PLBR Book Reviews 2018 - ELLES BOOK BLOG

ELLES BOOK BLOG

DASHING THROUGH THE NO BY TARA SIVEC

12/21/2020

Tara Sivec does it again! She brings readers warmth and laughter in her latest novel and I know so many of you are going to gush over this quirky Christmas romance!

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: November 19, 2020
Genre: Holiday Novella. Romantic Comedy.
Series: Summersweet Island #3 (can stand alone)
Pages: 200 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased.

‘Twas the week before Christmas and all through Summersweet,
Tess Powell was annoyed and wanted to retreat.
With a BIC in her hand and a frown on her face,
everyone knew she needed a break from this place.
Wanting the holiday to be nothing but the best,
Bodhi took his girlfriend to the mountains to rest.
While visions of fire happily danced in Tess’s head,
soon she would see she had everything to dread.
Crying kids, singing hippos, and a stalker with a van,
definitely wasn’t part of Bodhi’s evacuation plan.
But all he wanted for Christmas was for her to say yes,
to the question he kept asking with zero finesse.
With some help from new friends and their holiday cheer,
Tess and Bodhi get much more
than they asked Santa for this year.

MISTLETOE AND MR. RIGHT BY SARAH MORGENTHALER

12/14/2020

Mistletoe and Mr. Right is a sweet, small town, Alaskan Christmas read. While some of it did drag for me, I enjoyed the story as a whole and look forward to reading the others in the series.

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: October 6, 2020
Genre: Holiday Romance
Series: Moose Springs, Alaska #2 (can stand alone).
Pages: 400 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased

How the moose (almost) stole Christmas.

Lana Montgomery is everything the quirky small town of Moose Springs, Alaska can't stand: a rich socialite with dreams of changing things for the better. But Lana's determined to prove that she belongs...even if it means trading her stilettos for snow boots and tracking one of the town's hairiest Christmas mysteries: the Santa Moose, an antlered Grinch hell-bent on destroying every bit of holiday cheer (and tinsel) it can sink its teeth into.

And really...how hard could it be?

The last few years have been tough on Rick Harding, and it's not getting any easier now that his dream girl's back in town. When Lana accidentally tranquilizes him instead of the Santa Moose, it's clear she needs help, fast...and this could be his chance to finally catch her eye. It's an all-out Christmas war, but if they can nab that

JINGLE WARS BY R. HOLMES AND VERONICA EDEN

12/10/2020

Jingle Wars is the perfect holiday read for diehard romance lovers! Not only is it filled with holiday cheer but it has a sexy and funny romance.

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: November 10, 2020
Genre: Enemies-to-Lovers, Christmas romance.
Series: Hollyridge series #1 (can stand alone).
Pages: 276 pages
Format: eBook. Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited.

From bestselling authors R. Holmes & Veronica Eden comes an all-new steamy new adult enemies-to-lovers holiday romcom standalone.

Two inns, one town, and there’s not enough room for the both of them.

Add in a reindeer-ish donkey, a Christmas competition, and a rivalry to end all rivalries and you’re bound to end up in disaster, right?

Finn Mayberry has enough on his plate trying to keep his Grandparents inn afloat. The last thing he needed was some California state of mind starlet bulldozing into his town and throwing up a five-star resort right next to his family’s inn.

But, now she’s here and he can’t get her out of his town or his head.

IN A HOLIDAZE BY CHRISTINA LAUREN

12/4/2020

In a Holidaze is a magical Christmas read and I loved it to pieces! I don't normally read books that revolve around time loops like this one but Christina Lauren pulled it off!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: October 6, 2020
Genre: Holiday Romance
Series: Complete Standalone
Pages: 334 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased.

One Christmas wish, two brothers, and a lifetime of hope are on the line for hapless Maelyn Jones in In a Holidaze, the quintessential holiday romantic novel by Christina Lauren, the New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.

But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.

