Skip to main content

Review: Doting on His Best Friend - Christmas at Redemption Ridge #11

Doting on His Best Friend book cover on blue background

It's been lovely to pick up some more Christmas titles as the weather changes! Doting on His Best Friend by Liwen Y. Ho has been fun to read as I can picture myself being by a fireplace with hot chocolate and playing board games with my best friend, my husband. What a great start to the season!

Many thanks to the author for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Book Synopsis

Can two best friends overcome their age gap and the past to become something more?

Phoebe Cordle moved to Redemption Ridge after experiencing loss and was grateful to find a ranching town where she could start her own equine therapy practice. She also found a confidante in a handsome and generous man nine years her junior who's captured the attention of all the single ladies in their community—including her own. However, after zero signs of interest on Milo’s part for the past six years, she’s given up hope and decides to help him find love instead.

Milo Gibson wants nothing more than to give Phoebe a taste of romance. He’s been biding his time though, patiently waiting as she grieved, and trying to be the most supportive friend possible. Whether it’s being her movie buddy or catching cockroaches in her apartment, he’s always ready to come to Phoebe’s rescue. But when she starts playing matchmaker for him, he knows it’s time to save himself before she sets him up on another blind date, and finally come clean about how much she means to him.

When Phoebe is forced out of her home and into Milo’s for an indefinite amount of time, the two friends find themselves in the midst of unexpected chemistry and challenges. Will they take this opportunity to navigate their relationship out of the friend zone for good?

Source: Amazon

Book Thoughts

This was a quick Christmastime escape filled with warm fuzzies. Milo is such a teddy bear that it's easy to see why he is so endearing. At the same time, Phoebe has the best intentions for her best friend and demonstrates applied wisdom in her life, so it's a joy to cheer them on as they move through self-discovery to discovering a new type of relationship together. The counselling nuggets are lovely to come across, and provide insights into the characters’ motivations and behaviours. At the same time, Milo and Phoebe’s strong Christian faith guide them to be people who can love each other well.

I loved the cameo appearances of characters from Redemption Ridge and Freedom Ridge, further solidifying the strong community that the characters are surrounded by—both with friends and family. If you're looking for a sweet Christmas romance, this is a book that takes doting to the next level. Prayer is a consistent theme and it's a refreshing reminder to take all things to God and to trust Him for our needs and wants. This book sets the stage for a heartwarming seasonal read with plenty to delight readers, including charming banter and a fun new family member.

Book Summary

  • Format of book: 📱
  • Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Recommendation: 👍

Comments

  1. I love this review, especially this line: "...this is a book that takes doting to the next level"! LOL Thank you for taking the time to read and share your thoughts!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oops, that comment above wasn't supposed to be anonymous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww, thank you! It was such a sweet Christmas book, perfect to usher in the season :)

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

All the Cheese

I've been coming across content within the past several weeks that has stereotyped Christian books (and other mediums) as being cheesy on Christian accounts. While this isn't a new label or even a new topic, what has surprised me somewhat has been seeing more Christian authors jump into this conversation who wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment. Although some authors will name others whom they believe are writing non-cheesy fiction, I feel as though the damage has been done by repeating this blanket statement. While readers have freely been engaging in this type of commentary for some time, it's been interesting to see authors chime in, where in some cases, there seems to be an emphasis on self-promotion over reflection. I'm not stereotyping and saying that all authors or even the authors I'm connected to respond with this tactic (because I really don't think they do!), but there are a few out there from my limited experience who seem to respond to this disc...

Mortality and Reading

This is a topic that has been resonating for me over the past few days, ever since I saw James Trevino's Instagram reel about why you shouldn't finish every book you start. In it, he breaks down the math of how many books we'd be able to read in a lifetime, based on reading a set number of hours per day and the average lifespan. He then compares this number to the number of books that are available worldwide. At first glance, it made me realize that I would have a lot of unread books, no matter whether my life is short or long. There's just too many books to read. Thinking about when my life might end led me to think about the types of books I read and how I'm currently filling my time. I don't think it's a coincidence that right after this crossed my mind, I was listening to  The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis where he espouses a simple but profound line that stopped me in my tracks: "If you don't read good books, you will read bad ones." Thi...

Life Up North

I'm going to go against my previous posts about keeping my opinions to myself on things outside of faith and reading by sharing some of my recent experiences instead. I figure that if we read fiction to broaden our understanding of other perspectives that it might be worthwhile for me to share how things have been for me as a non-representative Canadian (I'm not speaking for anyone else here!) 😄 I'll be honest in that it's been tough in the last few weeks and months. I've done my best to keep up my optimism and more importantly, my hope in Christ, Who is unchanging and steadfast. Rulers come and go, nations evolve and change, and politics can swing back and forth, but God is immutable and sovereign over all things. That being said, recent geopolitical factors have resulted in an emotional toll on me and a lot of the people I interact with in my life. While I am grateful that I can place my burdens at the foot of the cross, I recognize that others in my life have va...