Romancing the Holidays by L. Austen Johnson is a delightful collection of heartwarming holiday romances that will sweep readers off their feet. With a mix of sweet, funny, and emotionally resonant stories, this anthology captures the magic and joy of the holiday season.

Featuring a diverse cast of characters and settings, each story in this collection offers a unique and enchanting romance. From unexpected encounters to rekindled sparks, the authors skillfully weave tales of love, hope, and second chances. The writing style is engaging and evocative, immersing readers in the festive atmosphere and capturing the essence of the holiday spirit.

One of the strengths of this anthology is the variety of romance subgenres represented. Whether you enjoy contemporary romance, historical romance, or even paranormal romance, there is a story to suit every taste. Each author brings their own distinct voice and storytelling style, adding depth and richness to the collection.

The character development in these stories is commendable, considering the shorter length of each tale. The protagonists are relatable and well-drawn, and their chemistry is palpable. Despite the limited space, the authors manage to create believable connections and compelling emotional journeys.

What makes Romancing the Holidays truly special is its ability to evoke strong emotions. From heartwarming moments that make you smile to poignant scenes that tug at your heartstrings, the stories within this anthology capture the essence of love and the power of the holiday season to bring people together.

While all the stories are enjoyable, there may be some variations in terms of personal preference. Readers might connect more deeply with certain stories than others, as is often the case with anthologies. However, the overall quality and charm of the collection make it a worthwhile read for fans of holiday romance.

Romancing the Holidays is a perfect choice for anyone seeking a cozy, feel-good read during the holiday season. With its engaging storytelling, memorable characters, and enchanting romances, this anthology will leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling long after you've turned the final page. Curl up with a cup of hot cocoa and immerse yourself in these delightful tales of love and holiday magic.

Disclaimer: This review is based on a copy of Romancing the Holidays provided by the publisher.

This has been on my TBR for several years now, and I can’t seem to make myself finish it. I’m sorry! I’m sure someone will love it, but it just isn’t for me.

this one was adorable. I loved the main characters so so much. it was the perfect amount of holiday but not overkill. I highly recommend

I really wanted to love this, but have tried two holiday seasons in a row now and I just cant.

The stories are jumpy with minimal detail, leaving me unable to relate or like any of the characters.

I’m really sorry! But I’ll definitely pick up books by this author in the future!

I was given a free ARC for my review on NetGalley.Each novella in this collection is a standalone story wrapped around a celebrated holiday.This was an enjoyable collection. Just some short and sweet contemporary romances. I enjoyed some more than others.

This collection of four holiday novellas was fun and cute. Each holiday being broken up made the pages fly by.

4 Novellas spanning 4 different Holidays.

A super cute romance collection with characters that will make you swoon. Think Hallmark in a short story.

Pick this one up anytime of the year to enjoy some holiday love.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Lore&Lyre for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. I thought the cover was cute and I was looking forward to this story. I just thought it was okay. I have never read from this author before so maybe I will try another book.

I didn't like the first novella, but the others were great! Although I do wish that the actual holidays would shine through a bit more, as we don't see that much of them. And while they are novellas, which automatically means that you have less time to get to know the characters, I felt like the author didn't make use of the little time per story that she had.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an eARC, in exchange for an honest review.

This is a super fun read. I really enjoyed this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

These four stories are all centred around holidays and they are very cute! Can't go wrong with a cute romance story!

Four novellas all centered around a holiday made for some very enjoyable reading. Lovely romance stories with a nice blend of humor. I loved all of them!

I love holiday books and I love books that really tell a story. This one had all the holidays and was really hard to put down!

A collections of four short stories set in holidays where four females found the love of their lives in the most unexpected way and circumstances.

My favorite is the 2nd story about an ex-Marine and a Vet Doctor. They definitely connected because of their love with their dogs.

Thank you to Lore and Lyre and Netgalley for the ARC!

Romancing The Holidays is a fun collection of short romance stories, each themed around a different holiday. I'm not sure a short story is enough time to really fall deeply in love with any of the characters or feel invested in their relationship, which is something I love about reading a romance. I did love the holiday connection idea though and they are a quick way to get some holiday spirit into your reading.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Lore and Lyre for sending me an e-ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review :)

Okay, let's start by saying that I did enjoy a lot this holidays collection a lot! But there were a couple of things that made me a little bit hesitant about the rating, here are my thoughts:

I sadly decided to not finish the first story about St. Patrick Day because I was not liking the vibes at all :( and I didn't want to drop the book entirely, knowing that the other stories weren't related.

The second and third one were absolutely amazing!! Everything that has animals on it is a hell yes for me, and it was beyond cute and perfect ❤️
P.S. I'd love to see a Leigh-Pogo-James-Bucky full detail story 😍 I'm just saying...

