Holiday Home Run

Holiday Home Run by Priscilla Oliveras. 4 Stars

This is part of the Matched to Perfection series featuring the Fernandez Sisters. This is a short story featuring Julia Fernandez, a cousin. She is visiting from Puerto Rico and volunteering at a important fundraising event. The event is important to her because it will serve as an audition for a job in Chicago. The emcee is retired baseball player, Ben Thomas. The attraction is apparent and we have a gentle romance, with Ben wooing a reluctant Julia. I really enjoyed this story and this is a lovely addition to the series. In terms of timeline, this story takes place between “ Her Perfect Affair” and “ Their Perfect Melody”.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington/ Zebra Books for this ARC.

This was the cutest book!! I would recommend this story to anyone who loves a nice happy ending. Julia is working with a nonprofit company doing a huge event!! A very macho retiring baseball player comes to help with the event. Ben instantly finds Julia attractive, especially when he sees all that she has done for the fundraiser. Will Julia let her family know that she wants to stay where she is become an event planner? Will Julia come around and find love with Ben? If you like wondering how the heroine will change her life by the end of the book, this one is for you.

An enjoyable one sitting read. This book features an ex-MLB all-star and a Puerto Rican heroine who is going out out on her own to make her own way. The two meet in Chicago while working on a fundraising event. Holiday Home Run is a fun, warm modern-day love story perfect for curling up with a hot cup of tea under the Christmas tree for an afternoon of escapism. I really enjoyed this novella from Oliveras as I continue to enjoy her work.

A wonderful short Christmas romance!

Julia Fernández is helping with a gala fundraiser for the Chicago Youth Association so she can get a job and move from Puerto Rico to Chicago without upsetting her family. The emcee of the gala was retired baseball player Ben Thomas but the first time he met Julia, he thought she wasn’t interested in him but that soon proved the attraction was mutual.

Holiday Home Run is a cute Christmas short story where the reader gets an evening gala, baseball and a Puerto Rico holiday experience.

Holiday Home Run was previously released as part of the holiday anthology A Season to Celebrate.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Julia is looking to make a brand new start in Chicago. Ben is also looking to make a new start after injury has ended his baseball career. Both are looking for a connection, even if they don’t quite know it. This shirt story is quick, charming, and an easy read to give you the romance fix you are looking for!

I swear Priscilla Oliveras could write anything, and I’m going to follow her until the end of the earth. I feel like she’s my tía, so anything she writes, it’s like we’re having café she’s just telling me an awesome story.

This story was short, and while I’m sad it’s over, I do think it worked well being so short. But, uh, can a gal get a sequel or something because I adore these characters. I think that even in the short amount of time we had, we had great character development and their relationship was formed organically. There wasn’t any super fast, “oh, were doing this now” kind of relationship. I laughed and fished at their small talk. Julia was such a likable character!

Overall, I loved this book. I know it’s a short story, but I want more. I need more. Thank you so much Kensington & NetGalley for the gifted copy. This one is out Oct. 27th and everyone needs this y’all.

This novella was a sweet little quick read and a great start to my holiday books for the year. The characters were well developed, even in such a small amount of time, and I found myself rooting for them! I loved the family and cultural aspects intertwined in the storyline as well.

HOLIDAY HOME RUN by Priscilla Oliveras is an adorable multicultural romance novella. Heroine Julia is is trying to escape the expectations of her loving but sometimes smothering family. Hero Ben has lost his sense of family since an injury forced him to cut his pro baseball career short. When he meets Julia, he sees in her someone who can make him feel whole again. She resists his advances, focused on getting the job that will give her the independence she craves. But what's a girl to do when a handsome pro athlete insists on sweeping her off her feet?

This quick, light read will give you a reason to smile this holiday season. Don't miss it!

I received an ARC from NetGalley, and this is my honest revew.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book.

I have never read a book, a Christmas/Holiday book, were I saw myself in. This book made me feel like I was in Christmas time, that my culture and the festivities in my island are important too. I love how the characters felt real and not "perfect", how the baseball was integrated to the story (since many books don't use this sport in the story). I was glad that the author decided to take it "slow" (for a short book) with the main characters and how the girl wasn't instantly, even if she "knew" him before. The inclusion of the kids was so sweet and perfect, it was refreshing to read a work oriented female that is not an office workaholic, but someone who cares about charities and others. Reading the scenes of the parrandas, bombas, bombazo, etc. made me feel right at home, again, it made me feel full of joy and that the Christmas traditions of Puerto Rico matter too and that can be a focal point in stories too.

This book was a surprise for me since I requested it without reading the synopsis, I just read something about Puerto Rico and that it was holiday plus baseball and I was interested. But what a surprise, a good surprise. A book I think every reader should pick up at some time. Is so sweet and a "cleanse to the palate" for those heavy non-inclusive reads we are used to. I would like to read another book by this author, and if it has Puarto Rico's culture in it, with those description (for example the scene were every instrument and sound is described) I would enjoy picking it up.