A VERY BOSSY CHRISTMAS BY KAYLEY LORING

11/27/2020

A Very Bossy Christmas is the first book I've read by Kayley Loring and I am officially obsessed! This is a hilarious novel, one I fell in love with the second I started reading. I highly recommend it!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: October 26, 2020
Genre: Romantic Comedy | Holiday Romance
Series: Complete Standalone
Pages: 255ages
Format: eBook. Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited.

What’s the actual last thing you’d ever want your executive assistant to see you doing the morning after you had hot, drunk, angry sex with her in a terrible hotel room? Dancing around your terrible hotel room to “Come and Get Your Love” like Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy—naked? Yeah. Me too.

And yet, here we are.

This isn’t even the most unprofessional thing that’s happened between us in the past couple of weeks.

The first was when I agreed to let her have Christmas Day off, but only if she goes with me to three family gatherings as my fake girlfriend.

The second was when she caught me belting out a Christmas song on stage in the awful hotel bar.

NO-ONE EVER HAS SEX ON CHRISTMAS DAY BY TRACY BLOOM

11/22/2020

Tracy Bloom does it again! No-One Ever Has Sex on Christmas Day is another hilarious book in the series! This one is full on Christmas cheer and I enjoyed it immensely.

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: October 24, 2017
Genre: Chick Lit. Holiday Reads.
Series: No-one Ever Has Sex series #3 (read in order).
Pages: 298 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased.

A dream family Christmas or a total nightmare? Katy and Ben are about to find out...

Katy’s been stuck in the office away from her family so she wants it all: snow (fake or real), the Michael Bublé Christmas album, whatever it takes.

There’s only one thing missing as far as her husband Ben is concerned: another baby to complete their family. But Katy isn’t so sure she's ready yet…

Ben may be playing the role of Master Elf in the pre-school nativity but he is struggling to master his own family life. With romantically-challenged friends, an ex who refuses to go away and Katy's mum's 64-year-old toy boy thrown into the mix, Christmas looks like it could be going off the rails… Never mind family planning, can Katy and Ben even plan to make it to the end of Christmas Day?

THE TWELVE DATES OF CHRISTMAS BY JENNY BAYLISS

11/20/2020

If you're looking for a sweet and festive holiday read then you can't go wrong with The Twelve Dates of Christmas! I adored this one. It put me in the Christmas spirit!

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: October 13, 2020
Genre: Christmas Romance. Chick Lit.
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 368 pages
Format: Paperback. ARC from the publisher.

'Tis the season for finding romance in this hilarious and uplifting holiday read

When it comes to relationships, thirty-four-year-old Kate Turner is ready to say "Bah, humbug." The sleepy town of Blexford, England, isn't exactly brimming with prospects, and anyway, Kate's found fulfillment in her career as a designer, and in her delicious side job baking for her old friend Matt's neighborhood café. But then her best friend signs her up for a dating agency that promises to help singles find love before the holidays. Twenty-three days until Christmas. Twelve dates with twelve different men. The odds must finally be in her favor . . . right?

Yet with each new date more disastrous than the one before--and the whole town keeping tabs on her misadventures--Kate must remind herself that sometimes love, like mistletoe, shows up where it's least expected. And maybe, just maybe, it's been right under her nose all along. . .

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS BY WENDY LOGGIA

11/9/2020

This is my first Holiday read of the year and I am so excited because it was a winner! All I Want for Christmas is a sweet, clean, young adult romance with all the holiday cheer!

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: November 3, 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Holiday Romance
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 240 pages
Format: eBook. ARC from the publisher.

This sweet and magical romance about a girl who has just one wish--someone to kiss under the mistletoe--is the perfect holiday escape!

