Mistletoe, Mayhem, and a Hockey Heartthrob: A Holiday Rom-Com That Scores

What Happens When Your Fake Boyfriend Is a Real Problem… and the Only One You Can’t Stop Thinking About?

In Season’s Schemings, Katie Bailey serves up a perfectly chaotic blend of holiday cheer, hockey heat, and enemies-to-lovers tension that will leave romance readers grinning through every snowflake-strewn page. This Cyclones Christmas romantic comedy isn’t just about festive mischief — it’s about letting your guard down in the most unlikely season with the most frustrating man imaginable.

If you’re into holiday hijinks, fake relationships, and hockey heroes who hide their soft sides behind sharp wit, this is your new holiday favorite. Prepare to fall headfirst into a snowbank of banter, broken rules, and swoony, slow-burn chemistry.

One Christmas Lie. One Reluctant Hockey Star. And One Holiday They’ll Never Forget.

Our heroine’s got a problem: she needs a fake boyfriend to get through the family Christmas from hell. Her solution? Obviously, rope in a grumpy, off-limits hockey player who barely tolerates her. What could go wrong?

He’s moody, broody, and built like a Cyclone — because he is one. She’s sunshine dipped in holiday anxiety. Their dynamic is combustible, laced with miscommunication, sarcasm, and accidental emotional vulnerability. What starts as a strictly strategic arrangement quickly snowballs into something more tangled… and far more dangerous to their hearts.

Bailey doesn’t just lean into classic tropes — she owns them, spinning them into something fresh, funny, and emotionally grounded. The fake dating setup may be familiar, but the execution feels effortless, modern, and deeply satisfying.

More Than Just Holiday Shenanigans: Real Emotion Beneath the Tinsel

Behind the reindeer games and fake boyfriend antics, Season’s Schemings dives into something real — what it means to let someone in when your defenses have always been your comfort zone.

Expect these beloved romance tropes and themes:

• Enemies to lovers, with simmering tension and sharp-as-ice banter
• Fake relationship, complete with rules that definitely get broken
• Grumpy/sunshine dynamic, executed with humor and heart
• Holiday setting, with cozy family chaos and small-town warmth
• Emotional vulnerability, hiding beneath all the snark and sass

The emotional arc here is sneakier than it looks. While the rom-com beats are bright and bubbly, Bailey layers in just enough backstory and character growth to make the romance land hard. Our hero? He’s not just the team’s grump — he’s carrying emotional bruises. And our heroine? She’s more than comic relief. She’s the heart of this book — bold, brave, and disarmingly sincere when it counts.

Who Will Absolutely Love Season’s Schemings?

This holiday rom-com is a must-read for fans of laugh-out-loud romance with a surprising amount of soul. If you’re here for a story that balances spice with sweetness and mischief with meaning, you’re in the right place.

You’ll especially love this if you:

• Adore fake dating romances that spiral into real emotion
• Can’t resist a grumpy hockey player with a hidden soft side
• Live for holiday romance books with festive small-town energy
• Crave banter-heavy dialogue with moments of emotional gut-punch
• Appreciate a rom-com that makes you laugh, swoon, and maybe tear up just a little

Fans of authors like Ali Hazelwood, Tessa Bailey, and Lynn Painter will feel right at home with Katie Bailey’s style — quick-witted, high-energy, and emotionally honest.

Final Thoughts: Let the Games — and the Feelings — Begin

Season’s Schemings is everything a great holiday rom-com should be: funny, flirty, and unexpectedly heartfelt. Katie Bailey writes with a light touch but never skimps on emotional truth, making this festive fake dating tale as emotionally rewarding as it is hilariously entertaining.

This isn’t just about decorating cookies or dodging awkward family dinners — it’s about connection, transformation, and learning that the person you thought you hated might be exactly the one you need.

So go ahead — unwrap Season’s Schemings. Let it charm you, challenge you, and warm you from the inside out like the best kind of holiday romance.