Holiday Home Run by Priscilla Oliveras was a fun, light hearted, and quick read! If you need a cute book to get into the holiday spirit, this would be a quick way to do that! This is a story about a young holiday romance, sports, the holidays, and Puerto Rican culture. It's sweet, well written and easy to thoroughly enjoy. For what it is, a sweet novella, it is adorable.

Such a sweet treat to get you in the upcoming holiday mood. Julia (sexy event planner) and Ben (hot ex-baseball player) have a few weeks working together that culminates into a festive romance. There is a little turmoil with a surprise guest to the event that they are both working on, but for the most part this is a “get to know” you novella wrapped up in a pretty HEA bow at the end.

“You’ve given me a sense of familia I’d only found in baseball. As far as I’m concerned, I want there to be a Team Us.”

Our author Priscilla Oliveras has a hit to add to your Christmas reading list this year. The characters are well developed for such a short read and lots of Puerto Rican flare. The story also takes you on trip thru some fabulous Chicago holiday destinations as a bonus. (Even shopping at Filene’s Basement!) While this story is connected to Oliveras’ “Matched to Perfection” series, you can easily enjoy the story as a standalone.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC for an honest review.

What a sweet little novella. I read it super quickly (literally before work one morning) and it warmed my heart. It centers on an event planner, Julia, who's trying to live her own life away from the loving pressures of her family. In particular, she's over baseball. Enter Ben, the emcee of the very important event she's planning and former All-Star baseball player. Infused with Puerto Rican culture this is a quick way to get into the holiday spirit. The heat level here is pretty mild, with much of the emphasis place on Julia and Ben's emotional relationship.

I received Holiday Home Run through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Holiday Home Run is a short Christmas romance with fun characters, a nice story line and some Christmas fun. I enjoyed this fast paced Christmas story about Julia, an event planner, and Ben, a former MLB player, who are paired together to pull off a fundraiser for a park, finding themselves and each other along the way.

This was a quick read that was light hearted and put me in the Christmas spirit. The characters are intriguing and likable, the story is well written and the Christmas love story is nicely executed. If you are looking for a quick Christmas romance, I would definitely recommend giving this one a chance.

This story was a quick fun read! I loved this authors other books so I knew she would not disappoint. The story is about Julia who is planning a huge event, and Ben, a retired baseball player. There are fun sparks and fantastic character growth. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this holiday novella.

RATING: 4/5 STARS

Holiday Home Run< by Priscilla Oliveras is a delightful Christmas novella that will melt the hearts of readers as they witness the budding holiday romance between a down-to-earth ex-baseball player and an event planner with a heart of gold. Throw in a few holiday dates and a group of adorable children caroling and you've got yourself a lighthearted read that will leave you smiling just in time for the holidays!

In a nutshell, Julia escapes to Chicago as an event planning intern, hoping to create a career for herself without the influence of her family back in Puerto Rico. Ben Thomas is an ex-baseball player who is searching for his purpose as he volunteers as an emcee for Julia's holiday fundraiser. When their worlds collide, Julia must face the truth about what it is she truly wants in her career and love life as sparks start to fly.

This was such an adorable holiday read and I absolutely loved the characters and the overall premise of the story. I loved the cultural aspect of this story the most, and whenever Julia described the traditions or little things about her home back in Puerto Rico, I swear I could visualize it along with her! I also loved reading the conversations between Ben and Julia. I honestly wish their story was a little bit longer so I could learn a little bit more about the other characters and get a little more invested in the story. I love a lighthearted read but I would've loved to see the author dive deeper into some of the plot lines. However, I think the next novel is going to be about Julia's cousin's story, so I'm really excited to read her story as well!

My main complaint is that I didn't really think Julia's reasons for building some walls up around Ben made sense. Her reasoning behind it just seemed like a throwaway excuse, especially because it was mentioned maybe twice throughout the story. Additionally, since most of the character growth and plot related to Julia, I think it would have made more sense for the book to be purely from her POV instead unless the author also added some story development on Ben's end. Other than that, I don't have any complaints! It was well written and the characters, both the main ones and the side characters, were just utterly adorable!

If you're looking for a super quick holiday read with a ton of Puerto Rican flair, then definitely give this story a go! I'm excited for future releases from this author!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC of this story!

This is such a delightful story. The chemistry between the characters sizzles and the Latinx representation is beautiful. I rarely feel dissatisfied by novellas but Oliveras knocked it out of the park with this one. Julia has left her home in Puerto Rico to plan an event in Chicago, if it goes well she might have a permanent job. The last thing she has time for is to fall in love with a former MLB star.

