Scan barcode
losetimereading's review
4.0
I was excited to read this one over the holiday’s. I normally don’t have a ton of time to read over Christmas because of all the things going on, but I do like to read when I can and since this was less than 200 pages, I was eager to pick this one up. Especially since it’s set in Ireland!
Jessica was a bit infuriating at times. She was really stubborn and I thought some of her decisions were strange. I also thought that the fact she flew to Ireland to surprise her boyfriend at Christmas (even though they were dating for only four months) was a bit forward. Despite her flaws I did like her, and I especially liked when she went off with Grady throughout the book. I thought Brennan was a bit of an ass to be honest. I know that he had a long history with Katie but I think he should have been a bit more straight forward with Jessica about their previous relationship and also draw a few lines in the present. Brennan’s family was kind of rude as well, although I did love his grandfather. I thought they were quite standoffish to Katie so I didn’t really think much of them. Katie was just odd to agree to come into that situation knowing that her ex’s new girlfriend was over… that was just strange. Grady was sexy and nice and I really liked his bluntness. He was obviously the shining star of the story :P
I really liked the story, it flowed nicely, and despite being short there was a lot packed into the pages. I thought the ending was fabulous and wrapped up in a fantastic way … and just how I would have liked it to! I was hoping because this was a holiday story that it would be a feel good type of story at the end and that’s exactly what I got! Despite my issues with some of the characters, I really enjoyed it.
Mistletoe and Mr. Right is just the perfect dose of feel good that you want to read during the holiday season. It has romance, humor, heart and is the perfect length for a quick holiday read! I definitely recommend this one for your Christmas reading list for next year
Jessica was a bit infuriating at times. She was really stubborn and I thought some of her decisions were strange. I also thought that the fact she flew to Ireland to surprise her boyfriend at Christmas (even though they were dating for only four months) was a bit forward. Despite her flaws I did like her, and I especially liked when she went off with Grady throughout the book. I thought Brennan was a bit of an ass to be honest. I know that he had a long history with Katie but I think he should have been a bit more straight forward with Jessica about their previous relationship and also draw a few lines in the present. Brennan’s family was kind of rude as well, although I did love his grandfather. I thought they were quite standoffish to Katie so I didn’t really think much of them. Katie was just odd to agree to come into that situation knowing that her ex’s new girlfriend was over… that was just strange. Grady was sexy and nice and I really liked his bluntness. He was obviously the shining star of the story :P
I really liked the story, it flowed nicely, and despite being short there was a lot packed into the pages. I thought the ending was fabulous and wrapped up in a fantastic way … and just how I would have liked it to! I was hoping because this was a holiday story that it would be a feel good type of story at the end and that’s exactly what I got! Despite my issues with some of the characters, I really enjoyed it.
Mistletoe and Mr. Right is just the perfect dose of feel good that you want to read during the holiday season. It has romance, humor, heart and is the perfect length for a quick holiday read! I definitely recommend this one for your Christmas reading list for next year
xsophiehoughton's review
4.0
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
I'm not sure if I've ever really read a Christmassy book like this, so when I noticed it was available to request, I immediately jumped at the chance. Mistletoe and Mr Right is actually a bind up of two different novellas, that have some overlap. I think the best thing to do would be to review each separately, which I'll do below.
The first story was called Mistletoe and Mr Right, and told the story of Jessica, who flew all the way from Texas to her boyfriend's house in Ireland to surprise him for the holidays. Have any of you seem the movie Leap Year, with Amy Adams and Matthew Goode? Well if you have, it's a lot like that. Jessica is a planner, and she wants to know if her boyfriend is in it for the long run, or whether the relationship should end sooner or later. When she arrives in Ireland, she doesn't make the best first impression, and it seems like her boyfriend's entire family hate her. And then, just to make everything better, her boyfriend's amazing ex-girlfriend turns up for the holidays.
I really loved Jessica! She was very abrupt, but I understood her wanting everything to be perfect and organised. She took the plunge to travel all the way across the Atlantic to visit a foreign land, where she only knew one person, and I feel like she dealt with all that was thrown at her in the best way. I wasn't a fan of her boyfriend, Brennan, from the get go, and that never changed for the entire book. Grady didn't help, to be honest; why would you want to be with Brennan when Grady was right there? The chemistry between Grady and Jessica was so tangible, and I shipped them so unbelievably hard!
This story was the cutest thing ever, and I would rate it at 4-4.5 stars! I'm pleased that they're be some overlap between characters in the second story, as I need more Jessica and Grady ASAP.
Tthe second story was Sleigh Bells and Second Chances, and was about Jessica's best friend, Christina, who was spending the Christmas following that in the first story as an intern for a major music label in London.
