What a cute little Christmas novel. One in which a woman named Noelle (and a man named Cal) fall in love at her inn. With a great little happily ever after. It was a really nice and cute story that made me feel like dipping my toe into this season. And I’m definitely keen to read more in the world of Briscoe and Blizzard Bluff. Particularly since this is the last Christmas story in this little Christmas trilogy.
I like that Cal and Noelle have always had feelings for each other, and take forever to act upon them. The fact that they grew up a little first, and gave each other the space to grow into who they wanted to be made me like this all that much more. Of course, this initial getting together leads to the whole accidental pregnancy thing. I love that, rather than any kind of push back, it’s all about support and being there for one another.
Kisses at Candy Cane Lane is a very quick, easy and sweet Christmas read. I loved the simplicity of it all. And I also loved the characters, their development and the emotion behind all of their relationship. This was a fun way to start to get into the Christmas spirit and I look forward to more of this enjoyment in the other Blizzard Bluff books.
I’ve been really wanting to dive into this series since reading Dear Sexy Ex-Boyfriend. But, sadly, I’ve always read on the kobo and it’s been sitting in Kindle Unlimited. Which, ultimately has meant that I pulled the trigger and decided to get KU as well as Kobo Plus. On this book alone, there are no regrets for that decision. Birthday Suit was a wonderful book and I couldn’t put it down from the very first page. It was everything that I loved in a really good romance, the angst, the characters and all of my joy.
I love that even though Birthday Suit is a second chance romance, but not really of the typical kind. Rather, instead of having a romantic history that they both stuffed up, it’s all about Leo’s unrequited love and Lulu’s ability to move into a whole new future. The complications of their past and the tangled webs of Tripp are kind of intense at times. And then, to keep up with the emotional rollercoaster that Blakelytakes you on, there’s one tiny insight into Tripp’s views on Leo and Lulu. And it just… honestly destroyed me.
All of the tangled web that is Leo and Lulu’s relationship turned this into a wonderfully, enjoyably intense romance. I love that it’s a combination of Leo’s guilt for coveting his best friend’s wife for years. And Lulu’s confusion about her sudden feelings and moving forward with her life. Rather than glossing over these details and the emotional confusion that turning from a trio to a duo inflicts upon Leo and Lulu, Blakely is able to highlight this as part of their character journey. The very angst that is experienced is what makes the two so relatable and wonderful.
As with all heroines that I love, Lulu is ridiculously strong and independent. I love that the strength she shows doesn’t involve suppressing or hiding her feelings. But, rather, she revels in them. It’s a reminder that committing to love and embracing how you feel isn’t a sign of weakness, rather, it is a strength in and of itself. I also love that Lulu was historically able to away from relationships that weren’t healthy for her. And pursue her own desires and needs.
I’m always a big fan of second chance romances, and second chance romances at Christmas? It’s not the kind of book that I’d willingly put down. And, luckily for me, Marry Christmas didn’t just tick all of those boxes, it was just beautifully written as well. Something about Maggie and Brooks made me gunning for their happily ever after more strongly than I have in a while. I mean, second chance Christmas romances are littering my TBR, but something about this one worked incredibly, and sweetly well.
This is a fairly short read with pretty much no angst, and just all the positive vibes. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a serious villain in this and a wonderfully manipulative grandmother. But I would’ve expected Brooks’ father to be far more evil and cause more drama than he does. Since he’s the reason that Brooks breaks things off with Maggie in the first place. I would’ve thought he’d throw another spanner in the works when they become adults.
There is a lot of on page action in this story – the kind of action that made me fan myself just a little bit while I was reading this. I don’t always love the on page action. But Baxter manages to write it in a way that had me smiling and thoroughly enjoying the experience. Now I want to read more of Baxter’s writing and see if I get the same happy vibes the next time around.
As with all good Christmas stories, this is one that’s not just about the romance. But it’s also about family and love. About being there for one another and caring for each other. It might be the “most wonderful time of year” for some. But that’s only because they have the pleasure of being surrounded by loved ones.
Title: Naughty Little Christmas Author: Lili Valente Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this) My Bookshelves:Christmas, Contemporary romance Pace: Slow Format: eBook, Novel Year: 2023
Naughty Little Christmas is a fun second chance romance that just happens to take place at Christmas time. It’s fun, light, and an incredibly easy read. Macy and Dean are very cute together, but I didn’t get all of the tingles that I get with a really good romance. I wanted them to find their happily ever after, and there was so much joy in reading this. But, it wasn’t one that I was insanely keen to dive back into. Which is normally my hint that this author may not quite be for me. They’re enjoyable and it’s all fun and everything. But, it’s not an unforgettable and emotionally driven story.
