The Holiday Prize by Megan Reinking: Book Review

 *Book received for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

As one of the top real estate agents on Oahu, work has always been a top priority for Tori Swanson. Despite the constant prying from her ever-meddling family members, dating has been on the back burner for a while now. When circumstances leave her boss issuing a company-wide challenge to any agent who can bring a full-price offer on his multi-million-dollar luxury beachside listing before the end of the year, the commission and bonus he's offering has Tori jumping headfirst into the competition. She'll do anything it takes to bring a buyer to the table, especially if it means increasing her odds by teaming up with her friend and fellow agent, Connor Brooks.

While Connor Brooks is wildly successful in his professional life as a real estate agent, his personal life is lacking. Choosing at an early age to focus on being successful, he never put a lot of focus on dating, leaving him uncomfortable and clumsy around women he finds attractive. When his boss offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he teams up with Tori, who, as his coworker, has always been off-limits dating wise. As they work closely together, his easy friendship with her proves to be enough to push him out of his comfort zone and take risks in both his professional and personal life.

She's confident, driven, and fun to be around.

He's ambitious, a workaholic, and the opposite of a ladies' man.

Can they come together, remain strictly friends, and find a buyer for the listing? Or will the waters get muddy, blurring the lines between coworkers and something more?

Megan Reinking is a wife and mother who lives in Minnesota, where she spends her days reading, writing, or chauffering her three children around town. She's a homebody who loves quiet, lazy days and connecting with family and friends.

The Holiday Prize is the fourth book in the Hawaiian Getaway series. I had personally only read book one in the series and found that this reads just fine as a standalone too. 

This was such a wonderfully done slow burn romance! Connor and Tori were friends and had worked together as real estate agents for a while, but when a competition has them working together to get a property sold, the time together has their feelings start to evolve into something more. While I'm always up for a faster paced romance too, I felt like the progression of their relationship felt very true to life and true to these characters too and I absolutely loved watching them as they grew closer together. Such a sweet romance between the two of them. 

Just based on the cover and title, I definitely expected this to be a bit more of a holiday romance than I thought it came across. It does take place over Christmas and definitely has some great holiday moments--- like going to the tree farm, receiving Christmas cards in the mail, etc. But it definitely didn't feel like the holiday content was overpowering either--- perhaps because of its tropical setting. As such, while it'd be a great holiday read, I could see it being enjoyed all year long too. 

The Holiday Prize is a closed-door romance. While there is intimacy implied, there is nothing beyond kisses on the pages. There was some minor language as well.