I loved that the couple falls in love over community work and that there is an understanding about Julia's culture and family. If like me you missed the story when it came out in a compilation, don't miss it now.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington and Zebra Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novella was just what I needed to get in the holiday spirit. With so much in the air this year with how we'll all celebrate the holidays this somehow tapped into that feeling without being a book about CO-VID

I would recommend if you're looking for

-sports romance
-friends to lovers
-slow burn
-light on the steam
-holiday romance

Originally part of an anthology and now being released as a standalone this was a sweet, short read.

Rating: 4.5 stars
Steam: 1/5

3.5 stars.
A fast read with two very likeable characters, particularly the hero who is a true gentleman, so considerate with the heroine and everyone in general, “Holiday Home Run”, by Priscilla Oliveras (Kensington/Zebra Books), takes place in Chicago and gives an interesting insight into “Latinx culture” and community.
Ben is such an amazing hero, a baseball player who had to give up his career recently, and is still trying to find himself after the loss. His earnestness and thoughtfulness are really attractive.
I liked that Julia tried to resist the charming and famous athlete and I enjoyed her down-to-earth posture. The problems and fears related to her dual heritage felt realistic.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a review.

This was such a cute, fun novella! I’m from Chicago and a HUGE Cubs fan so I had so much fun with this! I loved picturing the skating scene at the rink by the bean. Being a Spanish minor, i also loved the addition of Spanish! Overall, a quick light hearted read great for the holiday season.

Julia came to the US to visit family- but also had a mission to get a great job and pursue her dreams. What she didn't expect was falling for a baseball player in the process. She has one rule for herself- never date an athlete. I loved this novella. It had a strong female character with several interacting subplots. I enjoyed that this story was career and personal growth oriented with a side of romance thrown in. I would really love to see a continuation of Julia's life- where her career leads, more interactions with her family, and of course, her relationship with Ben.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Laura Fernandez who is from Puerto Rico, is currently living in Chicago as an event planner. Her parents are hoping she will return home to help with the family catering business. While planning an event Laura meets Ben who used to play baseball professionally. I enjoyed the characters and the chemistry between Laura and Ben.

Know up front that this is novella- and that it's just the right length for a lazy afternoon read. Julia has moved to Chicago from Puerto Rico, leaving behind her boisterous baseball playing brothers, among other things. She's in charge of planning a big charity event and the last thing she expected was Ben. He's a retired MLB pitcher who hs agreed to emcee and he's not looking for love either. But, readers know these two will find it- that their attention will turn to affection. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc. Nice characters and a zippy plot make this a good read.

This is such a cute read in a day feel good book with a happy ending *yippee*. Julia is working for a non profit organization planning this super huge event and this swoon-worthy macho retiring baseball plays shows up to help and you know what happens. I highly recommend it and you will instantly love it because it's so cute . Huge thanks to the publisher for my ARC in exchange of an honest review

Christmas.
Romance.
Latinx culture.

Priscilla Oliveras’ Christmas novella about Julia and Ben is a cute story that left me smiling and looking forward to all the Christmas celebrations with my familia.

Julia is a driven and ambitious woman trying to create a path for herself in Chicago. Ben is sweet, fun and always a gentleman. Being a novella, it’s fast paced and the story keeps moving along leading up to the big night of the fundraiser Julia is coordinating. Even though it’s only 12 chapters, Oliveras does a great job of developing the main characters and their relationship. I loved all the references to Latinx Christmas traditions, food, and music. Bonus, if you’re a baseball fan, you’ll enjoy all the baseball talk. Holiday Home Run is a cute novella to get you in the mood for celebrating the holidays with family and friends.

Thank you to NetGalley for a arc for a honest review. Holiday Home Run was such a fun read, I loved how they put spanglish into the store.. I highly recommend this book. 5 star read

Happy Reading
Lisa

This story was just too cute!

Julia is striving to be an event planner in Chicago, by her mother wants her to return home to Puerto Rico and run the family business. While preparing for a huge charity event, Julia catches the eye of the event's emcee--Ben, a former MBL pitcher, with blue eyes and a dimple to-die-for. But she doesn't want to distract herself from her goals or get involved with an athlete after growing up in a baseball-obsessed family! But will their mutual attraction grow into something more?

I think it's important to know that this story is most definitely a short story or novella (originally published as part of an anthology). I read this whole story in maybe an hour, perhaps less, and I probably read twice as fast as the average reader. So it's definitely a quick read. But if you go in knowing that and appreciating the amount of depth we do get in such a short time, I think most readers would really love this story! We actually do get quite a significant amount of background on Ben and Julia in such a short time, and I honestly felt like the characters were as well-developed as in any full-length novel. I think we get a bit of an abbreviated version of their romance and there's no rush to the alter (thank God), but it doesn't feel like anything is missing. We get the good parts--the meet, with sparks and attraction, the getting to know each other, the promise of something more. There's no room for stupid fights or major communications issues that often feel shoehorned into longer romances. And what's not to love about a sports romance AND holiday romance with Puerto Rican representation wrapped in one neat little Christmas bow? This is the perfect quick holiday read.

