The Twelve Holidates by Emma St. Clair

 

The Twelve Holidates by Emma St. Clair - 4 Stars
(Love Cliches Series #3.5 but can be read as a Standalone)

WELL THAT WAS ADORABLE!! I am already loving the Christmas reads you guys! Emma just always does such a great job with her characters and romance storylines! In this one, we have a friends to lovers story that was chef's kiss!  You have banter, 12 dates between best friends to more and a swoony MMC! Pacing was great for a novella too!

We follow Taylor who from the first introduction catches her boyfriend Chad cheating on her. She is so upset and her best friend Weston jumps in to save the day by working through the 12 Dates list she had planned for her and Chad. Weston hopes the dates will help him confess how much he has always loved her and Taylor isn't sure how she feels or how Weston feels just yet....but the dates give much needed closeness between them with lots of laughs and emotions along the way. 

SUPER CUTE. Highly recommend!

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7048593171
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4eFYpc7

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

Christmas Tree Connection by Elle Rush

 

Christmas Tree Connection by Elle Rush 
 A Short Story in the Christmas Kisses and Cookie Crumbs Series - 4 Stars 

Y'all this was absolutely adorable. Set in 1970s, Adelaide and Victor work together to turn a season holiday tree farm gig into a holiday romance happy ending! We follow Victor Klassen who is opening his North Pole Evergreen tree lot and needs to get an edge over his competition so the cutest bank teller in town, Adelaide North, has beautiful stained glass ornaments so he asks her for help and the story goes on from here.

I love that this was set in the 70s because it gave such a unique twist on a classic Christmas and reminders of slowing down and spending time as families together. The romance was sweet and just a wholesome short story to read in one sitting at Christmas time.

This is part of 12 clean romance short stories during the Christmas Season on Kindle Unlimited so this is one I read through my KU subscription. Hoping I can get to more but what a fun way to sample some of these author's writing styles! Elle Rush is a new author I plan to check out! 

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7048576185
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4if7NpU

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

Cornered by Lynette Eason, Lynn H Blackburn and Natalie Walters

 

Cornered Novella Collection - Lynette Eason, Lynn H. Blackburn and Natalie Walters - 4 Stars

Y'all I really think Romantic Suspense books are PERFECT in Novella format! I loved this one. After reading Targeted and now Cornered, I think this author trio should definitely continue these! They are fun, short reads with just the right amount of suspense and romance I prefer! Highly recommend to my Romantic Suspense fans!

5/5 The first novella is In The Dark by Lynette Eason. This features accountant Steph Cross who is cleaning out her co-workers desk after her shocking and unexpected death. It seems like an accident, but when she finds a cryptic note in her desk that looks like she was investigating something, it looks like her death was no accident at all. Detective Tate Cooper comes in and is determined to help her figure everything out before someone else gets hurt. Steph has quickly become someone important to him and he will do anything to help keep her safe. This is tied to her Lake City Heroes series and since I have read books 1 and 2 in that series, I really liked this novella because I was familiar with the setting.

4/5 The second novella is In Downfall by Lynn H. Blackburn. This features chef Cassie Quinn who fills in as chef at an exclusive mountain resort. The kitchen gets destroyed, she is in danger and thrown into a situation where her ex-boyfriend, Detective Donovan Bledsoe, has to help her. I haven't read Never Fall Again, but this is in the same setting of Gossamer Falls. I have to dive into that series now because this one was again, great suspense and romance! We had good depth with the characters here because they had history together. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was some of the second chance stuff because second chance can be hit or miss with me, but I did like their characters and ending to the romance.

3.5 to 4-ish /5 The third novella is In Perilous Obsession by Natalie Walters. This features Lahela Young, the sister of Kekoa from the S.N.A.P agency series. I really liked our characters here because it was familiar to me, as I have read the novella and book 1 for the S.N.A.P agency series. It is hard for me to remember the character names for some reason so I had a hard time there, but overall it was good. Lahela becomes the target of someone with a twister obsession to right a wrong. She turns to her friend Briggs Turner, who used to be a police officer, but wants to help protect Lahela in what is going on. The ending in this one was very unique in the suspense, wanted a little more romance here but great suspense and action.

