Friday, December 3, 2021

Holiday Quick Reviews

The Mistletoe Pact by Jo Lovett (2021)

Evie and Dan jokingly make a pact at Christmastime to marry each other when they reach thirty if they are both still single.  Eight years later, one drunken night leads to a Vegas wedding.  They've both had secret feelings for each other for years; what will they do now?  Unfortunately, this one was just a miss for me.  I liked the format of the book, which moved back and forth in time to show all the missed opportunities between Evie and Dan over the years (neither admitting their feelings, one of them being in a relationship, etc.) and what happens to them after the wedding, but the writing was a real letdown.  It felt stilted.  Also, I never really got a good sense of Evie and Dan as characters; I couldn't see what they saw in each other because they were so bland and not well-fleshed-out. The book started off quite well, but the execution just went downhill after that.  2.5 stars

 
A collection of three romance novellas that (mostly) take place in Reindeer Falls, Michigan, a quaint small town that loves Christmas and follows the stories of three sisters aptly named for the holidays, Holly, Ginger, and Noel Winter.  Holly sees a different side of her boss on a business trip to Germany; Ginger is competing against a (hot) professional chef on a reality tv baking show; and Noel is suffering from a case of mistaken identity after a one-night stand with a man in a Santa suit.  All three of these stories were really fun and different.  The writing is snappy and although there was some serious insta-love going on, I could forgive it a bit in the condensed nature of the stories.  I think I liked Holly's story the best - it felt the most fleshed-out, with her issues with her boss and how he's able to change her mind during the work trip.  All three stories, though, will get you in the holiday spirit, with some sexiness to boot!  4 stars


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16 comments:

  1. I am so disappointed to hear that The Mistletoe Pact was such a let down! That premise sounds perfect, but I would be frustrated by the characters, too. I am glad that Reindeer Falls was a winner, though! :)

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  2. The Reindeer Falls Collections sounds really fun! I love how unique each story sounds. Bummer to see the first one was a letdown, though!

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  3. Oh no, bummer about The Mistletoe Pact because it sounds cute! The Reindeer Falls sounds like a really good collection though!

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  4. Oh that's a bummer about Mistletoe. Fun premise. :) And ooh Michigan! Glad that one was better!

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  5. I was so sad to see the rating for the first book. It looked so cute. Too bad the characters weren't better developed.

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  6. It sucks that something as cute as The Mistletoe Pact didn’t work out —it genuinely sounded so fun!

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  7. Aww, the premise for The Mistletoe Pact sounds good, so sorry to hear it didn't live up to the expectations. The Reindeer Falls Collection sounds cute though!

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    1. The Reindeer Falls collection was so much fun!

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  8. At first I thought "The Mistletoe Pact" might be something I'd like, but I'm pretty sure I read some reviews that made me think it's be a not-for-me-book. Glad to read your review and feel that instinct was right. :)

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