5 stars - 9/10

A short and entertaining festive read.
Julia meets Ben when he is helping with the event she is planning. She already knew who he was, a baseball star who her brother's followed. This put her off, she doesn't want to date a baseball player - but can he convince her otherwise?

This book is a wonderful combination of sports romance, holiday spirit, and Puerto Rican culture. Julia is in Chicago to complete an internship that she hopes will lead to a full-time job and a life away from her family and home in Puerto Rico. She is helping to plan a major event for the Chicago Youth Association. She has the idea to tie the gala to parranda traditions of Puerto Rico. Julia is facing heavy pressure from her mother to return to Puerto Rico and run the family catering business. Julia, has big plans for her future that don't include that! They also don't include a sexy former MLB player.

Ben's career in the MLB ended with injuries - but he has a burgeoning second career as a sportscaster. He's the emcee of the gala event - and is very drawn to Julia from the first time he sees her. All I can say is he sets out on a course to seriously woo her. He embraces her culture and sees in Julia the family connection he's been missing in his life after baseball.

I loved learning about Puerto Rican culture - and all the happy holiday feelings this book gives. Because it is on the shorter side, I feel like some of the plot lines didn't get fleshed out the way they could have. But otherwise - this is definitely a feel-good holiday romance.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

A pleasant holiday novella that is sweetly delicious rather than treacly. It brings notes of a true development of a relationship between a baseball averse heroine and a semi-retired famous ball-player that evolves realistically and romantically as they bridge the heroine’s secret goals and intentions. A perfect holiday read with all the good feels a holiday book should have, introducing readers to puertoriqueno holiday traditions, food, and music. A book to reread each holiday season. #HolidayHomeRun #NetGalley

I really loved this holiday novella. As someone who just moved to Chicago, I loved that the setting was so present in this novella. I am so excited to go to the different spots that the novella presents. This was a cute novella. Def recommended it.

Super fun novella from the author of Island Affair! The main character is a side character in one of her previous novels, but it reads just fine as a stand-alone story. Julia is an event planner trying to make a life and career for herself in Chicago. When Ben, a professional baseball player, joins the cause, Julia has to decide how strongly she feels about her vow never to date an athlete. Perfect way to spend a few hours and get in the holiday spirit!

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington/Zebra Books for the early copy in advance for this review.

*Thank you to Kensington Books, Priscilla Oliveras and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

This book is an adorable story about an ambitious event planner, Julia, and an ex-MLB player, Ben, who meet when Julia is organizing a Christmas Gala for a Youth Center in Chicago. It is short, so sweet and no angst.

Julia is here temporarily from Puerto Rico, trying to escape her over-bearing family, while on temp assignment. She is planning a Christmas event for a local youth Center and has hired Ben to make an appearance. Once Ben and Julia meet for the first time, sparks fly. Though, Julia is hesitant, because life in Puerto Rico involved baseball all year long. What follows is a sugar sweet and clean, flirtation between both of them with a very happy conclusion.

I thought this book was was an easy read and I really liked it. The reader can definitely finish it one sitting at 94 pages long!

Nice Christmas story of Julia whom wants to build a career away from her loving family in Puerto Rico and do what her heart desires not what her family wants her to do running their catering business. She got her dream job in Chicago and meets a baseball player ,she vowed to never get involved with a athlete. Ben is the emcee of the event Julia is putting together. But Ben has other ideas from the first day they met.

Loved this Christmas story. Julia who is an event planner trying to make a life in Chicago away from her family in Puerto Rico. Her family wants her to take over their catering business. She meets former pro baseball player Ben and really likes him but she has had enough of baseball from her brothers obsession with it. Things progress and they open up to each other more. This is a good story and would love to see what happens next in their lives.

Featuring an event planner who has sworn off dating athletes and a retired baseball star, this story was filled with everything I love. It had great Christmas vibes, a fun extended family, a heroine chasing her dreams, and a handsome hero who is crazy about the heroine. I also loved the Chicago setting. In my opinion this was the perfect Christmas novella and I will definitely be trying more from Priscilla Oliveras.

I thoroughly enjoyed Holiday Home Run. Julia's personal goals while not new for the genre, were completely believable and realistic. Ben's disappointment at his professional baseball career cut short due to injury also rang true. Their romance seemed believable to me, Ben missing his second family, finding comfort in Julia, and Julia just truly needing someone to believe in her, finding an ally and fan in Ben. This book also deftly handled children as characters, but not main characters.

This was a cute book. For a short Christmas read I totally recommend it.
Get this book this season and read it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for a honest review.

SYNOPSIS
This is a Christmas novella about Julia Fernandez, a event planner who is in Chicago for an internship that she hopes to turn into a full-time job instead of taking over the family business in Puerto Rico.
She meets the ex-MLB pitcher Ben Thomas and he falls for her at the first sight.

