Kissing Under the Mistletoe is a cutesy little collection by notable historical romance authors Suzanne Enoch, Amelia Grey, and Anna Bennett. As with all novellas, these stories (respectively: "Great Scot", "Christmas at Dewberry Hollow", and "My Mistletoe Beau") move at a fast pace for a romance, but meander along plot-wise because the central theme is really the holidays. Ms. Enoch's contribution will provide fans with a tale including Jane Bansil, whom they will recognize from her Wild Wicked Highlanders series. The basis of the middle story--though the premise of searching out something that a dukish grandfather had misplaced--was rather adorable, seemed altogether lacking depth or continuity. Bennett's story, though it trots out the old "pretending to court to stave off wheedling family" trope actually worked really well and turned the tables--BOTH parties needed a false fiancé! Though Enoch's story doesn't rely as heavily on the holiday season, all three tales in Kissing Under the Mistletoe should curb the warm-and-cozy cravings brought on by Christmas spirit.

Three charming short romances. Although I enjoyed all three stories my favourite is Anna Bennett's My Mistletoe Beau.
The fake fianceé is always a fun trope and it was executed remarkably well here.
I liked that the stories were not overly Christmasy and they can be easily enjoyed at any time of the year.
For three delightful, short romantic stories with a Christmas feel Kissing Under the Mistletoe is the one to download this season.

I didn;t love or dislike this book - it was an average, middle of the road anthology for me. Enohc and Grey's stories were fun, but I didn't enjoy Bennetts.

Kissing Under the Mistletoe anthology is the perfect read to get you in the mood for the holiday season. Each author captures the holiday spirit in short novellas to bringing together smart, independent women with handsome and romantic men. I love these stories!

Great Scot! By Suzanne Enoch is the story of Brennan Andrews and Jane Bansil. Can two people be brave enough to go after love when it comes unexpectedly? Jane finds herself at a crossroads and must decide her future whether it be in service as a lady’s companion or risk her heart with a man she just met. I love stories where a look and a short acquaintance can turn into something more when the heart is intrigued. Jane and Brennan learn to leap and have faith in themselves.

Christmas at Dewberry Hollow by Amelia Grey is definitely a charming story in which a grandson is helping his grandfather look for a heart shape engravement in a tree from years ago as a dying wish. John Gatestone took the job to help his grandfather the duke but didn’t expect to find love with the innkeeper’s daughter. Isabelle Reed plans to live out her life as a spinster and help her mother run the inn rather than marry or fall in love. She’s seen what love did to her mother and doesn’t want the same result. Can she let herself hope for love with John? This was a very romantic story with a great big gesture at the end that absolutely melted my heart.

My Mistletoe Beau by Anna Bennett was a good enemies to lovers’ story in which two go from faking it to actually falling in love. Eva Tiding is trying to retrieve her father’s pocket watch from the Earl of Frostbough’s apartment when she is caught red handed breaking in. Jack, the Earl himself, strikes a deal with Eva for the watch and will return it to her if she pretends to be his fiancé to fool his grandmother. What did he say?! Yup, she must pretend to like him when all she really wants to do is put him in his place. It all seems impossible until they kiss and realize there is something strong between them and maybe it’s not so fake after all. Their bickering was witty and fun to read and you figure they’d make a happy couple. All they needed to do was forgive the past and move into the future with a clean slate.

Historical romances are such fun to read because they all go against convention to find that someone special to love. The beauty of an anthology you get a snippet of an author’s style and you just might find your next must-read author. What better way to do it especially during the holiday season.

Great Scot by Suzanne Enoch

Jane Bansil has been reduced to the status of both poor relation and spinster. Though she knows she’s past marriageable age and the MacTaggert all love her, she wants to feel useful rather than a burden. She also can’t help but be attracted to the widowed MacTaggert cousin who is the architect on the family’s house.

This was a sweet love at first sight story, and I enjoyed it. Jane wanted to feel useful and have a purpose; scarred, widower Brennan wanted ease from his loneliness and these two came together in a charming way with the lovely backdrop of the Scottish Highlands at Christmas.

Christmas at Dewberry Hollow by Amelia Grey

Isabelle Reed is utterly devoted to the inn she helps her mother run and has a strict policy against fraternizing with the guests in any meaningful way. She’ll never marry since that would mean leaving the hollow and its people, and she certainly shouldn’t be entertaining Gate, a privileged duke’s grandson who is only in the village for a brief visit. Gate is leaving for London before Christmas and Isabelle refuses to lose her heart to him before he goes.

This was a lovely little story with another instantaneous attraction, but with a couple of obstacles keeping the MCs apart. Of course, these were easily remedied, though I must admit, the heroine’s protestations became a bit much at times and I found her a tad bit annoying. Thankfully, the hero was quite sweet, and her contrariness didn’t last long so this one still worked for me.