She's nervous for two reasons:
Reason 1: her estranged father whom she hasn't seen in four years lives in London, with her new stepmother and step sisters, and she has no fancy for seeing him again.
Reason 2: her summer fling who broke her heart, Cary, just happens to be the lead singer of the hot band she's working for, and she's never quite gotten over her heartbreak.
Seeing both of them after so long feels like torture, and old sorrows come rushing to the surface.
I enjoyed Christina's character, but after reading the first story, I felt sort of let down. i wasn't as much of a fan of the second half of the book, as Christina's tale was a lot more angst-y, and not nearly as cute and fluffy as Jessica's had been. I liked the way in which Christina was able to rebuild old relationships, especially with her father, who was actually really nice, and her step family, also extremely nice.
Cary, I'm still unsure on. I feel sort of ambivalent about him. And though I liked the chemistry between him and Christina, it was nowhere near that of Jessica and Grady. If this story had come first, I might have liked it more.
For Sleigh Bells and Secomd Changes, I'd rate it 3 stars - still enjoyable, but nothing really stood out.
I'd originally thought this was a YA book, but I think I'd class it now as more of an NA/Adult book. Mistletoe and Mr Right was more of an older YA, but still suitable for younger audiences, whereas Sleigh Bells and Second Chances had more adult content, which I'd say was for 18+. I don't want to censor anything though, if you're younger, or know someone who is, I just want to warn you that it may not her suitable for young YA readers.
Overall, the book was seriously enjoyable, and definitely got me in the Christmas spirit (though I have been since November 1st, tbh). It was a wonderful change to by usual books, and I think it might become a part of a Christmas tradition in the future.
I'm not sure if I've ever really read a Christmassy book like this, so when I noticed it was available to request, I immediately jumped at the chance. Mistletoe and Mr Right is actually a bind up of two different novellas, that have some overlap. I think the best thing to do would be to review each separately, which I'll do below.
The first story was called Mistletoe and Mr Right, and told the story of Jessica, who flew all the way from Texas to her boyfriend's house in Ireland to surprise him for the holidays. Have any of you seem the movie Leap Year, with Amy Adams and Matthew Goode? Well if you have, it's a lot like that. Jessica is a planner, and she wants to know if her boyfriend is in it for the long run, or whether the relationship should end sooner or later. When she arrives in Ireland, she doesn't make the best first impression, and it seems like her boyfriend's entire family hate her. And then, just to make everything better, her boyfriend's amazing ex-girlfriend turns up for the holidays.
I really loved Jessica! She was very abrupt, but I understood her wanting everything to be perfect and organised. She took the plunge to travel all the way across the Atlantic to visit a foreign land, where she only knew one person, and I feel like she dealt with all that was thrown at her in the best way. I wasn't a fan of her boyfriend, Brennan, from the get go, and that never changed for the entire book. Grady didn't help, to be honest; why would you want to be with Brennan when Grady was right there? The chemistry between Grady and Jessica was so tangible, and I shipped them so unbelievably hard!
This story was the cutest thing ever, and I would rate it at 4-4.5 stars! I'm pleased that they're be some overlap between characters in the second story, as I need more Jessica and Grady ASAP.
Tthe second story was Sleigh Bells and Second Chances, and was about Jessica's best friend, Christina, who was spending the Christmas following that in the first story as an intern for a major music label in London.
She's nervous for two reasons:
Reason 1: her estranged father whom she hasn't seen in four years lives in London, with her new stepmother and step sisters, and she has no fancy for seeing him again.
Reason 2: her summer fling who broke her heart, Cary, just happens to be the lead singer of the hot band she's working for, and she's never quite gotten over her heartbreak.
Seeing both of them after so long feels like torture, and old sorrows come rushing to the surface.
I enjoyed Christina's character, but after reading the first story, I felt sort of let down. i wasn't as much of a fan of the second half of the book, as Christina's tale was a lot more angst-y, and not nearly as cute and fluffy as Jessica's had been. I liked the way in which Christina was able to rebuild old relationships, especially with her father, who was actually really nice, and her step family, also extremely nice.
Cary, I'm still unsure on. I feel sort of ambivalent about him. And though I liked the chemistry between him and Christina, it was nowhere near that of Jessica and Grady. If this story had come first, I might have liked it more.
For Sleigh Bells and Secomd Changes, I'd rate it 3 stars - still enjoyable, but nothing really stood out.
