Contents of blog copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2023
I've been gone a while. I started reading fanfiction to escape and I got sucked in an abyss.

I have no idea if someone else is hosting similar challenges. I just grabbed some of what I have hosted before.

Here's to a happy year of great reading
Jan2023: Not much has changed. Writing a fanfiction now O_o as well as reading but I bought 7 new books in December and hope to get those read soon. Crossing fingers about adding challenges (late!)

Friday, April 24, 2015

U is for . . . Under the Mistletoe (contemporary romance)

Under the Mistletoe
by Jill Shalvis

Series: Lucky Harbor
Publisher: Forever Yours 
ISBN: 9781455544905 
Release Date: Dec 2012  
Genre: contemporary romance 
81 Pages

format available: ebook 

Author's website | Twitter 

Book Blurb
There's no place like home for the holidays. And the Lucky Harbor Bed & Breakfast is bursting with festive lights and good cheer. But for Mia, Christmas is turning out to be anything other than merry and bright. Her recent break-up with her boyfriend Nick has made her return bittersweet. But then a surprise arrives, when Nick follows her to town bearing gifts-and asking for forgiveness.

Nick grew up without a family of his own so he's overwhelmed by the love that Mia receives from all her relatives, gathered together to celebrate the season. Under their watchful eyes, Nick finds earning back her trust the hardest thing he's ever had to do. If he succeeds, he will receive the greatest gift of all, Mia's love for a lifetime.

a word about the series:
Lucky Harbor series starts with one sister going to Washington to claim an inheritance. She soon gets both of her sisters involved. They all have a book: 1, 2, and 3. The series could have ended there but there are a lot of quirky characters in Lucky Harbor, Washington so we've had four year of stories. The author lists them in published order (here) but says they can be read in any order.

My Thoughts
This is Mia story and published 8th. It has been long enough that I don't remember when we were first introduced to her.

Our story starts in New York with Mia running on "killer four-inch red heels". From other comments we discover she's always running late and that she's wearing a Mrs. Claus outfit. She's on her way to meet a dinner date, has a "little black dress" in a bag so she can change but they're seated before she can.

Personally, I'd be so embarrassed to be a high-end restaurant dressed as Mrs. Claus but Mia is so bubbly and excited to be there with Nick that after a while I don't think she remembers. Of course, she's also thinking that they've been dating for six months and . . .
Nick was working around the clock to make a name for himself and reduce his monumental college debt— which was currently rivaling the size of the national deficit. So his restaurant choice had to mean something.
Of course, she had something planned too. She was flying home to Lucky Harbor to a wedding and wanted Nick to come with.

Chapter two give us more information on Nick. A flashback to when he first met Mia, some problems they had at the beginning, and just how stupid he was currently being and then he finds out she's already gone.
This was possibly the most important moment of his entire life, and he had an audience. Well, what the hell. He was good at tuning out the bad shit. He’d been able to tune out unfavorable foster parents, nosy teachers, menacing bullies… everything. It was a unique gift. So he used it now, and looked only at Mia.
sniff

back to reading . . .
“I feel lots of things for you, Nick. Probably too much. But that doesn’t change anything.... It’s just too complicated,” she whispered. “You shouldn’t have come.”
But... there has to be a happy ending! Doesn't there? Isn't that the whole point? Oh, man.

back to reading . . .

Whew. Enough tension and stupidity to make you question the HEA but it still delivered. The wedding was a beautiful backdrop and not only were uncles and a father ready to defend her, an old love-of-her-life was also there to witness Nick's fumbling.

The sad thing, the story was so short. The good thing is that there are other stories taking place in Lucky Harbor and I've got a good chunk on them in my library ;-)


Disclaimer: This was a private purchase but the review is not written any differently than if I had received a complimentary review copy. The opinions expressed in this post are mine and may differ from yours. Book information courtesy of the author and publisher.

copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2015

1 comment:

Anna (herding cats-burning soup) said...

I love this series but had a hard time with this one. Mainly because she was still a kid to me from her parents story and it was just too soon to be having her all grown and in sexual situations for me. Maybe if I'd had a bigger gap between reading the books?

Disclaimer

In accordance to the FTC guidelines, I must state that I make no monetary gains from my reviews or endorsements here on Book Dragon's Lair. All books I review are either borrowed, purchased by me, given as a gift, won in some kind of contest, or received in exchange for an honest review.