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emileereadsbooks's reviews
1120 reviews
The Christmas Letters by Jenny Proctor
4.75
Tess didn't foresee get arrival back in town being punctuated by getting trapped in bathroom in one of the oldest buildings in Charleston, but here she is. Thankfully the EMS guy Drew keeps her calm as she's waiting to be rescued. And when she is set free, what a sight for sore eyes he is!
Drew all the sudden has gotten a reply to the Santa letter he wrote as a kid. And he is enjoying corresponding with this woman who reminds him an awful lot of Tess, the woman he had now blown off twice, for good reason.
Will Christmas magic unite these two lonely hearts?
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The secret pen pal trope is hard to pull off, but I enjoyed every second of this holiday read. Tess and Drew are both contending with the world's their parents bequeathed them with, and the way they navigate that isn't heavy handed, but still gets to the heart of the issues. Plus the way they seem to be magnetized to each other was very fun to read.
_____
This is a closed door, kisses only rom com.
Thank you to the author for the book to review. All opinions are my own.
Drew all the sudden has gotten a reply to the Santa letter he wrote as a kid. And he is enjoying corresponding with this woman who reminds him an awful lot of Tess, the woman he had now blown off twice, for good reason.
Will Christmas magic unite these two lonely hearts?
_____
The secret pen pal trope is hard to pull off, but I enjoyed every second of this holiday read. Tess and Drew are both contending with the world's their parents bequeathed them with, and the way they navigate that isn't heavy handed, but still gets to the heart of the issues. Plus the way they seem to be magnetized to each other was very fun to read.
_____
This is a closed door, kisses only rom com.
Thank you to the author for the book to review. All opinions are my own.
The Mistletoe Countess by Pepper Basham
4.5
Grace heads into the Christmas season prepping for her sister's marriage to an English Lord. But circumstances drastically change and she finds herself marrying Lord Frederick and heading to England to settle into his estate.
Lord Frederick married for money to save his estate, but a mystery is afoot threatening all that he holds dear, which is starting to include his new wife.
Can Frederick and Grace work together to save Havensbrook Hall from the ghosts of its past and the specters of its present? Will their marriage blossom from one of convenience to one of love?
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I had seen several people recommend this book, but honestly didn't pick it up until now because there cover is underwhelming. The contents are much too delightful for this average cover.
Pepper Basham writes with exuberance that leaps off the page. Grace is such a bubbly delight of a character. And while she maybe naive, she isn't dumb and I adore that her book smarts and charm serve her so well.
I could easily imagine myself as Grace. If I had been raised in the same circumstances, I could have easily had the same verve that she does in her circumstances.
This is a closed door book but the couple is married so amorous situations are tastefully alluded to. That being said, if you aren't up for hearing a newlywed fawn over her new husband, this book isn't for you.
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This is a closed door mystery and romance.
Lord Frederick married for money to save his estate, but a mystery is afoot threatening all that he holds dear, which is starting to include his new wife.
Can Frederick and Grace work together to save Havensbrook Hall from the ghosts of its past and the specters of its present? Will their marriage blossom from one of convenience to one of love?
_____
I had seen several people recommend this book, but honestly didn't pick it up until now because there cover is underwhelming. The contents are much too delightful for this average cover.
Pepper Basham writes with exuberance that leaps off the page. Grace is such a bubbly delight of a character. And while she maybe naive, she isn't dumb and I adore that her book smarts and charm serve her so well.
I could easily imagine myself as Grace. If I had been raised in the same circumstances, I could have easily had the same verve that she does in her circumstances.
This is a closed door book but the couple is married so amorous situations are tastefully alluded to. That being said, if you aren't up for hearing a newlywed fawn over her new husband, this book isn't for you.
_____
This is a closed door mystery and romance.
A Holly Jilly Christmas by Emma St. Clair
4.5
Jillian is a location scout for a small movie studio. She is headed to Sheet Cake, Texas to check it out. But for some reason the grumpy and gorgeous executive, Case, is coming with her. Which makes her nervous and kind of excited. When her car breaks down, it kicks off Case actually talking to her and them getting to know one another. Could Case not be the man she had him pegged as? Could their relationship be not strictly professional?
