Everyone says “there’s no place like home”… well not for me.
When I’m forced to spend the holidays at home with my family in Strawberry Hollow, I have no idea how I’m even going to survive the week, let alone make it through my least favorite holiday… Christmas.
That is until I run into my childhood crush, and my brother’s best friend, Parker Grant.
Now, he’s the sexy, off-limits doctor in our small town, and nothing like the man I left behind six years ago.
While I hate the holidays, there is nothing that he loves more. Well, other than a good bet. Which is exactly what happens when we end up together under the mistletoe. A bet that changes everything.
He asks for the next seven days to change my mind about Christmas. But seven days alone with Parker is more than either of us bargained for. Now, there’s much more at stake than a silly mistletoe bet.
The Mistletoe Bet is a complete standalone Christmas novella with lots of banter, even more laughter and a heartwarming HEA.
This novella is the perfect book to kick off all your holiday romance reads this season! It was a little cheesy but even for a mild Grinchie like myself, I thought it was adorable with just a light touch of steaminess.
Quinn and Parker were cute together and I enjoyed the Christmas adventures they went on as Parker tried to convince Quinn that by the end of their bet, she’d love Christmas and their hometown again. Despite Quinn’s grumpiness and her adamance that she would not be swayed by the festive dates and she would not swoon over sexy Doctor Parker, she slowly acknowledged how much she missed being around the people she loved and how things and people can and do change over time.
These two have great chemistry and I liked that there was no drama at all, especially considering Parker is Quinn’s brother’s bestie. It was refreshingly mature! This story has such a feel-good and cosy vibe and it is like a Hallmark holiday romance but with steam! 😉 If this sounds like your jam, I’d recommend checking it out. I had a lot of fun with it and I can’t wait to read more from Strawberry Hollow! 😍
I’m not much of a seasonal reader but the holiday romances have really worked for me this particular holiday season! Having spent the majority of my life living in the tropics, with a few years here and there in countries with four seasons, I actually do miss the cold weather and these reads have allowed me to immerse myself in both holiday cheer and snowy settings.
Dipped in Holly by Dana Isaly
Goodreads: Dipped in Holly Publication Date: 17 December 2021 Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotica
Panda Rating: (4 pandas)
Holly was just dumped. Less than a week before Christmas. In public. Dressed as a slutty Mrs. Claus. All she wants is to hide in the bathroom and have a breakdown in peace. But the Silver Fox who owns the bar has other plans.
The moment Nick takes in Holly’s grey eyes and sassy attitude, he’s hooked. There’s no denying the attraction that has sparked between them. And when that tension finally snaps, he finds himself taking Holly to bed. A kinky one night stand later, and they’re left questioning if it was enough.
Yay for more holiday tags to add a little change of scenery on this blog! 😂 I saw this fun tag on Georgia @ Lost in Neverland‘s blog and decided to give it a go myself—and what better time to do a Christmas tag on Christmas itself? 😉
This tag was originally created by booktuber Sam @ Sam’s Nonsense! Now, let’s get to it…
Anticipation: The Christmas excitement is real, what book release(s) are you most anticipating?
I actually don’t have a lot of books on my 2022 list yet and haven’t taken a proper look at all the lists I’ve seen floating around… But from what I’ve added to my smol list on Goodreads, I reckon I’m most excited for Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly!
Recently divorced and on the verge of bankruptcy, Dahlia Woodson is ready to reinvent herself on the popular reality competition show Chef’s Special. Too bad the first memorable move she makes is falling flat on her face, sending fish tacos flying—not quite the fresh start she was hoping for. Still, she’s focused on winning, until she meets someone she might want a future with more than she needs the prize money.Read more…
Christmas Songs & Carols: What book or author can you not help but sing it’s praises?
There are actually two books that immediately came to mind right now. Both have been loved this year, though one has been more hyped than the other, but both were five star reads and I haven’t had much opportunity to gush about them, but they’re *chefs kiss* perfection. The books are: Battle Royal by Lucy Parker and The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. Seriously, I love these couples. Their chemistry, their banter, the slow burn!I’m not much of a re-reader but I know I won’t be able to resist with these gems 😍
Ready… Four years ago, Sylvie Fairchild charmed the world as a contestant on the hit baking show, Operation Cake. Her ingenious, colorful creations captivated viewers and intrigued all but one of the judges, Dominic De Vere, the hottest pastry chef in London. When her glittery unicorn cake went spectacularly sideways, Dominic was quick to vote her off the show. Since then, Sylvie has managed to use her fame to help fulfill her dream of opening a bakery, Sugar Fair. The toast of Instagram, Sugar Fair has captured the attention of the Operation Cake producers…and a princess. Read more…
When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman’s carefully calculated theories on love into chaos. As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive on her way to a happily ever after was always going to be tough, scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting woman, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.Read more…
Gingerbread Houses: What book or series has wonderful world building?
