A Merry Little Mess

Juliet Tinsley is definitely not living her best life.She’s lost her job, her apartment, and what little confidence she had left—and now she’s facing the ultimate humiliation: going home for the holidays and admitting her overachieving family was right all along. But just when everything feels completely hopeless, her best friend offers a lifeline—house sitting for a wealthy family over Christmas. It’s the perfect temporary fix . . . a place to stay, time to regroup, and a chance to figure out what comes next.Declan Rhodes has spent years building a life far away from his family—and exactly how they expected him to be. Burned out and running on empty, he returns home unannounced, only to find someone else living in his parents’ house. Juliet. And thanks to a very official contract, there’s absolutely nothing he can do about it.All Declan wants is peace, quiet, and a few weeks to breathe. What he gets instead is a Christmas-obsessed whirlwind determined to turn the house into a holiday spectacle—one that’s already caught the attention of the HOA. Now, between over-the-top decorations, mounting complaints, and a very suspicious HOA president, Declan finds himself dragged into one ridiculous situation after another . . . including pretending to be Juliet’s fiancé just to keep the peace.It’s not the Christmas either of them expected—or wanted. But somewhere between the chaos, the forced proximity, and the unexpected sparks, what started as a temporary arrangement might just turn into something worth holding on to.