A romantic novel set at Christmas time. What a perfect winning combination. Channel some early festive cheer and join the hearts and flowers brigade as you allow your most sentimental, gooey, mushy side to emerge with the reading of Jo Lovett’s The Mistletoe Pact. This symbol of love together with generous helpings of alcohol are two factors to blame for a decision made by Evie and Dan one Christmas Eve to marry should they both be single when Eve turns thirty. Secretly harbouring romantic feelings towards one another, Jo Lovett explores that tricky dilemma of crossing the boundary from platonic friendship over into romantic relationship territory and the consequences of both parties being in denial of their true feelings. Occasionally hilarious, often funny, sometimes a tiny bit heartbreaking and without a doubt heartwarming this novel is all about regret, what ifs, second (third and fourth!) chances and taking the plunge. It’s a novel to put the sparkle back into your life, joy in your heart and make you feel as snug as a bug in a rug on these dark autumnal evenings.

With the novel opening in a very pink hotel room somewhere in Vegas the morning after the night before, we are introduced to Evie and Dan, horribly hungover and both reluctantly regretting their spontaneous decision to tie the knot. Marry in haste, repent in leisure isn’t that the saying? You can practically feel the excruciating embarrassment and awkwardness that is emanating from these two lovebirds as they face up to the events of the night before. Inwardly you’re cringing whilst outwardly laughing at the fact this couple have made the situation ten times worse by plastering news of their unexpected marriage all over social media. Oh dear!!! What a disaster! Jo Lovett then transports you back to THE party seven years ago, in Melting Bishop (fantastic place name!) where Evie and Dan first hatch the plan neither believe will ever be put into action. So continues a narrative that jumps backwards and forwards in time regaling the reader with countless opportunities for the pair to declare their undying love, opportunities that cannot be capitalised upon for one reason or another. If you’ve read The First Time We Met, the author’s debut, then you’ll be struck by the similarity in the storyline. As so often happens in real life timing is everything and once again Lady Luck isn’t smiling favourably upon the couple. However for dashing doctor Dan and schoolteacher Evie this isn’t just a case of too many sliding doors moments. Instead it’s more an instance of deep rooted reluctance and fear of opening up their hearts that prevents love from blossoming. Parental role models are partly to blame as is the fact Dan happens to be Evie’s best friend Sasha’s brother. Far too messy and complicated to countenance on both sides of the equation. Thus those butterflies in the stomach feelings get quashed and suppressed every time they meet, amorous advances subtly rejected until they can ALMOST believe these feelings don’t exist but are the stuff of daydreams and fantasies only! Evie has no desire to behave like her single mother Jenny for whom relationships consist of a revolving door of unsuitable partners whilst Dan’s view of love and romance has been skewed by his father’s behaviour. Why ruin a good solid and valuable friendship for something so complex and terrifying and wonderful as love??

Aaargghhhh!! This is such a frustrating storyline! Besides that annoying cheesy song “mistletoe and wine” playing on a loop inside my head I spent the majority of the time wanting to bash Evie and Dan’s heads together, silently screaming at them to stop acting like lovestruck teenagers too afraid to wander beyond first base. Nothing ventured, nothing gained springs to mind but I’m well aware of how easy it is to comment from the sidelines! Falling in love is scary and hurt and rejection are two obstacles that often seem insurmountable. However someone has to make the first move before it’s too late. Evie and Dan are like boomerangs, their paths constantly intersecting but the older they become the more baggage they inevitably accumulate so with each encounter that fizzles out into yet another parting of the ways you lose a little more faith in a happy ever after.