I'd originally thought this was a YA book, but I think I'd class it now as more of an NA/Adult book. Mistletoe and Mr Right was more of an older YA, but still suitable for younger audiences, whereas Sleigh Bells and Second Chances had more adult content, which I'd say was for 18+. I don't want to censor anything though, if you're younger, or know someone who is, I just want to warn you that it may not her suitable for young YA readers.
Overall, the book was seriously enjoyable, and definitely got me in the Christmas spirit (though I have been since November 1st, tbh). It was a wonderful change to by usual books, and I think it might become a part of a Christmas tradition in the future.
kstutz's review
3.0
3.5...this started out dreadfully slow for a novella but the last 1/3 was very cute and enjoyable.
jaimearkin's review
4.0
Mistletoe & Mr. Right is a sweet holiday read!
If you’re like me, you love holiday romance… and if you’re looking for something quick and satisfying in that genre, then definitely grab this story from Lyla Payne.
Jessica is a little high strung… she’s got plans for her life and if she expects everything to fall into place, she’s got to make sure her current boyfriend is on the same page as she is. Only he’s in Ireland for the holidays… but that isn’t going to deter her.
A long plane ride, a harrowing car trip and an almost goat murder later, she shows up on his family’s porch to surprise him and spend the holidays. Only she doesn’t get the exact reception she was hoping for, and she ends up finding a connection with someone completely unexpected.
Payne writes a painfully, awkward experience for Jessica. It was hard to read it from her point of view and see how hard she wanted to fit in, only to find that she really didn’t. But I have to say that it felt completely real… so real that I just wanted to hug the girl most of the time.
Jessica has some deep seeded issues that explain a lot of her behavior, but I have to say that I think I would have liked a bit more depth on those, as well as getting to know Grady on a personal level a bit more. I know it’s hard to do with novellas, but I felt that I just wanted a little bit more so that I could grab on to that connection a bit more.
This one wraps up nicely and with some definite swoon! Overall, a sweet and lovely holiday novella that you should definitely grab this holiday season!
If you’re like me, you love holiday romance… and if you’re looking for something quick and satisfying in that genre, then definitely grab this story from Lyla Payne.
Jessica is a little high strung… she’s got plans for her life and if she expects everything to fall into place, she’s got to make sure her current boyfriend is on the same page as she is. Only he’s in Ireland for the holidays… but that isn’t going to deter her.
A long plane ride, a harrowing car trip and an almost goat murder later, she shows up on his family’s porch to surprise him and spend the holidays. Only she doesn’t get the exact reception she was hoping for, and she ends up finding a connection with someone completely unexpected.
Payne writes a painfully, awkward experience for Jessica. It was hard to read it from her point of view and see how hard she wanted to fit in, only to find that she really didn’t. But I have to say that it felt completely real… so real that I just wanted to hug the girl most of the time.
Jessica has some deep seeded issues that explain a lot of her behavior, but I have to say that I think I would have liked a bit more depth on those, as well as getting to know Grady on a personal level a bit more. I know it’s hard to do with novellas, but I felt that I just wanted a little bit more so that I could grab on to that connection a bit more.
This one wraps up nicely and with some definite swoon! Overall, a sweet and lovely holiday novella that you should definitely grab this holiday season!
reader_fictions's review
4.0
3.5 stars
These stories are so cute. If you’ve been frustrated at the lack of truly fluffy new adult novels, you’re going to want to grab these sweet Christmas romances ASAP. Payne’s done a great job creating adorable, shippy romances that seem like the sort of thing you might watch on ABC Family.
The first story, “Mistletoe and Mr. Right.” does not have any mistletoe in it, which I find somewhat puzzling. The story itself is very similar to the movie The Family Stone, which I happen to love. It’s a ridiculously quick time frame on the romance, but, if you can roll with that, I think Payne does a really nice job with it. The two do share a bond of sorts, and it managed to keep me from rolling my eyes, which is a serious accomplishment.
The second story, “Sleigh Bells and Second Chances,” doesn’t have a sleigh ride, though the first story did. This one is another form of romance catnip for me, with a celebrity romance. This one’s pulled off really well, I think, and it’s enhanced by the family plot line. Plus, I’m down for a Christina having sexy adventures with a celebrity. I mean, come on.
Super cute if you’re looking for holiday reads or fluffy romances. Especially if you’re into British and Irish boys.
These stories are so cute. If you’ve been frustrated at the lack of truly fluffy new adult novels, you’re going to want to grab these sweet Christmas romances ASAP. Payne’s done a great job creating adorable, shippy romances that seem like the sort of thing you might watch on ABC Family.
The first story, “Mistletoe and Mr. Right.” does not have any mistletoe in it, which I find somewhat puzzling. The story itself is very similar to the movie The Family Stone, which I happen to love. It’s a ridiculously quick time frame on the romance, but, if you can roll with that, I think Payne does a really nice job with it. The two do share a bond of sorts, and it managed to keep me from rolling my eyes, which is a serious accomplishment.
