Category: Contemporary

Title: Once Upon a December
Author: Amy E. Reichert
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Berkley
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 4, 2022
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A one-of-a-kind Christmas market offers holiday magic in the new romance from the author of The Kindred Spirits Supper Club.

With a name like Astra Noel Snow, holiday spirit isn’t just a seasonal specialty–it’s a way of life. But after a stinging divorce, Astra’s yearly trip to the Milwaukee Christmas market takes on a whole new meaning. She’s ready to eat, drink, and be merry, especially with the handsome stranger who saves the best kringle for her at his family bakery.

For Jack Clausen, the Julemarked with its snowy lights and charming shops stays the same, while the world outside the joyful street changes, magically leaping from one December to the next every four weeks. He’s never minded living this charmed existence until Astra shows him the life he’s been missing outside of the festive red brick alley.

After a swoon-worthy series of dates, some Yuletide magic, and the unexpected glow of new love, Astra and Jack must decide whether this relationship can weather all seasons, or if what they’re feeling is as ephemeral as marshmallows in a mug of hot cocoa.

Review:

Astra Noel Snow loves going to the Milwaukee Christmas market with her best friends every year. They eat, drink, dance, and go to the mysterious Julemarked area of the market where they buy kringle pastries from a handsome man. Jack Clausen is one of the workers at the bakery. He’s looking forward to seeing Astra again that Christmas, but she won’t remember him. The Julemarked is a market that only exists from December 1st to 24th, and then jumps to a different city to open as a Christmas market there. Only a few special people can remember the Julemarked from one year to the next. Jack is hoping this will be the year that Astra finally remembers him. After spending a night together, they make plans to meet again at the end of the month. When Astra can’t find him for their date because the Julemarked has disappeared for the year, she spends her time searching for answers so she can finally have her happily ever after. 

This was an unusual story. The world of the Julemarked was hard to wrap my head around. It was confusing at first. The people who live and work at it only ever experience the month of December in different cities around the world. They don’t know what year or location they will end up for each month. It was disorienting and unexpected. 

I really didn’t like Jack. He had a closed mind when it came to deciding on his and Astra’s relationship. He wanted her to give up everything for him without even thinking about it. There was also the dreaded pregnancy trope, which seemed forced. 

Unfortunately Once Upon a December didn’t work for me. 

Thank you Berkley for providing a digital copy of this book.

Have you read Once Upon a December? What did you think of it?

Title: By the Book (Meant to Be #2)
Author: Jasmine Guillory
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Hyperion Avenue
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: May 3, 2022
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A tale as old as time—for a new generation… 

Isabelle is completely lost. When she first began her career in publishing right out of college, she did not expect to be twenty-five, living at home, still an editorial assistant, and the only Black employee at her publishing house. Overworked and underpaid, constantly torn between speaking up or stifling herself, Izzy thinks there must be more to this publishing life. So when she overhears her boss complaining about a beastly high-profile author who has failed to deliver his long-awaited manuscript, Isabelle sees an opportunity to finally get the promotion she deserves.

All she has to do is go to the author’s Santa Barbara mansion and give him a quick pep talk or three. How hard could it be?

But Izzy quickly finds out she is in over her head. Beau Towers is not some celebrity lightweight writing a tell-all memoir. He is jaded and withdrawn and—it turns out—just as lost as Izzy. But despite his standoffishness, Izzy needs Beau to deliver, and with her encouragement, his story begins to spill onto the page. They soon discover they have more in common than either of them expected, and as their deadline nears, Izzy and Beau begin to realize there may be something there that wasn’t there before. 

Best-selling author Jasmine Guillory’s reimagining of a beloved fairy tale is a romantic triumph of love and acceptance and learning that sometimes to truly know a person you have to read between the lines.

Review:

Izzy is a twenty-five year-old, who works in publishing, and still lives at home with her parents. She’s overworked and finds it hard to speak up for herself, as the only Black employee at the publishing company. When she hears her boss complaining about the high-profile celebrity who is late with his manuscript, Izzy gets an idea. Izzy goes to Santa Barbara to give the author, Beau Towers, a pep talk. However, when she meets him, she discovers that he is so withdrawn that he will need more than one pep talk. Izzy stays with him and encourages him to tell his story. As Beau writes his memoir and gets closer to the end, Izzy discovers they have more in common than she expected, and she doesn’t want to leave him when they’re finished. 

Beauty and the Beast is my favourite fairytale, so I was excited to finally read this retelling. This was a fun twist on the story with a publishing spin. It’s not realistic that a publishing assistant would be sent to live with and help a celebrity write their memoir, but it was a fun fantasy to read about. 

By the Book is a cute Beauty and the Beast retelling!

What to read next:

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

Other books in the series:

• If the Shoe Fits (Meant to Be #1)
• Kiss the Girl (Meant to Be #2)

Have you read By the Book? What did you think of it?

Title: A Merry Little Meet Cute
Author: Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Avon
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 20, 2022
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Cowritten by #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy and USA Today bestselling author Sierra Simone—a steamy plus-size holiday rom-com about an adult film star who is semi-accidentally cast as a lead in a family-friendly Christmas movie, and the former bad-boy pop star she falls in love with.

Bee Hobbes (aka Bianca Von Honey) has a successful career as a plus-size adult film star. With a huge following and two supportive moms, Bee couldn’t ask for more. But when Bee’s favorite producer casts her to star in a Christmas movie he’s making for the squeaky-clean Hope Channel, Bee’s career is about to take a more family-friendly direction.

Forced to keep her work as Bianca under wraps, Bee quickly learns this is a task a lot easier said than done. Though it all becomes worthwhile when she discovers her co-star is none other than childhood crush Nolan Shaw, an ex-boy band member in desperate need of career rehab. Nolan’s promised his bulldog manager to keep it zipped up on set, and he will if it means he’ll be able to provide a more stable living situation for his sister and mom.

But things heat up quickly in Christmas Notch, Vermont, when Nolan recognizes his new co-star from her ClosedDoors account (oh yeah, he’s a member). Now Bee and Nolan are sneaking off for quickies on set, keeping their new relationship a secret from the Hope Channel’s execs. Things only get trickier when the reporter who torpedoed Nolan’s singing career comes snooping around—and takes an instant interest in mysterious newcomer Bee.

And if Bee and Nolan can’t keep their off-camera romance behind the scenes, then this merry little meet cute might end up on the cutting room floor.

Review:

Bee Hobbes is a successful plus-size adult film star under the stage name Bianca von Honey. When her producer casts her in a clean Christmas move for the Hope Channel, Bee is ready to take her career in a new direction. Her co-star will be Nolan Shaw, a former boy band singer whose career ended with a scandal. Nolan decided to do this movie to make extra money to help his sick mother and young sister. As soon as they meet on set in Vermont, Nolan recognizes Bee as Bianca von Honey because he subscribes to her ClosedDoor channel. Things heat up between them, but they have to keep their relationship a secret so that Bee’s other career isn’t discovered and their movie isn’t cancelled. 

This was a super steamy read! There were some funny holiday-themed romance moments that were a little silly, but it was a good story too. 

I liked that even though Bee and Nolan each had big secrets that they were keeping from almost everyone else on set, they knew each other’s secrets. I was surprised because usually the love interests in a romance are keeping the huge secrets from each other but in this story, the tension comes when everyone else discovers the secrets. Bee’s and Nolan’s secrets bonded them throughout the story and made them have an intense and steamy romance. 

A Merry Little Meet Cute is a steamy holiday rom com!

Thank you HarperCollins Canada for providing a digital copy of this book.

What to read next:

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

Have you read A Merry Little Meet Cute? What did you think of it?