"The queen of contemporary New York City romance." —Booklist
An Ex for Christmas
A Christmas Contemporary Romance
🔥 Steamy
Superstitious Kelly is determined to reconnect with all her ex-boyfriends after a psychic tells her she's already met her one-true-love. Now, if only she could figure out why her best friend Mark is so unenthused by her new plan ...
An Ex for Christmas
Kelly & Mark
🔥 Steamy
Trope: Friends-to-Lovers, Unrequited Love, Neighbors
“Charming, witty, and sexy—An Ex for Christmas was so easy to devour! It had everything you want in a holiday read including a hunky best friend and quite a few tumultuous mistletoe scenes. Honestly, who knew mistletoe could be so hot?!”—R. S. Grey, USA Today bestselling author
When a psychic tells spunky, superstitious Kelly Byrne that she’s already met her true love, she becomes obsessed with the idea of tracking him down before Christmas. Kelly immediately writes up an “Ex List” and starts contacting old boyfriends to figure out which one is the one. When her college sweetheart rolls into town, Kelly convinces herself that they’re meant to be. The trouble is, sparks are flying with someone she’s never given a chance: her best friend, Mark.
Mark Blakely has watched the guys on Kelly’s list break her heart, and he’s not looking forward to watching them do it all over again. Mark’s always been there for her, but the timing’s never worked out for their relationship to be something more. Now, just as Mark is ready to move on, the sexual tension between them is suddenly off the charts. With Christmas morning around the corner, he just hopes Kelly will wake up and realize that everything she wants has been right in front of her all along.
about the story
if you're wondering...
Is this book for me?
This is 100% a Christmas romance! You can of course, read it any time a hear, but there are a lot of holiday vibes!
This is written in first person, heroine-only POV. If you need the guy's perspective, brace yourself or avoid!
I set out to write a Christmas romance, and ended up with one that also had major friends-to-lovers and unrequited love vibes!
The heroine in this book is not for everyone! Kelly's superstitious and believes in fate and psychics and even Magic 8 balls!
🔥 This book is very steamy with explicit sex scenes.
I deliberately wrote this as a Hallmark-esque Christmas story...but with heat!
I TRY TO BE AS UPFRONT AS POSSIBLE ABOUT EACH OF MY BOOKS. EVERYONE HAS UNIQUE PREFERENCES!
reviews & praise
“Charming, witty, and sexy—An Ex for Christmas was so easy to devour! It had everything you want in a holiday read including a hunky best friend and quite a few tumultuous mistletoe scenes. Honestly, who knew mistletoe could be so hot?!”—R. S. Grey, USA Today bestselling author
“Witty and romantic . . . a definite must-read. . . . Don’t forget your warm fuzzy socks!”—Heidi McLaughlin, New York Times bestselling author of Stripped Bare
“I don’t think this book could have been any better. I loved it. I didn’t want it to end.”—Obsessive Book Nerd
“I love friends-to-lovers, but add in a mysterious stranger, the funniest quest ever, plus the magic of Christmas? An Ex for Christmas is the perfect present for the season!”—Melanie Moreland, New York Times bestselling author of My Image of You
“This was a sweet, fun, relaxing read. It makes you want to curl up in front of the fire while the snow comes down and the smell of Christmas cookies fills the air.”—Garden of Reden Book Blog
“For Lauren Layne, emotion is a central character. Her tales are stories of courage, instances of heartache and in the case of An Ex for Christmas, comedy in all its shining glory. . . . Laughter and romance go hand and hand. Light and airy delight!”—Hopeless Romantic
“Funny, fresh, and absolutely adorable! One of the most enchanting holiday stories I’ve read.”—Tawna Fenske, USA Today bestselling author
“Holly jolly fun! Layne’s friends-to-lovers holiday tale checked every box on my list.”—Jessica Lemmon, author of the Real Love series
“I would recommend An Ex for Christmas by Lauren Layne, if you enjoy the friends-to-lovers trope or books by authors Penny Reid, Jessica Lemmon, Jen Frederick and Tawna Fenske.”—Book Magic
“An Ex for Christmas is a page-turner because HEAs are a definite must for a holiday romance!”—JG, Deluged with Books Cafe
“This was such a great story. I laughed, cried and even laughed while I cried. This author never disappoints.”—Kitty’s Book Spot
“Oh how I loved this story! As soon as I cracked the cover, Ms. Layne’s wonderful characters took over, and took me on a blissful little literary journey.”—Red’s Romance Reviews
“It’s delightful, and just oozes joy from every page. No doubt, lovers of all things holidays and romance will devour this magical read”—Nick and Nereyda’s Infinite Book List
“An Ex for Christmas has a wonderful fairytale feel to the narrative perfect for the run up to Christmas to set the mood, adding an air of hope to the holidays.”—Book Angel Booktopia
“I know I’ll be re-reading An Ex for Christmas—not just during the holiday season, but anytime throughout the year. It’s sexy, fun, heartwarming, and an outright delight to read.”—Heroes and Heartbreakers
Excerpt
A moment later my eyes widen in surprise when I feel a hard male body against my back. “Um, what are you doing?”
Instead of answering he reaches around me and maneuvers my hands as he wants them around the saw, then places the saw against the base of the trunk.
“Right there,” he says, his breath warm on my cheek.
For several horrifying, humiliating moments, I forget that this is Mark. I forget that it’s my best friend, the guy who’s seen me puke after a vicious case of food poisoning, the guy who I’ve sat side-by-side with, in my ugliest sweats, watching Lord of the Rings (all of them) while eating nothing but cold pizza and way too much popcorn.
