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a_reader_obsessed's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars
This went down nice and easy, as Easton reliably delivers on the holiday stories!
Totally a standalone in this series of single dads, this starts with Jamie who’s raising his daughter Mia, on his own. Their lives are disrupted when her most beloved teacher has to go on maternity leave, and a new one takes her place… a very nice looking one at that!
Stanton is used to just coaching older kids in various sports, and he’s totally out of his element when it comes to 6 year olds. It doesn’t help much that his non-artistic self also has to make sure his class puts on a show for the annual Christmas pageant. Good thing Jamie is around to help him out, right? *wink*
Overall, minimal angst with a touch of conflict with Stanton coming out with his never revealed bisexual status and Jamie with some work woes at the book store he manages.
Very sweet, heavy on all the kid cuteness one can imagine, this delivered on the flirting and slow build attraction between Stanton and Jamie, with a happy ending win! Bonus points for the epilogue that was the yummy icing on the cake!
This went down nice and easy, as Easton reliably delivers on the holiday stories!
Totally a standalone in this series of single dads, this starts with Jamie who’s raising his daughter Mia, on his own. Their lives are disrupted when her most beloved teacher has to go on maternity leave, and a new one takes her place… a very nice looking one at that!
Stanton is used to just coaching older kids in various sports, and he’s totally out of his element when it comes to 6 year olds. It doesn’t help much that his non-artistic self also has to make sure his class puts on a show for the annual Christmas pageant. Good thing Jamie is around to help him out, right? *wink*
Overall, minimal angst with a touch of conflict with Stanton coming out with his never revealed bisexual status and Jamie with some work woes at the book store he manages.
Very sweet, heavy on all the kid cuteness one can imagine, this delivered on the flirting and slow build attraction between Stanton and Jamie, with a happy ending win! Bonus points for the epilogue that was the yummy icing on the cake!
2many2read's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
jambrea's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this story. It's a great way to start off my holiday reading. It made my heart happy to read this story. There were little hints of Christmas magic going on that were awesome.
Jamie is super sweet and just all kinds of awesome. A couple rough things happen, but Stanton is there to help. I don't want to say a lot because I don't want to ruin the lovely vibe of the book. Just... add it to your holiday reading list. NOW.
It will be a re-read for me, for sure. I do love all of Eli's books. She is an awesome author and this book stands up to all of her others. It says it's book 2, but that only has to do with the theme of the books. Single dads. Totally stand alone.
Jamie is super sweet and just all kinds of awesome. A couple rough things happen, but Stanton is there to help. I don't want to say a lot because I don't want to ruin the lovely vibe of the book. Just... add it to your holiday reading list. NOW.
It will be a re-read for me, for sure. I do love all of Eli's books. She is an awesome author and this book stands up to all of her others. It says it's book 2, but that only has to do with the theme of the books. Single dads. Totally stand alone.
aftgandreil's review against another edition
5.0
I am a huge lover of Eli Easton’s work so I had been “patiently” waiting to get my hands on this little beauty since it was announced.
And, Eli did NOT disappointed whatsoever.
A young, single father. A gym teacher suddenly put in charge of twenty something six year olds. An adorable, smart little girl. Mix in holiday cheer and you get a charming Christmas romance.
I was quite taken with Jamie from the very start. I am a sucker for being able to relate to characters and I was able to resonate with his character quite a bit. He’s a young, single father of this extremely bright little girl named Mia and he’s completely unapologetic about who is he.
Stanton was also a very likable character. It was very heartwarming to see him get thrown into a situation he isn’t a fan of but come out so gracefully. Watching him win over all the children, especially Mia who was a harder cookie to crack, was everything.
This couple together was very sweet and I couldn’t help but adore them together. I love a good pining story where each party is completely oblivious to the others feelings. The build up to this characters HEA was truly worth it. There were real feeling challenges in order for it to be achieved but the outcome was quite wonderful.
Eli has given us a sweet Christmas romance with very lovable characters that you’ll be rooting for from beginning to end.
5 stars <3
And, Eli did NOT disappointed whatsoever.
A young, single father. A gym teacher suddenly put in charge of twenty something six year olds. An adorable, smart little girl. Mix in holiday cheer and you get a charming Christmas romance.
I was quite taken with Jamie from the very start. I am a sucker for being able to relate to characters and I was able to resonate with his character quite a bit. He’s a young, single father of this extremely bright little girl named Mia and he’s completely unapologetic about who is he.
Stanton was also a very likable character. It was very heartwarming to see him get thrown into a situation he isn’t a fan of but come out so gracefully. Watching him win over all the children, especially Mia who was a harder cookie to crack, was everything.
This couple together was very sweet and I couldn’t help but adore them together. I love a good pining story where each party is completely oblivious to the others feelings. The build up to this characters HEA was truly worth it. There were real feeling challenges in order for it to be achieved but the outcome was quite wonderful.
Eli has given us a sweet Christmas romance with very lovable characters that you’ll be rooting for from beginning to end.
5 stars <3
iam's review against another edition
4.0
Super cute holiday romance!
