Tag Archives: Christmas

Jan28

Snowed In for Christmas by Jaqueline Snowe

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Snowed In for Christmas by Jaqueline Snowe

Snowe, Jaqueline. Snowed in for Christmas. Forever/Grand Central Publishing, 2023. 336 PP. ISBN 9781538739815 $16.99

** 1/2

Left behind after their college charges are dismissed for the holidays, sunshiney sorority mom Becca and grumpy football coach Harrison weather a snowpocalypse over Christmas. Forced to share meals, space, and a mattress in front of a fire, barriers come down and they’re able to discuss a past failed date and share some confidences.

This was a sweet, sexy and superficial story told in dual points of view that relied on miscommunication and love at first sight to drive the plot. I didn’t have a strong sense of character complexity, and something about the inserts of National Weather Service news bulletins didn’t quite ring true, which feels like a petty thing to focus on, but it disturbed my enjoyment of the story.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #SnowedInForChristmas from #NetGalley.

Jan25

Highlands Christmas-Wishes Come True by Amy Quick Parrison

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Highlands Christmas-Wishes Come True by Amy Quick Parrison

Parrison, Amy Quick. Highlands Christmas-Wishes Come True. Flying Cactus, 2022. 122pp. ISBN 9780997552867. $10.24

** 1/2

In this very fast-paced tale, interior designer Melissa MacKenzie’s seemingly perfect life blows up when her husband discloses his affair and all but kicks her out of their home. Luckily, she gets a letter that she has inherited a Scottish castle, and travels abroad to see it, encountering sweet Colin MacGregor, a Scottish-American lawyer whom her husband has retained for their divorce proceedings. In between making new friends, seeing the town, and removing the For Sale signs that keep popping up on her inherited property’s lawn, Melissa keeps bumping into Colin. It turns out the letter was a scam…but Melissa IS a MacKenzie, and Colin is determined to put his legal-fu to work to help Melissa keep her new home.

The writing is flowery and descriptive, with as much small-town charm and meet cute as a holiday Hallmark channel love story. The romance is squeaky-clean, heart-warming, seasonal and delightful, but too short for any real depth of emotion (or really addressing the conflict of interest with dating your husband’s divorce lawyer), and the author relies on more telling than showing. I did like it enough to request–and read!–the stand-alone sequel, Highlands New Year.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #WishesComeTrue via #NetGalley courtesy of #FlyingCactus.

Sep17

Faking Christmas by Kerry Winfrey

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Winfrey, Kerry. Faking Christmas. Berkley, 2023. 336 pp. ISBN 9780593638361 $17.00

***

To perpetuate an accidental lie, a content creator for an Ohio tourist magazine and website is forced to host her sad and newly single boss at her twin sister’s farm for a holiday meal. As a side gig, Laurel does the social media management for Holly and Darius’s farm, hence the misunderstanding that it, and the accompanying homey, family lifestyle is hers. Of course, only her grumpy nemesis can be roped in to play her fake husband for their Christmas Eve dinner. When the weather takes a turn for the worse, they are snowed in with Gilbert, the melancholy boss, and must keep the ruse going or risk Laurel’s potential promotion. Forced proximity and a shared common goal of not letting Gilbert discover the truth result in clearing the air on a years-old misunderstanding to recognize they are actually attracted to each other.

This has all the cozy, seasonal elements of a Hallmark holiday movie: cottage core aesthetic, comedy of errors (Laurel can’t cook or milk a goat), and just kissing (more JustOne!Bedroom than JustOne!Bed, but plenty of flirting, longing, and entendre). Lauren’s self-improvement goals and insecurity around comparing herself to her more successful siblings adds a layer to the story, as does Max and Darius’s bond and Max’s unhappy childhood. With it’s themes of forgiveness and authenticity, Faking Christmas is a sweet and quirky addition to this year’s Christmas romance novels.

I received a free, advance reader’s review copy of #FakingChristmas from #NetGalley.

Aug27

A Holly Jolly Ever After (Christmas Notch) by Julie Murphy; Sierra Simone

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A Holly Jolly Ever After (Christmas Notch) by Julie Murphy; Sierra Simone

Murphy, Julie and Sierra Simon. A Holly Jolly Ever After. Avon and Harper Voyager, 2023. 432 pp. ISBN 9780063222649 $24.99

*****

This gingerbread cookie of a book is the perfect blend of sugar and spice. Former boy-band member turned pizza magnate Kallum is not allowed to fall for his formerly pious co-star Winnie, who is trying to redefine herself after a messy divorce…but when Winnie confesses she doesn’t know how to fake the love scenes because she’s never actually had an orgasm. How can Kallum NOT help her out?

