A Little Holiday Fling
Author: Farah Heron
Reviewer: Jen
Rating: B+
What I’m Talking About:
Ruby and Rashid have a Hallmark-moment meet-cute when Ruby attempts to lug a Christmas tree by herself and ends up running into Rashid. Of course, he offers to help her, but despite an attraction, they are grumpy and sunshine. A few days later, she meets Rashid again because he is the brother of a friend. Even though he infuriates her, Ruby wants to impress Rashid because his family is well-connected in the hotel industry in the UK, and it’s Ruby’s dream to move there and open her own inn.
When she was 20, Ruby lost her mom to breast cancer. Estranged from her father, Ruby drifted from city to city, never finding a place to settle down. A few years ago, she received a trust that her mom left to Ruby, so now she’s decided it’s time to pursue the dream she and her mom shared to open an inn in the UK. At first I was not a fan of Ruby. She was using friendships and connections to get what she wants, and she didn’t seem to think or care about the other people. It was an unattractive obsession.
The story is shared solely from Ruby’s POV, so we only get her impressions of what other people think of her. She’s constantly analyzing interactions and isn’t seeing the truths of what others really think of her – they like her and value her friendship. Ruby’s verbal vomit and overanalyzing seemed like an annoyance at first, but as I got to know her, I recognized that I share some similar traits… she has a lot of anxiety and it manifests in overthinking, which I do all the time. She worries what a small gesture or silence may mean. It’s very open and real.
As Ruby gets to know Rashid, she realizes her insensitive nature and wants to be true friends. And suddenly I liked Ruby. She realizes that she has genuine friends and people who like her quirkiness and passion, and that Rashid and Jasmine are quickly becoming part of that small group. I love how with Rashid, she learns to live in the moment and go outside her comfort zone because she likes Rashid and likes making him happy. She trusts him and can relax.
A Little Holiday Fling is another great story from Heron. I love how real her characters are, even if I don’t love them at first. There is so much genuine emotion. I love that Ruby doesn’t doubt herself or want to change. She knows who she is and is happy chasing her dreams. I love that she finds a family and love.
My Rating: B+
Note: A Little Holiday Fling is the fourth standalone story in an unnamed series featuring a group of friends living in the Toronto area. Ruby is the cousin of the main character from last year’s Just Playing House. You can jump in and read any of the books without prior knowledge of the previous books.
Jen
About the Book:
There are two things that Ruby Dhanji loves with her whole entire Christmas and anything to do with the UK. For Ruby the holiday season means joy, generosity, and warm memories with her late mother. And now she’s on the verge of realizing the dream she and her mom always moving to England and opening a cozy inn. The only problem, Ruby needs some hotel experience first.
Rashid just doesn’t get all the holiday hype. But when he meets a woman dragging home a Christmas tree alone from the Winter Market, he has to offer to help—even if he soon finds Ruby adores all the things he dislikes. When Ruby discovers that Rashid’s family owns a luxury boutique hotel chain in Britain, she offers him a she’ll help him give his young nieces an amazing Christmas if he’ll facilitate an introduction to his family.
As Ruby and Rashid get closer, she realizes that the great big grump loves his large, eccentric family fiercely. And when their friendship turns to something more, she’s afraid she’s falling for someone weeks before she moves across the Atlantic and she’ll soon have to decide which dream she wants to chase.
Release Date: October 21, 2025
Publisher: Forever Publishing
Series: Unnamed series #4; Standalone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format(s): paperback (368 pages), e-book, audiobook
Book Source: NetGalley