Overall, these are some AWESOME novellas that I think a lot of y'all will enjoy! Highly recommend these author's books and series to look into if you want some good Christian romantic suspense options.

Thank you to Revell for a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6737999848
Baker Book House (Recommended): https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/579837
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3B7ar0k

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

Absolutely Not in Love by Jenny Proctor

 

Absolutely Not In Love by Jenny Proctor - 3.5 Stars 

Book 2 in the Appies series and 7 in the Sweater Weather series

This is another book in the Appies/Sweater Weather series and we follow Gracie and Felix's romance. 

Read if you like:

🏒Hockey Romance Books
🏒Forced Proximity Trope
🏒Guys who Read and Love Classical Music
🏒Classical Music
🏒Cute Text Threads
🏒Neighbors to Lovers
🏒Anxiety Rep

I overall enjoyed this book but sitting with it honestly it isn't a favorite rom-com for me. I LOVED Felix's character and how he loved to read and cared for Gracie so much. I did relate to the parental things Gracie kinda went through as well so part of that was relatable. Loved seeing Gracie's Cello playing too. I love Classical music so that was an added bonus for me.

Essentially, Gracie hates hockey players and swears she will never date one after something that happened many years ago with one. Cut to meeting Felix next door and sparks fly between them. She doesn't want to let go of her "no dating hockey players" rule buttttt the more they hang out the more they start to care for one another. The rest is history. 

The romance itself was clean but it does tread the line for me a bit. It wasn't explicit, don't get me wrong, but the make outs were a bit more detailed than I personally wanted to read about and the constant looking at his abs and him in his underwear thing was a bit annoying - I wanted more depth of the relationship versus those things. Also a bit more innuendos than I prefer in a rom-com. I also would have liked a bit more of the side characters involved I think. 

Overall, I still enjoyed the book, as the audio narrators were very engaging and dual narrators. I think this was a perfect read for me during the week of thanksgiving right before I started all my Christmas reads too haha. Ending was sweet.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6597975855
Amazon: https://amzn.to/41cYyjU

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

The Queen's Cook by Tessa Afshar

 

The Queen's Cook by Tessa Afshar - 5 Stars 

I have said it before and I will say it again, Tessa is the master of biblical fiction! I loved this story of Roxannah, the daughter of a once-privileged but now impoverished Persian lord, working in Queen Esther's kitchens. In this story, we see her determined to support her mother and repay her father's debts - she seeks out Adin to help her find work. Adin sees the need and secures her a position in the royal kitchens of Queen Esther. 

Guided by Esther's grace and wisdom, she finds herself navigating prejudice and palace politics and deepening her bond with Adin along the way. As Roxanna goes up in the kitchen ranks, she and Adin uncover a plot targeting Amestris, the king's most powerful wife and Queen's archenemy. This sets things in motion from here in the plot. 

This book has a rich historical setting of ancient Persia - very vibrant and immersive. Also, the culinary details in this were - chef's kiss! I loved all the food and cooking details. 

The relationship between Adin and Roxannah was very well developed. I personally loved seeing them on their journey of working together and developing that slow burn romance along the way. Adin was also a great guy inspiring Roxannah's faith journey to trust God. 

Roxannah and Esther's friendship was beautiful to see as well. I loved the glimpses into Esther's POV. 

Overall, highly recommend as another great biblical fiction by Tessa! Thank you to Bethany House and NetGalley for a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6738000984

Baker Book House (Recommended): https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/579813
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3V5BBeD

 

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

 Book Review: The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon - 5 Stars

I have already filmed my Winter Book Recommendations video, but if I hadn't, this would be the NUMBER 1 REC I HAVE! WOW. This book is a great blend of historical fiction and gripping mystery, shining a light on the remarkable life of Martha Ballard, an 18-century midwife whose diary remains one of the most detailed records of early American life. This story plunges you into the icy, Maine winter of 1789 and explores themes of justice, resilience and the power of a woman's voice in a time when society preferred it silent. 

