Review: Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria

Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a really fun holiday romance.  

I was looking for something short to listen to, so I grabbed this from Kindle Unlimited.  It is part of an Amazon Original 5 novella collection called Under the Mistletoe, written by some of romance's most popular authors available in print and audio.  I'm a big fan of these collections when I need something on the shorter side to read or listen to and I can get them all with my KU subscription and there is something in every genre.  I haven't picked up the others in the collection yet, but there's plenty of time before Christmas.

This particular book was really cute and I loved the characters.  Evie is a comic book illustrator and spends long hours working on her art.  She has a crush on her upstairs neighbor, but she forgets her people skills when he is around.  Theo equally has a crush on Evie, but awkward moments and missed signals have them on the wrong track.  The apartment holiday party is the perfect place to air their romantic feelings and get things moving in the right direction.

The audiobook was about an hour and a half, but it felt like a complete story.  You knew who the characters were, what their intentions were, and how things ended.  There was a nice amount of spice, but it wasn't overly graphic. If you are looking for a fun holiday romance, this is a good option.

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Review: Once Upon a Christmas Tree by Lulu Moore

Once Upon a Christmas Tree by Lulu Moore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a really fun and spicy holiday romance. It was also a nice introduction to Moore's new series coming out in 2025.

Shane East is one of my favorite narrators and he plays Alex perfectly. CJ Bloom is a great narrator as well and has narrated several books I've loved. She plays a perfect Haven. They both capture the spirit of the holidays, or in Alex's case his dislike of the holiday season, which I very much related to. Not everyone loves Christmas, and while I love holiday baking, building gingerbread houses, and spending time with family, like Alex Christmas and the holiday season can be upsetting. Haven on the other hand was like the president of Christmas as she inherited the family Christmas tree farm and the local Christmas Shop selling all sorts of holiday gifts and decorations. She spends her time helping out at the other local businesses and spreading the holiday cheer to the tourists and locals.

This is a prequel to The Valentine Nook Chronicles and introduces us to the Burlington brothers, who are all members of the British aristocracy. This installment follows Alex as he and his brothers escape to Aspen, Colorado when the eldest of the brother's wedding is cancelled mere hours before they take their vows. Alex hates Christmas, but while in the winter wonderland the brothers take time to have fun together and he makes a connection with local Haven who's entire livelihood revolves around Christmas. Haven and Alex have instant chemistry, and they have some heated encounters during their short time together. This book gets very spicy!

This left Haven and Alex's story unfinished, however I'm hoping that they get a proper novel in the series or as the series progresses we find out where their relationship ends up. This was a great start to the series and I'm looking forward to seeing where things go. I've never read Lulu Moore before, but this has me hooked and I the little bit I've learned about Valentine Nook has me intrigued.

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Review: Christmas Cupid by Ilsa Madden-Mills

Christmas Cupid by Ilsa Madden-Mills
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author and Grey’s Promotions, all opinions are my own.

This was such a cute holiday romance. It is a novella so if you are needing something short and sweet look no further!

This follows Iris, a super creative and successful designer who has been recently unlucky in love. Her meddling hockey player brother suggests she get away for a few days in a quaint mountain cabin to distress and reset before the holidays. What she doesn’t know is that he also gave the same advice to his best friend and teammate Kyler who is struggling with an injury and the rest of his season may be on the line. Kyler and Iris are complete opposites, but being forced to spend a few days together during a snowstorm might just be what they both needed.

I really enjoyed this. Kyler and Iris are truly opposites but they balance each other nicely. They start out as enemies but they quickly call a truce due to the forced proximity. She is a little bit of a brat and he’s a little bit of a jerk but they are both quick to call each other out on their respective nonsense. They had good banter and while I’m not usually a fan of an insta-love type story it works well here in the novella format and as the basis to see where things go. I appreciate that “I love yous“ weren’t thrown around after a few days together, instead a promise of let’s see what we can make of this connection is made.

If you are a fan of romances with forced proximity, enemies to lovers, meddling brothers, and the holidays this novella has it all. It is perfect for the upcoming holiday season when you need something cozy to read.

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Review: Rebel Without A Claus by Emma Hart

Rebel Without A Claus by Emma Hart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via the author, all opinions are my own.

This was hilarious and the perfect read to get you ready for the holidays.  If you are a fan of romcoms and need a little Christmas spirit to brighten your mood, this is a great book to do just that.  I know I've been really stressed out over the last few weeks for several reasons, and this was the perfect read to relax with.  There was great banter between the characters, and some really funny moments.  I really loved the concept of the family that runs the single most Christmassy booth in the Holiday Village in their winter wonderland destination town is a total Grinch!

Quinn hates Christmas, but her family runs the Christmas Grotto in town every year where her dad plays the part of Santa.  This year he's got the flu, and Quinn is left to run things by herself while the rest of her family is busy with other parts of the family business or taking care of other family members.  Left to find a fill in Santa at the last minute, Quinn is faced with the last person she ever expected to see again, Nicholas White.  Nicholas offers to fill in as Santa while he's in town for the holidays visiting family, but Quinn isn't so sure it's a good idea.  They have some unfinished business from the past that she isn't quite over.  Left with no other choice and no other options, they agree to work together and clear the air.  Nicholas is determined to get back in Quinn's good graces and figure out if there is anything she actually does like about the Christmas season.

The characters in this were really great.  As always there is a hilarious grandparent character that Emma Hart does so well!  I loved the grandpa, his antics added comic relief throughout the book.  Quinn's family was a riot, I'm glad she finally told her sister she was being completely ridiculous.  I really enjoyed Nick and Quinn together as well.  It was kind of an enemies to lovers romance, but they weren't really enemies, Quinn was being cautious and it played along nicely with her Scrooge attitude toward the holiday season.  It was fun to watch her grouchy persona melt as Christmas grew closer and she became more festive each day.  I'm kind of with her when it comes to Christmas, I hate crowds and all of the consumerism that surrounds the holiday.  I love the lights and the family time and the holiday traditions we have.  

If you are in need of a fun read to get your holiday spirit going, give this a read.  It is funny, has great banter, moderate spice, and a good story.  It was exactly what I needed after a couple of weeks of craziness and I'm feeling a bit more ready to embrace the holidays.

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