OPINION
It's a short story about Christmas, love, family and Latin culture everywhere.
Maybe that's why I loved this book so much. Because I'm Latin. Latin people love Christmas so much and the book describes it very well.
Also, the love story between Ben and Julia is so cute and lovely.

I recommend so much this cute, funny and "romántica" story.

A truly wonderful holiday read! I love how this book represents Latino culture, which is something that is lacking in contemporary reads. A hardworking woman and an ex-baseball player, both dealing with harsh times in their lives, and coming together through their love for children, was truly fascinating to read about. I will definitely recommend this to all my other book lovers who enjoy holiday romances! The multiculturalism from this book has to be my most favourite part about it!

This book was the perfect escape. It was lovely and fun. It was my first book by this author and I will definitely be on the look out for more!!

Thank you to Kensington, Zebra Books, and Netgalley for my eARC copy of Holiday Home Run, in exchange for an honest review.

At under 100 pages, this is one of the most fast paced romances I have read in a hot minute, and it was exactly what the (love) doctor ordered to get me out of my reading slump. Kicking off holiday season with a bang, this read was a solid 3.5-4 stars.

This romance follows Puerto Rican event planner, Julia Fernández. Julia's entire life has revolved around her brother's and families love of baseball, and she is longing to make her mark in the event planning industry in Chicago. She gets the opportunity of a lifetime in Chicago, and begins planning a festive benefit holiday fundraiser. All is going to plan, until one of the benefit's funders turns out to be a famous baseball player, AKA the only kind of man Julia is sworn off dating.

Will they come together by the holidays? Will Julia get over her sworn pact of ball players? Will ex-MLB Ben find the "home" and family he has been longing for? I think we all know the answers, but you better read it just in case (easily done in one sitting).

A good story that is a quick read. Julia Fernandez wants a life as an event planner and also wants to live in Chicago away from her mother’s catering business that she wants here to take over. But what really takes over her life in Puerto Rico is her brother's baseball games. Wanting to be away from all of that is the appeal of a shot at working for a top event planner and now is her time to put on the event and shine.
Problem one she is also going to be working with ex-MLB pitcher Ben Thomas who blond hair and blue eyes. Yes because of her brothers she knows all of his stats and why he had to retire. What she was not expecting was being attracted to him when one of her rules is now professional athletes. Makes it difficult though when everyone likes him and he is the same with people watching or not. He also speaks her language which surprised her and does not need to go to five-star restaurants. He does want to be with her but she keeps him at arm's length. A few twists like when he brings her mother to Chicago from Puerto Rico. A really sweet book just some kissing. Overall a good story for Christmas.

This was such a cute and fun read! I loved the Puerto Rican representation and the use of Spanish words incorporated into the text! It was such a cute, quick holiday read!

This was a great cozy romantic Christmas novella. I really enjoyed both the main characters and the author showed the emotional struggle both characters have falling in love while planning a Christmas benefit together.
Julia is from Puerto Rico but visiting family in Chicago hoping to find a permanent job so she can stay in the city. She does this by planning a Christmas benefit for a kids club. Julia does not really like baseball players so when she meets ex-baseball player Ben she fights her attraction that she has towards him. While Ben is struggling with leaving baseball because of an injury and losing the team feeling that he had when he was playing with his team.
This plot was fun to read about and to see how the characters find love. I am interested and want to read more books in the same world as these two characters.

This was an adorable christmas novella. I love Christmas, but my favorite thing in this novella was all the spanglish. I learned quite a few spanish words while reading it. I loved the characters and found it quite the treat to read it, actually I devoured it in an hour,

For the most part, this was cute and I really liked it! It just irritated me to see the Spanish words italicized. I know that used to be considered the "proper" way, but the Spanish words are used in otherwise English sentences by bilingual characters. Italicizing the words makes them foreign, despite the fact that they are not foreign to literally any of the characters. Other than that, the romance is sweet and I liked these characters together!

Event planner Julia Fernández is in Chicago for an internship that she hopes to turn into a full-time job instead of taking over the family business in Puerto Rico . Ex-MLB pitcher Ben Thomas knows what it’s like to have different dreams than your family intends for you, but since his injury-caused early retirement, he volunteers as the emcee for Julia’s big holiday fundraiser for a local youth center, he finally begins to find a sense of purpose working with the kids and alongside Julia.

It is a cute shorter book. It took me a bit to get into it but overall a cute book.

What a sweet novella for this Christmas season. I loved both characters. The story was fast paced and engaging. Perfect to sit down over Christmas time with a mug of cocoa and read in an afternoon.

I was given this as an ARC from Netgalley for my honest review.

A super cute fun sports holiday treat! I am all about the holiday reads right now, and this got me in the mood to bust out my decorations and just live it up. A definite great, cozy, fun read for the holiday season.