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I love a good forced proximity book! These two have a lot of layers to peel back, and I don't know how Emma St Clair does it, but in this short novella she give the character development room to breathe and progress. I loved how Case got better and better as the book went along. And of course there is the characteristic hilarious animal scene in an Emma book that had me snickering out loud.
A fun Christmas-y novella set in the world of Sheet Cake, but can be read as a stand alone.
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This is a closed door, kisses only rom com.
Thanks to the author for the free audiobook! All opinions are my own.
Faking Christmas by Cindy Steel
5.0
Olive just wants a quiet Christmas in which she doesn't have to deal with her emotions. Being stuck fake dating her work nemesis at a Vermont Christmas Lodge with her family is NOT what she had in mind.
She doesn't date coworkers and Miles gets under her skin in the worst way. Or maybe, it's not the worst. Because Miles sees her for who she is and she can't hide behind the sham of her emotional mask anymore. Maybe he's the key to dealing with her emotional baggage.
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Hi, hello, where have I been that this is my first Cindy Steel book?! This is was EXCELLENT. The flirting and banter and chemistry were beyond compelling. I loved Olive and Miles and the hurdles they had to jump through to be get their HEA. They dealt with some heavy stuff but it was believable and woven in with the shenanigans so well. Top Christmas read of 2023 for me.
_____
This is a closed door, kisses only rom com.
She doesn't date coworkers and Miles gets under her skin in the worst way. Or maybe, it's not the worst. Because Miles sees her for who she is and she can't hide behind the sham of her emotional mask anymore. Maybe he's the key to dealing with her emotional baggage.
_____
Hi, hello, where have I been that this is my first Cindy Steel book?! This is was EXCELLENT. The flirting and banter and chemistry were beyond compelling. I loved Olive and Miles and the hurdles they had to jump through to be get their HEA. They dealt with some heavy stuff but it was believable and woven in with the shenanigans so well. Top Christmas read of 2023 for me.
_____
This is a closed door, kisses only rom com.
Without a Hitch by Asher Fogle Paul, Mary Hollis Huddleston
4.25
Lottie Jones spent all of her college career planning her wedding while pursuing her Mrs. degree instead of the law degree she said she was pursuing. But when that doesn't work out, she graduates college and isn't sure what to do with herself. Until she finds the world of luxury southern wedding planning. She dives deep into the world of unlimited budgets, unfettered extravagance, and some interesting wedding visions; all while discovering she has quite the knack for this work. So when her boss announces he is opening a new office, she throws her hat in the ring. But that means planning her ex's wedding to an actual movie star. Things may just get a little too crazy for her to handle.
___
I thought this was such a fun jump into the world this luxury world of Southern weddings. Living in Dallas, I have been on the periphery of some of this wedding culture and it all rang so true to me. Lottie is a relatable character. Graduating college and not having a clear life direction is so common, but not talked about enough and I really appreciated how Lottie worked out her identity within these pages.
Piece of Cake by Asher Fogle Paul, Mary Hollis Huddleston
4.25
Claire Sommers was a Dallas society girl, forced to flee town after the fallout of a very poor decision that left her with a marred reputation and a frozen trust fund. She tanked her career in wedding planning, but she is starting over in another niche of the wedding industry, the wedding magazine. And when her boss likes her idea for a docu-series on the outlandish Southern weddings they cover, she brings in wedding social media influencer Dominic to be her unwanted partner on the project. And as they cover some extravagant nuptials, they discover that maybe they make a good team after all. And Claire realizes she has to deal with her past to be able to live in the present
___
Claire and Dominic have such great chemistry and banter. And even though Claire is a hard to like character at times, her growth throughout this book have you rooting for her to become a person that you will like. And Dominic is perfection in a male lead. He is definite book boyfriend goals. The focus in this book is not the romance, but Claire's career and personal growth, and I enjoy that the plot left space for that.
Thanks to Libro.fm, Harper Audio, and Harper Muse Books for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
___
Claire and Dominic have such great chemistry and banter. And even though Claire is a hard to like character at times, her growth throughout this book have you rooting for her to become a person that you will like. And Dominic is perfection in a male lead. He is definite book boyfriend goals. The focus in this book is not the romance, but Claire's career and personal growth, and I enjoy that the plot left space for that.