About the forth story, I was going to not finish it as well for the same reason as the first one, I didn't like the vibes that the main male protagonist was showing. But, I decided to not to, cuz' I really liked the main female character and her adorable daughter. I must say that I didn't end up liking the story but I thought it was entertaining at least.

I'd have loved to see some LGBTQ+ characters or POC rep, and I gotta say I was a little bit disappointed by not seeing it. My rating reflects only the things that I read and my opinion about it, not the things that weren't there! With that said, I shall leave this review!

I do recommend this book, I don't think is bad at all... just some stories weren't for me •∆•

I love a good Christmas romance novel and this was such a fun read. It was the perfect book for the holiday season.

This was the cutest selection of Christmas short stories and I enjoyed reading every single one as much as the most!

(thank you to NetGalley and Lore & Lyre)
Romancing the Holidays is a collection set of four novellas that take place over four major/minor holidays: St. Patrick's Day, Fourth of July/Independence Day, Halloween, and Christmas.

I quite enjoyed these short novellas and I think they were really cute! If you're not someone who's into the trope "insta-love," then this is not the book for you. I'm not really a fan of insta-love much myself, but that didn't take away the magic of it all.

Here are my reviews for each novella separately:
Romancing the Holidays: 1/4 Novellas (4 stars, least favorite)
~1/4>LUCKY FALL<~
Honestly, who refers to someone as "the beautiful, cocky man" and their best friend "the woman?" Haha!

This was a short novella that had a still somewhat developing plot, but it's hard to write a successful romance novella that is only thirty pages long, and somehow L. Austen Johnson seemed to do just that and it was adorable.

Obviously, I can't be too judgemental because I'm not getting a lot to work with and Lucky Fall was only so short. However, there were some issues that caused this section of the book to receive four stars.
One, Sarah's best friend, Cristine got married to a man who supposedly loved her and maybe it was just because the time span of a few months was only written in a few short pages and they were going to get married eventually or maybe it was just simply because they were stupid 20-year-olds "in love." I was physically cringing when reading that part. Sorry, but it's just hard not to be judgemental in this situation. And two, it was just too short. I feel like this novella could've been a little longer, I need a little bit more here! Which caused the plot to not be fully developed and thought out, but other than those things I've mentioned, this 1/4 of Johnson's "Romancing The Holidays" was rather enjoyable.
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Romancing the Holidays: 2/4 Novellas (5 stars, third favorite)
~2/4>PAWSITIVELY PERFECT<~
This was a whole bunch of Claire Crawley and Hallmark...

This one was so much better than Lucky Fall! It was longer and we got to see more of a romantic relationship blossoming. Still cheesy and super cliche, but cute & sweet. Just like Hallmark movies.

There was just one teensy problem...I felt that Leigh was immature at times, saying she had a "crush" on James, and typically women in their thirties don't have "crushes," 13-year-old girls do. Just saying. (No offense).

I knew what I was getting myself into when reading these "insta love" novellas, but it just gave me "Claire Crawley" vibes. Ya know, that stuck up, self-centered blonde wannabee from the Bachelorette.

Overall, I think Pawsitively Perfect deserves a little praise, so five stars it is!
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Romancing the Holidays: 3/4 Novellas (5 stars, second favorite)
~3/4>ALL THANKS TO YOU<~
Am I allowed to be squeeing right now? Because I am!! (In my head). This book was just so wonderful :D

All Thanks to You reminds me of This Time Next Year and The Dog Share combined together because pets were involved & brought people together (TDS) AND the main character was suffering from anxiety and made utterly stupid decisions because she was afraid her relationship with Jonah would be like every other relationship she ever had (This Time Next Year, not the anxiety part).

In many ways, All Thanks To You and Pawsitively Perfect are very similar. Vets, pets, insta love, but this one was so much cuter!

This one feels sexier somehow and that's a good thing because it feels more real that way, even with the insta love. I believe that L. Austen Jonhson is learning how to write better stories because this one is definitely better than the others. I recommend to everyone!
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Romancing the Holidays: 4/4 Novellas (5 stars, favorite)
~4/4>BEAVER CREEK RESORT<~
What a perfect ending. *sigh* Ahhh, how much I long for a sweet romance like this one...

Beaver Creek Resort reminded me so much of a Hallmark movie, I loved it!! It was so cute and the perfect wrap up for the end of this whole book! :) Definitely the best novella yet, I have to say I really enjoyed the cuteness of it all. (A much better improvement from Lucky Fall, if I do say so myself). :D

~Becca da Romance Queen<3

Four adorable holiday stories, I may be biased but Halloween has always and will always be my favourite holiday, so I thoroughly enjoyed All Thanks To You the most, but Pawsitively Perfect was such a cute story!