The second story, “Sleigh Bells and Second Chances,” doesn’t have a sleigh ride, though the first story did. This one is another form of romance catnip for me, with a celebrity romance. This one’s pulled off really well, I think, and it’s enhanced by the family plot line. Plus, I’m down for a Christina having sexy adventures with a celebrity. I mean, come on.
Super cute if you’re looking for holiday reads or fluffy romances. Especially if you’re into British and Irish boys.
britsreadinglife's review
3.0
Find the original review here at This is the Story of My(Reading) Life
My first Christmas read of the season. I may not have the most holiday spirit but there's something about reading Christmas-y books around this time of year that just feels right. Mistletoe and Mr.Right ticks off the Christmas and cutesy boxes. And being only 150 pages you can read it in a couple of hours one cold night. So yes a cute Christmas read that takes place in Ireland, but holy crap is the MC annoying. Jessica is very type A. She has her life planned out, including when she's to get married and have kids. Jessica is in college, she needs to take a chill pill. But because Jessica has plans, she decides it's a good idea to surprise her boyfriend, of 4 months, and fly to Ireland to be with him(and his family she's never meet) during the holidays. Totally smart idea, Jessica. She thinks after 4 months they should be moving at a faster pace and this will spur him on. Get him thinking about marriage. Clearly upon arrival at his parents B&B he's not totally excited to see her. SURPRISE! And it just goes from there. Jessica makes a fool of herself a few times but being type A she has to have control and the situation she's thrown herself into means she's lost control.
It's clear that Jessica doesn't really love her boyfriend-side tangent; she continually calls him her boyfriend. I couldn't even tell you his name because we hardly get it. It's so freakin' annoying. I know he's your boyfriend, but he has a NAME- but she has a plan and she needs him to fit into it. Jessica needs to belong is what I get from her. Of course a hot farm hand, Grady, throws a wrench into her plans when he sees through her schedule. Grady is a good guy. There's a lot of misunderstandings going on between characters, but Grady is the only one that sticks up for Jessica and makes her feel welcome. He's also tries to get her out of her shell. Which Jessica needs desperately. She's like 21, have some fun girl.
Mistletoe and Mr.Right sets the perfect Christmas backdrop in the hills of Ireland. It has a sweet love story. Unfortunately Jessica is an extremely annoying and antsy girl for half of this short book. So it took me way to long to warm up to her. But once she started to let go of the things she can't control and laugh a little at herself she became a much more likable girl. Meeting Grady didn't hurt either.
My first Christmas read of the season. I may not have the most holiday spirit but there's something about reading Christmas-y books around this time of year that just feels right. Mistletoe and Mr.Right ticks off the Christmas and cutesy boxes. And being only 150 pages you can read it in a couple of hours one cold night. So yes a cute Christmas read that takes place in Ireland, but holy crap is the MC annoying. Jessica is very type A. She has her life planned out, including when she's to get married and have kids. Jessica is in college, she needs to take a chill pill. But because Jessica has plans, she decides it's a good idea to surprise her boyfriend, of 4 months, and fly to Ireland to be with him(and his family she's never meet) during the holidays. Totally smart idea, Jessica. She thinks after 4 months they should be moving at a faster pace and this will spur him on. Get him thinking about marriage. Clearly upon arrival at his parents B&B he's not totally excited to see her. SURPRISE! And it just goes from there. Jessica makes a fool of herself a few times but being type A she has to have control and the situation she's thrown herself into means she's lost control.
It's clear that Jessica doesn't really love her boyfriend-side tangent; she continually calls him her boyfriend. I couldn't even tell you his name because we hardly get it. It's so freakin' annoying. I know he's your boyfriend, but he has a NAME- but she has a plan and she needs him to fit into it. Jessica needs to belong is what I get from her. Of course a hot farm hand, Grady, throws a wrench into her plans when he sees through her schedule. Grady is a good guy. There's a lot of misunderstandings going on between characters, but Grady is the only one that sticks up for Jessica and makes her feel welcome. He's also tries to get her out of her shell. Which Jessica needs desperately. She's like 21, have some fun girl.
Mistletoe and Mr.Right sets the perfect Christmas backdrop in the hills of Ireland. It has a sweet love story. Unfortunately Jessica is an extremely annoying and antsy girl for half of this short book. So it took me way to long to warm up to her. But once she started to let go of the things she can't control and laugh a little at herself she became a much more likable girl. Meeting Grady didn't hurt either.
More...