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mwhite810's review against another edition
5.0
Cute!
Cute short story! Reindeer Falls is always fun to return to! Can't wait to see what the next two stories will bring!
Cute short story! Reindeer Falls is always fun to return to! Can't wait to see what the next two stories will bring!
readwithrach's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this return to Reindeer Falls! Maggie and Ryan were so much fun. Maggie was definitely one of a kind and I absolutely adored her. Ryan did the Scrooge character so well. I can’t wait to read what’s next in Reindeer Falls!
racheltwotimes's review against another edition
5.0
Cute and shorty
Cute short novella length to give you the Jana Aston fix if you’ve missed her words and sass!
I love when a story is quick and cute for a lunchtime read to breakaway from work.
Cute short novella length to give you the Jana Aston fix if you’ve missed her words and sass!
I love when a story is quick and cute for a lunchtime read to breakaway from work.
tawnyad2004's review against another edition
3.0
I might even rate it 2.5 stars. I really enjoyed the first 3 books. They were quick, light, fun reads. This one just fell flat for me and it’s because of the characters. Maggie in particular. She’s a passive aggressive, Christmas enthusiast. I get it’s a Christmas romance and the setting is a Christmas town but her obsession with it was borderline bars in the window crazy. It was a huge turn off for me. It was like nothing in life was more important then that holiday. I also felt like I never really got to know Ryan. We just saw this fantasy version through her eyes, no real substance at all. Then when he tells her he got a promotion in Chicago she freaks out. Starts screaming at him and then runs off. Acting like a child who got her Present taken away. She didn’t talk to him, try and figure it out no. She became passive aggressive by bringing this awful couple to view his house to buy. Not impressed with her at all and the fact this man can fall in love with someone so petty and childish that he leaves his job to come back to her is ridiculous. I hope the next book is better.
csartain's review
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
marianasng's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
profromance's review
4.0
Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don't typically like Christmas romances. I've read a handful of them since I began reading romances 3 years ago. Jana Aston's Reindeer Falls romances are a guaranteed sure thing for me, however. The newest book of this series (book 4) is Elves with Benefits, and it's everything a Christmas story should be.
1) It shouldn't take itself too seriously, and it doesn't. I love the different ways that Aston plays with the theme of Christmas through the town of Reindeer Falls. Also, her heroine, Maggie, is so very over the top. Aston describes her as elvish and adorable, and she should be Santa's helper if her actions in Reindeer Falls are anything to go by.
2) A Christmas-loving heroine should fall in love with a Grinch-like grump of a hero. That is truly the case for Elves with Benefits. For each moment that Maggie vomits forth all things Christmas, Ryan is her foil, her antithesis. This obviously creates some serious heat between the two that is clearly realized in this story. For me, the hardest part of this story, and the reason for the 4-star review is the one-person POV. I would have loved Ryan's POV in this story. However, this story is meant to be a bite-sized nugget of fun for Christmas.
3) It should not be a LONG story. And Elves with Benefits is not. It is the perfect little morsel of story.
Overall, if you are looking for an easy, spicy Christmas story, a perfect afternoon read on the weekend in the midst of Christmas shopping or hiding away from relatives, then you will definitely want this book. In the end, you will adore Maggie and Ryan.
I don't typically like Christmas romances. I've read a handful of them since I began reading romances 3 years ago. Jana Aston's Reindeer Falls romances are a guaranteed sure thing for me, however. The newest book of this series (book 4) is Elves with Benefits, and it's everything a Christmas story should be.
1) It shouldn't take itself too seriously, and it doesn't. I love the different ways that Aston plays with the theme of Christmas through the town of Reindeer Falls. Also, her heroine, Maggie, is so very over the top. Aston describes her as elvish and adorable, and she should be Santa's helper if her actions in Reindeer Falls are anything to go by.
2) A Christmas-loving heroine should fall in love with a Grinch-like grump of a hero. That is truly the case for Elves with Benefits. For each moment that Maggie vomits forth all things Christmas, Ryan is her foil, her antithesis. This obviously creates some serious heat between the two that is clearly realized in this story. For me, the hardest part of this story, and the reason for the 4-star review is the one-person POV. I would have loved Ryan's POV in this story. However, this story is meant to be a bite-sized nugget of fun for Christmas.
