Holiday Ever After: One Snowy Night, Holiday Wishes & Mistletoe in Paradise

This book is comprised of three second chance holiday novellas. One Snowy Night - 5 stars Rory Andrews has finally decided to go back home for the holidays after she has been gone for six years. Guess who her ride is? Max Stranton, her old high school crush. What Rory never knew was that Max had crushed on her also. A long car ride, a funny dog, and a big snowstorm end up having Max and Rory finally giving in to their feelings. Mistletoe in Paradise - 4 stars Hannah Banfield and James Webber have known each other their whole lives. Every year at Christmas their families go on her stepdad's boat for a week long trip. Everything was always perfect until James' brother Jason ends up getting cancer and dying. After avoiding each other for a few years, Hannah and James are brought together and have to face their fears together. Holiday Wishes - 5 stars Sean O'Riley has planned the entire bachelor/bachelorette weekend for his older brother Finn. All their lives Finn has always been there for him so he wants this weekend to be perfect. When the B&B they are staying at is run by Lotti Hartford, the girl he lost his virginity to, old feelings come rushing back. Now all Sean needs to do is convince Lotti that what they have is real. I just loved these holiday second chance love stories. Each story included a sassy heroine and an alpha male ready to do whatever his woman wanted. Each couple had to overcome something from their past before they could move forward but once they did, they all got their wonderful happy ending.

Holiday Ever After by Jill Shalvis is an anthology of three novellas, One Snowy Night, Holiday Wishes, and Mistletoe in Paradise. Three romantic, steamy, and engrossing stories with a holiday setting. In One Snowy night, we meet Rory who needs a ride to Lake Tahoe from San Fransisco and Max is her only option. Max and Rory have been friends since High School where Rory had a crush on Max, but never felt worthy enough to let him know. Max has his big dog Carl with him, and Rory falls in love with Carl almost immediately. Their snowy trip to Lake Tahoe is full of detours and distractions, and that time allows Rory and Max to get closer. In Holiday Wishes, Lottie Hanfield runs her family’s Bed and Breakfast. Lottie’s first love Sean has planned a bachelor weekend for his brother’s upcoming wedding at her Bed and Breakfast. She’s reluctant, but since it’s only a weekend, she figures she can handle the close proximity to the man who broke her heart. But, when a storm blows through and extends the wedding party’s stay, Sean and Lottie can’t stop their old feelings from resurfacing. Mistletoe in Paradise takes place on a yacht in the Caribbean, and is my kind of holiday! Hannah and James had a secret love affair years ago, and they are not happy when they find themselves the only passengers on Hannah’s father’s yacht, sailing in the Caribbean. Will their forced proximity bring back any old feelings? These three novellas were all forced proximity tropes with each couple having a past together. Since each novella was short, the relationships heated up pretty quickly, but since each couple had a past together, it wasn’t unrealistic at all. Although they were all holiday-themed novella’s, they were not over the top, sappy holiday stories. Although short stories, I felt connections with all the characters right away and rooted for all three couples to find their happiness. Even with the short novella format, the author was able to formulate complex backgrounds and emotional stories for these characters. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I love anything Christmas , and I especially loved: MISTLETOE IN PARADISE This is a sweet, touching, second chance romance about childhood friends Hannah and James. Throughout their youth their families got together during Christmas , cruising in the Caribbean in Hannah’s step-father’s yacht. Six years ago they spent a night together, but each had a different goal in life, and went their separate ways. Neither letting the other one know that their hearts had been broken. Now they are back in her step-father’s yacht for another Christmas cruise. But though each has grown professionally they are struggling . One has to tell their father they will not continue to work for them, and the other one is hiding themselves in work and have news for their step-dad. Aside from the plot, it’s also a story about how the one’s childhood will affect the individual as an adult. Also, that love and families are always evolving. And lastly, that no matter where in the world one is, the one you love is your “ home base”. I was entrusted a copy of this book. The opinions expressed are solely my own.