Bailey Briggs is counting down the days to Christmas: she lives for holiday music, baking cookies, going on snowy sleigh rides, and wearing her light-up reindeer ears to work at Winslow's bookstore. But all she really wants this year is the one thing she doesn't have: someone special to kiss under the mistletoe. And she's 100 percent certain that that someone isn't Jacob Marley--athlete, player, and of questionable taste in girlfriends--and that Charlie, the mysterious stranger with the British accent, is the romantic lead of her dreams. Is she right?

This will be a December to remember, filled with real-life Christmas magic . . . and, if she stays on Santa's nice list, a wish that just might come true.

IN HER PUMPKIN PATCH BY ALINA JACOBS

10/24/2020

In Her Pumpkin Patch is a hilarious romantic comedy that takes place during the Halloween season! So if you're looking for a fall themed book then look no further because this is a must have!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Genre: Chick Lit. Romantic Comedy.
Series: The Svensson Brothers series #3 (can stand alone)
Pages: 415 pages
Format: eBook. Borrowed with Kindle Unlimited.

Fall. Autumn. It doesn't matter what you call it, I hate it.

I despise pumpkins, Halloween, and the overwhelming sense of dread as the cold and damp move in.

But when my new chauffeur drives up in a hearse, Halloween carols blaring, I realize there will be no escape from the holiday.

Penny is the self-proclaimed Queen of Fall.

And it's her mission to turn me into a pumpkin spice fiend.

Penny

Fall is the best time of the year! I love pumpkin spice everything, cozy scarves, and nostalgic movies. But most of all, I love

CHRISTMAS SHOPAHOLIC BY SOPHIE KINSELLA

1/15/2020

The long-awaited next installment in the Shopaholic series is a HIT! I loved this book to pieces. It’s festive, hilarious, and everything I wanted! I highly recommend this book and series.

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: October 15, 2019
Genre: Chick Lit. Christmas.
Series: Shopaholic series #9
Pages: 384 pages
Format: Hardcover. Purchased.

’Tis the season for change and Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) is embracing it, returning from the States to live in the charming village of Letherby and working with her best friend, Suze, in the gift shop of Suze’s stately home. Life is good, especially now that Becky takes time every day for mindfulness—even if that only means listening to a meditation tape while hunting down online bargains.

But Becky still adores the traditions of Christmas: Her parents hosting, carols playing on repeat, her mother pretending she made the Christmas pudding, and the neighbors coming ’round for sherry in their terrible holiday sweaters. Things are looking cheerier than ever, until Becky’s parents announce they’re moving to ultra-trendy Shoreditch—unable to resist the draw of craft beer and smashed avocados—and ask Becky if she’ll host this year. What could possibly go wrong?

'TWAS THE KNIFE BEFORE CHRISTMAS BY JACQUELINE FROST

12/22/2019

'Twas the Knife Before Christmas is the second book in the Christmas Tree Farm mystery series! I found this book to be festive and fun just like the first book.

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: November 13, 2018
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Christmas Tree Farm mystery series #2
Pages: 320 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

It’s out of the cupcake tin, into the fire for Holly White’s best friend, Caroline. Can Holly clear Caroline’s name in time to go caroling?

When a body turns up in a larger-than-life candy bowl filled with peppermints on the town square, Holly White is horrified to learn her best friend Caroline is the main suspect. Everyone in town, including Mistletoe, Maine’s sheriff, saw Caroline fighting with the victim on the night of his death. Worse, a custom kitchen knife, engraved with Caroline's initials was found with him.

Now, just ten days before Christmas, Holly’s up to her jingle bells in holiday shenanigans and in desperate need of a miracle. Juggling extra shifts at her family’s Christmas tree farm and making enough gingerbread jewelry to satisfy the crowd is already more than she can handle―and now she has to find time to clear her best friend of murder. Add in her budding relationship with the sheriff, and a personal stalker dressed as Santa Claus, and Holly’s ready to fly south until springtime.