I like that the past is flavoured by the fact that Macy and Dean separated because of misconceptions. And their ten years apart has led them to grow into different people. But, they manage to come back together with a clash and a re-meeting that did have me smiling. In fact, I think the fact that Dean is dressed as Sexy Stripper Santa was honestly my favourite part of this whole story. And that he is stripper Santa for the best of reasons.
I really loved how this story got me into a bit more of the holiday spirit and was such an easy departure from reality. However, I’m not sure that I’ll bother with any more by this author or within this series. It’s a fun story, but not a memorable one. And when you have shelves filled with memorable stories, it’s easy for the not so memorable to get lost.
Title: Mountain Man Inn Love Author: Hazel J. North Rating Out of 5: 2.5 (Readable, but not worth reading again) My Bookshelves:Christmas, Contemporary romance Pace: Slow Format: eBook, Novel Year: 2023
I really wanted to like this, and I definitely liked this story enough to finish reading the whole story. But I just wasn’t enamoured. And I probably won’t bother reading anything else by Hazel J. North. I mean, this was an fairly cute holiday novella. But not one that I find overly memorable. A boss and his junior marketing something or other have the hots for each other. They travel away for work and finally end up acting on those feelings. There wasn’t much angst. There wasn’t much drama. And there wasn’t much of anything that made me want to keep diving into the story. So onwards and all that.
Title: The Mistletoe Motive Author: Chloe Liese Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Christmas, Contemporary romance Pace: Medium Format: eBook, Novel Year: 2021
Jonathan and Gabby are such a cute, quintessential, opposites attract couple. And one that finds their happily ever after at Christmas? They are just too dang cute and adorable. I absolutely loved reading about their holiday romance. Plus, each chapter has a Christmas song to start it, the perfect story to get you into the Christmas holiday mood. The fact that they fall in love while surrounded by books, honestly, this was kind of a book that wa tailor made for me. I love books, I love Christmas, and I love Love.
I love that Gabby’s journey to finding love involved her dealing with autism and being demisexual. Whilst she’s entirely accepting of her differences, and often embraces them, Liese is able to still show the difficulties that she has to deal with daily. Plus, it also highlights how difficult her relationship with Jonathan is, because no one is automatically entitled to your truth. Jonathan too has his own challenges that aren’t automatically divulged. I love that much of his grumpiness and disappearances were due to his diabetes, not his actual personality. Both Gabby and Jonathan, once they actually sit down and talk, find that many of their points of contention are due to misunderstandings, not actually because either one is a bad or difficult person.
The Mistletoe Motive is a bit of a enemies to friends to lovers story. I love that they connect through snark and attitude. I tend to approach people I love with a whole lot of sass myself. And honestly, the banter between Gabby and Jonathan is just too damn adorable. I love stories that keep a smile on my face throughout, and Gabby and Jonathan’s relationship managed to do just this. Their confusion, particularly Gabby’s, as they fall for one another is too damn cute. Plus, they use their competitive nature to actually benefit those they love and everyone around them.
The Mistletoe Motive is not just a great Christmas story, but one that is all about save a little, family owned bookstore in a world where a lot of these shops are collapsing. I love the idea of keeping this tradition of books alive, while still adapting to the modern needs and market. Plus, doing it at Christmas makes this story all about embracing the spirit of love and friendship. People spending time with their loved ones for the holiday season and finding their own happily ever afters. Even if it’s not quite what they expected.
Title: Happiness for Beginners Author: Katherine Center Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Chic lit, Contemporary romance Pace: Slow Format: eBook, Novel Year: 2015
I did really enjoy this story, but I probably won’t be reading anymore Katherine Center books. As much as I loved this, I just didn’t feel like I was totally drawn in. Honestly, this was just one of those rare moments when I actually enjoyed the movie more than the book. Something about the book just didn’t quite sit right with me. Everything about this story was just pleasant. I wasn’t engaged. But I also wasn’t overly bothered.
One of the things that made it difficult to connect to this story was Helen. I know that she was going through a time of drastic change, I just found her to be a little bit too whiney and judgemental. Don’t get me wrong, I probably would’ve had some very similar thoughts if I was in her shoes. But, I’d also work on moving past the judgement to acceptance. She never quite got to that point of maturity. Mostly she maintained her judgemental nature and didn’t quite move on from it.
Then there was the fact that Helen was very entitled when it came to Jake. She turned him down repeatedly, but then still felt possessive and entitled to all of his attention. It was somewhat difficult to read about. And if it was a man showing that possessive entitlement, he would’ve been completely called on it. I just wanted a little bit more growth in the person as well as the relationship.
