Publication Date: October 6, 2026
She just walked into her dream Christmas rental… and found her worst enemy already unpacked.
Eternal optimist Merrily Tucker is excited to spend Christmas in the most beautiful house in town; a twinkly, tinsel-lined rental that’s just hers for the holidays. But inside is one big problem… the man who once turned her down in front of the whole of Holly Grove, irritatingly handsome, certified Grinch Grant Moody. He says he’s the owner. And he’s planning to spend Christmas here too.
The town might think he’s a playboy, but Grant Moody is determined to spend his Christmas nights alone. Zero decorations, a ban on baked goods, and definitely no holiday spirit. A mix-up with the rental company isn’t going to get in his way. Even if the woman at his door is the irresistibly gorgeous one-who-got-away Merrily Tucker…
Merrily and Grant are both too stubborn to leave.
Battling for control over what music plays on the speakers and heaving Christmas trees in and out of the house, they find themselves all tangled in tinsel. But Merrily’s “when I think about you, I touch my elf” t-shirt has Grant’s candy cane tingling in a way that begs the question…
Secretly, do they actually want to be home alone together this Christmas…?
An enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity Christmas romance perfect for fans of Meghan Quinn, Lucy Score and Ali Hazelwood. Holiday cheer in female form + the six-foot grump she loves to hate = the perfect festive read.
TROPES:
Forced proximity
Enemies-to-lovers
Fake dating
Spice levels 🌶️ 🌶️
Merrily Tucker adores Christmas. Rather than being disappointed about having to stay by herself in an Airbnb when she returns to her hometown, she embraces the image of the festive house.
Author Kayley Loring serves up a romantic comedy, pitting Merrily against a grown-up Grant Moody who detests holiday decor. Not Home Alone delivers a powerful forced-proximity theme as their attraction threatens to combust.
Their disagreement about holiday cheer merely scratches the surface when it comes to the spicy bickering between the two. Their shared past also comes with unresolved issues.
Everything about the story screams cozy Christmas, yet these two characters are both too stubborn to budge. That’s when the author throws in bursts of heat and spicy banter to move things along.
Not Home Alone brings spicy holiday cheer to two feuding main characters, complete with Santa Claus, suggestive shirt slogans, and a reindeer statue.
Kayley Loring is an Amazon Top 25 and USA Today bestselling author of spicy romantic comedies. Read or listen to her books when you want humor, heat, and heart. You’ll enjoy top-notch banter, strong heroines, lovable characters you’d want to know in real life and you’ll swoon over perfectly imperfect book boyfriends. All Kayley Loring books are steamy open door romance. Be sure to check out her next-level audiobooks!
