REVIEW - MISTLETOE & MISHIGAS - Sparkly Wonder

Mistletoe And Mishigas by MA Wardell

Date read: 30th November 2023

My rating: 4.5*
Genre I reckon: m/m Festive Romance

Buy link: Amazon 

First off; I haven't read Teacher of the Year yet :-O But this totally reads as a stand-alone. And I was after festive reads. 

Sheldon is a femme, super gay. I appreciate this won't be to everyone's taste, but hey, I LOVED him. After being rejected so badly, he's even 'more' to compensate. And how marvellous that he was free to do that in this book. 

The relationship between him and his twin sister is everything! And shows his vulnerability behind closed doors. Oh, and Janice the cat is adorable. 

Now, we get to the 'grump' part. Theo, bless him. He is a veteran with PTSD - an injured warrior. He has cut himself off from the world as he tries to come to terms with what's happened. This makes him appear grumpy and stand-offish. But that won't stop the unicorn-fart that is Sheldon from trying to bring sparkly sunshine into his life. 

Theo Berenson seems to be Iorek Byrnison in human form! 

btw mishigas means 'craziness'.

Fake dating is not usually my thing. But in this book it really worked. Both guys have issues, and together they can tackle them. (*whispers*) They're both really sweet too. And there's a height difference.

The mix of Hanukah and Christmas was lovely - a blend of festive cheer that was heart-warming. 

The steam was pretty good too ;) 

I thoroughly enjoyed this festive fake dating tale.

So, if you want a different type of holiday romance, you should definitely give this one a go. 

A 4.5* shiny stars from me.

Always in love and light,

TL

REVIEW - WISHING FOR COAL - Ho ho oooaah!

Wishing for Coal by Emma Jaye

Date read: 18th December 2022

My rating: 4.5*
Genre I reckon: M/M Christmas Spice

Buy link: Amazon 

Fine, I'll admit it, I like brats in my m/m romance, and this Christmas fairy is the brattiest! I wasn't surprised - I've enjoyed previous books by this author with that dynamic.

But has he met his match in his wish target; a grumpy dom?

It's not grump/sunshine, btw. e.g. Coal can't stand the saccharine-sweet elves in the North Pole. Maybe grinch/brat?

There are certainly challenges in this wish fulfilment, a sprinkling of magic, and plenty of punishments; oh my!

Oh, what fun it was to read ;-) Now, do I feel naughty or nice?? LOL 

A 4.5* rating from me. 

Looking for some holiday spice? You won't be disappointed!

Always in love and light,

TL

REVIEW - ENTHRALLED - riveting!

Enthralled by AH Lee

Date read: 23rd December 2021

My rating: 4.5*
Genre I reckon: Yule Magickal Medievalish Romance Short m/m

Buy link: Amazon 

Oh, this book is a delight. I've not read the rest of the series, but I will now!

A knacker, merek, is friends with a necromancer (who's a very nice chap). 

Merek is tower-sitting for said necromancer on the eve of Winter Solstice. And plenty of things go bump in the night!!

Mysterious, magickal, angsty goodness - with all the feels!

And I love his dog, Pumpernickel. A fab sidekick for the poor, lonely Merek.

There's a distinct medieval vibe to this charming tale, which is totally my thing.

Something different for a quick, Christmassy read. Just lovely!

4.5* from me.

Always in love and light,

TL

REVIEW - LUMBER SNACK - delicious!

Lumber Snack by Mae Harden

Date read: 20th December 2021

My rating: 4.5*
Genre I reckon: Christmas Romance Short m/f

Buy link: Amazon 

Part of The 12 Days of Kissmas - an assortment of single short stories by varying authors. 

This is not an anthology - each story stands as it's own book, which is fab - you can pick & choose which ones to buy. 

I loved this book from the start - Millie is maid of honour to a bridezilla. 

And she ends up as a partridge in a pear tree; I kid you not! It's hilarious.

