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annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review
4.0
If there's one thing my brother hates, and I used to hate although I've grown over it, it's going to those big family parties where everyone is with their partner. He hates feeling alone and he hates being confronted with the fact that he is alone. While reading the book I had to think a lot about him and the woman I used to be when having a partner was almost a life goal. I was therefore even more thankful that I got an arc for this book via BookSprout.
What I loved about this book is that we saw two sides of the Christmas coin. We had one girl who loved and enjoyed Christmas. Who was caroling and staged plays with the kids she's teaching. And there was one girl who thought all those traditions were forced and uncomfortable and couldn't really enjoy them. And the fun part is that although they had some discussions about it, they actually tried to understand each other.
I also really loved the plot with the mate marks. The more books in this world and series I read, the more I start to understand how everything works. I love how a mate mark appearing just means that your mate has been attending the same ceremony. It still takes effort to find said mate and then it also takes effort to make the relationship work. This book also mentioned that not all mates are matches made in heaven. I love that take on mate bonds!
And I last but not least loved how the romance between these characters developed. They both had a mate mark and they couldn't be sure if the other was their match. That caused a little drama here and there, without it being drama for the sake of drama, but it most of all meant that these women had to decide that the other was truly worth fighting for, worth taking risks for and worth taking leaps for.
I'm already looking forward to the next book in this world.
What I loved about this book is that we saw two sides of the Christmas coin. We had one girl who loved and enjoyed Christmas. Who was caroling and staged plays with the kids she's teaching. And there was one girl who thought all those traditions were forced and uncomfortable and couldn't really enjoy them. And the fun part is that although they had some discussions about it, they actually tried to understand each other.
I also really loved the plot with the mate marks. The more books in this world and series I read, the more I start to understand how everything works. I love how a mate mark appearing just means that your mate has been attending the same ceremony. It still takes effort to find said mate and then it also takes effort to make the relationship work. This book also mentioned that not all mates are matches made in heaven. I love that take on mate bonds!
And I last but not least loved how the romance between these characters developed. They both had a mate mark and they couldn't be sure if the other was their match. That caused a little drama here and there, without it being drama for the sake of drama, but it most of all meant that these women had to decide that the other was truly worth fighting for, worth taking risks for and worth taking leaps for.
I'm already looking forward to the next book in this world.
the_lawyer_librarian's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
kieranl's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
3.0
This was okay, kinda felt rushed. Didn't hate it ultimately.
lolasreviews's review
3.0
I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.
Her Festive Dragon Mate is a sweet paranormal romance read set around Christmas with a bit of heat toward the end. Dragon shifter Renata is not a fan of the holidays, but agreed to help run the coffee stand at the Christmas market. That's where she meets middle school teacher Celine. They quickly grow fond of one another and it slowly grows into more.
This was a fun romantic read. I liked how Celine and Renata met at the Christmas market and grow closer throughout the book. While it's a fated mates romance, they don't know at first whether they're fated mates and so their dating feels pretty normal. I liked the Christmas setting and it was fun to read about these two. There is a bit of drama later on with a miscommunication issue, but while I didn't like the drama I did like how it got resolved and how the person who caused it also was the one to apologize. There also is a bit of uncertainty as Celine knows she has a fated mate, but not who and doesn't want to date for fear of betraying her mate.
I am not a big fan of the whole fated mates concept, but I liked how it was clear that while they're fated mates it's still up to them to make the relationship work and both characters realize that. Even so it felt sad the dragons would never feel fully complete without their fated mates, which seemed to go against the whole free will thing again. I felt like I was missing a few details about the whole fated mates things and the lake and shifters, but that's probably as I jumped in at book 2. Luckily there were enough details for me to piece things together, but I felt like you would understand things better if you read the series in order.
To summarize: This was a fun and romantic read, mostly sweet, but with a bit of drama and heat later on. I liked the Christmas setting and the festive atmosphere and how Celine and Renata met and their connection grows into more. I enjoyed reading about them and their romance. I wasn't a fan of the miscommunication that occurs, but I liked how it got resolved. I am not a big fan of the fated mates trope, but I like how they emphasized there is still work involved in making the relationship work. I felt like I was missing a few details about how the whole fated mates thing worked with the lake, but there was enough for me to get the gist of things. The epilogue wraps things up well and I liked the ending.
Her Festive Dragon Mate is a sweet paranormal romance read set around Christmas with a bit of heat toward the end. Dragon shifter Renata is not a fan of the holidays, but agreed to help run the coffee stand at the Christmas market. That's where she meets middle school teacher Celine. They quickly grow fond of one another and it slowly grows into more.
This was a fun romantic read. I liked how Celine and Renata met at the Christmas market and grow closer throughout the book. While it's a fated mates romance, they don't know at first whether they're fated mates and so their dating feels pretty normal. I liked the Christmas setting and it was fun to read about these two. There is a bit of drama later on with a miscommunication issue, but while I didn't like the drama I did like how it got resolved and how the person who caused it also was the one to apologize. There also is a bit of uncertainty as Celine knows she has a fated mate, but not who and doesn't want to date for fear of betraying her mate.
I am not a big fan of the whole fated mates concept, but I liked how it was clear that while they're fated mates it's still up to them to make the relationship work and both characters realize that. Even so it felt sad the dragons would never feel fully complete without their fated mates, which seemed to go against the whole free will thing again. I felt like I was missing a few details about the whole fated mates things and the lake and shifters, but that's probably as I jumped in at book 2. Luckily there were enough details for me to piece things together, but I felt like you would understand things better if you read the series in order.
To summarize: This was a fun and romantic read, mostly sweet, but with a bit of drama and heat later on. I liked the Christmas setting and the festive atmosphere and how Celine and Renata met and their connection grows into more. I enjoyed reading about them and their romance. I wasn't a fan of the miscommunication that occurs, but I liked how it got resolved. I am not a big fan of the fated mates trope, but I like how they emphasized there is still work involved in making the relationship work. I felt like I was missing a few details about how the whole fated mates thing worked with the lake, but there was enough for me to get the gist of things. The epilogue wraps things up well and I liked the ending.
dwinprincess's review
4.0
Two people, both having 'fated' mates, but they haven't found them yet. One loves Christmas, one not so much. The Christmas Market brings them to the same place, but will they figure out their connection, before it's too late?
Loved this one, the banter between the two FMCs is fun, makes you laugh. I know I want to find myself some Hot Chocolate with extra whipped cream with Christmas spices.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Loved this one, the banter between the two FMCs is fun, makes you laugh. I know I want to find myself some Hot Chocolate with extra whipped cream with Christmas spices.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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