Kissing Under the Mistletoe by Suzanne Enoch; Amelia Grey; Anna Bennett

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I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ok so up front I’m a mood reader and I had to be in a Christmas mood to read a Christmas book and it’s been a tough year and I’m a busy mom of young kids so it took me forever to finish this book but I’m so glad I did.

First up Suzanne Enoch. If you’ve read her other books than many of the characters will be familiar to you and the warm wit and effortless charm we’ve come to expect from her presents a strong start for this collection of novellas. If you’re a Suzanne Enoch reader you’ll want to read this too.

Next up a new to me author Amelia Grey. 

I appreciated the unique set up of noble ladies earning their keep by running their home as a prestigious country inn and conversely the hero, a nobleman without tasks who finds that he wants meaningful work to do. These two learn about themselves as much as they learn about each other after meeting in the woods.

Finally new to me author Anna Bennett. Wow! This one was my favorite. We start off with immediate action. Jack and Eva… swoon. They’re both feisty, stubborn, witty, prickly but sweet and loyal. Basically Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy but with even more fun banter and way more making out and other stuff. The steam is palpable with this one. A must read!

5/5

​Jingle Bell Jam by Pamela Kelley Narrated by Leslie Howard

I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley and Piping Plover Press in exchange for an honest review. 

At just over 3 hours this was a nice short holiday romance that had a somewhat Hallmark feel to it. Mostly in that it was a closed door romance taking place in a relatively small snowy mountain resort town just before Christmas. 

While I always appreciate a main character who doesn’t fit the common mold - I.e. our hero is overweight and out of shape and meets the heroine as his physical trainer following a back injury. I feel like an opportunity was missed to deal more fully with this concept though as a novela I can understand we’re on limited time here. 

Things I liked - 

The hero has 2 cats.

The jam in the title refers to literal strawberry jam etc. 

The hero has a loving family - parents/siblings.

The “villain” is somewhat redeemable.

Things I did not love -

The conclusion felt slightly rushed/quick/easy but again - novella. 

We open with a cooky old lady side character who talks to fairies. I can get behind cooky old people side characters in small towns but I need a little more back story to support their character development to make it feel less out of left feel. 

Narrator and sound quality were good.

Overall a solid sweet closed door Christmas romance novella. 

4.5/5

Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne Narrated by Joel Froomkin

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I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media in exchange for an honest review.

Normally I try to review childrens books with my kiddos ages 5 and 8. However current scheduling was not conducive to get them on board with an audiobook of this length. I enjoyed it greatly though.

I had the original Disney Whinnie the Pooh on vhs that I watched repeatedly as a child and this exceptionally narrated audiobook really took me back to my childhood. It was simply delightful and utterly charming. The inflection and charisma of the narrator was just perfect. At about 2 hours and 30 minutes this would be just right for a long family car ride. 5/5

Shadows & Wolves: A Werewolf Romance Complete Collection Written by Mila Young Narrated by Krys Janae

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I received an audible code for this amazing box set in exchange for an honest review. Individually the books are:

Shadowlands Sector, One (A Shifter Paranormal Romance) 

Shadowlands Sector, Two.      And

Shadowlands Sector, Three: A Shifter Romance

The ebooks are available to read on kindle unlimited along with many other paranormal romance works by Mila Young but honestly go for the audiobook here because Krys Janaes narration is just perfection and at a total of just over 20 hours the complete set allows you to settle in for a nice long listen to hold your interest through weekly household chores or a long road trip or where ever you do your audiobook listening.

This is a post apocalyptic world with zombies and wolf shifters. We open on our heroine as a child to get important details from her back story that sets up her reactions/motivation.

The world building involves packs of wolf shifters who fortify their communities against the undead. The hierarchy involves the Alpha, Beta, Omega construct that will be familiar to shifter romance readers. Fated mates and knotting is involved with the overwhelming compulsion to solidify bonds between fated mates. However at no point is anything consummated against anyones will on page. However (trigger warning) there are references to rape or near rape. I read everything that does happen as consensual though. This is a high heat, high steam, open door, reverse harem with no cheating though the harem does develop organically, quickly and somewhat surprisingly to the players involved but no one’s bothered by the end result of sharing. If you prefer closed door this is definitely not a book for you.

Now for the actual plot - 

We’re escaping/fighting zombies and rogue wolves. Our heroine is acclimating from solo to pack life. Our hero’s are dealing with betrayal from within the pack. And at one point some of the characters from Lost Wolf cross paths with these characters but having read or not read that book first should not impact your enjoyment or understanding. 

Overall this is an epic adventure where our main characters struggle not only literally but philosophically to come to terms with who they are, who they have been and who they can be and that relying on one’s loved ones for help can make us all stronger. 

5/5 Great Series!

City Kitties by Rizwan Asad

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I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The illustrations were cute and captivating. The story could have been spread out further onto more pages. The rhyming was pretty good - my kids always enjoy books with rhyming. As a parent I try not to be too censoring but the older cat states that on her many travels and adventures she’s “had many flings”. Now the English language is a complicated one and words like “fling” can have many different and varied definitions. While there is a legit definition that could be interpreted as a temporary wild jaunt etc. This definition is more nuanced than I believe the average person will be aware of existing. Were I to have read this with my kids which I didn’t only because the digital formatting for this particular book was not conducive to holding their attention they would have asked me what this word means and I would have given them all the definitions as I often do with unfamiliar words. Then they may have trotted off and used this phrasing - “had a fling” at their childcare location which is primarily staffed by college girls in the afternoons and that phrasing would have been interpreted as had a temporary sexual relationship as is the the most common interpretation of that phrasing of the word fling and then I would have been called by the director and it would been a whole thing. 