Thank you to the publisher and the author for a chance to read this before publication.
Holiday Home Run is the perfect holiday cute romance to prepare ourselves for the holidays. And especially in these times of lockdown (2.0) the perfect escapist novella.
Julia Fernandez, event planner extraordinaire, will not be spending time with her family in Puerto Rico, instead she's chosen to stay in Chicago organising the big holiday fundraiser for the youth centre. For her, this could spell a way of finding her own path, one not tied to her family expectations of taking over the catering business in Puerto Rico. If this fundraiser goes well she could have a permanent position in Chicago, so she needs this to go well. When the emcee is none other than Ben Thomas, ex MLB-pitcher, who is not only charming but seems to be a really nice guy, Julia will be forced to ignore his attempts at getting to know her and thawing her cold demeanor towards him. Ben is not so easily swayed though, he's found something planning this fundraiser and with Julia, that he wants to see where this would go.
As a big big fan of baseball, this novella hit all the spots for me but also I loved the exploration of family expectations, dynamics. Julia was the perfect heroine and Ben was so easy to love.
I wish it was longer!

Thank you @netgalley for a chance to read this!

Julia is an event planner who goes against what her mother thinks is best for her, living in Puerto Rico & taking over the family business. Julia is planning a huge event that will help numerous children. In comes the events emcee, former MLB star Ben. Julia’s determined to not get involved with Ben, but he has other plans for them.

This was a quick, cute, clean holiday novella. I loved Ben, he was so sweet and didn’t push Julia before she was ready. The family ties in the story also stood out to me. Overall, if you’re looking for a fun novella, check this out!

Event planner Julia Fernández is in Chicago for an internship that she hopes to turn into a full-time job. She’s ready to live on her own, out from under her familia’s expectations that she take over their catering business in Puerto Rico and away from their year-round baseball fever thanks to her three ball-playing brothers. Ex-MLB pitcher Ben Thomas knows what it’s like to have different dreams than your family intends for you, but since his injury-caused early retirement, he’s been struggling to find the sense of family baseball once brought him. When he volunteers as the emcee for Julia’s big holiday fundraiser for a local youth center, he finally begins to find a sense of purpose working with the kids and alongside Julia.

She’s focused on organizing the best holiday event the youth center has ever seen, not on romance. But Ben…he’s got a game plan for them that includes both.

This was super Cute, fun short story that will transport you out of our quarantined state for a few peaceful hours. Not necessary to read the prior books in this series, but certainly makes it more fun.

Looking for a fun, quick holiday read to get you in the mood for the upcoming winter months?  Priscilla Oliveras comes through with a sweet novella filled with charm and spirit, Holiday Home Run.

Party planner Julia Fernández (Julia is a cousin to the three Fern ández sisters from Oliveras’ Matched to Perfection series, who all appear in the novella)  is a level-headed member on a committee putting together the annual holiday soirée and fundraiser for the Chicago Youth Association.  She’s hoping to turn this gig into a full-time job working with the CYA helping with their fundraising division; it’s her first gesture toward independence, away from a family she loves but who still expect her to return to Puerto Rico, take over their successful catering business and “find a good man and settle down already.”  She’s not particularly impressed with the fame of the emcee of this year’s event – ex-baseball player Benjamin Thomas - though everyone else involved with the event is fawning all over him.  It helps that her family’s obsessed with the sport – in Puerto Rico, it’s close to being a national religion – and because three of her brothers play, Julia is thus sick of hearing about it.

Ben has been looking for a sense of purpose ever since an injury ended his career far too quickly.  Helping out the CYA has given his life fresh meaning and allowed him to connect to people who need his help and advice.  Julia is a breath of fresh air for Ben – not only because she doesn’t care that he’s Chicago’s most eligible bachelor or because he’s famous, but because she’s take-charge and no-nonsense, just the type of woman he likes.  And in spite of herself, Julia finds herself attracted to Ben’s sexy, twinkly charm.  They quickly fall for one another and begin a romance.  But when Ben surprises Julia with an appearance from her mami at the benefit with news that she’s planning on making her Chicago stay a permanent one – and she’s planning on doing it during a holiday visit… gulp!

The ride is a delightful one.  Holiday Homerun gives us a beautiful peek into the vibrant lives of Puerto Ricans celebrating the holiday season, a memorably strong and smart heroine, and a hero who is charming and sexy.  What more can you ask for from a holiday romance?  There’s the pretty city atmosphere of Chicago, with its twinkling lights and giant firs, and there’s family drama and a cute romance to boot.

Oliveras has always done such a good job bringing to life the worlds in which her characters live, and this book is no exception. Chicago springs to life here with its skating rinks and snowy nights.

Ben and Julia are both wonderful - if flawed - people, and we get to know them as best we can in under ninety pages.  The compressed length of the novella made me yearn for a little more, which is why this is a DIK but not a flat-out A.

The book’s addressing of tradition versus new ground and Julia’s pursuit of her own independent way through life is beautifully handled, and I really adored her relationship with her mother, which is loving but difficult and labored by expectations.