It’s because I liked and warmed to these two characters instantly that I forgave Evie and Dan for their hesitancy in revealing their long held secret love for one another. Against all odds they deserve their happy ending and I had everything crossed that these two would cross the finishing line together. Who wouldn’t relish being admired from afar by handsome Doctor Dan who proves to be a thoroughly decent guy. I felt quite jealous of Evie who at least on one occasion experiences his ‘bedside manner’ even if they are both the worse for wear at the time! Equally Evie is one of those characters who has goodness, kindness and love stamped all over her, possesses a smile to light up any room and is forever loyal to her mum even if she doesn’t always approve of her dating behaviour. I loved their relationship which remains stable and the one constant in Evie’s life despite naturally shaping her more negative thoughts in the love and romance department. Plus she clearly adores her little sister Autumn, the outcome of one of Jenny’s ill advised liaisons. There are some funny scenes between best friend Sasha and Evie and those involving Evie’s boring boyfriends will raise a smile or two. I loved the idyllic descriptions of Melting Bishop (sounds like a great name for a cheese in my opinion!) a quintessentially English picture postcard village, where much of the drama takes place. I could imagine enjoying a glass or two of wine in the local Duck and Grapes or taking a romantic midnight stroll around the green!

Although overall I preferred this romantic couple to Izzy and Sam in Jo Lovett’s debut it’s unfortunate that similarities in their storylines prevent me from giving this fun, lighthearted cheesy romance higher than 4 stars. Given the predictable trajectory of the narrative that’s maybe rather generous but if the author can make you feel good and lift your mood, which she does, then that to me is a sign of a successful novel. The Mistletoe Pact will make the ideal Christmas stocking filler for all those bookworms who believe romance isn’t dead yet!

My thanks as always to the publisher Bookouture and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book really easy to get into and hoped that meant it was going to be great but I was disappointed. The characters are very one dimensional, everyone seems a little bit too nice, I got bored of the whole will they won’t they thing about 80% into the book and found it odd that you never really got the best friends perspective on the final result.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced reading copy.

I loved the writing in this book.! If you enjoy the really slow burn type of romances, then this is your book. I, personally, do not enjoy the super long slow burn. People, people, people. Just talk to each other for goodness sake! All the misreading of signals and such just annoys me. I will check out Ms. Lovett's other books, though as she is a wonderful writer. Its a good book. Just not for me.
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I requested this book mainly because of the author, as I really enjoyed her previous books but sadly I didn't really enjoy this book. It was too slow, at times it felt it going nowhere. I skipped pages, to be honest. My biggest problem was that I couldn't connect with the characters. Their chemistry seemed forced. It was disappointing. Sorry.

I received this ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of this book was so promising! I love Christmas. Love stories! Put them together and it’s Hallmark central. And I definitely got a few Hallmark vibes throughout, which was nice.
The book travels through different times in both Dan and Evie’s lives, from the time they were married in Vegas on her 30th (and then shortly thereafter divorced) back to the time they made the “Mistletoe Pact” and forward from the date of their Vegas marriage. I really really wanted to like this book, but it felt never-ending with all their (unnecessary) drama and refusal to tell the truth. I was so annoyed with the characters. Neither one of them will fess up to their feelings!! Even while they’re in other relationships pining for each other.
There were also little to no personal character traits to connect you to the characters. What is Evie’s favorite alcoholic drink, what are some of her quirks? Neither she nor Dan have any quirks or much personality at all outside of their attraction to one another. We don’t even really get physical descriptions. It’s not until well into the book that we even find out the main character has curly hair. Also, surrounding the main characters are only static characters. Their only purpose is to move the story along, not to grow the characters.
All in all, though, I did look forward to reading this book and at times didn't want to put it down because I wanted to see how the characters would end up together.

The Mistletoe Pact by Jo Lovett a fair four-star read. This was a difficult one to decide on, as it took me a while to get into, and if I hadn’t read this author previously then I wouldn’t have bothered keeping up with this one. It’s a long-drawn-out story and could have been done with being trimmed a few scenes to make it a better overall story. I did enjoy it in the end, if you like romance that takes you on a journey then you will enjoy this story.

This was super super slow! I didn't care for the characters at all and ended up dnfing at 23%. I really wanted to like it as I love holiday reads but this one just wasn't cutting it for me.

The Mistletoe Pact is my first holiday read of the year and it was a lovely one to start with. The story centres on Evie and Dan and is told through each of their perspectives, which I love, and with a now and then timeline. This is a classic friends (make that your best friend’s brother) to lovers romance, though I must add it is a very slow burn one. Whilst it starts with quite a bang, a drunken Vegas wedding, from there it is a much slower pace and burn.