CLARA AT CHRISTMAS BY LACEY LONDON

12/20/2019

If you're a fan of Sophie Kinsella or Lindsey Kelk you won't want to miss the Clara Andrews series! This is probably the closest I have gotten to finding a series like the beloved Shopaholic and I Heart series. I recommend this series to chick lit fans!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: October 16, 2015
Genre: Chick Lit
Series: Clara Andrews series #4 (read in order)
Pages: 171 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

With snowflakes falling and fairy lights twinkling brightly, it can only mean one thing - Christmas will be very soon upon us.

With just twenty five days to go until the big day, Clara finds herself dealing with more than just the usual festive stresses.

Plans to host the perfect Christmas Day for her American in laws are ambushed by her BFF’s clichéd meltdown at turning thirty.

With a best friend on the verge of a mid life crisis, putting Christmas dinner on the table isn’t the only thing Clara has got to worry about this year.

Taking on the role of Best Friend/Therapist, Head Chef and Party Planner is much harder than Clara had anticipated.

With the clock ticking, can Clara pull things together - or will Christmas Day turn out to be the December disaster that she is so desperate to avoid?

TWELVE SLAYS OF CHRISTMAS BY JACQUELINE FROST

12/20/2019

Twelve Slays of Christmas is a fun and festive read! This is the first book in the Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series and I cannot wait for more books! I highly recommend it.

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: October 10, 2017
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Christmas Tree Farm Mystery #1
Pages: 320 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

When Holly White’s fiancé cancels their Christmas Eve wedding with less than two weeks to go, Holly heads home with a broken heart. Lucky for her, home in historic Mistletoe, Maine is magical during Christmastime—exactly what the doctor prescribed. Except her plan to drown her troubles in peppermints and snickerdoodles is upended when local grouch and president of the Mistletoe Historical Society Margaret Fenwick is bludgeoned and left in the sleigh display at Reindeer Games, Holly’s family tree farm.

When the murder weapon is revealed as one of the wooden stakes used to identify trees on the farm, Sheriff Evan Grey turns to Holly’s father, Bud, and the Reindeer Games staff. And it doesn’t help that Bud and the reindeer keeper were each seen arguing with Margaret just before her death. But Holly knows her father, and is determined to exonerate him.The jingle bells are ringing, the clock is ticking, and if Holly doesn't watch out, she'll end up on

THE BOSS WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS BY JANA ASTON

12/18/2019

The Boss Who Stole Christmas is the first novella in the Reindeer Falls series. While I thought the book was cute and festive it didn't really live up to my expectations.

Rating: ★★★
Release Date: November 7, 2019
Genre: Holiday romance novella
Series: The Reindeer Falls series #1(can stand alone)
Pages: 100 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

Dear Santa,

Please bring me a new boss for Christmas. Mine is the worst. The worst, hidden in a six foot tall package of male perfection. It’d be easier if he looked like an old Scrooge, wouldn’t it?

Nick Saint-Croix doesn’t look like an old scrooge. He’s hot as-

Um, never mind. Just bring me a new boss. Please.

Sincerely,
Holly Winter

Warning:
Reindeer Falls is more naughty than nice. They're over-the-top Christmas with merrily-ever-afters guaranteed. These stories are novella length for quick holiday binging. Enjoy!

HUMBUGGED BY PIPPA GRANT AND LILI VALENTE

12/14/2019

Humbugged is my first foray into Pipa Grant and Lili Valente books and I am stoked that I found them! I love romantic comedies the most and this one hit the spot!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: December 10, 2019
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Series: Happy Cat series #4
Pages: 259 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

He’s the world’s most alpha Marine and the last man I should be letting jingle my bells this holiday season.

So why does Clint O’Dell keep running through my thoughts wearing nothing but a Santa hat? And why do I stupidly agree that we should be Christmas friends with benefits?

Someone must have spiked my eggnog.

I don’t do Marines.

Or Santas.

I learned my lesson about both the hard way.

But when Clint steps in to rescue me—from a murderous goose, a

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