Holiday Home Run is a beautiful holiday story, and a sweet romance that will please folks who like the Matched to Perfection series as well as anyone who needs a sweet holiday pick me up.

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This was a short and sweet holiday novella.
I am very intrigued and interested in the rest of the Fernandez family.

Two different people are trying to find their purpose and prove people their worth crossed each other's path at the most unexpected time. Will they love to prosper? I love The Island Affair, and so it was not that hard to pick up this book. It is a quick read but a charming and romantic read. Priscilla did it again, fantastic story setting, beautiful characters, and a very relatable holiday read. I highly recommend it!

Holiday Home Run, a single-title release reprinted from an anthology appearance in 2018, is short and sweet. The characters are nice, the romance moves along well and is believable. I liked enjoyed getting to know both Julia and Ben. The standout of the story was by leaps and bounds the Puerto Rican spin on the story. Sometimes holiday stories flirt with the reader, offering up seasonal tidbits like rare jewels. Holiday Home Run is not that kind of story. It runs riotous with the holidays, joyously celebrating and luxuriating in the various hallmarks of the season. Cultural details about the holidays are peppered throughout the story in informative and engaging ways, enhancing the depth of the characterization in the story and broadening the enjoyment factor of the romance itself. While I didn’t love the story to death – the romance was a bit quiet for my taste, and I felt at the end there were some conflicts between Julia and Ben that hadn’t been sufficiently addressed – for the length and seasonal nature of the story this is a fun read with a lot to recommend it. If you’ve enjoyed Oliveras’ other stories this should be a no-brainer, but if you’re a romance reader looking for a seasonal read I’d wholeheartedly offer this one up as a suggestion.

Every Priscilla Oliveras story is filled with heart, warmth, and the love of family. Holiday Home Run is no different. This great Christmas novella hits all the right notes. Julia and Ben are both charming characters, both feeling a little homesick and finding a piece of home together in Chicago. I love the bits of Puerto Rican Christmas that are shown and deftly explained to those unfamiliar with these traditions. And of course we have a HEA. The Fernandez sisters have roles here, as this is adjacent to Oliveras' Matched to Perfection series. Low steam, just enough to shine a light on the spark between Julia and Ben.
This is a re-release from a previous anthology. Anyone who missed the anthology and looking for a Christmas romance, will enjoy this quick read. Fans of Priscilla Oliveras will also love it. I definitely recommend it and will put it on my holiday reading rotation.

4.5 stars
Julia is a Puerto Rican event planner who has been doing an internship in Chicago for a few months, and with that coming to an end, she has to plan one of the biggest events of the city, for the Youth Association; and after that, decide how to tell her parents that she wants to stay in Chicago.
Ben is the golden boy of the MLB, retired now, because of an injury, he spends his time doing clinics and every year, he attends the Youth Association event, to help raise money.
Julia was 100% sure she was never going to date an athlete, growing up surrounded by 3 of them, she lived first hand how the sports ends up being before everything and everyone else, and she didn’t want that for her life. Enters Ben, with his sexy smile, broad shoulders and charming personality. Will Julia be able to keep the promise she made to herself? Or will she succumb after Ben’s charms?

Holiday homerun is a heartwarming, short and beautiful story. As everyone knows, a book that is set in Christmas is destined to be cute (except for thrillers, but let just not think about them for a while), and this book is no exception.
The characters were super relatable, with problems, thoughts and actions that anyone might have. The development of the story didn’t feel forced, and even though it was a slow burn romance, the spark between them was present since moment 1, and that’s what made this book a great one.
As i always say, i love when authors include a different culture than the ones we are used to, and let me tell you, Puerto Rico’s culture is sooooo good that i could read 10 books about it and never get enough, the warmth, the party, the food and the importance of family are key things in life for me, and this book with it’s Puerto Rican splash handed this things over to me on a silver platter.

I’m a pretty big fan of Priscilla Oliveras’ books, so it’s no surprise that I’d actually already read this novella when it first came out in an anthology. But I jumped at the chance to revisit it because I had fond memories of it. And it still holds up as a sweet holiday romance.

Julia is an event planner and the cousin of the sisters from the Matched to Perfection series. She grew up in Puerto Rico helping her mom run her catering company and dealing with her baseball-obsessed brothers. While she loves her family, she, too, feels suffocated by their expectations that she take over the family business, so she’s looking at making the move to Chicago. The linchpin of her plan is pulling off the best holiday soiree fundraiser for the Chicago Youth Association that the town has ever seen in the hopes of landing a permanent job there. If only the fundraiser didn’t come with a certain handsome retired baseball player involved…

“Sometimes, a move away from the place where we’re the most comfortable allows for the best kind of growth.”