My Mistletoe Beau by Anna Bennett

Eva Tiding wants to boost her lonely father’s flagging spirits this Christmas by retrieving the beloved watch he lost in a card game. That means breaking into the home of Jack, a cold-hearted earl and leads to a fake engagement for the length of the holiday season.

I have to say, this one rather annoyed me. The hero started off cold but was of course just hiding hurt and loneliness, resulting in a surprising amount of character growth for a short novella. Unfortunately, I just found the heroine annoying, immature, judgmental, not to mention hypocritical and overly dramatic. She refused to reason and tried to shut the hero out for much of this short story and the resolution was very quick, leaving me to think she still didn’t really appreciate him or his pain even though he was trying to understand hers and overcome a long-held grudge for her. This one wasn’t my favorite.

Overall, this is a solidly enjoyable set of stories to put you in the Christmas spirit, with enough steam to warm you up and enough charm to keep you reading.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is comprised of three Christmas novellas.

Great Scot! by Suzanne Enoch
It seems that Miss Jane Bansil has caught the eye of Brennan Andrews, the architect drawing up a house design for MacTaggert family. Can Jane, who is in her thirties still find love with this Scottish widower?

Christmas at Dewberry Hollow by Amelia Grey
Isabelle Reed is content living with her mom helping her run the Dewberry Hollow Inn. She has no plans to ever fall in love and marry. Too bad the best laid plans never go the way you intend. When the Duke of Notsgrave and his grandson, Gate come to the inn just before Christmas all plans will drastically change. Gate is bent on finding a certain tree for his grandfather before the older man passes away. Together Isabelle and Gate spend time looking for the special tree and along the way they fall in love.

My Mistletoe Beau by Anna Bennett
Miss Eva Tiding wants to get her widowed father's pocket watch back just in time for Christmas so she decides to steal it back from Jack Hardwick, the Earl of Frostbough, who won it in a card game. Too bad Eva gets caught. Jack is intrigued by Eva and decides to make her a deal....pretend to be his fiance and then she can have the watch back. Of course the more they pretend, the more Eva and Jack are really starting to have feelings for one another. When the past comes back to haunt them, their happy ending is temporarily shaken but in the end, true love prevails.

I just loved all three of these Christmas novellas. My favorite was Anna Bennett's story because I just adore a sassy heroine! Overall this is a great book to pick up to read during the holidays.

I really enjoyed this holiday anthology! My favorite was the story by Anna Bennet, but they were all delightful and the perfect length to read in one sitting. I love holiday anthologies and I'll probably read this one every winter.

I read all three stories and yes I did like all of them.

If any of the authors are new to you then this is a great book to read and sink into new stories.

I do recommend.

In Great Scot by Suzanne Enoch, thirty-three year old spinster Jane Bansil has given up on the idea of having a husband and a family of her own, and while she dislikes being a lady’s companion, she is grateful that she can at least support herself. Providing a cover for her cousin Amy to marry Niall MacTaggert, over her aunt’s objections, led to Jane’s employ being terminated, leaving Jane at loose ends until the offer from Niall’s mother, Lady Aldriss. While the MacTaggerts are gracious and welcoming, Jane doesn’t feel as though she belongs until she meets the handsome architect hired to design a new home for Lord Glendarril, the eldest of the MacTaggert sons.

In Christmas at Dewberry Hollow by Amelia Grey, Isabelle Reed is so focused on helping her mother run an upscale inn that she mistakes a man for the deer she was hunting, and accidentally shoots him. Learning that he is a guard for a peer of the realm embarrasses and frightens her, but Gatestone – Gate – is understanding and asks for her help to locate a certain tree that his grandfather had carved his initials in many years earlier. During their search, Isabelle and Gate find they are attracted to one another, though their lives are so different that Isabelle cannot see the relationship being successful.

In My Mistletoe Beau by Anna Bennett, Eva Tiding is determined to retrieve her father’s treasured pocket watch from the earl who won it, and picking the lock of his room is only the beginning. Eva agrees to act as his love interest for three public events, after which the watch will be returned. But Eva and Jack discover they are compatible in many ways, and their faux relationship suddenly has potential to become more than they could have ever expected.

I enjoyed these three stories, and appreciated that the women were all strong characters who were loyal and determined. Though similar, each story was unique with regard to characters and settings, but they all had the expected and always delightful HEA.

