the past to be revisited and some fantastic locations around the world to be explored - as well as the romance. It is a well paced second chance romance, a very enjoyable page turner to get you ready for more festive reads to come! Most of the events in the story are pre-Christmas and it has certainly ensured I’ll be looking out for more from this author’s soon to be released second Christmas book for this year (The Best Little Christmas Shop - due to be published on November 3rd, 2017)!

Oh my, The Christmas Holiday is so heart warming and beautiful. Its a fantastic romantic comedy.
The characters are really easy to love and you feel like you have known them years. I had a huge smile on my face when Mia is given the opportunity of her dreams as a travel writer, she is delighted but she learns that the photographer accompanying her on the trip is her ex fiance Hunter. It is really clear that there still is a spark between them and they have plenty of chemistry together, so it is really interesting to see what happens between them if something does happen.
I absolutely loved the holiday itself and hearing of all the places that they visit and the activities that they take part in. Its such an amazing opportunity that they have been given and it made me so jealous.
The perfect book to curl up with at night.
Last year I started reading Maxine's previous books and I really enjoyed them. I love her style of writing, it is exciting and you really feel part of the stories. The christmas holiday was every bit like I imagined it to be and I am so excited for future releases by Maxine Morrey.

Eager to prove herself as a journalist Mia jumps at the chance to document her boss' daughter's romantic pre-wedding itinerary which involves adventures to India, America and then back to London for the festive finale. What an experience! However, no sooner as she's agreed the accompanying photographer turns out to be Hunter Scott, a man with an intimidating reputation and Mia's ex. With so many cultural delights and adventures this book transports you to dream locations from the comfort of your sofa and unveils secrets, regrets and plenty of chemistry.
I really do love Maxine's writing, it has a beautiful way of telling the story, full of emotion. This book is pure escapism; enjoyable and captured you by the heartstrings as you unravel the mysteries and backgrounds of Hunter and Mia.

The Christmas Holiday is the first novel I’ve read by Maxine Morrey, and I’ve been missing out! Fabulously luxurious, sparkling rom-com with possibly the funniest scene I have ever come across, and never will I see or read about kayaking again without giggling!

This is a well-written and tremendously enjoyable novel. If you like travel in your books, then you’re in for a bumper treat in this one as the well-drawn and lively characters travel to a good few destinations and the writing is very descriptive. There are plenty of ups and downs both personally and relationship wise and with a gorgeous Christmas wedding to look forward to we are guaranteed of at least one happy outcome. But two? Well, that may just be a step too far.

This is a perfect book for the festive season, both to read and to give and I recommend it – happily!

I received an arc in exchange for my honest, original and unbiased review.

Want to travel around the world for two months in the run up to a Christmas Wedding? Want to take your own top notch photographer and journalist with you, to document the trip? Or better still do you want to be a fly on the wall of this trip, from the comfort of your own home, travelling virtually on this trip with Liv, Sandy, Mia and Hunter? Well thats exactly what will happen when you read the Christmas Holiday.

It is an enjoyable story of travel, romance, new experiences, and two exes that perhaps shouldn't be working together. It is clear no matter what Hunter and Mia say that there is still a spark of something between then, but its also clear that 5 years can make a difference to a person.

I absolutely loved all the travel elements, especially taking in India and Malaysia. In all the places visited they four have some fantastic experiences, from kayaking alongside manatees, to the Taj Mahal to some beautiful snowy scenes, not to mention the rains in Malaysia.

Its a mix of fun, plus also just what is Hunter keeping hidden from Mia? I loved Olivia and Sandy, especially how kind and down to earth they seem despite being ridiculously rich. They are simply wonderful people and I enjoyed reading about them.

I'd say this book has more of a focus on the holiday than Christmas, which is fine as its still early in the year to be reading heavy Christmas books, and I enjoy holidays. The writing is engaging and I was swept away by parts of the story, and didn't want to stop reading it at any point.

This is a light and fun book to read, and its already whetted my appetite for Maxine Morrey's second Christmas book for the year.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

When Mia Walker is called in and offered what is basically a travel writer’s dream job of taking part in an around the world trip to document a couple that will wed at the end of the trip she is more than excited. What Mia didn’t count on though was the photographer that has been hired to accompany the group on the trip is none other than her ex-fiancee Hunter Scott. Mia hasn’t seen Hunter for five years since the end of their engagement but still plans to make the most of the incredible opportunity.

When Hunter finds that Mia has been requested for the trip he does everything he can to convince the couple to use someone else for the job but they are set on Mia. If Mia wasn’t already worried about spending time with Hunter his resistance certainly didn’t help matters but for the next two months they will have to learn to work together and make the most of the opportunity.

The Christmas Holiday by Maxine Morrey was one that while I thought I would absolutely love this contemporary romance it was another of those books that I went back and forth on while reading the story. My dilemma started with the relationship itself between Mia and Hunter, there shared history is something that I love to have added into a story to not make a romance feel rushed or insta-lovey plus they had a couple months coming up to give plenty of time together. But on the flip side of that the angst between them started off cutesy and even funny but in my opinion their clashing lasted a bit too long in the book and would have preferred getting to the make up a bit sooner.

Also, another debated on thing in here was the use of the trip around the world as the setting for the story. This immediately appealed to me as I love the idea of traveling to just about anywhere and don’t get the opportunity to do so very often so virtually traveling along with the characters is always at the top of my list of fun reads. However again there was a downside to this as I wish the author had incorporated more of the locations into the story perhaps replacing a bit of the back and forth to balance things out.

