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Sara Raasch’s The Nightmare Before Kissmas is a cute little romcom that had me laughing at the characters antics, while also rooting for the romance in equal measures.

Coal is the rebellious, screw up of a Christmas Prince in training to become the King of Christmas despite hating the idea of a role that relies solely on cheapening Christmas as a holiday to nothing more than “plastic trinkets”. Coal’s life is thrown off kilter even further when he is stuck between the overwhelming attraction he feels for a mysterious stranger he meets one night, and his familial duty of an arranged marriage to the Princess of Easter which his father expects of him.

I was so there for how much Coal was simping over Hex, and in particular Hex wearing his corset. It was adorable and the fact that Coal is so smitten with Hex from the instant he meets him made this such a cute read.

The unique world was a highlight of the book. I found the fact of each separate holiday having its own royal family and the competitiveness with which the families (here’s looking at you Christmas) would try to be the best of the best was such an interesting concept. I really enjoyed how they each came from a world of everything you would expect from each holiday, and that the families would epitomize the concept of the holidays. Not to mention that they would each come together and interact with one another and the ways in which they effect the rest of the world through their holidays. And of course the competition (at least in Christmas’ eyes as far as acquiring joy, the source of power for their magic).

All together it was a very cute read and I really enjoyed the relationship and interactions between Coal and Hex. They were too cute for words and impossible not to root for. Especially with their opposite personalities which worked so well together. Even the friendships in this book were a highlight though, particularly between Coal, Iris, and Kris. They had such a pure relationship and were there for one another no matter what. And I also loved the text chain between the three of them which had me laughing frequently. This was definitely a nice little romcom and perfect for a quick, easy read.

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The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas was a very cute rom-com that had me laughing and swooning over the main characters. 

Josie was a quirky, hilarious, seemingly having it together yet also a certified mess of a character. I loved her. Although she owns her own business, a coffee shop, and is the (volunteer) mayor of her little town, she is not so together as far as her personal life goes.

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The Off Season by Amber Cowie was a thrilling, insidious ride that had me trusting no one.


Having just married someone who she had only met 6 months previously, Jane is left wondering what she really knows about her new husband as she goes off with him and his daughter to a remote location where he will be doing renovations on a hotel.

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Granite Harbor by Peter Nichols is a competent thriller with an interesting premise

I was immediately intrigued by this book because of the storyline involving a serial killer which had me wanting to pick it up. The fact that the case is potentially tied to one from so long ago only added to my interest as it raised so many questions – why the long break, if it was the same killer or a copycat, etc. – and I found myself wanting these answers and trying piece together the tidbits of information for myself. The chase for the killer and delving deeper into the case was definitely interesting and had me wanting to see the end result.

This one was… OK. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. It wasn’t the most shall we say, “thrilling” book I’ve read and at times dragged, but it had me interested enough to want to see it through to the end. At times it felt like a bit of a slog to get through, particularly in the beginning of the book in getting to know characters with scenes that felt at times unnecessary. This also brings me to the fact that I felt little connection for the characters as I had no real interest in learning about them or reading gratuitous scenes that held little other purpose than delving into their lives a bit more. For the most part they were a bit bland for me and I felt little investment in them as a result.

All together, it’s an interesting premise, though for me it fell a bit flat. I do think enjoyers of thrillers, particularly those that like the opportunity to get into the head of the killer, will enjoy this read. There is quite a bit of background on the killer from their perspective throughout the course of the novel, which for me was a bit of a slog, as well as difficult to read at times (trigger warning for animal cruelty and death if you are like me and don’t like this). However, that’s not to say it’s a bad book, it just wasn’t my favourite read of the year.

Granite Harbor follows the investigation of a serial killer that has landed in a small Maine town. Alex, one of the main point of view characters is investigating the murder of a local boy, one who was friends with his own daughter who is devastated by the loss. There is a particularly distinct signature that the serial killer uses that raises a lot of questions in the investigation and ties back to another case from 16 years ago that has Alex wondering if it is the same killer returned after a long hiatus.

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The Gathering by C. J. Tudor was a thriller with heavy horror vibes that I was immediately sucked into.

The overall atmosphere was one of a heavy horror influence a la your old school vampire (vampyr in this novel) stories where they are vicious blood suckers, and something to be feared. But on top of this there is the focus more on a story of a thriller-like nature, with the horror aspect being more of a world-building tool than actual horror-esque events taking place (such as serial murders and the note of constant fear to the story).