The story kicks off with a chilling discovery: a man's body encased in the frozen Kennebec River. Martha, whose skills as a midwife and healer extend to forensic observation, is called there to determine the cause of death in her own opinion and skill. From this point, we move into the personal and political narrative as there is a trial to determine what happened to the man in the ice. The man in the ice turns out to be a terrible person who has sexually assaulted a woman locally so things turn into more of a mystery as the story progresses.....

Honestly, the strength of this book is the portrayal of Martha herself. Knowing she is was a real person and how the author wrote her as a strong woman, who is both deeply human and heroic in her role as a midwife. This book makes me want to do a deep dive in to the real Martha Ballard. The story’s tension is heightened as she seeks to prove the man's cause of death and investigating the assaults' made.

The author does not shy away from the brutal realities of this time, particularly the vulnerabilities of women in a male-dominated legal and social system. I found this to honestly be very real to the time from what I have seen depicted. 

I love that the author showed us a beautiful marriage between Martha and her husband. He was such a great character and seeing everything they went through personally was heartbreaking but also inspiring to how they handled things together. 

Martha's diary entries woven into the story add authenticity and depth, making Martha’s voice feel very compelling. I really enjoyed the details about Martha as a midwife - it was very interesting to learn about during that time what it would have been like and all the women and children she saved in her time. Also, as an Autism Mama I loved seeing the portrayal of her mute son - how she loved him and supported him no matter what - beautiful.

The Frozen River is more than just a historical mystery, I think this is truly a tribute to such an extraordinary woman whose contributions to history have often been overlooked. 

Highly recommend. ** Please see content / trigger warnings below. **

Trigger Warnings: Sexual assault is a major focus in the story. A woman goes on trial and explains what happened to her, there are multiple birth scenes (with difficult births presented too), murder, physical altercations, miscarriage, etc. However, I feel like the author handled these topics with grace and did not go to far. Sexual content was not explicit - the married couple of Martha and her husbands had some romantic bits, but it wasn't detailed to bother me. Language was minimal.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6251729098
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3CU2KuO

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

12 Days of Mistletoe by Jen Atkinson

12 Days of Mistletoe by Jen Atkinson 

4 Stars 

A Super Cute Christmas Rom-Com!

Read if you love:
❄️Fake Dating

❄️Cute Clean Christmas Romances

❄️Lots of Holiday Spirit

❄️Dogs

❄️Apartment Neighbors

❄️Enemies to Lovers - Done Right!

❄️Anxiety and Service Animals Represented

❄️An Awesome Meddling Grandmother

This one was super cute yall! A new fav Christmas rom-com for me! My first Jen Atkinson book and looking forward to reading more by her. I really liked this twist on Fake Dating, haven't seen this done before. 

In this book, Bonnie struggles with anxiety, managed with medication and her sweet service dog, Noel. She lives in an apartment complex and life is pretty good. All until Elliot, the landlord's grandson, decides to send her several unsolicited notes threatening to turn her in for keeping a dog when she shouldn't have one. When push comes to shove, Bonnie decides to go talk to Elliot at his apartment, getting thrown in the middle of his family festivities. Elliot persuades Bonnie to pretend to be his girlfriend in front of his family but his grandmother isn't buying it. She meddles in the situation and Bonnie and Elliot end up dating for the next 12 days....the rest is history!

I loved these characters so much, seeing the anxiety rep with Bonnie and the passion she has for service animals, working in her non-profit, she was just a solid FMC. I loved seeing Elliot grow to understand Bonnie for who she was and how he truly supported her. His gran was also such a great character, one of my favs! Loved her sass! And you can't forget her precious dog Noel! She steals the show :)

Overall, a great Christmas read that shines light on mental health, also makes you laugh and has all the great spirit of the holidays you want in a book! :)

*Romance was clean with kisses only.

Thank you to the author for a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6943501506
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4hUzep6

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.