I say it every year (and multiple times at that), but I am a sucker for Christmas romances. Blame It on the Mistletoe by Nicole Michaels was the first holiday themed book I read this year and it was a good one! It was sweet and took place in a small town so it's no surprise that I really liked it!
Here's the synopsis:
’Tis the season for small-town Missouri boutique owner Brooke Abbott to get crafty. Much as she adores making art for art’s sake—decorating windows, designing ornaments, crafting the perfect present for under the tree—this Christmas she needs the gift of good customers. Lots of them. Sweet Opal Studios will go under if she can’t do some serious business before the New Year…and she has no time to lose. What Brooke needs is an honest-to-goodness miracle. Instead, she finds a burglar lurking in the back room of her shop. And here she thought the holidays couldn’t get any worse! Or maybe things just got a lot better. Turns out the burglar is none other than Alex Coleman—local bad boy slash legendary heartthrob, childhood best friend to Brooke’s older brother, and…future landlord? That is the question. He’s come home for the holidays to see his grandmother, make peace with his distant mother, and settle his grandfather’s estate, an estate that includes the building that houses Sweet Opal. What he never expected was to bump into a grown-up Brooke, whose spirit, charm, and irresistible good looks give him pause. Should he go back to Oregon as planned, or give small-town life a chance? The only thing Alex knows for sure is that before he walks out that door, he’s going to get Brooke beneath the mistletoe, where anything can happen…
I really liked the setting of this novel. Not only the small town but Brooke's shop as well. I loved that she was an artsy type. There seems to be an abundance of bakery or sweets shop owners (which I love too, don't get me wrong) in romances and chick lit so it was nice to see a little something different. Plus, I loved the concept of Sweet Opal Studios and wish I could find something like that in my area. There were unique pieces from Brooke as well as other local artisans and Brooke taught classes as well. Sounds awesome to me!
I found that it took too long to reveal Brooke's background. Plus, I didn't feel like I truly understood what had happened to her and why her brother was so against her dating Alex. He was a really great guy and the "bad boy" personality he apparently had in high school really wasn't all that bad. I think it was a case of judging someone too much on the past and not enough on the present and the man Alex had become. And he had become a great guy and I loved watching his and Brooke's love story unfold.
I liked reading about Alex's relationship with his grandmother and I felt like this was another part of the story that kept things from being too similar to other Christmas romances. There was an interesting backstory there and it was so sweet to see how much his grandmother really cared about him.
Blame It on the Mistletoe is a light and heartwarming read that many romance lovers will enjoy. Nicole Michaels has written a sweet holiday story that I really liked. I look forward to reading her next book!
*A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*
