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Unabridged Digital Audiobook
Runtime: 10 hours, 27 minutes
Read by Caroline Lauf
The holiday season is a time for romance; just ask anyone who spends the last few months of the year watching The Hallmark Channel. And the audio edition of Host for the Holidays by Martha Keyes travels to one of the most romantic cities in the world during one of the most romantic times of the year.
The story follows photographer Madi as she travels to Paris to join her boyfriend, Josh, for what promises to be a Christmas vacation filled with romance and adventure. Though Josh has hinted that he’s planning to propose, Madi ends up staying in the servant’s quarters of a tiny apartment and experiencing the city with the apartment’s handsome and incredibly charitable host, Rémy. And when Madi finally snaps and breaks up with her disrespectful boyfriend, she realizes that the romance she found in the City of Love isn’t what she expected—but it’s so much better.
Host for the Holidays definitely isn’t the typical holiday romance, where two people end up falling in love during some kind of over-the-top holiday festivities in a quaint small town. In fact, it’s often easy to forget that it takes place around the holidays—because it isn’t really a key factor in the story. Instead, its focus is on the sites and scenery and (of course) the romance of Paris.
The story is lighthearted and sweet—an easygoing rom-com about a Parisian holiday that doesn’t go as planned. From the beginning, Madi’s trip is just one disappointment after another—and though Rémy’s initial motivation for helping her out is to receive a five-star rating on the new vacation rental’s listing, his feelings soon change as he helps her explore the city.
Admittedly, it’s not always easy to understand why Rémy falls for Madi so quickly. After all, the author highlights the fact that she’s a clueless American. She may be sweet and well-meaning, but her behavior sometimes comes off as cringe-worthy. While her constant references to American pop culture and her playful insistence that Parisians are obsessed with Americans can sometimes be frustrating, readers will still be taken in by the romance and adventure of this holiday love story.
It may not have the same cozy feel of a holiday romance set in a festive New England town—and seasoned travelers may cringe at some of the main character’s actions—but Host for the Holidays is still a cute pick for some light holiday listening.
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