Title: Under the Mistletoe Collection
Authors: Ali Hazelwood, Tessa Bailey, Olivia Dade, Alexandria Bellefleur and Alexis Daria.
Source: Private copy
Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood
For two former childhood friends, a blustery winter storm stirs some frosty—and scorching—memories in a delightful short story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood.
Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey
A single mother working in a thrift store. A gentle giant farmer who can’t find jeans that fit. When opposites attract, they find themselves making alterations in more ways than one in this smoking-hot short story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey.
All by My Elf by Olivia Dade
Secret crushes, spicy Christmas treats, heinous holiday traffic, and a fateful snowstorm bring good friends together in a funny, heartfelt short story by bestselling author Olivia Dade.
Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur
This Christmas, a hot fireman makes a holiday rescue and sparks fly in this funny, sexy holiday short story by bestselling author Alexandria Bellefleur.
Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially for a comic book illustrator whose late-night fantasies become real in a festive and flirty short story by bestselling author Alexis Daria.
Official Summary
12 December 2024
So, this all started when I saw these books pop up on Instagram. The super cute titles and covers grabbed my attention. I decided to read them and rank them. This is perfect as I have never read any of these authors before so I can give my unbiased opinion on them. The only two authors out of the five that I have heard of before are Hazelwood and Bailey. However, now after reading these books, there are a couple of authors who will be added to my book Wishlist.
Now these books are very Hallmark and I loved that. I love how some of them were very Christmasy. One or two of these books I thought could use more Christmas things in them like Merry Ever After as it just didn’t have that Christmas vibe.
Another thing to keep in mind is that these books are very short as they are short stories, which my Goodreads goal loved, however, the stories are very rushed as the longest one is only sixty pages. Which was nice as I was able to read them fast.
Okay so let us dive into these books, here is my ranking for the books overall:
I enjoyed Merriment and Mayhem which is surprising for me as I disliked this tile the most out of all of them. It is just way too much of a mouthful compared to the others. However, I think this is the only book that I wanted to read more of, I think this book could have been a regular 250-page book and I would have eaten it up.
Now let’s dive into characters.
Everleigh and Griffin were my favourites naturally. I loved Everleigh, I liked how different she was from the other characters, her pink hair and her clumsiness. Griffin was the firefighter who came to the rescue.
Jamie and Marc were good with Jamie getting second for me and Marc getting second last, I liked their characters and their story, but I feel like we didn’t get nearly enough Marc for me to care more for him, a little bit more info on him as a person would have been great.
Then Eviee and Theo, I enjoyed Evie’s character although she felt a bit like a neutral character for me as she didn’t stand out that much. Theo is great coming in second. I liked his character as he had that natural charm about him and was a very funny character to read.
Nina and Will were okay, I liked their tension and dynamic. Although she is not a main character, I feel Claudia needed a shout-out more than these two. She was the perfect wingwoman and wouldn’t mind if she got a book of her own.
Evie and Luke are last, despite their potential, I just couldn’t get over the insane cringy dialogue that these poor characters got. I liked the idea of them but I’m afraid I was lost as soon as Luke was described as dirty.
Overall if you are looking for a quick and fun read then you will love this series. It is perfect for anyone who is looking to reach their Goodreads goal. I think if you go into these books not expecting too much and just have a good time with it then I am sure you will love it.
Thank you for reading, let me know what you think in the comments below.
Keep reading see you soon.