But with both issues it is all a matter of personal taste and I would certainly read something by Maxine Morrey again as the writing style was fine and I did enjoy the story to some degree. In the end I decided to give this one 3.5 stars overall and would still recommend checking it out if you think it sounds like one you’d enjoy.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I've been longing to read another novel from Maxine Morry for what seems like forever after I loved her debut novel, Winter's Fairytale.
Due to circumstances last year not allowing me to read as much I didn't get around to reading The Christmas Project although it is high on my list of books to catch up with this year. So imagine my delight when it was announced that Maxine is publishing two festive stories this year - you'll have to wait a little while longer for The Best Little Christmas Shop as today's review is all about The Christmas Holiday - but just click on any of the titles I've just mentioned and you can grab a copy for yourself!

Have you ever read a novel and thought 'Yes - this book just gets me'?

A book that you really want to read but at the same time your consciously trying to slow down your reading speed as you are aware it's nearing the end?
A book where your mind is constantly on the characters and what they will do next?

The Christmas Holiday was that book for me, and although it is a festive read, its not overloaded with Santa's and stockings, mulled wine or mince pies, but rather filled with luxurious hotels and private jets.

Mia Walker has just been offered by her boss Jeremy what could be the break her journalism career needs - travelling the world with his Daughter Olivia and her soon to be husband Sandeep - and documenting the build up to their Christmas wedding. Olivia has requested Mia on the trip as she adores Mia's writing style and has been following her write ups of weddings for ages. With a dream of being a travel writer this gives Mia hope of moving forward.

That is until she is introduced to the photographer for the holiday, Hunter Scott.
Ahh Hunter... if you don't fall for Hunter in this book then I'm disappointed in you, Ha!!

Anyway... Hunter and Mia have history, in fact they were previously engaged up until Mia broke it off and they've not seen each other since. Hunter makes no exceptions in stating his feelings that he would rather someone else be on the trip but Mia is set to prove him wrong.

From the moment the pair are re-connected, I knew I would love this book. It is clear that Maxine spent a lot of time getting their dialogue just right and for me, the balance of quick jibes at each other here or there along with sincere and caring moments mixed with tension and heat made it pretty perfect.

As Mia and Hunter travel and document Liv and Sandy's lives, they seem to be pulled closer together but with Mia still thinking that the reasons she gave for breaking them up to be true, and Hunter having secrets of his own, we are left wondering if they should just clear the air and be friends.

Liv and Sandy are utterly in love and I think if they were the main characters it could probably be a little too much but as they weren't it worked well and we see a different side to Hunter when in their company to what with do with just him and Mia.
Mia and Olivia on the other hand grow close and it was nice to read of a friendship forming as well as romance.

I think what I loved about this book what the fact that Mia and Hunter weren't a couple falling in love, they already were in love but for what ever reasons lost their way and it was refreshing to read of a couple in this situation.

The Christmas Holiday was full of moments where I chuckled out loud - rain storm, dress, thong... I say no more!
It also had moments where I felt myself welling up and wanting to give the characters a hug through the book. The locations on The Christmas Holiday were stunning and the book had the right balance of detail in each location as well as moving the story forward without getting a bit stale mate.

Overall, The Christmas Holiday is a wonderful book that I didn't want to leave - full of romance and emotion, its the perfect love story to curl up with!

Do you believe in second chances???
Oh my!  What a sweet read this was.  It really did pull at my heart-strings, making me cry at times.  This is the first book by Maxine Morrey that I have read and I can honestly say it did not disappoint me.

In this story Mia Walker is a London journalist writing the wedding section of a magazine, gets called into her boss's office to write a piece or his daughter's upcoming wedding.  If she does this piece she could become the next travel section author, a dream job she has been waiting for.  The only catch is the photographer they picked is none other than Hunter Scott, National Geographic's own and her ex-fiance'. 

Hunter is less than thrilled to be working with Mia and tries to get her thrown off the assignment to no avail.  Mia just hangs in there, proving that she can do the job at any costs.  The tensions run high and many arguments fly between the two, causing it to become difficult to handle.  Can Mia hang in there and complete the task?  Or will she give up her dream job to get away from Hunter and his anger?

This book was such and emotional read for me.  I cried several times.  The story between Mia and Hunter is so intense.  The feelings they have bottled up come out so forcefully and all at once things come crashing down between them.  It is a situation of people saying things in the heat of the moment and sometimes instantly wishing they could take it back, just to take away the hurt you see in the other person's eye.  Hunter really puts that hurt in Mia's eyes a lot during the story.  

Mia is such a stubborn individual.  She hasn't exactly had an easy life and that has caused her to be one that looks out for herself.  She really has a heart of gold and cares deeply for those around her.  She really does try hard, but she has a hard time letting people do for her.

Hunter is scarred in many ways.  He has been through and seen some things that have hurt him.  He is so angry and against love.  He has never truly healed from the pain Mia has caused him all those years ago.  He never really let go of that anger and he really let that influence his actions against Mia.

The other characters in the book Liv and Sandeeg are so sweet and adorable.  You can feel their love for one another in the way the author describes them and the things they do for one another.  They are also very sweet and caring individuals and you can not help but fall in love instantly with them.  

If you are looking for a sweet romantic read that reaches your heart.  Then this is the book for you.  You will be hooked from the beginning and feel as if you are in the story feeling all they feel.  A Hallmark movie in the making.  This is a cozy romantic read.  Perfect for curling up in your favorite chair, with a glass of wine.  I highly recommend, not only this book but the author as well.  I guarantee you won't regret it.