A Very Bossy Christmas by Kayley Loring

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What’s the actual last thing you’d ever want your executive assistant to see you doing the morning after you had hot, drunk, angry sex with her in a terrible hotel room? Dancing around your terrible hotel room to “Come and Get Your Love” like Star-Lord in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ – naked? Yeah. Me too.

And yet, here we are. 

This isn’t even the most unprofessional thing that’s happened between us in the past couple of weeks.

The first was when I agreed to let her have Christmas Day off, but only if she goes with me to three family gatherings as my fake girlfriend.

The second was when she caught me belting out a Christmas song on stage in the awful hotel bar.

The third was the hot, drunk, angry sex that followed, but I do not regret it.

And she hasn’t even found out the real reason I need her by my side this holiday season.

I need to pull it together before I do the dumbest, most unprofessional thing of all – fall head over heels in love with the only assistant who’s lasted more than a month at the job and claims to hate me and my moods more than she hates eggnog. 

And I’ve seen how much she hates eggnog.

A Very Bossy Christmas

Under the Mistletoe With Mr. Grinch

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚💜💙❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍
Character development: 😋🙂🤨🤣🥰
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration

🛡️ Audiobook Review: A Very Bossy Christmas (Very Holiday, #1)

Author: Kayley Loring
Genre: Holiday Romance
Narrators: Connor Crais and Mackenzie Cartwright

🦸🏼‍♀️ Heroine Spotlight: Maddie

Maddie is the kind of heroine who instantly wins your heart. As an executive assistant to a corporate lawyer, she’s sharp, capable, and endlessly resilient — but she’s also human enough to nickname her boss The Grinch. He’s perpetually grumpy, glued to his work, and expects her to match his relentless hours. Maddie, however, craves something more: the warmth of family, especially her sister (her closest confidante) and her niece, who is her absolute favorite person in the world. The tension between Maddie’s desire for holiday joy and her boss’s obsession with work sets the stage for sparks to fly.

🦸🏻‍♂️ Hero Spotlight: Declan

Declan is a man who traded prestige for supposed balance — leaving one of New York’s powerhouse law firms to become general counsel for a major real estate corporation. Yet balance has eluded him; his life is still consumed by work. Maddie, however, is his secret weapon. She’s the only assistant who can keep pace with his demanding schedule, and he knows it. Their professional chemistry is undeniable, but beneath his polished exterior lies a man who notices her more than he lets on. Declan’s gruffness hides attraction, and his reliance on Maddie hints at something deeper than convenience.

📃 Plot Pulse

When Declan’s mother insists he come home for Christmas, he blurts out a lie — that he has a girlfriend — and promises to bring her to Ohio for Christmas dinner. Cue Maddie, his reluctant accomplice. Declan proposes a trade: if she pretends to be his girlfriend for the holiday, he’ll give her the gift she wants most — time off until the New Year. Maddie hesitates, wary of spending Christmas with her grumpy (but undeniably magnetic) boss, yet the deal is too tempting to refuse. What begins as a practical arrangement quickly turns into something charged with chemistry, longing, and the kind of holiday magic that makes hearts race.

💘 What Hit Home

• Holiday romance + fake relationship trope = pure catnip. This story leans into both beautifully.
• The attraction simmers on equal footing. Maddie and Declan struggle equally to resist each other, which makes the tension deliciously balanced.
• The steam factor is undeniable — playful, passionate, and just the right amount of heat to warm up a winter night.

🧐 What Fell Flat

• The buildup before the trip dragged a little. While it added context, the pacing could have been tighter to get us to the heart of the holiday setup faster.

🎧 Narration Notes

Told in dual POV, the audiobook features Connor Crais and Mackenzie Cartwright. While duet narration often feels more immersive, this dual narration still shines. Connor Crais delivers with his signature deep, velvety voice — the kind that makes every line feel charged with intensity. Mackenzie Cartwright balances him perfectly, her soft, expressive tone bringing Maddie’s warmth and vulnerability to life. Together, they create a listening experience that feels both natural and emotionally rich.

📝 Final Takeaway

This audiobook blends holiday charm, workplace tension, and fake-dating fun into a romance that’s equal parts steamy and sweet. Maddie and Declan’s dynamic is addictive — a grumpy boss and his whip-smart assistant forced into proximity, only to discover that maybe the best gifts aren’t wrapped under the tree, but found in unexpected connections.

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