Lovin' los libros

 

 

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I just love getting into the Christmas spirit with some holiday reads! I jumped at the chance to read these two novellas and I am so glad I did! They were both a lot of fun and put a big old smile on my face.

 

In the first novella, Mistletoe and Mr. Right, we journey to a small town in Ireland where Jessica has decided to surprise her boyfriend of 4 months by showing up for the holidays. Obviously, things don't quite go as planned and that's what makes it so much fun. Jessica is a planner through and through, so to see all her well-laid plans go up in smoke was quite humorous. I did feel for her though because she thought she was going to Ireland to secure her plans for a future with Brennan and that is not the case at all. Brennan isn't very thrilled to see her and it's just an awkward situation. The bright spot was Grady, who is not only a close friend of Brennan's family, but also works for them. Grady seems to always show up to witness Jessica's less than perfect moments. There is a connection between the two, but with Jessica there to visit her boyfriend, it's not one they can really explore.

 

I loved seeing things come together for Jessica though. While she might have gone to Ireland with different expectations than she left with, I think it was a great life lesson to her. Sometimes the most unexpected things can be the most welcome!

 

The second novella, Sleigh Bells and Second Chances, follows Jessica's best friend, Christina to London. I am such a sucker for second chance romances, so I was really excited to read about Christina and the boy that broke her heart four years ago. Having reconnected with her old fling Cary, for work purposes, it is evident things are not over for the two. They still have unbelievable chemistry and while Cary was the one to walk away without a word, he isn't ready to let go Christina go this time. He wants to spend time with her again and while she makes it clear that they can only be friends, he definitely holds out hope for more. This novella was steamier than the first and I enjoyed seeing Cary and Christina give in to that simmering attraction.

 

We get some great secondary characters as well. I loved Christina's stepmother and stepsisters. They ended up being just the kind of people Christina needed, so I'm glad she decided to give them a chance. We do also get to check in with Jessica and Grady, which was also a lot of fun.

 

I loved that both stories were set abroad and it was fun to experience some of the cultural differences each place had to offer. Overall, these novellas were just what I needed to kick off the holiday season!