I don’t get excited about the holidays every year. In fact, there have been some years where I’ve avoided them altogether. But this year, I’m getting pretty jazzed about them, so I’ve enjoyed grabbing some holiday themed romance novels to continue that Christmas spirit. I grabbed this one on a whim, because the words “short read” appealed to me.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
One-Sentence Synopsis
A woman starts off a melancholy holiday trying to figure out what went wrong between her and her boyfriend. For a full synopsis, see this book’s Goodreads page.
Much Christmas
If you’re looking for Christmas, there is a lot of Christmas in this book. Mia goes to Christmas festivals, eats Christmas meals, does holiday time with the family…there was no doubt that this was a Christmas book.
Renegade Elves Would Be Cool
While I think this is perfect for readers who enjoy mellow novels, there was a distinct lack of conflict and angst for me. There was a little bit, mostly centered about the misunderstanding between Tom and Mia. But overall, it was a little too slow. When the conflict ended, things became pretty standard.
Even though this can be read as a standalone, I think if I had read the other ones in the series, I might have connected with all the characters more. As it was, I didn’t really jive with any of them.
The Romance Factor
There’s romance there, mainly in the form of Mia’s memories of Tom and Tom’s heartbreak when he thinks Mia has one back to her ex-boyfriend. It wasn’t that I didn’t think there was a romance between them, it just seemed unexciting. 3/5
The Steam Factor
I think there was one reference to sex? Possibly to oral sex? I’m not even sure. I think the only steam in the story was coming off whatever cider or hot chocolate drinks they were drinking. 0/5
Final Thoughts
I think the book was solidly written and I thought the recipes at the end were a cute touch. Though I might have connected with the characters more if I’d read the other books, I’m not sure if these books fit my general reading personality.
The Romance Factor 