Christmas With My Ex

by Blakely Stone

Trapped by a blizzard days before Christmas—with my ex and a secret that could bury us both.

Five years ago, I walked away from Rives, convinced we were better apart. Now, we’re stranded in a tiny Winter Wonderland, and there’s no walking away this time.

She’s still the same firecracker—wild, unpredictable, and impossible to ignore. And as much as I try to keep my distance, the storm outside is nothing compared to the one brewing between us.

I’m not the man I was, and she’s not the woman I left behind. Being stuck together in a cozy lodge over Christmas is stirring up more than old memories.

She’s hiding something, and when the truth about a child I never knew about comes out, it’s going to change everything.

Secrets lie far beneath the snow could tear our worlds apart.
Can we survive this storm without destroying each other for good?

Genres: Christmas

202 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2024

About the author

Also know as B.B. Stone

Reviews

[Paula (in & out)]

People who don't know what romance is, should not be writing fictional romance.

👇🔺SPOILERS BELOW 🔻👇

MCs met 5 yrs prior and were in a 9 month relationship. He is an ER doctor and she is a therapist or something. He had just gotten divorced and was co-parenting his 9 or 18 month old son with his ex whom we never get any info on other than that he doesn't like her current BF or hubby. FMC was outgoing, fun and adventurous -- and he was not.

If you ask me what it was that these two had in common or liked about the other, much less loved, I couldn't come up with anything. There is zilch chemistry and nothing likable about either one. They are both indifferent to one another that had one of them walked away again, I don't think they would care. That's love? That's romance? This is what I'm investing my time to read?

We are told that the MMC spent all his time devoted to his career and son in the past and had no time for FMC. This developed into a lot of discord and fighting, especially when on Thanksgiving or Christmas he spent it with with his ex & his son and didn't bother to invite her. She felt like an afterthought but she too acted like a selfish prick who didn't understand that he came with baggage & responsibilities and couldn't drop everything for her. They had a blow out fight about it which we are not privy to and he just walks out without a word and forgets about her. Yep. He states he never gave her another thought in the 5 years they were separated. Lovely, eh?

So after he walks away, she find out she is pregnant and tries to call him multiple times but he just ignores her. Her Mother dies soon after and she is so sad that she decides to give up her son as soon as he is born for adoption. Did she have post mortem depression you say? Nope. She just didn't care squat about her baby or being a Mother. She is portrayed as being younger than MMC but she was in her 20's and that is no excuse. We never get any POVs from her that she regrets her decision or thinks of the kid other than how if she tells MMC the truth that he will be very upset. 🙄

So in the present, she is on vacation skiing on a mountain and falls and hurts her foot or ankle. MMC is on the same ski slope with a ski instructor and they see FMC hurt and he recognizes her but doesn't lift a hand to help her or to let her know who he is. His POV was disgusting. He kept saying how much they hate one another and so he was not going to lift a hand to help her or show her his face as he wanted to avoid her. He was whining how his ski lesson was derailed because of her & her accident. In other words, he was acting like a selfish little whiny ass bitch.

Then a day later, they are both in a bar and he suddenly decides to go talk to her instead of hiding or walking away. He doesn't tell her that he was in the mountains with the instructor when she got hurt. So they start hanging out and have tons of sex while FMC hides the truth of the baby. No discussions about what separated them in the past except for one line on the last page where he says he will include her more often and make time for her and she will be more understanding.😕

And when the baby secret comes out, he is all understanding because at that time he couldn't handle co-parenting another baby with a different Mother. So I guess he never considered marrying her if she had told him she was pregnant with his kid? 🙄 She says that she was so sad over her Mother's death that she couldn't take care of a baby. Uhm...what? Why? If she was so depressed about her Mother's death, why wasn't she equally depressed to get rid of her kid? Why even in the present she is still sad and thinking of her Mother but not her kid? Please! At least give us a true explanation like she is not Mother material and didn't want kids. That I can buy into.

Then we are told that the baby she gave up for adoption was adopted unknowingly by his sister and her husband and that both of his sons act more like brothers than cousins. Neither one of them ever thought to look at the kid and question why he looks like both of them. Especially FMC who didn't have a maternal bone in her body - and that is after supposedly we learn that the kid looks & acts like her. Lol.

