All's Fair in Love and Christmas - by Sarah Monzon

Mackenzie has just found out she is pitted against her secret crush, Jeremy, for a promotion at work. It is Christmastime, and their boss loves the season, and promotes people who have the most holiday spirit. As the two of them try to outdo the other with creative office decorations, and seasonal activities, they begin to look at each other in new ways. They also make surprising discoveries about each other. Jeremy has taken on the role of parenting his niece and nephew after their mother, his sister, passed away. Mackenzie strains to pay for her mother's expensive Alzheimer's treatment in a nice care facility. She also struggles with social anxiety that causes her to have a cripplingly fear of interacting with others. It was fun to have this tale take place at Christmastime. I really liked the part when they explored the different ways people celebrate around the world, including the special holiday foods. I had trouble warming up to Mackenzie, but she grew on me when she started trying to find a way out of her problems. The character's faith added a great dimension to the story. Fans of romantic comedies, or the problems of modern life, will enjoy this five-star book. Thank you, Bethany House, for providing Tickmenot with a book to review. Opinions are my own.

All's Fair in Love and Christmas is a cute office rom-com you should add if you like sweet Contemporary Christian fiction with a little humor thrown in. Mackenzie Graham’s secret crush becomes her rival when her boss announces that she and Jeremy Fletcher are contenders for this year’s job promotion. Will work ethic or talent guarantee the new position and a raise? Nope—whoever has the most Christmas spirit wins! I like the character arcs of both Mackenzie, who deals with social anxiety, and Jeremy, who meticulously plans out his life. They both have legitimate reasons for wanting the promotion, and it was fun to see all the ways in which they showed Christmas spirit. And, of course, how forced proximity affected their relationship. This story has me recalling my favorite Christmas memories from childhood, learning about Christmas traditions from all over the world, and longing to make a new cookie recipe mentioned in the book — Pryaniki. This is my first time to read a Christmas book before the holiday season even begins, but it sure has me anticipating ALL THE THINGS! I received a complimentary paperback copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Omg! What a sweet and heartwarming Christmas Novel! One of the best ones I’ve read! I totally loved it! Two workplace rivals. One festive competition. And a Romance that upends it all. Graphic Designer Mackenzie Graham can’t believe the turn her life has given. After harboring a secret crush for her work colleague, Jeremy Fletcher, for almost two years, she is set up by her genuine boss to compete against him for a Christmas job promotion. A typical endeavor every year, everyone in the office knows that whoever brings the more festive Christmas spirit to the office will ultimately win the promotion. But Mackenzie battles with social anxiety and Jeremy hasn’t noticed the pretty shy coworker until they are made rivals for the so much needed promotion. Mackenzie needs it to provide for her ailing mother and Jeremy is the single guardian to his twin niece and nephew, so the income is very enticing. Will they become enemies in battle, or will love and the Christmas Spirit bring them together in ways none thought ever possible? Sigh! It’s not very common that I completely relate to a character. I do, in some way or another, but not so completely as I did with Mackenzie. I struggle with social anxiety too, and even if maybe not as bad as Mackenzie, I totally felt related to her and rooted for her and her Happily-Ever-After since page one! I completely understood her feelings of not being good enough. I totally loved the way her quirky mind worked and now she made imaginary scenarios of what she would say to herself or others if she could only get out of her shell. The character growth was awesome, not only for Mackenzie, but also for Jeremy who had no time for a love life, as working and providing for his nephews consumed all of time. As he gets to know Mackenzie, he begins to wonder how he hadn’t discovered this wonderful gem before? I loved Mackenzie’s big heart while trying to make this Christmas memorable for each of her coworkers. And I liked how she had to grow out of her comfort zone many times, not only for her sake, but to help her best friend. Her friendship with Keri was so beautiful, they had each other’s back all the time. Mackenzie’s relationship with her mom made me relate to so many friends and loved ones that have gone through that difficult stage of relatives having Alzheimer or dementia. It was so relatable and human. And Jeremy’s love for his nephews was adorable. Trying to be a father weighted on his responsibility sense, but he did his best, and I loved him for it. The romance between the two was swoon-worthy and so endearing. Clean and very cute, the way I love it. And the plot had a good pace and enough twists, I didn’t want to put the book down, and actually read it all in a couple of sittings. There’s also the fun moments that made me laugh out loud. I don’t want to spoil the book so I’ll leave it at that. But, as you can surely gather, I highly recommend this book! Not only it is entertaining and utterly enjoyable, but it is very inspiring in its message of love, forgiveness, sacrifice, self-acceptance, friendship and loyalty. I completely loved it! I received a complimentary copy from the Publisher but wasn’t required a positive review. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

"But instead of a Hallmark Channel marathon of festive magic, Sofiya is taking something good and joyous and making it into her own production of Christmas Wars: Office Edition." Mackenzie and Jeremy do put on an excellent production of Christmas Wars: Office Edition. But instead of a cutthroat competition for promotion and raise, this rivalry becomes something incredibly sweet that helps the entire office remember wonderful family traditions and count the joys in their lives. The characters are delightful, the plot is fun, the faith thread and struggle are real, and the romance is swoony. The author does address some heavy topics like anxiety and dementia care with sensitivity, tenderness, and expertise. Throw in some really funny laugh-out-loud scenes and some totally heart-warming scenes and you have a perfect Christmas novel to cozy up with. Mackenzie's first person voice was creative and compassionate and my heart ached for her as she battled social anxiety. How her one-sided infatuation became something more was so gratifying (one of my favorite tropes). Jeremy's driven and determined third person voice was easy to empathize with but I loved his kind, considerate, and thoughtful side that peeked out from under all that planning and need for control. I also loved the supporting characters in Mackenzie and Jeremy's friends and colleagues circle who made the story extra special. I received a complimentary copy courtesy of author and Bethany House Publishers and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.