It turns out the two had their own merry-little-meet-cute a decade ago, when being caught alone with a rock star was enough to tarnish Winnie’s pristine reputation and create a scandal for the young girl who’d taken a not-til-marriage pledge. All grown up, both are starring in a smutty softcore Christmas movie for Hope After Dark, and the film is being produced by porn king (who readers will remember from the previous book). Even instructional scenes are super-hot, and all the fun is rounded out by a load of vulnerability: scars from being in the spotlight at a young age; Kallum’s dad bod, self-acceptance, and angsting over his looks and his reputation; Winnie’s struggles with purity culture, managing her narcolepsy, and her estrangement from her judgmental parents.

I don’t purchase a lot of hardcovers, but after reading Merry Little Meet Cute last year, I treated myself to a copy and will purchase this in hardcover as well, because Julie Murphy and Sierra Simon are a writing powerhouse of funny situations and creative scenarios knit together with whiplash fast dialogue, complex protagonists, animated supporting characters and humor, humor, humor. Allusions to plot points and characters from Merry Little Meet Cute won’t necessarily lose readers who have not read other Christmas Notch books, but it certainly adds to the experience if they have.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #AHollyJollyEverAfter from #NetGalley.

Jul14

A Winter in New York by Josie Silver

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A Winter in New York by Josie Silver

Silver, Josie. A Winter in New York. Random House, 2023. 304 pp. ISBN 9780593722862 $18.00

****

There was something reminiscent of Adriana Trigiani in novel: Vivien, the British daughter of musician sensation Iris Raven, attends the Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy and has just eaten her weight in zeppole when the photo she snaps of Bellotti’s Gelateria sparks a memory for her. Vivien came to New York almost a year ago to escape a bad relationship, find a new job, and connect to her roots. She’s still grieving the death of her wonderful, complex, secretive, perpetually single mother. A chef by trade, Viv scores a job at a noodle joint, renting the apartment above. Once she realizes her mother knew the Belottis, she can’t stop herself from popping by and is quickly pulled into the dynamics of widowed manager Gio and his family/staff. Only two people in the family are allowed to have the famed gelato recipe at one time; one is Gio’s father, in the hospital and recovering from a stroke that has left him unable to recall the perfect proportions of cream, milk sugar and vanilla for the recipe. The other is Gio’s uncle, a peer of Vivien’s, who is still roaming Europe and out of touch.

Miscommunication and dishonesty fuel the plot. Vivien could have confided that Gio’s dad gave the recipe to Iris when he was the love of her love and her touring with his brother’s band tour them apart, but Iris chooses not to disclose it, and in fact spends hours in the kitchen trying to recreate a recipe she actually knows by heart. The other lie is that her abusive ex who haunts her is not dead, but alive and threatening. Because it’s Josie Silver is an amazing writer, Iris’s longing, pain, discomfort, and remorse are tangible and believable, and she builds a complex character who makes less than ideal choices but agonizes over them.

The interpersonal relationships really make this a wonderful novel, from Viv’s befriending of Gio’s teenage daughter, to her friendship with her relationship with Bobby Han, proprietor of Very Tasty Noodle house where she works — her landlord and his partner are charming and quirky addition to the story, and a foil for Iris to relay plot points and unpack her emotional baggage with. I loved that the story focuses on romance later in life–Gio is mature, steady, and careful, but sweet kisses and a dirty mouth, and he and Viv sneak around like teenagers in love.

There are some flashbacks in the narrative, to previous meetings of Viv and Gio (who, spoiler alert, like each other) and to Iris’s life and career trajectory and Viv’s childhood. The Brooklyn location, passing of the season, close knit family ties, and restaurant backdrop serve to set the story firmly in a rich, tasty ethnic family box, hence the sense of familiarity with Adriana Trigiani. I really love the cartooned cover art, with it’s New York City skyline in snow-globe in the same arc as the gelato cones the characters are holding.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #AWinterInNewYork from #NetGalley.

Apr15

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

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In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

Lauren, Christina. In a Holidaze. Gallery, 2020. 336. pp. ISBN 978-1982123949. $17.99

***1/2

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren is sort of Groundhog day but set at Christmas. While spending Christmas with her family at their home in Utah, Maelyn Jones makes a last ditch effort pass at her crush of thirteen years… and ends up back on the plan to Utah, stuck in some time loop. Humor, romance, and self-discovery abound.

Jan15

Infamous by Minerva Spencer

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Infamous by Minerva Spencer

Spencer. Minerva. Infamous (Rebels of the Ton, #3). Kensington, 2021. 352 pp. ISBN 9781496732873 $15.95

***

A prank gone wrong results in a marriage of convenience, banishment, and hurt feelings; can the perpetrator be redeemed? Celia Trent, a nasty backstabbing debutante trying desperately win a rich husband to raise her station in life, meant to trap her intended’s annoying and odious twin Richard with the dull wallflower Phyllida Singleton as a joke at a ball, but instead it’s Lucien (Lord Davenport) who is comprised overnight in a locked room with Phyl. They make the best of it, marry, and even have two children, but something is off.