Safety:

Don't know 'cause there is no mention of either one of them. At times it felt like MMC may not be over his ex, but again, we never get any mentions of his past with ex and what separated them.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good

The picture to this book is very misleading. While the book was good and had a somewhat good story line and kept my interest . I like my romance novels hot and heavy with story line . this book is not that .
I also feel like the book started in the middle , even if she would have started with a one page flash back I would have been more interested .
Nicholas and Rives were in love 4 years ago . they dated for a very short period of time , like 9 months . he was learning how to be a new dad and leading to co parent with an ex and he had no time or patients for Rives. Rives was single free and thought she was fitting in but didnt understand the dynamics that were going on and she felt he wasn't giving her her time .
Years later they meet at at a skiing resort completely by accident and she gets hurt on a run and he helps her down the hill with another man but he has on a mask and she doesn't know him . so of course he doesn't tell her its him . and you bet your butt it comes back to bite him in the butt .
I don't like when reviews give away major plot lines , so I'm not going to do that .
What I will say is she tried to call him numerous times after he let her walk away and left him messages but he never answered he just deleted them and went on with his life .
N my opinion he was not a very mature adult even if he was trying to learn to be a father and becoming a doctor .
This book has major twists and turns and if you like sweet mellow emotional HEA reunions with huge surprises this book is for you.
Like I said I did enjoy it somewhat but I'm more the hot and heavy with the sweet

[Heather Dudley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas with My Ex is a forced proximity second chance holiday romance which is quite suspenseful and a page turner. While reading this book I came to love the plot, characters and the final outcome between the main characters. Christmas with My Ex is well-written, beautifully balanced and amazingly executed by author Blakely Stone. Blakely Stone continues to create remarkable romance stories that captivate the reader’s attention from start to finish. I loved getting to know the characters as well as seeing their story unfold before my eyes. I would encourage other readers to checkout Christmas with My Ex and give it a read. I’m looking forward to seeing what else this author will write about for her next book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Merry Jelks-Emmanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This heartfelt story had my emotions all over the place as I connected with Jackson and Rives. They were once in a relationship that ended badly but he had no idea that he left Rives with a parting gift. They reconnect when she has an accident, and he is part of the party that brings her down the slope to safety and it restarts their relationship. Will they get their chance for a happily ever after the e=second time around.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[L KQ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas Do-Over

When Rives and Nicholas broke up 5 years ago, they never thought they would see each other again. An unexpected encounter and snowstorm reunites them to get closure. This story was emotional, sweet, and a bit heartbreaking. The added Christmas vibe was a nice touch to blend into the plot for a lighthearted feel. It was an enjoyable story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Reader_for_LifeTLG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love rekindled - Nicholas and Rives (pronounced like leaves) see each other in the unlikeliest of places - in vacation in a remote town on the other side of the country. Serendipity if there ever was such. A rocky restart of course but they quickly indulge their passion for each other. But nothing related to their breakup has changed and she's holding a huge secret that could tear them apart again. A great second chance romance with such a sweet ending I almost cried. The AI narrator actually made me think it was a person initially, with inflection placed at pertinent places. However, that quickly went away, especially when the FMC's named continued to be mispronounced.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The relationship between Rives and Nicholas has some sadness when they Nicholas walks away from Rives. Then they are stuck together in a blizzard and things are about to become HOT and even a lot more complicated when secrets start to be revealed. Don't let this romance book slip past you. You will want to be reading it because it has a really beautiful ending.

[Terra Oenning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wowsa this book is absolutely fantastic and will definitely have you hooked from the beginning until the end and also needing tissues plus it's just in time for Christmas. It's compelling and captivating and tantalizing and heartbreaking and so much more. You will l8ve Rives and Nicolas!!!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an entertaining force proximity second chance, romance book that holds your attention from beginning to end. The storyline is intriguing as the elements unfold. The characters are well written with steamy chemistry together. I enjoyed this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Narelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rives (rhymes with leaves) and Nicholas find themselves stuck at the same place over Christmas. Ex's with some history between them, a steamy second chance appears for them in this forced proximity, vacation romance.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rives is looking forward to her Christmas holiday getaway filled with snow, skiing, and bestie time. But with her best friend delayed due to the heavy snow fall, and now an injured knee that she needs to stay off, her much anticipated vacation is looking to be a dud. And then she runs into her ex, Nicholas, the one that broke her heart because they were looking for different things in life

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the beginning of the book with the story of Reives and Nick. Towards the end I felt like it was getting predictable. I liked how it ended on a cliffhanger and finished the cliffhanger in the epilogue.

[Hope · Rating 1 out of 5]

don't be like me and get fooled by the hot guy on the cover. book's a steaming pile of 💩