This may be a short story, but it's packed with angst and slow-burn. Oh, and a gorgeous dog. And the obligatory snow for a Christmas romance. 

Fun, witty, sexy and sweet - like a candy cane ;) 

If you want a romantic Christmas short, look no further!

4.5* from me. 

Always in love and light,

TL

REVIEW - CHRISTMAS ON DRAGONBACK MOUNTAIN - scorching!

Christmas on Dragonback Mountain by Kimberly Forrest

Date read: 12th December 2021

My rating: 4*
Genre I reckon: Christmas Shifter Short m/f

Buy link: Amazon 

This is a lovely short story. But you know what? It'd be even better as a novel.

This has angst and heat, and is good. But I'd love to explore that angst more, to have more effort to overcome challenges and to see what else happens during the pregnancy. 

I like how it starts after a break up. And Kayla is fabulously feisty. 

But as a short story with a dragon shifter, it's fun anyway. 

And there's a couple of saucy scenes to set Christmas sizzling.

Always in love and light,

TL

REVIEW - SANTA DADDY - He's a lumberjack and that's OK

Santa Daddy by Keira Andrews

Date read: 7th December 2021

My rating: 4.5*
Genre I reckon: Saucy Christmas Short m/m

Buy link: Amazon 

It's that time of year, so I'm reading some Christmas books. And I challenged myself with this one. I don't usually gel with daddy books, but this one is really gentle. 

Enter Nick, a sexy mall Santa who's really a lumberjack - ho ho hoooo! But he's also a widower - aww. 

And Hunter, an awkward guy who's been to uni and worked some unsatisfactory jobs. 

There's an age gap, which comes as no surprise given the title. 

Hunter helps Nick creep back out of his hermit shell. And Nick helps Hunter gain confidence, with an amazing scene reflecting this near the end. I love this dynamic.

This relationship gave me all the feels; just super sweet and supportive. 

I maybe wanted another adult scene near the end to continue the hot hot hot action. I wanted to explore that power play in their bed a little bit more. 

But, really lovely characters. Fun plot. Lots of snow. And a Santa I won't soon forget. 

Definitely on my 'recommend to a friend' nice list!

Always in love and light,

TL

REVIEW - Christmas At Snowdrop Cottage - snow galore

 

Date read: 6th January 2021

My rating: 4.5*
Genre I reckon: Christmas Romance

Buy link: Amazon 

Follow the author: Helen J Rolfe

Happy new year! My first book review of 2021. And I'm delighted to say it's a fab one. I started reading before Christmas, but festivities slowed me down even more than usual.

I'm blaming Beaufort Scales and Toot Hansell - that dragon totally led me by the snout to another quaint English village. And lo and behold, there's even baked goods. I'm very glad he did though. 

This is everything you want in a Christmas romance. Beautiful decorations, spices, the possibility of snow, stunning scenery and, of course, love is in the air. 

Belle heads to the village she spent so much time in as a little girl but hasn't visited for 20 years. Her purpose is to make her gran's cottage fit for sale. 

Families have drama, and hers has been torn apart. 

Everywhere she goes, memories start to return.

A lovely Christmassy read 💖

I'm sure more books by this author will appear on my TBR.

Love and light,

TL

REVIEW - Last Kiss Under The Mistletoe - full of passion

Date read: 9th December 2020

My rating: 4.5*
Genre I reckon: Christmas Romantic Suspense

Buy link: Amazon 

Follow the author: Melanie A Smith

Well, that was rather fun! I'm a complete foodie, so a chef hero is a winner from the get-go. Add in a pre-cog heroine and the book was in my basket instantly! But that's not all, the hero's life is in danger. Will CJ's foresight be a blessing or a curse? 

Packed with heat - the full-on, sizzling kind! Bit of Christmas magic. And a whole heap of action. 

The chemistry between these two is off the charts. And they're surrounded by intriguing characters. A well-written story with 'real' characters.

A very different kind of Christmas story, in all the best ways. 

Always in love and light,

TL