REVIEW: Husband for the Holidays by Dani Collins

In Husband for the Holidays by Dani Collins, things are looking grim for Eloise Martin. She’s been cut off from all her funds but is determined to make it work in New York City on her own. Which is why she’s dressed as one of Santa’s elves when she runs into Konstantin, her late brother’s best friend and the man she has been in love with since childhood.

Konstantin, for his part, cannot process what he’s seeing. The last he left Eloise, she was living a comfortable – albeit, grief stricken – life back in Greece with her mother. A brief encounter between the two after her beloved brother’s funeral had caused him to run and not look back, a move he told himself was for her protection. But now he’s forced to face the fact that rather than protect her like he promised his best friend, he has left her to the wolves.

What other option is there than a fake engagement over the holidays?

This was a solid Harlequin Presents. The characters were on page together almost the entire time up to the third act breakup and had some fantastic banter back and forth. They also had strong internal conflicts keeping them emotionally apart. Although it takes place during the holidays, they’re more light touch. If Christmas books aren’t typically your thing you should still be fine with this. This book also had more spice than these typically do which was very welcome!

Konstantin was a prime example of a Presents alpha and had a wonderful, clear arc through the book. All of his feelings are behind a giant concrete wall that our heroine manages to demolish. I really enjoyed watching him fall hard for Eloise. He has a very traumatic past and sensitive readers are advised to check their content warnings. But this past really made his cold, nearly impossible to penetrate demeanor work perfectly. He is afraid to love anything and anyone… until he does, despite himself.

Eloise is the perfect warm sunshine to Konstantin’s chill. She is the ideal foil to him with her perpetual optimism and emotions that she is unafraid to show. What’s more, she’s very funny and drops a number of quips that made me chuckle out loud. I’m still not entirely sure I can put my finger on what her character arc was the same way I can with Konstantin, however. Regardless, she was a unique character and a good modern twist on the classic Presents heroine. She was still frustratingly at the mercy of the men around her, but she at least fought hard against it.

My one issue with this book was that the locations they went to didn’t get a lot of page time. We know they’re in Greece, but they spend the majority of time at someone’s home or inside a store shopping. I understand that this took place in winter but escapism is such a major part of why I read Presents and that element just didn’t feel there. I needed some more descriptions of the landscape and/or some of the ancient ruins around them.

If brother’s best friend, fake engagement bordering on marriage of convenience, spunky heroines, and alphas’ emotional walls getting smashed to smithereens are your winter cup of tea then you are going to love this book.

Book Info:

Publication: October 22, 2024 | Harlequin Presents |

A fake engagement, brother’s best friend, forbidden, Christmas romance by USA TODAY bestselling author Dani Collins. A billionaire for Christmas…or for life? To Konstantin Galanis, heiress Eloise Martin was always strictly off-limits. Too young, too innocent—and his late best friend’s sister. Then he spots her in snowy Manhattan dressed as a Christmas elf, and discovers she’s chosen destitution over a loveless marriage. The steely tycoon feels duty-bound to offer her protection with his own festive proposal… The kiss Konstantin turned down years ago still haunts Eloise. Accepting his convenient ring is an act of desperation, and every minute in his presence inflames her hopeless desire. Has Konstantin saved her from the cold…yet condemned her to burn?