3) It should not be a LONG story. And Elves with Benefits is not. It is the perfect little morsel of story.
Overall, if you are looking for an easy, spicy Christmas story, a perfect afternoon read on the weekend in the midst of Christmas shopping or hiding away from relatives, then you will definitely want this book. In the end, you will adore Maggie and Ryan.
marzipanwonderland's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
justmevictoria's review
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
The most festive elf comes face-to-face with a certified Christmas grinch…
Welcome the Reindeer Falls, the most magical and festive town in America, where the houses and shops are decorated to perfection, the gingerbread is the most delicious, and everyone loves the magic of Christmas. Everyone except Ryan Sheppard, who’s back in town from Chicago upon the death of his uncle where he inherits his house. Ryan could never understand the town’s obsession with Christmas and hightailed it out of there as soon as possible. Now, he’s determined to get his uncles house on the market and sold in a flash so he can be back to Chicago to try and get a promotion. But the town’s official Christmas Cop, Maggie Harrison, immediately puts paid to his plans. Aside from being unable to sell during the holiday period, he also needs to decorate the house or be on the receiving end of multiple and never-ending violations. Maggie is determined to turn this grinch’s frown upside down and show him the magic of Reindeer Falls. She just might also fall in love along the way.
It’s been a couple of years since I’ve read the first part of this series, which followed the Winter sisters, so it felt very nostalgic to return to Reindeer Falls for this new trilogy following the Sheppard brothers! While it’s not at all necessary to have read the first three books to understand the world of Reindeer Falls and these characters, it was fun to read Jana’s little references to the previous stories and couples.
Maggie and Ryan’s relationship was a classic case of grumpy/sunshine, but on Christmas steroids! Their relationship with sweet and swoony, with a nice little sprinkle of spice.
While I appreciate that Jana made these novellas short so you could cram in some festive reading around the holidays, I do feel like Ryan and Maggie’s story, like the previous three installments, could have benefited from being longer, allowing for the story to simmer more and the characters to develop more. But I did appreciate being able to quickly knock another book off my TBR before the year ends!
Reindeer Falls is the ultimate festive location, making this the perfect read to cram in before the big man in red arrives!
Welcome the Reindeer Falls, the most magical and festive town in America, where the houses and shops are decorated to perfection, the gingerbread is the most delicious, and everyone loves the magic of Christmas. Everyone except Ryan Sheppard, who’s back in town from Chicago upon the death of his uncle where he inherits his house. Ryan could never understand the town’s obsession with Christmas and hightailed it out of there as soon as possible. Now, he’s determined to get his uncles house on the market and sold in a flash so he can be back to Chicago to try and get a promotion. But the town’s official Christmas Cop, Maggie Harrison, immediately puts paid to his plans. Aside from being unable to sell during the holiday period, he also needs to decorate the house or be on the receiving end of multiple and never-ending violations. Maggie is determined to turn this grinch’s frown upside down and show him the magic of Reindeer Falls. She just might also fall in love along the way.
It’s been a couple of years since I’ve read the first part of this series, which followed the Winter sisters, so it felt very nostalgic to return to Reindeer Falls for this new trilogy following the Sheppard brothers! While it’s not at all necessary to have read the first three books to understand the world of Reindeer Falls and these characters, it was fun to read Jana’s little references to the previous stories and couples.
Maggie and Ryan’s relationship was a classic case of grumpy/sunshine, but on Christmas steroids! Their relationship with sweet and swoony, with a nice little sprinkle of spice.
While I appreciate that Jana made these novellas short so you could cram in some festive reading around the holidays, I do feel like Ryan and Maggie’s story, like the previous three installments, could have benefited from being longer, allowing for the story to simmer more and the characters to develop more. But I did appreciate being able to quickly knock another book off my TBR before the year ends!
Reindeer Falls is the ultimate festive location, making this the perfect read to cram in before the big man in red arrives!