GENRE: Holiday, Romance
RATING: 5/5 SPICE: 3/5 TROPES: Childhood Friends-to-Lovers, Forced Proximity, Enemies-to-Lovers Usually I do a book review per book, but in this case, I am going to do a review of the series. The Mistletoe Romance series by Codi Hall, overall is a 5-Star holiday read for me. I do want to mention that this really only surrounds Christmas, and while I do not identify as Christian, it was still a lot of fun to read. As a Canadian, I really love romances set in the winter and unfortunately, that is quire rare without the element of Christmas added in. So, if that isn’t something you can get behind, you can skip this series but if you’re looking for romance with that winter aesthetic, these were great reads. I read all three within about a week. The tropes were super well handled, especially in books 2 + 3. I also really enjoyed the fact that the women in the novel had very distinct personalities and opinions, while still being close. Most of the time, in series, we will find similar characters in slightly different fonts. With the exception of Noel (briefly) in the first novel being irrational and kind of annoying, the story is really great and she makes up for it, so I allow it.
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GENRE: Romance, Holiday, Novella RATING: 4/5
This is my second read by Melissa Ferguson (FAMOUS FOR A LIVING) and this novella was really cute and a nice little intro to the holiday season. I know were still deep into spooky season, but this was gifted to me by NetGalley and I had to read it ASAP. So this novella has two stories: Dashing Through the Snow and Pining for You. I absolutely LOVED DTTS. It was Christmas-ey and fun and really creative and original. If this was the only story in this novella, I’d have given this novella 5 stars. It was perfect and actually got me excited for the holiday season (YES! before Spooky Season is even over! I know. Shocking!) The second story was not as fulfilling for me. The biggest issue for me wasn’t even the story itself but that the “snow theme” was not very present; at least not enough for me to feel like “Snowy Serendipity” to be a valid title. Overall I would have given this a 3 star. Finally, I just wanted to note that this was gifted to my as an audiobook, and I did not enjoy the narrator at all. It felt super flat and often times I would have to go back and relisten to entire chapters because their voice was so blah that I would loose focus on the story. Overall good read if youre looking for something light for the holiday season, but i do not recommend the audiobook. *** I received this book as a gift from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*** GENRE: Summer, Romance, Spice RATING: 4/5 SPICE: 3.5/5 So, I want to start off by saying that I came into this book very negatively. By this I mean, I already had a preconceived notion of my opinions of Elle Kennedy’s writing because I absolutely LOATHED “The Deal” - specifically how the novel addresses SA and being supper abrasive with the language. Someone who has experienced SA would not be so BLANTANT in the language and would not forget to add a trigger warning at the beginning of the novel… that being said… THE SUMMER GIRL was an amazing read. It really changed my opinion of Kennedy as a writer and I am now going to be more open to her works in the future. While there were a few ICKs at the beginning of the novel (namely Cassie basically admitting to excusing Tate’s repulsive/pervy behaviour because he is attractive). SIDE NOTE: This book comes out tomorrow (JULY 18, 2023) and I think that it may have been a better option not to use the name TATE for our love interest… no matter what happened all I could picture was Andrew Tate (barf!) As the novel progresses, you forget the unfortunate fact of his name, and his shitty behaviour at the beginning of the novel because Tate becomes overall a very great and fun love interest. Without giving spoilers here are some aspects of the novel I loved:
If you need something fun and romantic and quick to read this summer, you should definitely pick up THE SUMMER GIRL by ELLE KENNEDY. ***I RECEIVED THIS BOOK FOR FREE ON NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW*** GENRE: RomCom, Plus Size, Holiday RATING: 5/5 SPICE: 4/5 - lots of sex but nothing k*nky Heaven, Hell or Vermont? So prior to writing my own review, after excitedly finishing this book, I mistakenly decided to go through Goodreads and see what others had said about this novel. This book, like every book, is not for everyone. If you watch Dumplin’ on Netflix and didn’t relate, understand or appreciate the film, you quite likely will not love this book as much as I did… which to be clear I ABSOLUTELY loved. I am really stingy on what books get 5 stars, and maybe because December is a happy month and my last 3 books have been 5-stars, maybe I am wrong… but I quite doubt it. Conceptually this novel is amazing. The premise is original and hilarious. How would you feel if your favourite boy-band hunk you’ve been crushing on since your teens is now your co-star on a Hallmark-esk film set? How would you feel if that crush had been subscribed to your “Only Fans” (its got another name in the book) for the last 6 years and has a crush on you? That you mistakenly get selected to be the lead in this wholesome Christmas movie and have to hide that you have a very successful film career already! A porn film career that is! This novel really straddled the line between unrealistic Hallmark-wholesome and realistic and down to earth, which is very hard to do. Let’s talk about the characters. Firstly, Nolan, our hunky ex-boyband now turned new-wholesome-film-star was a great character filled with depth and understanding. One of my primary issues when reading novels with male perspectives is that sometimes men don’t feel like men. What I mean by this is, that the women writing the novels are writing what women want without really keeping in mind generally how men are. What I mean by this is, at times, considering the men I have in my life and the things they say, the thoughts they share, etc. it will at times feel like something this character wouldn’t REALLY say but rather what the reader/author would WANT them to say. I am not sure if that makes sense, but I will carry on. I do see some criticism about how Nolan’s character describes his love interest Bee, and his sexual thoughts. I think all criticism is fair but I love when my partner and I talk to each other and “objectify” one and other. In Nolan’s context, it isn’t creepy but just a man looking out for the woman he is enamored with. Bree’s character was perfect. No notes. We love a bisexual, plus size, babe who loves her body and knows what she wants in life and doesn’t take “NO” for an answer. There is a moment in the novel, where Bree is given a big choice, be with the man of her dreams in private or not at all. As a big girl, this is something I have experienced and struggled with before. Often I have found myself in situations where I am told I am beautiful, funny and amazing; that all they want to do is spend time with me, but the moment when it’s time to let people outside of our bubble know… The bubble pops. Gone. And then I am left alone once again, picking up the pieces of myself. This scene in the novel… BROKE ME. I do not want to give anymore away, so I’ll leave it there. Let’s talk about SPICE baby… So I gave this a 4/5 stars, because while YES Bee is a porn star and there is a significant amount of sex in the novel… There was nothing kinky or triggering about it to give it a 5 star rating. So if you’re ok with mostly vanilla sex and it happening frequently through the novel, there is no need to shy away from this novel. Granted… chapter 13 is… HOT and also… there is a sex scene in a church so if that is something “problematic” for you… you have been warned. I am not usually someone who reads holiday novels. I actually tried last Christmas to read one, and it remains dust-covered on my TBR, but if you are looking for a nice holiday read to pick up before you’re snowed in for the holidays, I recommend picking up this book. |
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