The Candy Cane Kiss by Maggie Dallen

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Title: The Candy Cane Kiss
Author: Maggie Dallen
Series: Briarwood High #6
Published by: Indie
Release Date: November 1st 2018
Format: Kindle Book
Pages: 180
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Holiday
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2019 Beat the Backlist Challenge, Lenoreo's 2019 HoHoHo Readathon
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon
My rating:

Blurb:

Fake kisses shouldn't taste so sweet.

When the new star quarterback at Briarwood High winds up in the hospital over Christmas break, he's sure that's as bad as it can get.

He's wrong. His day is about to get so much worse. First he's stuck with that irritating new girl from school who's currenly dressed as a holly jolly Christmas elf as she volunteers on his floor. Then his ex shows up and asks his permission to bring her new boyfriend to his family's Christmas party, and then...well, then he makes it all a million times worse by kissing the closest girl at hand, who just happens to be that weirdo candy striper with a penchant for Grandma cardigans and candy-cane striped tights. She also happens to be the only girl at Briarwood who doesn't like him. He couldn't have chosen a worse fake girlfriend if he'd tried. So the question is...if this relationship is all wrong, why does it feel so right?

Lola is a self-proclaimed freak and a military brat just waiting to graduate so she can take the first bus out of Briarwood. She's also more than a little obsessed with all things retro. Including swing dancing. The only problem? Swing dancing requires a partner. Where on earth is she supposed to find a willing dance partner in the sea of conformist mediocrity that is her new high school? Fortunately for her, the arrogant jerk in the hospital bed needs her more than she needs him if he stands any chance of winning back his ex. So yeah, she'll help him. For a price. But the closer they get, the more she hates the idea of handing him over to his perfect ex, and the more she has to wonder. Will she be the one paying the price...with a broken heart?

My Review:

4.5 stars — OK, so the oddest thing is that this book contained a jerk hero too, and yet I loved it so much more than the previous book I just finished reading.  I mean, I was worried when I started it and Lucas was HARSH with a capital HAR.  And not just in his meanspirited taunts and comments, but inner thoughts as well.  But the thing this book got right is that there was depth to him…there was guilt when he said these things when he thought he hurt her, he was just kind of a selfish guy so his own emotional moments trumped others.  I’m still not completely sold on the mean people suddenly being less mean thing (Blake anyone?)…something felt a bit too easy in there.  I’m not sure if it was unreliable narrators in Lucas and Lola, but something just wasn’t quite believable.  Hence why it’s not bumped up a half star (though part of me wants to anyways) (and apparently I will by the end of this review).

But I did buy some of Lucas’s transition.  Was it fast?  You bet…it was YA fast, you know?  Just like their feelings were fast.  But if you can set that aside, I feel like Lola challenging Lucas really was what he needed to get out of his own head and stuff.  Somehow this author just made it work.

And the thing I loved was that it wasn’t Lola is the best and somehow “fixed” Lucas.  She had her own hangups, and even though they were being a bit mean to each other, I loved when they each called the other on their shit.  I loved how it made them both open their eyes to how they could be better.  They truly were a couple that was better together, that brought out the best in one another.

And I really loved Lola.  I totally agreed with Lucas’s observations of her holding herself back and above others, but I loved that she didn’t change who she was intrinsically.  She still loved what she loved and wouldn’t let anyone get to her.  Her backbone was surprisingly admirable.  There were so many moments where someone was mocking her, and I would have been crying, but she just like burns them back in a different way.  It was kind of great.

And the two of them together…while it took me a minute to get over them teasing each other because I’m a sensitive soul, I kind of loved that they had that snarky banter together.  And I truly felt their chemistry.  I truly believed Lucas came to care for her, and that she saw past his flaws to the more inside.

Some interesting secondary characters, from friends to ex-girlfriends to Lola’s epic Grandpa.

Ah screw it.  I’m going to bump this up to 4.5.  While there were moments that made me cringe, I was really impressed with how the author massaged all of that and made me believe in their redemption.  That deserves an extra half a star.