Thanks to Libro.fm, Harper Audio, and Harper Muse Books for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
You Make It Feel like Christmas by Toni Shiloh
4.25
Thanks to Netgalley and Bethany House for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
Starr is headed home for the holidays, but it's not all candy canes and twinkle lights for her. She was laid off from her big NYC job and now as the youngest of 5 kids she's keeping that a secret to try and maintain the status quo. Especially since this holiday season includes her sister marrying her ex-boyfriend.
Waylon shows up to his best friend's family Thanksgiving and is immediately enamored with his baby sister. Starr has grown up and he feels a magnetic tug towards her. That tug only gets stronger as she gets involved in trying to save his late mother's Christmas store with him.
Waylon and Starr have to navigate their feelings for one another as they also figure out what are the next steps in their careers. Will they walk those next steps together or apart?
______
What a fast and fun novella. I always appreciate rom coms where the leads feel like they are having conversations that someone in a real life relationship would have and you can find that here. And Starr and Waylon navigate their relationship and three next steps in their careers they deal with big feelings, but they don't act like petulant children about them.
I also appreciated that the faith elements in this one were front of mind while feeling organic. A fine line to walk in Christian fiction.
_____
This is a closed door, kisses only romance.
Starr is headed home for the holidays, but it's not all candy canes and twinkle lights for her. She was laid off from her big NYC job and now as the youngest of 5 kids she's keeping that a secret to try and maintain the status quo. Especially since this holiday season includes her sister marrying her ex-boyfriend.
Waylon shows up to his best friend's family Thanksgiving and is immediately enamored with his baby sister. Starr has grown up and he feels a magnetic tug towards her. That tug only gets stronger as she gets involved in trying to save his late mother's Christmas store with him.
Waylon and Starr have to navigate their feelings for one another as they also figure out what are the next steps in their careers. Will they walk those next steps together or apart?
______
What a fast and fun novella. I always appreciate rom coms where the leads feel like they are having conversations that someone in a real life relationship would have and you can find that here. And Starr and Waylon navigate their relationship and three next steps in their careers they deal with big feelings, but they don't act like petulant children about them.
I also appreciated that the faith elements in this one were front of mind while feeling organic. A fine line to walk in Christian fiction.
_____
This is a closed door, kisses only romance.
Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
4.25
This Christmas season isn't going to be how Kerry imagined it to be. She was laid off from her job, and she is going to be joining her gruff older brother and his dog in a small camper on the street in NYC to sell Christmas Tree's from her family's farm.
As she lives and works in the neighborhood, she makes friends and develops a community around her that makes NYC start to feel like home.
When one of her new friends, an elderly man, goes missing, she has to pull together the community she's collected to find him and maybe find herself in the process too.
_____
I thought this book was very cute. I adored the found family aspect of it. Minus the romance, this book felt a lot like reading The Vanderbeekers. They have the same warm and fuzzy feel good vibes.
And actually I feel like the romance was the worst part of the whole thing. Their intimacy felt like it was just pandering to a certain type of reader and added nothing to the story. I would have loved the book without the romance or just better flirting (and only flirting). Because as is, Kerry and her love interest didn't have much chemistry.
But romance aside, (and really it's just a side plot anyway) this book is Christmassy goodness. Perfect to read to close out the holiday season or to put on your holiday TBR for next year.
_____
This is a closed door romance. There is implied intimacy.
Thank you for the gifted book @Macmillan.Audio and @StMartinsPress. All opinions are my own.
As she lives and works in the neighborhood, she makes friends and develops a community around her that makes NYC start to feel like home.
When one of her new friends, an elderly man, goes missing, she has to pull together the community she's collected to find him and maybe find herself in the process too.
_____
I thought this book was very cute. I adored the found family aspect of it. Minus the romance, this book felt a lot like reading The Vanderbeekers. They have the same warm and fuzzy feel good vibes.
And actually I feel like the romance was the worst part of the whole thing. Their intimacy felt like it was just pandering to a certain type of reader and added nothing to the story. I would have loved the book without the romance or just better flirting (and only flirting). Because as is, Kerry and her love interest didn't have much chemistry.
