REVIEW: The Hanukkah Hook-Up by Jessica Topper
Meet the OG Matzo Ballers: Eight friends who became found family, living and loving their best lives on a yearly Hanukkah harbor cruise around Manhattan…
It was only supposed to last for one night.
Work-obsessed Nora Ruben is tired of playing by all the rules. Especially when no one else seems to be. When her boss delivers grim news – at the company “holiday” party, of all places – she’s done being the model employee. At least for one night – the night of the Matzo Baller, her friend’s famed Hanukkah harbor cruise around Manhattan. And if the cute co-worker from the suburban office is along for the ride? All the better.
She has just one condition: no work talk, from sundown to sunrise.
Alex Beckman has never quite found where he fits in his family’s business. And he never wanted to take the lead on a major acquisition, especially of a company he knows nothing about. But when he’s sent to reduce the staff by half – and finds sexy, whip-smart Nora Ruben at the top of the list – he’s determined to dig deeper. It helps that she assumes he’s just a fellow comrade in the cubicles. When Nora invites him to ditch the party for the cruise, this nice Midwestern Jewish boy jumps at the chance…
But when eight hours on a boat turns into an amazing weekend together…firing Nora is the last thing on Alex’s mind. Will their Hanukkah hook-up confirm his worst fears about the future of his family business – or be the beginning of something miraculous?
Dear Ms. Topper,
One of our regular commenters recommended this to me and I’m glad she did. Readers looking for full-on Hanukkah, this might be the book (which is part of a series) for you.
Nora Ruben has pivoted from trying to piece together a living wage working on Broadway shows in costuming to working for a company that handles employment for concessions for shows. Now she’s enduring her company’s annual Christmas party when she notices a stranger she thinks must be a Bridge and Tunnel man – someone who commutes in from outside NYC. The company has two other locations in Westchester and NJ/PA so it makes sense. Needing to escape, she spontaneously invites him to the Matzah Baller cruise that a friend of hers does.
Alex Beckman is trying to find his place in his family’s company after the death of his beloved grandpa who got his start working concessions at Midwest baseball games. Alex’s first assignment is to be the hatchet man for the NYC company they just bought. Something seems off at the party starting with the asshole in charge. When gorgeous Nora yanks him away, he’s more than happy to experience the first night of Hanukkah on a cruise around Manhattan.
But Alex has too much integrity to take advantage of Nora and spend the night with her without her knowing who he really is and why he’s really there. Can the two of them fix the business issue, see NYC, and discover if their attraction can grow?
Fair warning – Nora grew up in a Kosher household and is mainly a vegetarian now but doesn’t maintain dietary laws. However after this is mentioned, it really isn’t a major issue in the story. The Matzah Baller cruise that her friend Jay and his sister Talia run has Jewish food for everyone and a first night experience that has become one of the hottest tickets in town. Nora and Alex are used to being “othered” at this time of the year, from the sheer enormity of Christmas plus the fact that Alex grew up in Des Moines which isn’t a center of Judaism. I enjoyed the immersion in Hanukkah as I learned more and watched the Jewish characters exhale and be among friends and family.
The holiday focus then shifts a bit over the next few days to get Nora and Alex back together while searching for a gift for each other as well as having Nora show Alex not only the best sights in NYC but also exactly what the company does. Nora is wise enough to appreciate that Alex didn’t sleep with her before telling her who he is and that she was the one who initially insisted on “no work talk.” This section is a love letter to the city and a chance to see that Alex and Nora are level headed adults.
Of course there needs to be a third act breakup and honestly I wondered why Alex didn’t clue Nora in on the brilliant solution he devised to get rid of the asshole (which involves kick-ass business acronyms) as well as take care of the employees Nora had been desperately trying to shield from the asshole’s actions. But a breakup is needed and this is how it happened. I like that Alex and his Uncle, who is now in overall charge of the family business, begin to see the best in each other. As Alex is the one who left Nora out of his plan, yay that she makes him work a bit to win her back but as their connection is warm as well as smoking, also yay that this doesn’t take too long. I enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more. B
~Jayne
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@Jayne, Amazon linked back to DA, BN linked to “Hooked Up With a Vampire”, Kobo to a page with 12 different books, and Book Depository to Amazon main kindle books page.
@LML: Well that was a bust. The book is currently available through KU so that’s probably why the links other than Amazon lead to … not the book. The Amazon link should now go to the book there. Thanks for letting me know.