The Hand of the Sun King by J.T. Greathouse is one of the few fantasies I’ve read this year but the world building was immaculate. This is a slow burn fantasy but it’s so worth the ride because aside from amazing world building, the writing is stunning!
My name is Wen Alder. My name is Foolish Cur. All my life, I have been torn between two legacies: that of my father, whose roots trace back to the right hand of the Emperor. That of my mother’s family, who reject the oppressive Empire and embrace the resistance.
I can choose between them – between protecting my family, or protecting my people – or I can search out a better path… Read more…
A Christmas Carol: Favorite classic or one that you want to read
I don’t read many classics but I read the Manga Classics of The Count of Monte Cristo and it made me immediately want to read the original! The chonkiness is pretty intimidating though… 😅
Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantes is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration. Dumas’ epic tale of suffering and retribution, inspired by a real-life case of wrongful imprisonment, was a huge popular success when it was first serialized in the 1840s. Read more…
Christmas Sweets: What book would you love to receive for Christmas
I have a whole post about books on my wishlist, and while there are tons I can choose from, I’d really love to get Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan. It looks so good 😭
Ana Dakkar is a freshman at Harding-Pencroft Academy, a five-year high school that graduates the best marine scientists, naval warriors, navigators, and underwater explorers in the world. Ana’s parents died while on a scientific expedition two years ago, and the only family’s she’s got left is her older brother, Dev, also a student at HP. Ana’s freshman year culminates with the class’s weekend trial at sea, the details of which have been kept secret. She only hopes she has what it’ll take to succeed. All her worries are blown out of the water when, on the bus ride to the ship, Ana and her schoolmates witness a terrible tragedy that will change the trajectory of their lives.Read more…
Candles in the Window: What book gives you that warm fuzzy feeling?
With the Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo wormed its way into my heart so quickly that I devoured this book in one sitting. It’s got delicious food/recipes, a wonderful protagonist, great supporting characters, and it’s simply a heartwarming story all around!
Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions—doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Read more…
Christmas Trees & Decorations: What are some of your favorite book covers?
There are too many to list so I decided to share one of my personal favourite bookstagram posts from when I used to post back in the day! 😆 It took me a while to lay it all out to make it look *seamless* but I had such a fun time making this photo and it displays some of the gorgeous book covers on my shelf!
Christmas Joy: What are some of your favorite things about Christmas And/Or some of your favorite Christmas memories?
My family and I don’t actually celebrate Christmas but I’ve spent a few Christmases with ex-partners and their families and some friends who really celebrate and I absolutely love the festive atmosphere. The cold weather (hey, I live in the tropics lol), the warm drinks, the delicious foods, the music (yes, yes) and of course the spirit of being with family and being thankful and sharing gifts (who doesn’t like getting gifts? But also getting someone a gift they love is such a great feeling 😍)!
And that’s it from me! I won’t be tagging anyone so if you see this and wanna do it, go wild (feel free to tag me so I can see your answers, too)! 😍 I hope everyone has had a good Christmas despite the panorama.
It’s been a while since I did a tag and after seeing a few holiday-themed ones floating around the blogosphere lately, I thought I’d jump on them too, even though I haven’t been tagged! 😂 I decided to go with the Baby, It’s Cold Outside tag cos I saw it on three blogs in one day and took that as a sign that I should kick off the holiday tags with this one. Now without further ado…
The Rules
Thank the person who tagged you and link to their post.
This was my favourite read last year and still gives me the warm fuzzies whenever I think about it!
Hot Cocoa – What winter-themed novels have you previously read?
I’ve been on a bit of a holiday romance kick lately so I’ve read quite a few 😂 Here are some favourites: Window Shopping, Main Street Dealmaker, In a Holidaze, Mistletoe & Mr. Right
Sledding – What’s a book with the best plot twists? Who’s an author that always keeps you on your toes?
I don’t read a lot of mysteries or thrillers but I love Karen McManus‘ YA thrillers! I’m never very good at guessing ‘whodunit’ and so she always keeps me on my toes! Bonus thrillers I loved: Verity, The Silent Patient, The Dry and Last Time I Lied.
★★★★☆
Ugly Sweaters – What’s a book with the ugliest cover?