Upon Evie turning 22, she and Dan made a pact that if they were still both single when she turned 30 that they would marry each other, which is were we start in Vegas. Inevitably things get complicated and through the story we learn of their past and current feelings for one another. The biggest issue it seems, however, is that they’re both so scared of what it could mean that they fail to let each other know how they feel.

There were quite a lot of side characters within this book but I actually really liked them and want they brought to the story. I especially liked Sacha and I really liked the relationship between Evie, her mum and her little sister. I did think perhaps the addition of Hannah and Katie seemed an extra layer of complication but then it also went to show what a decent guy Dan was.

I also really loved that a lot of the book was set in the Cotswolds, it seemed the perfect setting for the wintery and Christmas scenes.

This is a lovely Christmasy romance and was certainly a fast and easy read. It is more of a slow burn but if that’s your thing then this book has a lot to offer. Overall, an enjoyable read.

So I have mixed feeling about this book, on one hand I really enjoyed it because it was a cute, easy read with a Christmassy theme and likeable characters. On the other hand it was slow burn to the extreme and to the point of these two characters being extremely annoying in their lack of communication and how many problems they were creating for themselves by just being stubborn about their feelings.

I did however like that it was duel perspective and I did still like both Evie and Dan as characters, despite their foolishness towards each other.

Overall, it was a cute read but it just lacked something for me, especially as I read the house swap earlier this year by the same author and really loved it.

I’m not sure how I feel about this…
It wasn’t at all what I was expecting. It was a slow burn, which I usually like, but geez it didn’t have to be. I hate when adults in romance novels cannot communicate to save their lives. It’s so frustrating.
So I couldn’t get into it. But I also didn’t hate it? I think the blurb could’ve been way better.
Honestly, the fact that it was Christmas themed made it better.

Evie and Dan make a pact that to marry when she turns 30 if both of them are single by then. This turns out to getting drunkenly married in Vegas. Evie is Dan's sisters bestfriend. A story of friends to lovers.

This book takes us through the past and present story. The slow burn is too slow and this felt long without any reason. Few parts felt a bit more filler. The concept was good but it didn't set will with me because the same thing was going again and again. Why the family never talked about the marriage, I guess when you get drunk married, family will talk irrespective of you getting an annulment.

The writing was good and being from both their perspective it gave us better understanding. There were some nice, cute, adorable moments and some oh! Come on with it moments. The christmas moments were sweet. I have mixed feelings so overall it was okay. I liked it.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for a chance to read this.

This is very much slow, slow burn romance. I must admit that several times I wished I could just shake the main characters as it was so frustrating their lack of communication causing so many problems, and going on for so long. I also found it hard work keep going forwards and backwards in time so much. I'm a big fan of Lucinda Riley's stories so I'm used to past and present elements to a book, but this was just too much and wrecked the flow. Overall I feel this book could've been condensed into half the size, and would've probably flowed better, and been less frustrating if it was

(2.5 ⭐️) If you love a cozy Hallmark holiday movie, this book is just right for you. It’s a quick read to get you in the holiday spirit.

Dan is Evie’s best friend’s brother. Obviously, they can’t be a couple. It breaks so many rules. Right? And then there’s also the fact that Evie’s mom and Dan’s dad have provided crappy role models as to what a relationship should look like.

The book starts off with a bang… a wedding in Vegas between two people who had to let alcohol thrust them towards what they’ve always wanted. But from there, the pace of the book slows to a crawl. The scenes with Dan and Evie together are quite enjoyable, but there aren’t nearly enough of those. In addition, the book has a lot of superfluous background story that didn’t hold my attention and bogged down the romance.

But my biggest issue with the book is that it took FOREVER for Evie and Dan to finally come to their senses. And then, when that moment should’ve been filled with heat and emotion, it just fell a flat. I wanted fireworks, but I got a sparkler instead.

This isn’t a bad story at all. For me, it just missed the mark of what I look for in a holiday rom-com.