At first, Ben is seemingly only interested in Julia because she doesn’t seem starstruck around him. Gradually, though, as they work together on the fundraiser, the spark turns into something more. Julia, however, has zero interest in dating an athlete after spending her whole life submerged in baseball, even if Ben is kind, compassionate, a good listener, and did I mention handsome? The big problem, though, is that Ben doesn’t understand why she wants to move away from her family, when he’s so desperately missing the family he found in his baseball team. Watching the two of them work it out was so sweet and at times heart wrenching. I also loved the touches of Puerto Rican holiday traditions, though I did finish the story hungry for pernil and arroz con gandules! It’s definitely more of a HFN than an HEA, but with novellas, that’s perfectly fine for me.

Overall, another great story from Ms. Oliveras, and another sweet novella for Christmas!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I’m not generally a fan of Insta love which can make finding a satisfying novella difficult. Often it requires a backstory of a second chance situation for me to truly believe the connection between the characters. In this case the author didn’t have that scenario and yet I still fully believed the connection in such a short number of pages. She did an amazing job of showing how their connection grew using anecdotes of things that happened over several weeks without spending the time to show each situation. The use of the Latin culture was clearly authentic as were the areas and events around Chicago. I had not previously read the stories of the other sisters/cousins but this novella just makes me want to go and read that back list. It’s a wonderful warm hug going into the holiday season.

I so enjoyed this book about Julia and Ben.. Julie wanting to prove to her family comes to Chicago to work on a fund raiser for the children of the puerto rican nationality and works with Ben a former baseball player turned sports reporter. See how it all turned out. A GOOD READ.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Holiday Home Run was previously published in the anthology A Season to Celebrate, and is now being reprinted on its own in ebook. It’s a delightful companion novella to Priscilla Oliveras’ Matched to Perfection series, following a Fernandez cousin Julia as she finds her own HEA, though it can be read as a stand-alone.

However, much like the main books in the series, and Oliveras’ work in general, there’s a distinct Latinx flavor and familia remains central, with Julia having close relationships with her mother and cousins, who appear in supporting roles. However, there’s also the interplay between their expectations for her vs. what she wants, and that was conveyed beautifully.

Ben is a great hero, and I liked seeing him working to find a new family and purpose after finding himself retired from baseball due to injury, and seeing something in Julia, even though she is resistant to kobo at first.

This is a charming story, and a great addition to a fabulous series. I also think it would be a great introduction to Oliveras’ work to those who love sweet, culturally rich contemporary romance.

Julia has moved to Chicago to pursue her event planning dreams - em cee at her big chance in Ben, an ex-MLB pitcher. Too bad she's sworn never to date a baseball player...

A sweet, cute, and light novella about finding your home away from home during the Christmas season. Even though it's set in an established universe, it was easy for me to get to know the characters and get a feel for Julia's family.

Low heat, low angst, just a lovely snack size story to head into the holiday season with.

I received an ARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley.

Thanks to Kensington/Zebra Books for an advanced copy of Holiday Home Run a cute Christmas novella! This is part of the holiday anthology A Season to Celebrate and if you've read any of @priscillaolveras earlier books in the Matched to Perfection series the main character is a cousin of the Fernandez sisters.

Originally from Puerto Rico, Julia is in Chicago interning and keeping her fingers crossed it will turn into a job. Former MLB star Ben is figuring out his life after baseball when he volunteers to MC for the youth center fundraiser Julia is working on. Will sparks fly when they start working together?

This was such a sweet and cute novella. It just under 100 pages, so something quick and is just the perfect amount of holiday setting!

This was a super cute christmas story that made my heart warm. Ben was a gentleman, i adored him, and the sweet happy ending.

Cute, fun short story that will transport you out of our quarantined state for a few peaceful hours. Not necessary to read the prior books in this series, but certainly makes it more fun.

Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Books and Priscilla Oliveras for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
Julia Fernandez has one chance to make her goals a reality. Her parents are planning for her to take over their family business in Puerto Rico, but she dreams of working in Chicago as an event planner. When she gets the opportunity to intern in the city she takes it and hopes it becomes a permanent gig. Former Chicago Cubs star pitcher, Ben Thomas, is a little lost. After an injury ends his professional baseball career early, Ben doesn’t know where to turn. When he meets Julia at a fundraiser their connection is instant!
I read Priscilla Oliveras’ book Island Affair in June and loved it! I’ve been patiently waiting for the day the second book in the series comes out. I requested this book, not even realizing who the author was until I opened it on my Kindle to read. Talk about a pleasant surprise! This holiday novella was packed full of chemistry and heartfelt bonds. While this was a very quick book and the story wasn’t the most in-depth, you still end up rooting on Julia and Ben as they try to find their balance.
Priscilla Olivaras is on my must read author list and Holiday Home Run is just another reason why!

Adorable. Similar to most novellas I wanted more.

I enjoyed the connection between Julia and Ben but wanted to see a little more angst. on both sides. I did question what Julia's family thought she was doing in Chicago for so long.

Overall a really fun quick read with enjoyable, relatable characters.