A wonderful three book anthology from three of my favorite authors that will give you reading pleasure, warm your heart and get you in the holiday spirit. "Great Scot" by Suzanne Enoch is a fun Highlander novella with the MacTaggerts. "Christmas at Dewberry Hollow" by Amela Gray has the Duke of Notsgrove and his staff searching for a carving on a tree at the Inn run by Isabelle Reed and her mother. I loved the instant attraction and undeniable chemistry between the Duke's grandson Gate and Isabelle. "My Mistletoe Beau" by Anna Bennett rounds out this set with a delightful romance between MIss Eva Tidings and the Earl of Frostbough. If you enjoy well written historical novellas that you will want to read again and again, don't miss "Kissing Under the Mistletoe". I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I particularly like anthologies, they're a great way to try out new authors without investing too much time or money in any particular wild card author. Grey and Bennett were both new to me authors. I was able to read this as an advance review copy, but my review is entirely my honest take on the book.

Suzanne Enoch- I've read the other books in the series, so I already knew a little of the heroine's backstory, but this novella can stand alone. These two characters were likable enough I suppose, but it's one of those where they've only known each other for like one conversation, and there's interest, but suddenly near the end they both just know they're meant to be forever. It's tough to pull off, and I didn't really buy it in this case, and the character depth was a bit thin.

Amelia Grey- As with all books, this started at 3 stars in my mind. But as it went on I just enjoyed it less and less. A few chapters from the end I was leaning toward 1.5 stars but rounding up to 2, but the ending was perhaps my least favorite part of all, lol. The dialogue seemed trite, I felt like rolling my eyes at the plot, and the heroine kept making me want to say 'ugh'. It's not the worst ever, but it was a total miss for me. 1 star.

Anna Bennett- This one was enemies to lovers and fake engagement, both of which are two of my least favorite tropes, and it also had more drama than I care for, and was on the unlikely side. But... it did still make me smile quite often, and occasionally chuckle out loud. And I'm probably a bit more forgiving of unlikeliness in both holiday stories and novellas, so I'm giving this holiday novella somewhat of a pass. In the Christmas spirit I'm giving this one 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Kissing Under the Mistletoe
Suzanne Enoch, Amelia Grey, Anna Bennett
St. Martin’s Press, Sep 28, 2021
347 Pages
Holiday Romance, Historical Romance
Provided by Pub’s Rep via NetGalley
⭐⭐⭐⭐🌙

WARNING: This is a very revealing review!

The cover is very pretty with the young woman in the lovely green gown almost standing in for a Christmas tree, which I’m sure is intended by the designer. This could have been any one of the three young ladies of the stories in this book, though Jane is much less inclined to dress in such rich clothing and with so much skin showing. And her hair was straight and black.

Great Scott by Suzanne Enoch

This is the story of young Jane, a poor relation who gets taken up by her much wealthier relations and given employment as a companion. Jane is quiet, loves reading and not being noticed. She likes to be useful. She feels that everyone is being kind to her because they pity her. She doesn’t feel useful or needed. Never mind the family actually loves her and feels frustrated with trying to crack her shell and help her feel at home with them. As she is trying to make up her mind about leaving the duchess’ employ, she is introduced to the friend and architect of one of the male family members. Brennan’s a tall, hearty Scott, who’s a widower with only one eye. He’s quite taken with quiet Jane and her fascination with libraries and books… and tall, hearty Scotts. Their relationship develops quickly partly because this is a novella and partly because he is plain spoken and they don’t have a lot of time before she needs to make her decision. They are so sweet together. Jane is rather petite and slim with fair skin and long, straight black hair that she normally wears back in a tight bun. She usually wears very dull, plain dresses. But the night she makes her move and gives him her answer, she blooms in scarlet satin with the help of the women of the family. Sweet. Recommended.
Christmas at Dewberry Hollow by Amelia Grey

Isabelle and her lady mother run a fine inn at Dewberry Hollow. The duke is on his way with this retinue and Isabelle has gone hunting to try for a deer. Her mother is always trying to make her a lady as she was born, but Isabelle is much happier as a country girl. Accidently, she shoots one of the guards of the duke’s grandson, John Gatestone “Gate”, on their way to the inn. She’s mistaken for an employee of the inn and treated as such until that evening at dinner when her mother introduces her to the duke and his grandson as her daughter and she is dressed properly as a lady. Isabelle and Gate exchange quips and snipes until a comment from another resident of the inn draws them together into a joint task for the aging duke. Their quips become quivering exchanges and their snipes become soft whispers until Christmas Eve, when Gate departs to return the duke to his home as promised for Christmas day. How they get their HEA you’ll have to read on your own, but it comes in a clatter of hooves. Cute. Recommended.

My Mistletoe Beau by Anna Bennett

Eva Tidings is determined to regain her father’s watch for him, even to the point of theft. And she almost succeeded until her wrist was seized in the act by a very large hand. Facing Jack Hardwick, Earl of Frostbough might scare most people, but Eva is not fazed by him in the least. She’s up to the challenge. Though how they end up in a fake courtship that gets them deeper and deeper into a relationship that rouses both of their sleeping hearts, neither of them is quite sure. She denies any such feelings, while he is starting to admit that he has them. This gets them nowhere until a society ball and two public statements brings things to a flash point that lacks only one word to spark off an explosion that will last for the rest of their lives. Lively & Fun. Recommended.