Thank you Jo Lovett, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

This is a super cute story! I thought this was going to be a 3 star read for me. There is a past and present storyline and while I enjoyed both I didn't love the jumping back and forth. Both timelines moved the story along nicely and as it continued I found myself loving the angst. It s-l-o-w burned with feelings for both characters taking a while to manifest. So cute and (while initially slow) everything developed so naturally. There are a few scenes I felt were missing and the end was a little abrupt after such a slow burn, but ultimately I enjoy Dan & Evie and am so happy having finished their story.

My first holiday book of 2021 and it did not disappoint! So cute, fun, festive and delightful. Even though I am anti PSL season, this book had me so ready for Candy Canes and mistletoe!

I loved the sweet story, the dynamics between all of the characters and just had a smile on my face the whole book!

Omg, I really loved this book!

When Evie was 22, She and her best friend's handsome brother made a pact to get married if none of them are married in 8 years. On Evie's 30th birthday, they both get drunk in Vegas and do exactly that.

I love the chemistry between Evie and Dan. Their caring about each other, their slow-burn romance, and stealing glances at each other- it's all so beautiful and dreamy.

The book is fast-paced and engaging, exactly how I like it. Side characters are also well-developed and they are not just a prop for the plot to progress, something that I really notice and appreciate in a book. I love Sasha, Jenny, and Autumn especially. Though I really want to know Millie's reaction towards the end of the book.

Overall, this was a great read. Will recommend it especially to slow-burn romance lovers.

This was a classic modern romance story. As a reader it is always preferred that the author writes from Each characters perspective , and Jo Lovett absolutely nails it in this book. Dan and Evie are the classic will they won’t they couple and she throws in a lot of red herrings to keep the reader on their toes. If you are looking for a quick, easy, enjoyable love story.. this ones for you!

The Mistletoe Pact was a sweet, heartfelt read that definitely gives the reader the fuzzy hallmark love kind of feels. A tale of two friends who I will admit, spent their sweet ass time finally succumbing to the pull between them.

I will admit I was a little frustrated with the lack of communication between the two. Yes, it created tension and helped draw out their budding relationship, but I felt like it was just a little too drawn out and I was beginning to lose interest.

Other than that there were still a lot of things I liked about the book. Lots of cute heartwarming moments, some witty banter, and a very satisfying ending for everyone.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of The Mistletoe Pact.

The story was good,it was a quick read.
I really liked the setting but it was not really what I hoped for. It didn’t live out my expectations.
I liked that it was written from differents pov and the Christmas setting in the end and beginning of the book.

I generally have very varied genre interests and among those, romantic comedies have always found their place. What's more, be it in books or movies, I'm a real sucker for Christmassy romantic comedies. You can probably guess why I was totally sold on "The Mistletoe Pact".

Having said all that, I can admit to being totally fine with cheesy stories and romantic novel tropes. Two characters meet, they sort of like each other, things keep happening so they are not actually a couple, but at the very end love wins, and most of all, love always wins on Christmas. Fair enough. And even more than that, such books don't require either too much of a convoluted plot or much complicated characters - just cute enough ones.

Unfortunately, neither the characters in "The Mistletoe Pact" were cute enough, nor was the story.

Evie and Dan have always known each other, considering that they live near each other and Evie's best friend is Dan's sister. On the Christmas that happens to also be Evie's 22nd birthday they make a pact to get married if neither of them is married by Evie's 30th. They do get drunkely married, then they annul the marriage and each continues with their life.

And then we read pages on top of pages of them actually being in love with each other, unbeknownst to themselves and each other. Understand, that's a huge majority of the book.

If you've read "Pride and Prejudice", you might tell me "But that's so interesting!", and you would be right... in the case of "Pride and Prejudice". In the case of Dan and Evie there are no social, behavioral or other barriers, there's just nothing but each of them pining and pining and pining, always misunderstanding each and every desperate gesture of the other as rejection, always having such a good time together, and then deciding "Oh but I shouldn't, oh but he/she doesn't want me to...", etc. etc.

It takes them years (!!!) to sort out their feelings just by the way of wanting to kiss but never doing so, thinking how sexy the other is, but never saying so - you get the point.

And all the same, they change not at all, living a stagnant life in the span of a decade in this loop of hopeless and pointless pining.

Not much to go on with, really. Which is too bad, I really wanted a light Christmas romance.