But romance aside, (and really it's just a side plot anyway) this book is Christmassy goodness. Perfect to read to close out the holiday season or to put on your holiday TBR for next year.
_____
This is a closed door romance. There is implied intimacy.
Thank you for the gifted book @Macmillan.Audio and @StMartinsPress. All opinions are my own.
The Mistletoe Makeover by Grace Worthington
3.75
Mia MacPherson's father walked out on her family at Christmas when she was a child, which not only tainted the holiday for her, but her view of happily ever after as well. But as an event planner out of a job, she lets her mother convince her to come try and revitalize her hometown's Mistletoe Festival. And if revamping the festival wasn't enough of an undertaking, now she has to convince country music superstar, Jace Knight, to headline a concert.
Jace Knight is trying to salvage his reputation after an ugly public breakup. So he reclutantly agrees to headline a Christmas concert and somehow ends up with the event planner working as his personal assistant.
As things devolve from professional to personal after they are stranded in a snowstorm, both Jace and Mia have to deal with their baggage and embrace what Christmas has in store for them.
_____
Atmospheric is the number one adjective to pin on this cute little book. You feel like you are in small town Vermont surrounded by the ambiance of Christmas. I liked Mia and Jace and their journey of both having to open up and face their insecurities to be able to relate to one another. This book really hones in on the main couple with the side characters not getting much time in the story. Which is a fun focused way to approach the plot.
_____
This is a closed door, kisses only rom com.
Thanks to Netgalley and the author for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
Jace Knight is trying to salvage his reputation after an ugly public breakup. So he reclutantly agrees to headline a Christmas concert and somehow ends up with the event planner working as his personal assistant.
As things devolve from professional to personal after they are stranded in a snowstorm, both Jace and Mia have to deal with their baggage and embrace what Christmas has in store for them.
_____
Atmospheric is the number one adjective to pin on this cute little book. You feel like you are in small town Vermont surrounded by the ambiance of Christmas. I liked Mia and Jace and their journey of both having to open up and face their insecurities to be able to relate to one another. This book really hones in on the main couple with the side characters not getting much time in the story. Which is a fun focused way to approach the plot.
_____
This is a closed door, kisses only rom com.
Thanks to Netgalley and the author for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
Emergency Contact by Anthony Ledonne, Lauren Layne
4.75
Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
Katherine is an ambitious NYC attorney vying for the promotion her firm always grants at Christmas. And that's the ONLY thing she I looking forward to this Christmas season. But when she has an accident and has to be monitored for a concussion, her ex-husband is called because she never did get around to updating her emergency contact. Now she has to agree to head to Chicago with him for his family's Christmas.
Tom has plans to propose to his new girlfriend on Christmas Eve, but when he get's presented with taking care of Katherine, he can't leave her in the lurch. But of course this trip cannot go smoothly, and as they run into one roadblock after another, their emotional GPSes may be rerouting.
_____
What a fun read! I normally hate the "Are We There Yet?," trope but this one nails the humor and heart so well. I think because the travel mishaps made Katherine and Tom deal with the reasons their marriage failed and realize their own faults. I liked the themes of reconciliation and personal growth. And their chemistry and banter was top notch. What a fun holiday (but not too holiday-ish read)!
_____
This is a closed door, kisses only rom com. It does have adult language.
Katherine is an ambitious NYC attorney vying for the promotion her firm always grants at Christmas. And that's the ONLY thing she I looking forward to this Christmas season. But when she has an accident and has to be monitored for a concussion, her ex-husband is called because she never did get around to updating her emergency contact. Now she has to agree to head to Chicago with him for his family's Christmas.
Tom has plans to propose to his new girlfriend on Christmas Eve, but when he get's presented with taking care of Katherine, he can't leave her in the lurch. But of course this trip cannot go smoothly, and as they run into one roadblock after another, their emotional GPSes may be rerouting.
_____
What a fun read! I normally hate the "Are We There Yet?," trope but this one nails the humor and heart so well. I think because the travel mishaps made Katherine and Tom deal with the reasons their marriage failed and realize their own faults. I liked the themes of reconciliation and personal growth. And their chemistry and banter was top notch. What a fun holiday (but not too holiday-ish read)!
_____
This is a closed door, kisses only rom com. It does have adult language.