About the Book

When Connor Finch insists his one-time Tinder match, Shae, comes to his dad’s house for Thanksgiving with her two daughters, it’s because he refuses to let them be alone on her first-holiday post-divorce.

But when she arrives at the Christmas tree farm and ranch he grew up on, she meets his father—the crazy tall, built, golden retriever cowboy who tells her girls all about the magic of the stupid elf on a shelf.

Of course, when she later corners him and tells him thanks a lot for nothing and that she’s way too overwhelmed to have to deal with yet another responsibility, he feels terrible.

So terrible, he finds himself driving two hours every night just to deliver an elf, move him about, and create some Christmas magic for her girls.

But what happens when he decides meeting her the way he did was some kind of Christmas miracle, and he needs to convince Shae to give him a shot?

Review

Big Nick Energy was the type of Christmas story I had been on the hunt for. It’s a Hallmark Christmas story with some spice.

Shae is a single mother who had recently left an abusive relationship. And one night she goes on a tinder date with a younger guy named Connor. They end up remaining friends after the one date. Connor, who was raised by a single father—Nick, is constantly talking about Shae and her daughters. And invites them to Thanksgiving at his father’s ranch. Shae and Nick get out to a rough start, but Nick begins to constantly show up for the girls and Shae. Starting with driving an hour (back and forth) to do Elf on the Shelf to make Christmas special for them.

Shae is understandably hesitant about the whole ordeal. She’s used to being the sole provider for the girls and used to having a terrible and uninterested partner. And she doesn’t want there to be another situation where she feels she fails her girls. Shae is doing the best she can, and rude parents and kids and a reappearing ex-husband aren’t making it easy for her.

Nick is understanding about all of that and doesn’t want to rush things. One thing that I adored about him was that he always reminded Shae of her worth. In addition to being there for her daughters, he was always there for her. He wanted to make her life stress free. I really enjoyed their romance. I thought it progressed naturally and there were many times where I was grinning ear to ear.

Final Thoughts

Big Nick Energy is a cozy read about family, love, and healing. Nick will most likely be having everyone swooning with how good he is. And Shae’s story about healing is inspiring. It is worth mentioning that this story does need another round of editing. There were several noticeable errors. It made me wonder if it had been rushed. All and all, it’s still a great holiday story.

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