Tag: holiday romance

Book Review: The Christmas Swap by Sandy Barker

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆
Audience: Contemporary romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Sandy Barker
Publisher: One More Chapter
Release Date: October 16th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Chloe, Jules, and Lucy meet at a Maui resort kids’ club, aged 11, forging a lifelong friendship spanning two decades and three continents.

Twenty-two years later, they decide to swap Christmases, none of them expecting the hilarity and romantic escapades that will ensue.

Chloe from Melbourne spends her Christmas with Lucy’s mum and dad in a sleepy village in Oxfordshire, England, stunned to the core when she discovers who grew up across the road from Lucy.

Lucy, who has jetted off to snowy Colorado for her dream-come-true white Christmas, is taken into the fold of Jules’s loud and brash family, discovering more about herself in a few short days than she has in years.

And Jules leaves the cold climes of Colorado to spend a balmy ‘Orphan’s Christmas’ with Chloe’s friends in Melbourne, finding that time away from her mundane life is just what she needed.

Join these three lovable women as they each get a Christmas to surpass their wildest dreams.

JUST STOP.

Oh goodness. I can’t with insta-love y’all. I will admit, I have read good renditions of it, this was not one of those.

There’s 400 pages to cover three entirely separate story lines. It was clearly not enough to actually put any angst or moments into anyone’s romance. I couldn’t get past how quickly everything was happening and wanted it to just slow down. There was no background on relationships and the love interests. All 0 to 100 faster than I could convince myself to read this book.

I wanted to like everyone, and I did for the most part. And the premise was a nifty idea. Switching places with friends to enjoy a “new to them” Christmas celebration seemed enchanting.

I’m going to keep this short because I don’t have any desire to rip into this more. It wasn’t a love story I was on board with.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: kisses; mentions of nights together (but no details)

Instagram || Goodreads

Book Review: A Match Made at Christmas (Nantucket Love Story) by Courtney Walsh

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance Novella
Length: 147 pages
Author: Courtney Walsh
Publisher: Sweethaven Press
Release Date: October 20th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Hayes McGuire never believed the stories about a famous Nantucket matchmaker until she ropes him into taking over her duties in while she’s off the island for Christmas.

So he enlists the help of the one person he can trust with this crazy scheme—his best friend, Prudence. Armed with a series of rules, a book of success stories and the promise of Christmas magic, the pair of old friends sets out to make a Christmas match.

Little do they know that magic doesn’t discriminate, and the pair soon finds their years of friendship deepening into something more. Will Pru and Hayes ignore the electricity in the air between them or will there be more than one match made at Christmas?

A Match Made at Christmas is a stand-alone holiday novella.

THIS WAS SWEET.

A quick romantic novella on the East coast.

I liked the story and how even more a novella, I felt connected to the second-chance/childhood friends romance. Hayes and Pru had some tender interactions and really broke down some communication walls to discuss their relationship.

It was fun to have the other story line weave throughout. It highlighted what what Hayes and Pru were going through and added something more to the plot overall. I found this an easy read, plenty of holiday spirit and that cute happy every after.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Holiday Novella
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses

Instagram || Goodreads

Book Review: Forever Wild (The Simple Wild #2.5) by K.A. Tucker

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance Novella
Length: 156 pages
Author: K.A. Tucker
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: December 1st, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the international bestselling author of The Simple Wild comes Forever Wild, a novella that continues the story of Calla’s journey to the Alaskan wild and a life she never imagined for herself.
The holiday season is upon Calla and Jonah, and with the mistletoe and gingerbread comes plenty of family drama. Jonah is bracing himself for two weeks with a stepfather he loathes, and while Calla is looking forward to her mother and Simon’s arrival, she dreads the continued pressure to set a date for their wedding … in Toronto. Add in one bullheaded neighbor’s unintentional meddling and another cantankerous neighbor’s own family strife, and Christmas in Trapper’s Crossing will be anything but simple.

PERFECT.

Yup. There’s no other words to describe when you get to read a holiday novella about one of your favorite contemporary romance couples. I LOVED THIS. It only takes a bit of your time to devour and enjoy every moment.

It was fantastic getting to see Calla and Jonah again. Add in some old friends and it was the best little mix of a Christmas in Alaska.

I love where the story went and what happened throughout [keeping spoilers at bay]. It was just precious, and I could keep gushing forever. Go read The Simple Wild if you haven’t yet.

Overall audience notes:

  • New adult novella
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses; a few fade to black scenes
  • Violence: car wreck (nobody injured)

Instagram || Goodreads

Book Review: All About Us by Tom Ellen

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Tom Ellen
Publisher: HQ
Release Date: October 13th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A chance encounter leads to the journey of a lifetime in this powerful and emotional love story, perfect for fans of One Day, Me Before You and In Five Years.

If you could turn back the clock, would you choose a different life?

Ben’s always loved the month of December, but this year, with his relationship with Daphne on the rocks, it’s missing its usual magic. And then his old friend Alice gets back in touch. Ben’s always thought of Alice as the one that got away, and he can’t help but wonder: what if he’d done things differently all those years ago?

He never imagines he might get to find out… but when a stranger sells Ben a mysterious watch one freezing winter’s night, he’s astonished to wake up the next morning on 5th December 2005: the day he first kissed Daphne, leaving Alice behind.

Now Ben must make the biggest decision of his life, all over again. But this time around, will he finally find the courage to follow his heart?

All About Us is a captivating novel of heartbreak and loss, friendship and hope – and how the choices we make throughout our lives will shape our destiny.

AN ENJOYABLE RETELLING.

I must have missed the memo that this was A Christmas Carol modern retelling. Am I upset about this fact? Not a bit, I loved the way this was written.

It’s a much more somber and heart-felt Christmas/Holiday romance. There’s a lot to unpack with Ben and watching him find his way again. He had an incredible character arc that I appreciated and felt for. I ended up in his corner, wanting him to learn from his mistakes and becoming a better man.

I didn’t love that there was a cheating aspect woven into the plot. It’s a bit of a gray area type cheating, but still there emotionally and physically. Though usually I really hate a book that has this, I found myself not hating it as much this time around. It had its reasons for being there and captured the essence of what Ben was choosing to do.

Seeing Ben and Daphne rekindle things and work through them was a beautiful touch. I don’t read (or even come across) many romance involving a married couple and I always feel them on a different level as someone who is married.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Holiday Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: kisses; a mention of a few closed door scenes (no detail)
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: emotional/physical cheating, sudden loss of a parent, depictions of depression and grief

Instagram || Goodreads