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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.

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Book Review: Where We Begin, by Janey King

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Last November, Janey King’s Where We Begin was featured on Sadie’s Spotlight. I later won a signed paperback copy.
Where We Begin Janey King

Fate never gives you everything you want. But sometimes, when you least expect it, you get exactly what (or who) you need…

Hannah’s life has suddenly become a lot less. Jobless, homeless, and boyfriend-less, that is. Now, all she wants is a fresh start—and her sister’s charming small town is the perfect setting for it. Finding a new romance is nowhere on her agenda. Too bad her heart (the stupid organ that beats a little faster every time her new boss is near) didn’t get the memo.

Collin hasn’t been lucky when it comes to romance, either. But knowing he’s not cut out for love doesn’t stop him from wanting his beautiful new employee with an intensity that terrifies him. He barely survived losing his fiancée. Losing Hannah…well, he’s afraid there wouldn’t be any coming back from that.

Can Hannah and Collin overcome the pain of their pasts—and the secrets they’re both still carrying—to take a shot at happily ever after? Or are they destined to remain star crossed forever?

Where We Begin, book 1 in The Berkshires series, is a lightly angsty, sweet and clean, new adult contemporary romance featuring a down-but-not-out heroine and the beaten-but-not-broken hero of her dreams.

Before I get to the review, I want to add a quick note about the Christmas-ness of this book. It’s absolutely irrelevant to anything other than the fact that I read it as part of my Christmas Reading Challenge. In the beginning of the book, the reader is told Hannah has come to stay with her sister through Thanksgiving and Christmas. The book runs up until early December and some pre-Christmas preparations —taking the babies for pictures with Santa, some minor indoor decorations, etc. The actual Christmas holiday isn’t included and I would not say the book has any kind of holiday theme. As such, I almost took it off the Christmas reading list once I’d finished it. But, in the end, decided to let it stay, based on mentioning Christmas, my intent to read Christmas books, and not really wanting to invalidate my past list. But it’s a pretty slim fit.

my review

At best, I thought this was OK. But I thought it was only OK because of personal preferences kind of things, not because I think it’s objectively a bad book or story. I just didn’t love Hannah (I liked her, but in a ‘meh’ kind of way), and while I liked Collin well enough, I thought his wishy-washiness annoying. So, I wasn’t super invested in their relationship.

The writing is pedestrian, but perfectly readable. My only complaint is that names are used too often in dialogue. But at some point, several years ago, I noticed authors doing this and have never been able to stop noticing since. So, I’m probably more sensitive to this than others.

King also has a bad habit of making every female not in the main characters’ immediate friends and family circle an idiot or a predator. This is a huge pet peeve for me. Why do authors, especially female authors, fall into the misogynistic trap of subtly suggesting all outsider women cannot be trusted? (I’m not calling King misogynistic, I’m calling this subliminal social norm misogynistic.) In fact, the last couple pages of this book pretty much enraged me. It was such a cliched and over-used plot device.

All in all, I think those who really like clean, New Adult books will enjoy this. I thought it was OK, but not really for me.

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Other Reviews:

Book Tour/Review: Where We Begin by Janey King

Where We Begin by Janey King

Be sure to come back tomorrow. I’ll be reviewing The Remaking of Corbin Wale, by Roan Parrish.