The Mistletoe Trap

4.5 Stars for The Mistletoe Trap ( Heart in the Game #2) If you love Christmas and friends to lovers romance this book should definitely be on you TBR list. Julie and Gavin grew up together and their families have always pushed for them to get together but neither of them have been prepared to risk the friendship by crossing the line from friends to lovers. They have the type of friendship that’s so important, they always pick up where they left off even when they haven’t seen each other for months due to Gavin living in a different time zone playing on a NFL team in Texas. Julie loves her job as a pathologist in Arizona and on the face of it these two are very different but you know what they say about opposites attract..... I really enjoyed this entertaining read, it was great watching this couple go from best friends to lovers when they realise the friendship they share is stronger with the love they both feel. This book ticked my boxes, l loved all the characters in this book, I swooned and I sighed, I laughed and I held my breath a lot during this read and I highly recommend this book to all romance lovers because it’s a fun, entertaining story that will quickly put you in the mood for the upcoming holiday season. I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley.

THE MISTLETOE TRAP is the second full-length instalment in Cindi Madsen’s contemporary, adult HEART IN THE GAME romance series focusing on the players and management of the NFL’s San Antonio Mustangs. This is injured quarterback Gavin Frost, and pathologist Julie O’Neill’s story line. THE MISTLETOE TRAP can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary. Told from dual third person perspectives (Julie and Gavin) THE MISTLETOE TRAP follows the best friends to lovers relationship between quarterback Gavin Frost, and pathologist Julie O’Neill. Best friends since they were toddlers, Julie and Gavin never once crossed the proverbial line of friendship but with the approach of the Christmas holidays all bets are off when their meddling families push our couple together at every opportunity. From costumed elves to an evening of sexy cookie decorating, Gavin and Julie find themselves swirling in the aura of palpable sexual tension but when the parents try and set up Julie with the someone else, Gavin volunteers to teach Julie in the art of seduction, and stop her from blurting out about her most recent pathological examinations. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Gavin and Julie, and the potential fall-out as Gavin struggles between head and heart, and a life without the game that he loves. The relationship between Julie and Gavin is a best friends to lovers that struggles in the face of denial. Julie refuses to acknowledge there is something than friendship more between our couple as Gavin struggles to keep control of his desire for the woman that calls to his heart. As the parents continue to push the couple together, Julie and Gavin are either oblivious or reluctant to act on their attraction. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. The sexual chemistry is palpable and spirited. There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and fun secondary and supporting characters including ormer quarterback Lance Quaid and his fiancé Charlotte James (The Wedding Deal #1), as well as several team members including Jason Holt, and Coach Bryant; both Gavin and Julie’s meddling parents, and Gavin’s sister Niki ; family friend Kory Cohen; and a cameo appearance by Gavin’s ex girlfriend Kristen. THE MISTLETOE TRAP is a reverse take on Disney’s™ The Parent Trap with all of the hijinks and matchmaking schemes to push our couple together. An inter-racial love story wherein Gavin struggles with the potential fall-out of a long distance relationship, and Julie battles the heart break of losing her best friend. The premise is entertaining, engaging and inviting; the characters are fun and flirty; the romance is seductive and captivating.

I read nearly 100 books every year, yet I seldom run into the situation I had with this book. Within the first five pages, I knew that I would have at least one sleepless night, because I wasn’t putting the book down until I finished it! Cindi Madsen’s “The Mistletoe Trap” is about a nerdy woman named Julie. It’s easy to fall in love with Julie’s bubbly personality and quirks. Although some might consider her “the girl next door,” Madsen throws a wrench into that notion. Julie’s conversations are often sprinkled with odd trivial facts about the human body. Which might sound a bit risqué, since this is a romance. But we're not talking "those" parts of the body. No, she likes to share facts about engorged kidneys, the size of a human’s intestines, and other delightful tidbits we never wanted to know. She’s not obsessed in a fetish way. She just loves her job as a pathologist, and tends to share stories of her work, much to the slight disgust of her friends, who do not share her interest in obscure body parts and their functions. The story is also about Gavin, Julie’s best friend since childhood. Julie and Gavin have grown up together since their parents are best friends. Much to their embarrassment, each family has a photo of Julie and Gavin playing together on the beach in their diapers. It is proudly and prominently displayed in each family’s home, ensuring friends, families and visitors can see it and say “ahh, how cute!” Gavin is no longer the toddler in the photo who stole Julie’s sand shovel. Instead, he’s turned into the dream guy – tall, muscular, handsome, charming, and funny. He even has a well-paying job as the recently recruited quarterback for the San Antonio Mustangs NFL football team. With him living in Texas and Julie in Arizona, they don’t see each other often, but still maintain their strong friendship through very frequent texts and phone calls. Their mothers have always dreamed they would become a couple, but Julie and Gavin have vowed that they would never ruin their friendship with a romance. Nonetheless, their mothers continue to look for events and activities to bring them together. Since this book takes place at Christmas, both of them are home for the holidays. The mothers take advantage of that, plotting a way to make Gavin realize he cares more about Julie than he realizes (by sending her on a date with another man), and scheming to bring them together by dressing up as elves and handing out gifts. Some of the ensuring scenarios are hilarious. Of course, this is a romance, so their attraction grows beyond friendship. Each person slowly realizes that their best friend fills a hole that can’t be filled by another person. Yet fear of losing their friendship prevents them from succumbing to temptation. Or does it? I guess you’ll have to read the book to find out! I definitely recommend “The Mistletoe Trap” if you’re looking for a holiday romance that has you cheering on the hero and heroine, hoping they will finally get together. This is one of those stories that makes you feel good, although a bit sad when you reach the last page!