I… Actually can’t think of any books I own with ugly covers? I’m only choosing The Existence of Amy one because it is the plainest cover I own. Probably. 😕 BUT it’s a fantastic book about living with anxiety that had me wrapped up in my emotions cos relatable!
Snow Day – What’s your “comfort” book?
I’ve gained a few new comfort books lately so I’m sharing my latest: The Love Hypothesis. This romance was just… Everything! I love Olive and Adam and their romance gave me all the heartwarming comfort feels and I missed them the minute the book ended and I can’t wait to read it again. ❤️
Movie Marathon – What’s the last book you binge read?
It was actually a series. The Bridge Kingdom Series by Danielle L. Jensen. I buddy read this with Julie and we finished both books in 3 days? It was unputdownable and so worth the post-binge zombie vibes 😮💨 If you like your fantasy with a heavy dose of steamy romance and angst, I would highly recommend you check this one out ASAP!
Letter to Santa – What’s a book that’s on your wish list this year?
SO MANY books on my wishlist! But Iron Widow is currently holding the top spot on my wishlist and I hope that I can get my hands on it sooner rather than later 🙂
And that’s it from me dear friends! I won’t be tagging anyone specifically but if you see this and want to do it, feel free to (and tag me so I can check out your answers)! 😍 Hope everyone has a happy holiday season despite the madness of the world!
I was a little undecided about what to do for this freebie so I went the easy route and decided to share the holiday romances that I want to read this month! I’m not a big seasonal reader but in the last two years my list has (unsurprisingly) grown considerably 😂 I still don’t manage to read many of them each year but I try(!) and this year, these are the themed romances I’m hoping to read.
Hello Mondays, welcome back to #5OnMyTBR, a meme created by the wonderful E @ The Local Bee Hunter’s Nook. This bookish meme gets us to dig even further into our TBRs by simply posting about five books on our TBR! You can learn more about it here or in the post announcing it. You can find the full list of prompts (past and future) at the end of this post!
So, we’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is:Holiday/Seasonal Freebie (holiday books/covers/titles, wintry reads, snow on cover, cool color covers, takes place in cold settings, cozy scenes on cover, etc.), so I’ve gone for Christmas Romances that I hope to be reading!
Since it’s a holiday/seasonal freebie today, I was debating whether to do a post on the books I want to read before the end of 2020, but I thought it’d end up being not very festive, so I decided to share ten Christmas romances that I’d like to read at some point this month (but also maybe even in January). I’m quite new to seasonal romances but I went a bit wild last year looking at all the gorgeous Christmas covers, and ended up snagging a fair few for 99p on Kindle! I can’t remember what many of these are about but just looking at them gives me those cosy and comforting feels. As with many holiday themed things, I find that sometimes holiday romances can get a little cheesy, but y’know what? We’re here for the cheesy feel-good vibes, especially when so much has been a hot mess this year!
Welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:
What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?
What did you read last?
My first three books of the year have been from The Great Libraryseries by Rachel Caine. I don’t think I’ve consumed a series so fast before, although I haven’t finished it yet. I’ve still got two more of the books to go but I’m now taking a break (even though things are certainly continuing to heat up in the book)! So far I would rate this series a solid ★★★½. It was slow to start, but the pace has really picked up in the sequels. The world building continues to be exceptional, except there’s little to no character development save for the first book. Still, the characters are definitely what I love the most about this series. There are strong found family vibes and many of the characters lean towards being morally grey, which is always exciting in my book! You can check out my review for Ink and Bone, but I’ve decided that I will post an overall review for the rest of the series once I’m done with it!
Oh what a month December turned out to be! With the end of the year activities at work combined with family flying in for the holidays, and my sister staying with me, there turned out to be a lot less time to read than I anticipated. Silly me for thinking I’d have more quiet time this month 😅 Now that everyone is on their way home, I’m back alone at my place and although I still feel slightly frazzled, I can also tell that my mind is calming down some. With that, I managed to read 17 books in December.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, BOOK LOVERS AND FRIENDS!!! The last decade has been a helluva journey that’s been full of both high-highs and low-lows. I still can’t believe that we’re already starting a new decade, but I hope that it’s brilliant for all of you. I hope the year ahead is full of light, love, happiness and peace. And of course, all the very bookish things!
So it’s time for December’s last WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:
What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?
What did you read last?
With all the family time and holiday festivities fully under way over the last week, it’s not surprising that I haven’t been able to read much. I think I ended the year on a pretty good note though. I finished The Folk of the Air series and I surprisingly enjoyed The Queen of Nothing the most in the whole series.
dinipandareads 