Author: Shona Knight

First Published: 15 November 2025

“… the more I get to know you, the more I know I need you in my life.”

I will start by saying that I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own. Thank you so much to Shona for sending a copy my way!

This Christmas, all she wanted was to disappear. What she found was three men who refused to let her.

I came to Silent Pines with nothing but a fake name, a heart full of grief, and a suitcase full of fear.

I wasn’t planning to stay. I wasn’t planning on being seen. And I definitely wasn’t planning to walk into a rundown gym and meet three ex-military men who see straight through me.

They notice the bruises I try to hide.
They sense the fear I carry like a second skin.

They see the heartache I carry from losing my mother.
And they make one thing clear, if anyone comes for me, they’ll have to go through them.

But secrets don’t stay buried in small towns. And when my true identity is discovered, even twinkle lights and holiday cheer can’t disguise the danger looking for me.

I didn’t come here looking for help, I was just looking for somewhere to stay while I made a few bucks.
But this Christmas… maybe I’ve finally found somewhere I’m safe, somewhere to call home.

Maybe I’ve finally found them.

Who knew that all I needed for this Christmas season was a dark, romantic suspense that’s chock full of all things Christmas? I do not know how Shona Knight does it, but Hiding for the Holidays has a perfect balance between dark, romantic suspense and all the warm, fuzzy feelings of a Hallmark movie.

Clara is on the run—like 100% off the grid, changed her name, abandoned her phone and bank cards—to escape her abusive ex. She’s been moving from town to town, finding cash-in-hand jobs to stay alive. Clara’s always looking over her shoulder, nervous that her psycho ex will show up. She cannot relax, even though she has not heard from him recently. She finds herself in Silent Pines and spends her nights cleaning the Christmas train when it comes into town. Clara’s life takes a turn when she cashes in the offer for a free self-defence class that the town’s gym, Iron Oaks, is running. There, she meets the Iron Oaks owners, Grant, Leo, and Asher. Their gym is failing, and the self-defence class was a last-ditch effort to increase membership. They are not prepared. So, when Clara shows up, they stop everything and run an impromptu class. Each of them is interested in Clara and wishes to care for her. Luckily for them, Clara is a business consultant and has the skills to turn their business around and boost gym memberships. As their relationship blooms under the magic of Christmas, will Grant, Leo and Asher be able to keep Clara safe from the threat of her ex?

I will say, please check the trigger warnings because we cover some heavy topics in here, in particular, escaping from domestic violence and grief. Clara is in survival mode. She’s on the run and still dealing with the death of her parents. I adore the care taken to explore Clara’s complicated feelings about her ex and her grief. My jaw dropped when we discovered more about her ex. My heart ached to see how she was being manipulated. Thank God, she landed in Silent Pines. It was beautiful to see Clara’s faith in humanity restored. That the realisation came in the form of 3 sexy, ex-military men is an added bonus.

Grant, Leo and Asher are all interested in Clara from the moment they meet. They can see she’s clearly running from something, and all vow to help her. The trio are ex-military and served together during their deployment. Now retired, they’ve moved to Silent Pines and opened a gym. None of them knows how to run a business, and Clara is a breath of fresh air. Clara has business experience, and the perfect plan is formed. Clara will help them overhaul their branding and marketing, and they can provide her with a stable job and a chance to start over. If business doesn’t improve, they will need to close the gym, which none of them want, as they are enjoying the freedom of making their own rules. I adore how sweet and protective they all are. Grant is our stoic caretaker. Asher is the broody one who’s a secret marshmallow only for her. And Leo is our playful golden retriever.

The romance had me swooning all over the place. I love how Grant, Leo and Asher recognised they wanted Clara but realised she’s in a tough place. They don’t want to overwhelm her. They sneakily help her out under the guise of employment perks, which allows them the chance to get to know her better while also giving her a space to catch her breath and plan her next steps. They let her know they want to date her but won’t act on anything until Clara’s ex is stopped. However, the more time they spend together, Clara realises she can’t choose. But never fear, this is a why-choose romance, so thankfully, no choice needed! I love all the dates they take her on. Shona always does a fantastic job of developing the individual relationships in her romances, and Hiding for the Holidays is no exception.

I loved the Christmas spirit that’s stuffed—pun intended—in here. Clara has lost her love of Christmas after her mother’s death. The love of the holiday is something they shared, so celebrating Christmas without her mother is painful. I loved how our guys helped rekindle Clara’s love of the holiday season. I was practically sobbing at how they recreated one of her mother’s Christmas traditions; it was so sweet!

I quickly consumed this book; I couldn’t get enough of these characters. If you want to get into the holiday season but normally stick to dark romances, I highly recommend Hiding for the Holidays.