It takes sister Toni’s engagement to the unsavory bully Sebastian, Lord Dowden–the mastermind behind the mean behavior so many years ago–to uncover and set right the wrongs of ten years ago. Celia, now a widowed working girl playing maid to an ornery, elderly member of the ton, has been invited to the wedding festivities, to take place over the Christmas holiday. If she can just make it to the year’s end a bonus is hers. Once back in society’s orbit, Celia is shocked to feel a pull not towards Luce, but to Richard, now an naturalist whose risque paper on the breeding imperative makes him still weird, but not as odious as in his gawky young adulthood. She slowly realizations her fascination with him may have been chemistry, not aversion, all those years ago. One by one, Celia makes her apologies to each wronged party and is wonderfully accountable.She is reluctant to disclose the existence of her daughter (results of an unplanned pregnancy via Dowden), her history as a mistress, and her growing feelings for Richard, resulting in an air of mysteries unravelled throughout the novel. Will she–or someone else?–spill the beans about Dowden’s true nature, or will young, naive Toni marry in haste?

The story takes part in winter on an estate in regency England and captures the long weekend feeling with its’ food, fun and games; rivalries and romances. Period details feel authentic, as does the unsavory behavior. For the most part, the characters are quirky and interesting. I haven’t read the others in the series, but did not find it a hindrance to enjoying this novel.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #Infamous from #NetGalley.

Dec10

Christmas Stories

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Christmas Stories

What to read for the holiday season? It really depends on your mood!

Tidings of Great Joy by Sandra Brown is an old favorite: architect Ria and Mayor Elect Taylor meet at a party, hook up and she gets pregnant, and they decide to make a go at a relationship. I prefer my romances a little more messy than beautiful and powerful rich people in love, and the ending is problematic with it’s controversial gift, but the romantic tension, emotional connection, and seasonal mood hold up.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is funny, sexy, diverse, and sort of meta with a Christmas movie at the heart of it.

In Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun, a demisexual girl gets fake engaged for money but can’t let go of the manic pixie dream girl she met last Christmas (insert Wham! song here….) messy, vulnerable and unexpected.

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren is sort of Groundhog day but set at Christmas. While spending Christmas with her family at their home in Utah, Maelyn Jones makes a last ditch effort pass at her crush of thirteen years… and ends up back on the plan to Utah, stuck in some time loop. Humor, romance, and self-discovery abound.

One Day in December by Josie Silver is a romantic, British slow-burn romance full of throat-choking angst. Laurie catches a stranger’s eye on the bus and it’s love at first sight; she spends years looking for him, but when they reconnect, he’s been dating her best friend for enough weeks it’s not going to work out for them.

Historical more your speed? A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews is about a last ditch effort to get to know a man who will be the answer to her family’s money woes.

A Very Merry Bromance is a seasonal tale set in the series about a group of dudes in Chicago who use romance novels to solve their relationship problems. In this volume, a country music superstar with a record deadline finds his muse in a whiskey heiress who is dead set against entangling with him (again) in spite of their chemistry after a one-night stand–but she’s happy to secure him as her company’s spokesperson. Set during the Christmas holidays, the use of Hallmark movie tropes to tell this seasonal story is playful and well-executed, if predictable, and satisfying.

For a humorous take on the season with a strong setting and unique characters, try Mistletoe and Mr. Right (Moose Springs, Alaska #2) by Sarah Morgenthaler.

And This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousins is the book I fantasize about writing: the idea that your person is there, on the periphery, and when the time is right comes into your orbit at last. Minnie Cooper is convinced that Quinn Hamilton, born a few minutes before her on NYE (and earning the cash prize she should have garnered for the first birth of the new year) is the person behind all the bad luck in her life. Unbeknownst to both of them, their worlds subtly collide, placing them in the same place every year until they finally meet.

Too much Christmas for me might be the right amount of Christmas for you! Once Upon a December by Amy E. Reichert is Brigadoon set in a magickal Christmas village Julemarked. Strong in worldbuilding this is another “they’d been orbiting one another for years!” romance. Once Upon A Royal Christmas feels like Christmas threw up everywhere, with it’s princess for hire falling for the real thing in a kingdom’s holiday competition that is a marketing win-win.

If you’re looking for something less traditional, Merry Little Meet Cute is my favorite this season, about the filming of a Hallmark style Christmas movie. It was funny and sexy with perfect pacing, plotting and snappy dialogue–but sex work and open relationships might not be everyone’s cup of tea. And for a non-Christmas holiday story, The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer features a Jewish girl who secretly loves Christmas, writes very successful Christmas-themed holiday romances and covers her apartment with Christmas decorations.

