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Book Review: A Christmas Date, by Camilla Isley

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I received a Bookfunnel audio copy of Camilla Isley‘s A Christmas Date (narrated by Tami Raistrick). I read it as part of my Christmas Reading Challenge.

a christmas date camilla isley audio

No one wants to be single at the holidays.

Even Little Miss Grinch, Nikki, a successful and independent woman, must face her bachelorette status at the most horrible time of the year.

December is her personal version of holly-jolly hell: a merry torture made of couples kissing at every corner, forced vacation days, and an inescapable family reunion.

And when her baby sister announces she’s engaged—to Paul, the man Nikki is secretly in love with—and that he’s spending the holidays with them, Christmas starts looking bluer than ever.

Nikki can’t possibly survive an entire week trapped home as the family’s spinster. But she has no time to meet men or to try the newest dating app, she’s too busy working as a video producer for an advertising agency.

So what’s a girl to do?

Nikki has the perfect solution: to hire a fake boyfriend.

Luckily, her job gives her access to an endless catalog of gorgeous actors to choose from.

But Nikki will soon discover that keeping business and pleasure from mixing isn’t so easy, and that she might not be immune to a little mistletoe magic. Especially not when she picked out the perfect man as her Christmas date…

my review
I thought that this was a sweet, if formulaic holiday romance. Some of it stretched credulity. I mean Nikki believed the actor when he inferred he suddenly caught real feelings for her, when I think most people would have just thought ‘he’s a good actor.’ And I wouldn’t say there is much in terms of burgeoning romance. Love just sort of suddenly appears. The sister’s ‘Oopsie, I fell in love with the man I know you’ve loved for years, when I only meant to date him a little to annoy you’ was forgiven far too easily. Similarly, years of animosity between the sisters was erased with a single conversation. So, I wouldn’t call it overly believable. But how many Christmas rom-coms are? Diego was super sweet and the writing and narration were both good. I’d happily read another Isley book.

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Other Reviews:

A Christmas Date by Camilla Isley – Book Review

Book Review: A Christmas Date by Camilla Isley

Come back tomorrow. I’ll be reviewing Mine To Five, by Tara September.

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Book Review: Sleigh Spells, by Bella Falls

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I borrowed an auido copy of Bella Falls‘ Sleigh Spells through Hoopla (narrated by Johanna Parker) . I listened to it as part of my Christmas Reading Challenge.

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Have yourself a very Merry Witchmas in Holiday Haven, where the magic and mystery of Christmas is snow joke!

Aurora Hart hates everything Christmas, but how could she turn down the opportunity to serve one year of probation in Holiday Haven versus a full sentence for her crimes? Saddled with a talking squirrel roommate, Aurora is doing her best to keep a low profile as she bides her time. Everything is going fine…until Santa’s sleigh gets stolen.

Now, all eyes are on her and the other town Humbugs, and it’s up to Aurora to keep her behind from ending up back in jail. With the help of a very important person from the North Pole, she finds herself hot on the trail of the real culprit. But it will take her having to do something she’s never done before—accepting new friends and their assistance. Only then will Aurora be able to turn not only her own life around but also Christmas for the entire world!

Will Aurora be able to solve the mystery of who stole Santa’s sleigh in time? Or will the culprit get the final sleigh?

my review

You know all of those Christmas cartoons we watched on TV every year as a kid? This book is like those, but with jobs, drinking, and flirting grown ups. It’s utterly ridiculous— with elves, yetis, trolls, paranormals, and talking squirrels all living in the north pole and assisting Mrs. Clause find Santa’s missing sleigh. Somehow, though, it manages not to feel eye-roll worthy and is still somehow amusing. The villain is absolutely obvious (and fairly cliched). So, the mystery isn’t the point. The characters are sweet (though I didn’t feel I got to know them particularly deeply) and I had a good time spending a little time with them.

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Other Reviews:

Sleigh Spells by Bella Falls

Sleigh Spells

Come back tomorrow. I’ll be reviewing A Christmas Date, by Camilla Isley.

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Book Review: Second Chances, by Kiska Gray

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I picked up a freebie copy of Kiska Gray‘s Second Chances in November of 2018. I imagine I intended to read it for Christmas that year, but apparently didn’t get around to it. That means I had it available to read for my Christmas reading challenge this year.
second Chances Kiska Gray

Fear took him away, but longing brought him back…

Six years ago, Nikolas Steele’s heart was broken when his best friend—the man who he thought was his forever—walked out on him without an explanation. Now, Ky Kendall is back in town, just in time for the holidays. When he shows up at Nikolas’s Santa Shop with a little girl who looks like him, Nik has questions.

In a time of need, Ky steps up to play the part of Santa’s Helper to keep the spirit of Christmas alive, but neither of them expect those old sparks to fly. Despite their renewed passion, Ky’s still running scared and Nikolas knows that at any moment, their fragile relationship could be shattered once more.

And this time, he isn’t sure if he’s strong enough to survive it.

my review

I suppose there was nothing wrong with this other than personal preferences. I’m just not into the whole God thing, be it the glories of God’s grace or the vagaries and damages godly people do in God’s name. So, the whole plot of this novella—at least the frictious aspect of it—did nothing for me. And outside of that, the rest of the plot is in the blurb. So, there wasn’t a lot left.

Well, I do actually think I need to complain about the, frankly, miraculous change of heart Ky’s fire-and-brimstone parents had and how rushed the happily ever after was, at the end. But It’s a Christmas novella, I don’t really expect much else.

Having said all of that, Nikolas was a paragon of forgiveness and I appreciated that about him. And Ky’s internal struggles were well represented. I liked both characters. So, I won’t say this wasn’t a good read. Just not for me, I think.

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Come back tomorrow. I’ll be reviewing Sleigh Spells, by Bella Falls.