I enjoyed this story, and I’m glad that I had the pleasure of reading it. But I didn’t quite love it. It’s one that I will happily shelve and move on from. I’m not gunning for another story of this calibre. But I definitely enjoyed my brief foray into Center’s world.
Not only was this a fantastically fun and cute contemporary romance, but I also loved the insight it gave into the immigrant experience of South East Asians in the Northern Hemisphere. Which meant that I got to enjoy not only a great romance full of humour and wit, but also, I got to learn a whole lot more about the ways in which other people live and experience the world – a win win in my books. Sharma not only constructed a wonderful romance, but she also highlighted some of the unique challenges experienced by those who have a different cultural background / come from an immigrant family within western worlds. And how these things can clash with the way that the world is perceived and people grow up. A topic that I, honestly, find endlessly fascinating.
I love that this story discussed love marriages as opposed to arranged marriages, why both points of view are such an integral part of different cultures. Plus, there’s the whole idea of how arranged marriages actually occur in our modern society – it’s not as forceful as I once may have believed. But, rather, a negotiation in which the couple is able to meet and get to know each other before taking that plunge. I mean, we all live longer today, so it’s nice to know that this is a relationship that is still built on two people getting to know one another, just with vastly different expectations than what I expect from a marriage. Which, again, I loved getting this point of view in my life. I couldn’t put it down and found it quite unforgettable.
Honestly, I was kind of expecting Dr. Dil to be more of a pain in the bum, and unlikeable male lead. Particularly after reading some of the reviews for Dating Dr. Dil. I mean, he’s kind of pushy and keeps on pursuing something that has the huge potential to hurt Kareena. Even when he acknowledges the potential for fall out, he continues to pursue the relationship because of his own benefits. This shouldn’t have made for a likeable character. And yet, somehow, he was incredibly wonderful. There was just something about him, that, even in spite of his nonsense, makes you like him. Not judge him quite so likely for his nonsense with Kareena and somewhat poor decision making. Plus, the problematic behaviour at the beginning leads to some great character development throughout the story.
Kareena is my absolute favourite. I mean, she’s loyal to her family and loves them, even when they are somewhat toxic. But, she’s also strong, independent and able to stand on her own two feet. I love that even though she is trying to conform to society’s and her family’s expectations, she’s also doing it in her own way, under her own steam. Plus, eventually, she manages to make a little bit more separation from the toxicity of her family, even if it isn’t a total separation (which I don’t ever believe is the answer either). I love that in the end, there are acknowledgements of the faults in the dynamic, and a way to start moving forward.
False Start is the beginning to Lee and Shayna’s story and one that I think is going to give the first book in this series a whole heap of wonderful texture. After reading this, I just can’t wait to dive into You Had Your Chance, Lee Burrows and see what happens when they reconnect years later. Particularly since all of the bumbles in this come from youth and misunderstandings. It creates a story that is so angsty and makes you want both Lee and Shayna to be happy and complete in their lives. I absolutely adored this and I’m hanging to get my teeth into yet another fun and awesome Piper Raynesports romance.
If I’m being totally honest, Lee is a total and utter fool. He just can’t seem to get his head around the fact that he comes from a place of privilege and that him and his friends might be able to hurt someone else’s feelings. Then, there’s the fact that if he was just honest, he would probably have been able to fix things with Shayna and not waster so much time. I’m also programmed to trust and like Shayna more anyway as the geeky girl who always felt a little overlooked. So I most definitely get that feeling of betrayal that she experiences at the end of this story.
I did love the organic nature of Shayna and Lee getting to know one another. They spend time together learning, and then get to know one another through this. it’s also nice that it’s away from all of the pomp and circumstance that Lee is used to. Thus, a much more genuine and sweet budding romance. And now on to see what happens after all of the drama of False Start.
As with On the Defense, I love how Countdown to a Kiss follows three couples in one night. And, in doing so, introduces a whole new series that I can’t wait to dive into! There is something about getting that teaser of each couples’ beginning dynamics that makes me want to dive into the series. The fact that this also establishes the connections between the six people just draws me in all that more wonderfully.
Not only does this beautifully set up the first three couples for the Hockey Hotties series, it is also a great little New Years Eve story. One that was all about the countdown and midnight kisses and ringing in the New Year. Plus, there’s just the usual sense of mayhem to the whole story line and tale. It gives a great part of beginnings and the beauty of potential.
This is almost a bit of a series of short snapshots in time for six different people. It’s all about the hockey world and being on the precipice of change. And I absolutely loved this!
Earth and Skye 