Hailey Gardiner

Hailey Gardiner wrote light romantic comedies shaped by quick banter, everyday awkwardness, and affectionate humor. The Holiduel is a holiday novella about Ava and Finn, former pastry-school rivals who find themselves sharing a commercial kitchen in Nashville. Their competition over seasonal food events gives the story its comic engine, while an unresolved kiss from years earlier supplies the second-chance romance. The book serves as a prequel to Gardiner's Falling for Franklin sequence, whose connected stories follow a close-knit circle through gentle romantic relationships. Gardiner's interest in desserts and movie quotations also suits a plot built around bakers, food trucks, and festive cooking. By keeping the conflict focused on professional rivalry, forgiveness, and renewed trust, she turns a compact seasonal premise into a warm introduction to the larger series.