In general we love books about cats because we have a cat. The Illustrations were great and the rhyming was pretty solid which is always popular but I probably won’t be reading this one to my kids any time soon. 

3/5

The Introvert's Guide to Blind Dating by Emma Hart Narrated by Savannah Peachwood & Tim Paige

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I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third book in a trilogy “The Introverts Guide To…” Online Dating is the first book and Speed Dating is the second: both of which I also listened to and loved.

While this is a trilogy - the trilogy is a spin off from 2 previous series following a group of friends. The One Night Stand Next Door/The Girl Next Door. The Bookworms Guide to Dating/Faking It/Flirting. While it’s not completely necessary to have read these books previously I can see where it would make the pay off more enjoyable. This being the last single friend in the group the epilogue does include bits about the other couples.

Some back story is indicated but I did not feel like I was missing much. I don’t even think it’s really essential to have read the previous books to enjoy this one. So this one can be read as a standalone in my opinion but you may not care as much about the epilogue.

This was a shorter audiobook coming in at 4 hours 19 min - something you can easily listen to all in one day which is sometimes just what you need. 

This was a great cast of characters again especially the side jaunts to visit the wacky grandparents in the nursing home and their chickens. The older generations antics have continued as the B plot throughout the series.

Heroine is a small town bakery owner/baker who wants to franchise. Hero is a romance author writing a book about a bakery romance but knows nothing about baking. I was about 38% in when I had to text a friend who is a bakery owner/baker to tell her to check it out! 

I love the alternating male - female narration. The narrators were phenomenal and sound quality could not have been better. 

This was a fun, short, small town, contemporary rom com with much less steam than its predecessors. Closed door in fact but still fun. 5/5

Knit 2 Socks in 1 Discover the Easy Magic of Turning One Long Sock into a Pair! Choose from 21 Original Designs, in All Sizes by Safiyyah Talley

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I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have been knitting for about 15 years but have never found the courage to attempt socks. This looks like the perfect book to start with. There are so many pictures, diagrams, visual labels and thorough explanations. In many knitting books you just get a picture of the finished project and the instructions for the pattern. Here we get a thorough explanation of a variety of elements relevant to the knitting process. For example differences between yarns and what they’re called and what they mean. 

This looks like an absolutely fantastic book to set me on a new journey to knit socks. 5/5

The Jungle Book by Carly Madden

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I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a big believer in board books and that they are not just for babies and toddlers. We own many board book versions of school aged picture books - it makes them more durable and thereby more accessible from a younger age. Reading small children more challenging texts in format they can grow into is an excellent way to raise a reader. Layered board books are always fascinating to children. I read this book with my 5 and 8 year old children who found it engaging. The story line sticks to the traditional version. The illustrations and phrasing keep the book feeling fairly gender neutral and easily accessible. 5/5 Well done. 

Sewing Cozy Craft Projects Make Adorable Animal Decor, Gifts and Keepsakes by Olesya Lebedenko

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I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As the daughter of an old school home economics teacher and crafter every now and then I get the urge to whip something fun up. So many cute ideas and patterns in this book! I imagine with a rudimentary understanding of sewing and fabric and a little determination this book will prove accessible to a wide variety of crafting enthusiasts. The solid clear instructions and variety of pictures and diagrams make the book easy to follow. My favorite item was probably the stuffed ornaments. I especially think this is a great book to add to any community library. 5/5

Sydney and Taylor and the Great Friend Expedition by Jacqueline Davies Illustrated by Deborah Hocking

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I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book with my 5 and 8 year old children. This is an adorable early chapter book. It gave one the feel of the likes of Frog and Toad but with more colorful and more detailed illustrations. We loved the maps of the burrow.

This is a wonderful way to normalize the difficulty of making new friends and to get ideas about how to make friends without being too on the nose about it. With so many details in the pictures and laugh out loud moments in the story I imagine this heartwarming story is one kids will be drawn back to again and again. 5/5 would buy

Maxine’s Critters Get the Vaccine Jitters A cheerful and encouraging story to soothe kids’ covid vaccine fears by Jan Zauzmer

I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book with my soon to be 5 year old and 8 year old boys who will soon be getting their covid vaccination. As a parent I greatly appreciate the opportunity to read a book to my children that can address their fears etc of a potentially scary new thing they’ll be doing. 

However as someone who has read a lot of rhyming children’s books and when I say a lot I mean - seriously a lot. At one point I even had a job where about 50% of it was literally reading rhyming picture books to K-3rd graders. I do feel that the formatting of the word placement in this book to assist the reader to find the appropriate rhythm could have been improved a small amount. Additionally the syllabic distribution of the words to create a reading rhythm could have also been improved. Rhyming books when done really well are amazing for kids, they really hold their attention and stick with them and children enjoy reading them over and over. 

The intention of this book is exceptional and very timely. I do feel the reasoning behind becoming vaccinated could have been further addressed. As a parent who has explained this many many many times only one reason was given in this book - so you - the kid getting the shot doesn’t get sick. While that is valid there are many reasons for vaccination. So that children who are unable to get vaccinated due to immune system complications or youth don’t get sick for example. The last thing any empathetic person would want is to take a child who is already severely ill with cancer and to give them a severe illness on top of that. I understand that the concept of kids with cancer is a whole other can of worms that not everyone would want to address at the same time but for me personally I try not to shield my children too far from the realities that other children face.

So all in all, great purpose, engaging colorful pictures, good use of introducing the topic with pretend play involving stuffed animals and then bringing home how it applies to the child with her own visit. Great to show the Dad very involved. 

4/5 for us.