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book_concierge's review against another edition
2.0
My reactions:
Two immature people with lust in their hearts, but somehow think this is love. There are some nice steamy sex scenes to distract from all the drama of Kelsey’s unhealthy relationship with her narcissistic mother. And while this is part of the Twilight, Texas series, where legend has it that if you throw a penny into the fountain, you are sure to be reunited with your high school sweetheart, the legend is barely mentioned in this episode.
I think Wilde was trying too hard to be “relevant.” Just give me schmaltz (and sex) … that’s all I’m looking for when I pick up books such as this.
busy_reader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
scoutmomskf's review against another edition
4.0
Kelsey and Noah have a history. They met at camp when they were children, and their friendship grew each summer when they reunited. When they were seventeen and junior counselors at the camp, their friendship grew into something more. But they were torn apart by Kelsey's mother, who didn't approve of Noah or anything that took Kelsey's attention away from her. And for the next ten years, Filomena used every manipulative trick in the book to keep Kelsey at her side. As a result, Kelsey was browbeaten into being at mom's beck and call.
I loved Kelsey and Noah's reunion. Kelsey's friend Tasha got her to agree to do five Christmas dares while they were on their trip. Tasha is determined to break Kelsey free of her mother's shackles and push Kelsey out of the comfort zone of pleasing Filomena at all times. Kelsey's first sight of Noah is of him in a Christmas apron, standing under a mistletoe arch, brings back memories of their old attraction. Noah is hit just as hard. A push from Tasha (the first dare) has Kelsey laying a lip-lock on Noah that blows them both away.
I loved watching the rekindling of the relationship between Noah and Kelsey. With Tasha's help, Kelsey is slowly breaking free of her mother's chains, opening her up to the possibilities with Noah. I loved Noah's determination to help her along by showing her how special she is. There are some delightful scenes between the two of them, as well as some very steamy ones. With both having been burned in relationships, each insists that they are not looking for love, but the more time they spend together, the more each one finds their mind leading in that direction. I loved watching Kelsey's transformation as time, distance, and positive reinforcement worked its magic on her. But Filomena wasn't done with her yet, and I was worried for Kelsey when her mom pulled her latest stunt. It didn't help that Noah had a boneheaded reaction, hurting her badly as a result. The ending was terrific, with Kelsey finally getting some real help from her father that gave her the tools she needed to confront her mother. That was such a satisfying scene. Then Noah had his big moment that was the icing on the cake. The epilogue was fantastic.
Kelsey's mother was a real piece of work. She was definitely a character I loved to hate because the way she treated Kelsey was terrible. I found Kelsey's conversation with her father regarding Filomena to be very interesting, with some intriguing parallels to current times. The character I loved almost as much as Noah and Kelsey delightful Tasha. She was so comfortable with who she was that she was a great role model for Kelsey. She was also the best friend Kelsey could have. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her push and pull Kelsey out of her Comfort Kitty persona and show her what she was capable of. It was also fun to see her growing relationship with Sean.
beckyschwartz's review against another edition
3.0
It also made an effort to handle intense mental illness, which it both did and didn’t. It was approached from the side, as Kelsey dealt with her mentally ill mother. Because the reveal of the mental illness didn’t occur until the end of the book, it was a struggle to understand and accept. Kelsey experienced outrageous abuse at her mother’s hand, and her abject blindness to her own mistreatment was perplexing. Her mother tries to have her KIDNAPPED. Ridiculous.
Also, Noah’s absorption with his “not being good enough” for Kelsey because he and Kelsey’s mother seem to think he’s “white trash” is not supported anywhere in the book. Honestly, this was an unnecessary addition that could have been left out. It really did nothing for the plot and wasn’t believable. A lot of telling and no showing.
It’s a pet peeve of mine when adults in books text like they’re 12 years old. Just childish and unlikely. Adults don’t abbreviate in text that much.
schnoebs13's review against another edition
4.0
After being left at the alter by her fiancée for another man, Kelsey is stuck in a room wearing her wedding dress and drinking from a bottle of Fireball whiskey while she debates how she got to this point in life. After some convincing, her best friend Tasha has her agree to a Christmas of Yes where she’ll complete 5 dares over 2 weeks. Little did she know the first would be involving seeing her high school sweetheart Noah.
This book was so much fun and yet covered some serious topics. It obviously has some great smut scenes but the dares throughout the book are what really make it and the discussion on anxiety and other mental illnesses was done extremely well (in my opinion). I laughed through so much of this book and would highly recommend!
wildflowerz76's review against another edition
2.0
Overall, I just found it to be unbelievable and extremely silly. Meh.