Want more? Good Reads just posted a booklist of recently published Christmas stories, and When In Romance covered some Christmas stories in their recent podcast “All the Holidays” (we’re on the same page about Merry Little Meet Cute!).

Nov8

Two Christmases by Suleena Bibra

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Two Christmases by Suleena Bibra

Bibra, Suleena. Two Christmases. Carina Press & Carina Adores (Harlequin), Carina Press, 2022. pp. ISBN 9780369718792 $4.99

**

While the premise is fun and has Hallmark-movie esque bones, with a native New York auction house employee falling for a southern cowboy client, it was a push to get through. Sonia, who dreams of interior design over the art auction house business, is up for a furniture promotion she isn’t sure she wants, and Beau, looking to outfit the offices of his green business venture to appeal to clients with money, is looking for guidance when they meet and Sonia uses his need to feed her desires. The attraction is strong, they debate over where Christmas is best, the city or country, and she takes him to her favorite haunts, including a 170-stall holiday shopping bazaar, a theatre running Christmas episodes of television shows, multiple Christmas parties and more. Hot chocolate is running through their veins.

They consummate their relationship early and with fairly mechanical precision, little variation or dialogue, and zero of the awkwardness or consent conversations that punctuate real-life encounters. She defines what I’d consider pedestrian as the best sex of her life. He calls her Baby Girl with great affection, which I personally found disturbing. Relationship-phobic Sonia dreads the ease with which they come together and tries to set boundaries–she KNOWS he’s going back home–and fails. His invitation to visit on his turf shouldn’t take her by surprise. She agrees to go and experience a country Christmas.

The writing is disappointingly amatuer. Descriptions are detailed, but not sensory, mostly just visual observations. Indian culture is nicely integrated with names, family dynamics and specific Hindi definitions, references to chai and cookies and Indian soap operas. Adverbs are over(ly) used and the writing it repetitive. Sonia smacks Beau on the ass on their way into the LEGO store, and he –her client–doesn’t react. She insults him throughout the first quarter of the book, calling him variations of “Old MacDonald.” These behaviors are unattractive and rude, and the character is not developed enough and the writing is not good enough to pass it off as flirtation or banter. I pushed through the predictable ending.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #TwoChristmases from #NetGalley

Oct16

A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone

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A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone

Murphy, Julie and Sierra Simone. A Merry Little Meet Cute. Avon, 2022. 432 pp. ISBN 978-0063222571. $21.99

*****

When plus-sized adult film star Bianca von Honey and former bad-boy Nolan Shaw, a boy band member turned actor, get cast opposite one another in a Hallmark movie-esque time travel rom com, she’s under orders to not reveal her porn industry connection, and he’s under orders to maintain a squeaky-clean image for rebranding. Bee keeps her composure when she meets the fantasy-inspiring man whose photos are still taped all over the walls and ceiling of her childhood bedroom, and Nolan pretends not to recognize Bee as the alt-porn star who has been not only feeding his spank bank for three years, but hides his super-fan top-tier support of her members-only ClosedDoor (think OnlyFans) account. The chemistry seems to be there, but she thinks the funny look on his face when they meet is because he thinks she’s fat (he doesn’t).

No one except Bee knows Teddy Ray Fletcher, producer of the film under the newly minted Fletcher Productions, is also Uncle Ray Ray, budget porn mogul. Due to an unfortunate accident that takes out several original crew members, Teddy substitutes behind the scenes crew members gleaned from the adult film industry for hair, wardrobe, and gaffer. Mums the word, because no one can know the streams have been crossed, or the family-friendly Hope network will drop the Duke the Halls project and Teddy will be out a lot of much needed cash.

BrillIantly plotted, inclusive, diverse, sweet and raunchy, the narrative is fucking hilarious and full of quick comebacks, racy references, cultural allusions and laugh-out-loud funny moments. It’s entirely likely authors Murphy and Simone alternated the chapters as Bee and Nolan, but the voices and narrative, while different, are cohesive. I have sense that Murphy brings along the YA drama and angsty, pop culture allusions and movie-making know how, while Simone adds in the romance and historical aspects to create a really seamless whole; when Bee and Nolan are arguing over which BBQ reigns supreme (Texas or Kansas), the authors might be making their own preferences known, but it works.

Characters were multifaceted and diverse in background, ethnicity and sexuality, all normalized and embraced. Most of the Christmas romances I read exist in a vacuum of other religions and cultures not existing, but A Merry Little Meet cute references multiple Jewish-adjacent characters, which was refreshing and affirming. This holiday romance novel also deals positively with mental illness, sex work and slut-shaming, body positivity and fat shaming and feminism.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #MerryLittleMeetCute from #NetGalley.