Merry Christmas from Birdie, with Holiday Romance reviews!!

Another year, come and gone. It feels like I just started this blog, and this is my third Christmas of putting these posts together.
It hasn’t been easy, honestly. There have been times I’ve almost thrown in the towel, or struggled to get posts up on time. It’s all been worth it, because this blog and all my blogging friends mean the world to me.

So Happy Holidays to all of you!

I wish you nothing but the best in 2019!

Christmas Catch
by Mary Shotwell
Contemporary Romance
Carina Press
November 19, 2018

About the Book: Can an unlikely romance return the magic of Christmas to an entire town?

All podcaster “Cheery Charlee” Ridgeway wants for Christmas is to land her one-millionth follower. But first, she needs a really good story. Amid hundreds of submissions, one stands out: a plea from Cape Sunset, a small fishing village that hasn’t celebrated Christmas since Jack Fortner lost his fiancée four years ago.

It’s the perfect pitch, but who knew Jack would be such a downright Grinch—or so heart-stoppingly handsome?

Jack’s comfortable crab-fisherman routine is shaken when Charlee blows into town with bells on. It’s not long before the pretty podcaster is breathing new life into Cape Sunset, captivating everyone—including Jack, who’s feeling things for Charlee he once thought he’d never feel again. Not that he shows it.

Despite Jack bah-humbugging her every move, the show must go on. But the closer Charlee gets to Jack, the more growing her audience is the furthest thing from her mind. Thankfully, Jack has a few surprises waiting under the tree…including a love that will last a lifetime.

I love small town romance, and that’s the best description of Christmas Catch!

It takes place in a small fishing town, where Cheery Charlee has come to return the Christmas Spirit they’d lost previously.

When I pick out books for the holidays I look for three things. First, I want a good romance, full of heart. I want the perfect scenery to offset the holiday spirit. And finally, I want a happy ending. You can’t write a book and call it a ‘Holiday Read’ if it doesn’t have a happy ending. It’s a must, and the most important of all.

Christmas Catch has a happy ending. It’s tough thing to pull off, to make believable, when the one of the romantic interests has lost their fiance. It’s really hard to measure up to someone who’s passed away, and rightly so I think. Luckily I don’t think Cheery Charlee had to compete. Jack was in a place where he didn’t know he was ready to move on, until she was staring him in the face with red curls.

I also love when your grumpy hero is fighting a love story that’s inevitable. He knew the moment he laid eyes on Charlee he felt an attraction, yet he tried to keep her away, and sometimes it hurt but most of the time it was funny as hell. They had fire.

Unfortunately, what I’m always afraid of, shortly after reading it I forgot all about the plot. I had to sit and work to remember, which is never a good sign. So, while I enjoyed reading it when it was in my hands, I can’t rave overly hard.

On a scale of good holiday reads, it was a 6.

Unwrapping Hank
by Eli Easton
Contemporary Romance
November 14, 2014

About the Book: Sloane loves a good mystery. He grew up as the son of two psychiatrists, so he finds most people tediously easy to figure out. He finds his way to Pennsylvania State University, longing for a rural experience, and ends up being lured into joining a frat by Micah Springfield, the hippest guy on campus.

Nothing in Sloane’s classes is as intriguing as Hank Springfield, Micah’s brother and fellow frat house member. Hank looks like a tough guy—big muscles, tatts, and a beard—but his eyes are soft and sweet. He acts dumb, but he’s a philosophy major. He’s presumably straight, but then why does Sloane feel such crazy chemistry whenever Hank is around? And why does Hank hate Sloane so much?

When Sloane ends up stuck on campus over Christmas, Micah invites him to spend the holidays at their family farm in Amish country. It’s a chance to experience a true Americana Christmas–and further investigate the mystery that is Hank Springfield. Can Sloane unlock the secrets of this family and unwrap the heart hidden inside the beefcake?

On the other hand, Wrapping Hank was a solid 8!

Unwrapping Hank started strong, with characters that peeked my interest immediately. I enjoyed how Sloane was raised by therapists, so he had a habit of analyzing everything. I also thought it was great how he did it, even though he hated spouting the words of his parents. That need to understand people came in handy when Hank was a big ass jerk. It only made Sloane even more curious about him, and drove his need to figure it out. Yet, at first, he had no idea how much he was rattling Hank’s perfectly built protective shell. The heat between them was palpable. Major selling point.

The real magic started after we were introduced to Hank’s family! I was a sure bet at this point, because his family was like an extremist version of my own! Even though I could understand Hank’s hesitancy in bringing people around, I loved that Sloane called him on it. It was the perfect setting for Hank to really come to terms with who he was, and the perfect place to fall in love.

This was an adorable book. I loved it.
Eli Easton is the best at writing magical Christmas romances. I can’t think of one I’ve liked more.