The Merry Billionaire was a short and sweet novella. My holiday readathon up until this point had been an absolute slumpfest, but I enjoyed this one.
IThe Merry Billionaire was a short and sweet novella. My holiday readathon up until this point had been an absolute slumpfest, but I enjoyed this one.
I’d previously read Bookworm and the Beast (another in the Eastport Bay series) and am looking forward to reading more by Tru Taylor. I like her writing style and the spice in her books. And the reimagined fairytales are totally my vibe.
My only issue with this one was Rachel’s internal dialogue. It just got overly pessimistic and repetitive at times, but overall I thought her and Hap’s relationship was cute....more
Home for Christmas was a cozy little romcom. But I do think both “enemies to lovers” and “Christmas themed” are a bit of a stretch. That didn’t reallyHome for Christmas was a cozy little romcom. But I do think both “enemies to lovers” and “Christmas themed” are a bit of a stretch. That didn’t really detract too much for me, but if you’re looking for a true Christmas-centered story, this isn’t it (in my opinion). And enemies to lovers… well, they were “enemies” for all of five minutes.
Even still, I thought Wendy and Riven’s relationship was sweet. Very Hallmark-esque and predictable. But still one of the better holiday romcoms I’ve read so far this season....more
Window Shopping went back and forth between 3 and 4 stars, but ultimately landed on the lower end. I enjoyed the first half of the book, but as I got Window Shopping went back and forth between 3 and 4 stars, but ultimately landed on the lower end. I enjoyed the first half of the book, but as I got closer to the end, I think things started feeling a little too rushed and repetitive. And Aiden’s clashes in personality between the real world and the bedroom felt a bit off to me. He almost started to feel a tad obsessive and stifling and that just didn’t seem to fit the vibe.
After a few lackluster Christmas romcoms, I was in need of a holiday palette cleanser and this did the job.
I liked Christmas Presents. Even though I pAfter a few lackluster Christmas romcoms, I was in need of a holiday palette cleanser and this did the job.
I liked Christmas Presents. Even though I predicted the ending really early on, it still held my interest all the way through. And the actual Christmas presents.. I really liked that reveal.
I did find the alternating timelines and flashbacks a little bit confusing at times, but overall I thought it played out pretty well and was a nice break from the typical holiday fluff....more
Studmuffin Santa was a cute and easy Christmas novella. I loved the setting of a reindeer rescue ranch an‘Tis the season for cheesy holiday rom-coms.
Studmuffin Santa was a cute and easy Christmas novella. I loved the setting of a reindeer rescue ranch and appreciated the ongoing banter and humorous nature between characters.
Jade and Brandon’s relationship was sweet, but I think my favorite relationships throughout the book were between the various family members. The love was definitely evident there.
Although it felt a little too rushed to me overall, I think it’s still worth the read if you’re in the mood for a sweet and (mildly) spicy holiday story....more
Nothing says Christmas like your grandmother forcing you into physical intimacy with a stranger. Err.. wait. Does it? (NO)
12 Days of Mistletoe did havNothing says Christmas like your grandmother forcing you into physical intimacy with a stranger. Err.. wait. Does it? (NO)
12 Days of Mistletoe did have some fun and festive qualities, for sure. It had heartwarming moments and it had moments that made me laugh. But I just could not get past the fact that the whole premise is based upon an eighty+ year old woman forcing her never-met-before tenant to: kiss her grandson in front of her for practice, sit on his lap, attend their family gatherings, kiss her grandson some more for public display, all while dangling her dog (who is her service dog/lifeline) over her head like a carrot, when Grandma admittedly wouldn’t have had a problem with the dog anyway! Noble intentions or not, it was just a little too cringey and weird.
I liked the second half of the book more than the first, but all of that, along with so much of the book using repetitive phrases and internal dialogue, kept it from being anything more than a 3-star for me....more
Single All the Way was an easy read with the predictability and perfectly unrealistic romance you’d expThis was a cute kickoff to my holiday reading.
Single All the Way was an easy read with the predictability and perfectly unrealistic romance you’d expect from a Hallmark holiday movie.
I’m not really a fan of insta-love, but obviously you expect some of that with a novella, so I leaned into it. But Single All the Way also had an almost overly extensive amount of drama and hostility for such a short story. That, along with the MMC’s constant commentary on beauty and appearances (all while attempting to claim beauty and attractiveness is NOT what’s important) kind of detracted from the overall vibe, keeping it at a 2.5-3 star for me....more
I was in the mood for at least one Christmas read this holiday season, and I’d had Miracle on 5th Avenue on my radar for a couple of Christmases now. I was in the mood for at least one Christmas read this holiday season, and I’d had Miracle on 5th Avenue on my radar for a couple of Christmases now. It was an enjoyable read and I was rooting for both the main characters in their own way.
I’m definitely a sucker for a dark and brooding guy with a soft side. What can I say. Hannah and Lucas’s relationship was heartfelt, spicy, and entertaining throughout. I appreciated their commitment to each other and the depth they both were willing to share and expose of themselves. And although I was happy with the ending, there was a part of me that almost wished it would have gone a different way.
Even still, it was a funny, sweet, and (somewhat) spicy holiday read that helped satisfy my festive craving....more
Todd must really be God’s gift to the world because he describes literally 90% of the characters he comes across in the book as “chubby”, “doughy”, “pTodd must really be God’s gift to the world because he describes literally 90% of the characters he comes across in the book as “chubby”, “doughy”, “piggy eyes”, fat, enormous, large, etc. It was so beyond shallow and annoying that I had a bad taste in my mouth from the very beginning and it never really went away. Even if this had been a masterpiece of a book, I would have still detracted a star solely because of all of the belittling character descriptions.
Beyond even that, there was a lot of tasteless language in Snow and it was just not my cup of tea. I thought the premise was cool and the monsters were definitely creepy, but it was one of those books where I wanted to know what happened, but not as badly as I wanted the book to be done. I didn’t like any of the characters enough to root for them and just found myself feeling bored, irritated, and uninspired as I pushed through to the lackluster ending....more