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autumnwitch14's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Stalking
Moderate: Medical trauma, Classism, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Physical abuse
Minor: Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, and Pedophilia
sienasummerrreads's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
First Christmas read for 2023 and unfortunately, it missed the mark for me. I went into this blind and didn’t know what to expect. I mention a few scenes below which may contain spoilers.
The author references the MMC as an alphamello bad boy. I found him quite mushy. At the start, he was kind, fluffy and nice but then it turned into him being grumpy and all over the place with his mood when working for him. The FMC labelled a good girl who was shy at the start but then got confident way too fast. I didn’t fall in love with their connection.
I would have loved to see more information on the FMC’s family and the homeless storyline of the MMC. I have many unanswered questions.
There are a couple of scenes that drove me a little crazy. First is when they have their first sexual encounter after the kiss. She was giving him a blowie behind the reception desk and a co-worker interrupted and nearly caught them. Fast forward to later that day they didn’t discuss what happened and ended the chapter with come spend time with my family at Christmas we are leaving on the 23rd. The next chapter came and they were in the car on the way to celebrate Christmas. These characters had no discussions about the encounter except it mentions they texted dog memes to each other. I would have expected being your first encounter pushing the boundaries we would have gotten some sort of communication after nearly being caught but nothing except dog memes. Lastly, she works on her assignment early morning on Christmas Eve after spending a night together. He woke up and saw she was upset and stressed which resulted in her losing words on her upcoming assignment which is said to be months away. She lost the words due to her laptop playing up. Working on this assignment makes no sense due to it being Christmas and also this man whips out a Christmas present which ends up being a new laptop at that exact moment. I don’t recall her mentioning previously her laptop was playing up throughout the book until this point.
I appreciate the idea of the story but the execution wasn’t for me.
If you love:
🔹Holiday Reads
🔹Workplace
🔹One Bed
🔹Tattoo Artist & Receptionist
🔹Fast Paced
🔹Quick Easy Read
Genre/Type: Christmas Romance 18+
APK: Kindle
Pages: 190
Rating: 🌟🌟.5
Spice: 🌶️
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Tropes or Themes: Christmas, Barista, Workplace, One Bed, Boss, Receptionist, Tattoo Parlour, Artist, Plus Size, Sexual Content, Cursing, Alcohol & Third Person. Mentions: DV & Violence
Check Triggers ⚠️ 💫
All Round Romance Reader
Sienasummerrreads 💕📚
TikTok | Instagram | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Everand | Amazon | Audible Reviews 💫
The author references the MMC as an alphamello bad boy. I found him quite mushy. At the start, he was kind, fluffy and nice but then it turned into him being grumpy and all over the place with his mood when working for him. The FMC labelled a good girl who was shy at the start but then got confident way too fast. I didn’t fall in love with their connection.
I would have loved to see more information on the FMC’s family and the homeless storyline of the MMC. I have many unanswered questions.
There are a couple of scenes that drove me a little crazy. First is when they have their first sexual encounter after the kiss. She was giving him a blowie behind the reception desk and a co-worker interrupted and nearly caught them. Fast forward to later that day they didn’t discuss what happened and ended the chapter with come spend time with my family at Christmas we are leaving on the 23rd. The next chapter came and they were in the car on the way to celebrate Christmas. These characters had no discussions about the encounter except it mentions they texted dog memes to each other. I would have expected being your first encounter pushing the boundaries we would have gotten some sort of communication after nearly being caught but nothing except dog memes. Lastly, she works on her assignment early morning on Christmas Eve after spending a night together. He woke up and saw she was upset and stressed which resulted in her losing words on her upcoming assignment which is said to be months away. She lost the words due to her laptop playing up. Working on this assignment makes no sense due to it being Christmas and also this man whips out a Christmas present which ends up being a new laptop at that exact moment. I don’t recall her mentioning previously her laptop was playing up throughout the book until this point.
I appreciate the idea of the story but the execution wasn’t for me.
If you love:
🔹Holiday Reads
🔹Workplace
🔹One Bed
🔹Tattoo Artist & Receptionist
🔹Fast Paced
🔹Quick Easy Read
Genre/Type: Christmas Romance 18+
APK: Kindle
Pages: 190
Rating: 🌟🌟.5
Spice: 🌶️
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Tropes or Themes: Christmas, Barista, Workplace, One Bed, Boss, Receptionist, Tattoo Parlour, Artist, Plus Size, Sexual Content, Cursing, Alcohol & Third Person. Mentions: DV & Violence
Check Triggers ⚠️ 💫
All Round Romance Reader
Sienasummerrreads 💕📚
TikTok | Instagram | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Everand | Amazon | Audible Reviews 💫
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Physical abuse and Violence
ziraa's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
While this book has diverse characters, the lead is somewhat relatable and the love interest is the grumpy-heart-of-gold we all know and love, I felt the character development was cut short. Both the love interest and main character struggle with emotional issues and what I think would be some form of PTSD or trauma, which is something so interesting to read in a spicy book and, in my view, makes the characters and the story feel less shallow and gives the book real relevance; but unlike in some of her other works (like the Brown Sisters series), the issues they both faced are presented and mentioned throughout the book in both of their POV's, but there's no real arc to be seen, just their problems and how they decide to completely ignore them to succumb to their horniness . Then again, it´s a bit over 200 hundred pages, so you really can't get everything.
I do have to admit that I adore the way Hibbert ads secondary characters that feel diverse and very rounded without info-dumping or making very obvious hints towards their particular characteristics.
I gave it 3 out of 5 stars because, while it lacked the character development I'm used to seeing in her other novels, the story felt true and believe, it was fast-paced, the spicy was just right, it had an emotional factor that had me wanting to hug the characters and give them hot chocolate, and it definitely made my Christmas eve and Christmas day a whole lot more entertaining.
I do have to admit that I adore the way Hibbert ads secondary characters that feel diverse and very rounded without info-dumping or making very obvious hints towards their particular characteristics.
I gave it 3 out of 5 stars because, while it lacked the character development I'm used to seeing in her other novels, the story felt true and believe, it was fast-paced, the spicy was just right, it had an emotional factor that had me wanting to hug the characters and give them hot chocolate, and it definitely made my Christmas eve and Christmas day a whole lot more entertaining.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence
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