Kissing Under the Mistletoe is an anthology of three separate stories taking place in the weeks leading up to Christmas. This was a great collection to get you in the holiday mood. My favorite stories were Great Scot by Suzanne Enoch and My Mistletoe Beau by Anna Bennett.

Great Scot is part of the Wild Wicked Highlander series but could easily be read as a standalone. Jane is a bookish spinster who has given up on finding love. Brennan is a widower who after years alone has found someone who catches his eye. I really enjoyed the dialogue between Jane and Brennan. I liked seeing Jane become more confident and decide to take a chance on love. A sweet and steamy read.

My Mistletoe Beau finds Eva caught by Jack, the Earl of Frostbough, when she breaks into his apartment to retrieve her father's watch that she felt was unfairly taken during a card game. She makes a deal with Jack and agrees to a fake courtship in exchange for the watch. This story was full of humor and I absolutely loved the banter! Lots of steam too. Watching these two verbally spar while falling in love made for a wonderful read.

Thank you to St Martin's Romance and Netgalley for the ecopy of this book.

The three stories in this anthology are sure to put readers in the holiday spirit. The characters are well developed, each story moves along at a good pace, and the romances are both sweet and spicy, with a sigh-worthy happy ending at the end of each.

Suzanne Enoch's "Great Scot!" is an engaging, humorous, and heart-tugging story featuring Jane Bansil, a secondary character from Enoch's The Wild Wicked Highlanders trilogy. This trilogy is one of my favorites by Enoch and I loved joining the MacTaggerts in Scotland for this new story. Fans of those wild MacTaggerts and the women whose hearts they captured will delight not only in reading Jane's endearing journey to love but also in catching up with the couples from the three books as well as their parents. Readers new to this world, however, should have no trouble at all falling in love with Jane, Brennan, and a Highlander Christmas.

"Christmas at Dewberry Hollow" features a heroine who will never be the demure lady her mother wishes her to be. I liked Isabelle immediately. More than that, I also admired and respected her. Her hero took me a bit longer to warm up to as did the progression of their romance. I spent much of their story thinking she deserved someone better but he did bring me around in the end and I was happy with their HEA.

I love a good enemies-to-lovers / fake relationship story and "My Mistletoe Beau" hit all the right notes for me, from their first encounter, as Eva is caught rummaging through Jack's unmentionables after breaking into his home, to their final, sigh-worthy declaration of love. The banter is witty and rapid-fire, the chemistry sizzles, and the emotional depth is real and heart-tugging. I don't know if this story is connected to any other books by Anna Bennett but I aim to find out. I thoroughly enjoyed this cast of characters, as well as the style of writing, and am looking forward to reading more by this author.

If you're looking for a trio of fun, engaging, and heartwarming Christmas romances, give Kissing Under the Mistletoe a try.

4.5 stars

*ARC received for fair and unbiased review

I really enjoyed reading these three novellas. Set during the Christmas season, they are full of heart and love.. They are well written and easy to read. Highly recommended.


I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is a fun read. It is a set historical romance novellas centered in a mistletoe Christmas theme. It's the perfect read to escape for a bit to another time and enjoy several good romances when you're in the Christmas mood. I think novellas are the perfect format for Christmas stories: short, sweet and satisfying.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kissing Under the Mistletoe is a collection of three stories by three terrific authors: Suzanne Enoch, Amelia Grey, and Anna Bennett. All the stories were fantastic, and I enjoyed reading this book immensely. This is just the book to get you into the Christmas spirit! Highly recommended.

I received this ARC book from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's for the chance to read an early copy of this book.

This Christmas anthology was not to my taste. The first story was very obviously an epilogue to a long series, and did not stand alone well, or make much sense to me as a completely unfamiliar reader. The second story has a painfully contrived premise that I didn't enjoy, and I was very uncomfortable with the saccharine employment of a secondary character's dementia. The third story was my favorite of the three--silly and forgettable, but cute.

This is a great collection of holiday historical romances. They are each complete stories on their own and worth the read.

The first one, "Great Scot!" was by far my favorite. It is set in the world of Enoch's Wild Wicked Highlanders series. It was really fun to see the family together. I love her work in general.

All three are sexy and deal with finding love in unexpected circumstances. Christmas is a nice backdrop to the love stories, and family plays a role. It was a nice way to get into the holiday spirit.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

Fans of historical romance will truly enjoy this book containing three different Christmas stories by three of the best writers for this genre. Each story brings back favorite characters from previous books, and we get to see them in all their holiday glory causing sparks of romance to help celebrate! Three quick reads in one place to give readers that romantic, spirited and happy ending we so like to dream of! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. #NetGalley #Kissing Under the Mistletoe