Reviews

The Mistletoe Temptation by Eve Pendle

crownoflaurel's review

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.75

rlward66's review

lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

4.0

Gina Bains has managed to make it through 2 seasons without finding a husband.  Just one more season until her 21st birthday and her ability to choose what to do with her own life.  She wants more than anything to travel ther world.  Her brother's friend returns from traveling the continent to see Gina at a ball and quickly figures out her tricks to avoid marraige.  Since he is not all that interested in marraige himself he comes up with a plan for them to create a sham engagement to last until her birthday so that she will then be free to do what she wants with the rest of her life.  I enjoyed this quick story.  Both Gina and Emmett are likeable characters. I would have liked to have had a little more depth in the story line, but I enjoyed the story.  

kimalah's review

emotional lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“The Mistletoe Temptation” is a fun, sexy fake engagement story that takes place in Regency England. It is a novella so it is a shorter story, but it still has a fair amount of internal dialogue. I enjoyed it.

cakt1991's review

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I received an ARC from the author and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own. 

The Mistletoe Temptation is the second in Eve Pendle’s Christmas-themed Regency novella series Faking Stitch. It can be read as a stand-alone. This book is a lot of fun, with pretty much everything you want from a sexy historical holiday romp. 

I liked both Gina and Emmett for the most part. Gina has a mind of her own, and isn’t super interested in the expectations for women of the day to marry and have children, even if her mother expects it of her, although she does long to experience life and passion. Emmett has the responsibility of the future of his family lingering over him, and while his father is still alive, the pressure to settle down to ensure the future of their line is there for him. 

I generally really liked the execution of their relationship, especially how they initially agreed to a fake engagement and there’s a growing temptation between them toward kissing…and more. I wasn’t a fan of how their different desires got in the way when their relationship was finally consummated, with him more or less admitting to forgetting precautions in the heat of passion, and using it as an excuse to try and cage her into a situation she didn’t want, for fear she’s pregnant. They did come to a compromise at the end, but that tired plot device somewhat soured the story for me, even if it makes sense in a historical context.  

This is a solid novella, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for something short and fun to read for Christmas!