Content warnings include: sex on-page, character faces loosing their job and livelihood, debt; mentions of unplanned pregnancy and giving up once-in-a-livetime opportunities.
I enjoyed reading this a lot, even though it had a bittersweet note for me while being very definitely a light-hearted book.
The romance was cute and light-handed, with an equal amount of attention on the kids, both Mia, Jamie's daughter, and the entire class of first graders Stanton got roped into teaching for a few months.
The plot around the bookstore added some tension, and, while not unpredictable, a quite lovely spin towards the end.
It's definitely light hearted and uplifting, despite the challenges, but I found it hard to read about how much Jamie has given up for his family. It all worked out for him, of course, but hearing him talk about turning down amazing opportunity after opportunity... as much as I love romance books, I found that heart-breaking.
There was also an element around an unnamed side character who kept popping up, but I couldn't really figure out what it was supposed to mean. I assume it's supposed to be add some christmas magic to it, but as the ending worked out fine on it's own I wonder about its inclusion.
Still, the book made me tear up a little at how much the two protagonists cared about the kids, and the happy ending was cute and wonderful, and very enjoyable to read even outside of the holiday season.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Content warnings include: sex on-page, character faces loosing their job and livelihood, debt; mentions of unplanned pregnancy and giving up once-in-a-livetime opportunities.
I enjoyed reading this a lot, even though it had a bittersweet note for me while being very definitely a light-hearted book.
The romance was cute and light-handed, with an equal amount of attention on the kids, both Mia, Jamie's daughter, and the entire class of first graders Stanton got roped into teaching for a few months.
The plot around the bookstore added some tension, and, while not unpredictable, a quite lovely spin towards the end.
It's definitely light hearted and uplifting, despite the challenges, but I found it hard to read about how much Jamie has given up for his family. It all worked out for him, of course, but hearing him talk about turning down amazing opportunity after opportunity... as much as I love romance books, I found that heart-breaking.
There was also an element around an unnamed side character who kept popping up, but I couldn't really figure out what it was supposed to mean. I assume it's supposed to be add some christmas magic to it, but as the ending worked out fine on it's own I wonder about its inclusion.
Still, the book made me tear up a little at how much the two protagonists cared about the kids, and the happy ending was cute and wonderful, and very enjoyable to read even outside of the holiday season.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
camill3's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.75
not the greatest book i've read..
i think that it's a bit weird and problematic that Jamie convinced (and pressured) his sister to keep the baby. that's not okay and it kinda ruined the whole story for me
Content Warnings
Minor: Abortion
loishojmark's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Okay, sweet and a little bit boring - butt I think that might because I like a bit more weltschmerz and angst in my books.
Okay, sweet and a little bit boring - butt I think that might because I like a bit more weltschmerz and angst in my books.
cadiva's review against another edition
4.0
3.5*
I absolutely adored the first book in the Daddy Dearest series and this one had all the same promise when it started.
It's seriously sweet, with a compelling cast of characters and I loved the setting, I'd happily spend hours in Raven Books!
But, I'm not sure what happened, it all then just seemed to carry on with one note.
So, in this one, we keep hearing bells, and there's a strange woman called Clarice, and a child, who seem to keep appearing in the periphery and then "things happen" with the plot.
For me, though, it just never seemed clear enough if there was magical or heavenly intervention and the ending just fizzled out with that plot line
There's a lot of admittedly cute kids, and a chapter from Stanton's mum's PoV that I didn't really get the need for, but they're my main niggles.
Overall, this is as accomplished as I'd expect from Eli, with a warmth to it which perfectly suits the festive season.
It has a gorgeous Epilogue, but I think I'd have liked a bit more of Jamie and Stanton together where the kids and the pageant weren't the focus.
Moderately steamy, it works well within the narrative and I didn't feel I was missing out on any sexy times.
Another good addition to the Christmas romance list.
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
I absolutely adored the first book in the Daddy Dearest series and this one had all the same promise when it started.
It's seriously sweet, with a compelling cast of characters and I loved the setting, I'd happily spend hours in Raven Books!
But, I'm not sure what happened, it all then just seemed to carry on with one note.
Spoiler
I think as well there was supposed to be some allusion to the fabulous film It's A Wonderful Life, where the angel Clarence shows George Bailey what life would have been like has he never been born.So, in this one, we keep hearing bells, and there's a strange woman called Clarice, and a child, who seem to keep appearing in the periphery and then "things happen" with the plot.
For me, though, it just never seemed clear enough if there was magical or heavenly intervention and the ending just fizzled out with that plot line
There's a lot of admittedly cute kids, and a chapter from Stanton's mum's PoV that I didn't really get the need for, but they're my main niggles.
Overall, this is as accomplished as I'd expect from Eli, with a warmth to it which perfectly suits the festive season.
It has a gorgeous Epilogue, but I think I'd have liked a bit more of Jamie and Stanton together where the kids and the pageant weren't the focus.
Moderately steamy, it works well within the narrative and I didn't feel I was missing out on any sexy times.
Another good addition to the Christmas romance list.
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
tratiezone's review against another edition
2.0
Like, it was cute, but wtf? There was so many things that I couldn't wrap my head around, it was kind disappointing