Though one thing I can say: this is number 10 in a series, but I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything by not having read previous books.
Also, what's with the cover? This had nothing to do with cowboys or boots!
aedgeworth27's review against another edition
3.0
loverofromance's review against another edition
4.0
The Christmas Dare is one of the more recent releases of the Twilight Texas Series. And for those of you not familiar with this series (AND what are you doing with your life haha) is a series based in a small town "Twilight" where magical things tend to happen when you least expect them to. The Christmas Dare was a story that I had plenty of mixed feels about, to be honest. It didn't quite meet up with my expectations but despite that, it definitely had its own refining qualities that worked for me in other ways that I didn't quite expect. I really love an author that can create such dynamics because even though I don't prefer to be so split on my feelings for stories like this, Lori Wilde definitely worked magic in this one, so I am thrilled for that there.
The Christmas Dare is a sweet yet angst-filled romance that will gravitate you which features:
- Noah MacGregor-a twin, ex-athlete, business manager of a bed and breakfast, and driven but vulnerable
- Kelsey James-devoted daughter, driven, political manager, competent but struggles with "mommy" issues
The Christmas Dare is a story that begins with our heroine, Kelsey James, who has always been devoted to her mother and her political aspirations. And for years she has stayed by her side while sacrificing all the good parts of herself just hoping one day she will please her mother and have love in return. But when she decides to take a vacation for the first time in forever, with her best friend and to the small territory of Twilight Texas, she knows that this will be a trip of risks and dares. While she battles within herself to let herself go on this vacation, she is dealing with the drama of her mother, but also runs into sexy Noah MacGregor, the boy she never stopped loving but could never have. But now they are back together and reconnecting, but will Kelsey's issues with her mother drive them together and keep them apart for good?
The Christmas Dare was a fantastic read in many ways and I do think that this story will work for many. Now while I enjoyed this one overall, I definitely had my issues. My largest issue was the heroine. Now I want to point out that the hero is far from perfect, he has his own share of struggles but he is much more likable and has a big giant vulnerability that is so endearing to the reader. Now as for our heroine, *sigh* she definitely has her issues. She is a bit of a doormat when it comes to her mother. Everything else she is the opposite, but it's like her mother just draws out her weakness and is willing to cave to her mother. There is a journey involved here where Kelsey has to discover herself and learn what she is capable of. But I really couldn't stand how Noah gets put in the middle and is the one that always seems to be the one hurt. I really couldn't understand why the heroine just disregarded the hero in some aspects and I felt like he deserved a woman willing to fight for him. Now the mother in this story is a piece of work and I can see how the heroine really battles within herself against her. But I felt like she was all over the place and didn't have much consistency to her character. I really found other aspects of the story to be utterly charming though. There is such magic in the way that this author writes her setting especially in how she evolves the small-town charm that endears you completely. Every time I visit this town of Twilight, I am always delighted by how this author has developed its colorful character that only makes you yearn for more.
Overall I found The Christmas Dare to be a charming read that brings together elements of grumpy and sunshine, deep character growth, a second chance romance that sparks life into the story, and an evolvement of gems to make you feel like falling in love and learning to fight for what matters most....
glimpses_of_my_books's review against another edition
3.0
Noah is a easy go happy kind of guy. Always in a good mood, always with a smile on his face, always ready to help. He doesn't let things bring him down, for better or worse, he just moves on to better things. One of those things was his relationship with Kelsey. They were young though, so one can forgive them both for that mishap. I liked his character, liked his love for everything Christmas, his love for his family and his small town. Everything about him screamed fun and comfort.
Kelsey was a different story all together. She had great moments but for the most part her character was unbearable. She was always winning, felling sorry for herself, and yet not willing to do anything about it. The author tried to make her come across as someone naive, but her naivete at that age was just unralatable and not at all believable. Specially when it is obvious her friends, Noah, her father, and everyone else around her can both see what she is not seeing and has tried to tell her as much a million times. She just ended up coming across stupid and childish.
The secondary characters were amazing!!! It is no wonder this series is going on book 10 (though you can read this easily as a stand alone). Every single one of those side characters deserves his/her own story -the ones that don't have one yet anyway-.
All in all, I really liked this Christmas novel, which is not something I say often about Christmas novels... I just wish Kelsey hadn't annoyed me as much as she did.
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
I love the well written and interesting characters, the engrossing plot and the setting.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.