The snow may be fake, but could the romance be real?

Christmas in August? Sunset County is decked out for the holidays—fake snow and all! Maya Monroe can’t believe her novel is being turned into a Christmas movie. Except that the “acclaimed” director, Will Hastings, is Maya’s ex. The man who broke her heart via text, and clearly knows nothing about romance, is directing her dream project.

Will never imagined he’d be filming a Christmas romance—especially one based on his ex’s book. But Will’s determined to complete the job, even though Maya keeps interfering with his creative choices—and his heart. In this staged winter wonderland, their feelings are stealing the show. Can Will and Maya heal their past for a second chance to be the lead couple in their real-life romance?

Titles in the Sugar Maple Farms series include:  Her Fairy-Tale Farmer ~ Autumn Nights, Holiday Lights ~

This is an adult 18+ story that contains language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Title:  Autumn Nights, Holiday Lights
Series:  Sugar Maple Farms #2
Author:  Elle Douglas
Published:  September 30, 2025
Publisher:  Harlequin Special Edition
My Rating:  4.5 stars

Autumn Nights, Holiday Lights is the second title in the Sugar Maple Farms series. This time, it’s Maya, an author and a bakery owner (Hey, it’s the day job), who is seeing her romance novel make it to the big screen, and the movie is being filmed in her hometown.  Unfortunately, the director is her high-school sweetheart, Will, who left her behind when he went off to college and then his California dream of directing the next epic film.  They haven’t been in contact since he broke up with her… long-distance.  Sparks are about to fly, not only the rekindled attraction ones, but the “it’s my novel”, “it’s my movie” ones that spark some disagreements as well.

I had such fun with Maya and Will in Autumn Nights, Holiday Lights.  Will took on this film as a way to tend to business for his ailing father, who needs to move into an assisted living facility.  Will plans to sell the family house, get his father settled, film this nonsense romance film, and then head back to California to push for the epic film he really wants to do.  He knew he’d probably run into Maya again, and he wasn’t prepared for the woman she’s grown into.  

Maya doesn’t hesitate to give Will her opinion of the changes he’s making in order to take her book to the big screen.  She’s also fighting the attraction she still feels for the annoying man, and poking at him through banter and maybe some outrageous demands for the film is one way of getting under his skin.

I loved this couple together, and Maya individually.  It took me a bit to warm up to Will, but I felt that was intentionally written that way since he broke our heroine’s heart, and isn’t too kind about how he feels about fluffy, nonsensical, happy-ever-after movies.  Watching Will lower his walls, admit that he’s changing his opinion about romance movies, thanks to Maya, was a fun, and maybe a karma moment kind of enjoyment.  Adorable pups always grab my attention, and Bruce (Maya’s new puppy)  was all that and a cute rein-dog (it’s a holiday thing), even if he wasn’t very coordinated or well-behaved in that role.

I enjoyed myself back in this world, and if you love a well-written, funny, emotional romance that will have you cheering on a couple that really do belong together to their own happy ending, then you’d love Autumn Nights, Holiday Lights by Elle Douglas.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley, and I sincerely thank the author or publishing house for their trust.  It is my choice to leave a review, giving my personal opinion about this book.*

If you enjoy this author, please visit our Elle Douglas page to see other titles you might have missed over time.

This title is available at Amazon (affiliate link)