Member Reviews

Wow, I just finished reading this book, and it truly left me speechless. At first, I expected a sweet holiday romance, but it turned out to be so much more. The author deserves a round of applause for crafting a captivating story that seamlessly blended mystery, the battle of good versus evil, and a thrilling quest to save the world. I was absolutely enthralled by every single page. Amid the adventure, the book also delivered a healthy dose of humor, some heart-wrenching moments, and an abundance of intriguing twists. The ending hints at the possibility of more to come, and I can't wait to see where the story leads next. Bravo to the author for an incredible journey!

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I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley

Awesome. Such a great setting and mix of characters.

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Engaging, spooky paranormal romance, inventive and unusual.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Interesting book, not what I was expecting when I started reading this book. This is a Science fiction Fantasy book with a little bit of paranormal thrown in. The main characters were good , and some parts of this story were really hilarious. I liked the overall premise, but I think this book actually had to much going on at once. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes science fiction and fantasy books.

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This book was not what I was expecting and took an odd turn after the first couple of chapters. Something about the story just wasn’t believable at all for me and I couldn’t continue.

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After Andi Thatcher inherits her Grandmother's library in Kringle Falls, she finds herself having to deal with Theodora Declan, a antiquities agent interested in something in the library.

(Andi crashing onto and killing the Santa sign was hilarious.)

Making things more complicated is Andi's ex, Jules, is also in town and wants to reconnect. And not in a good way.

The book kind of swerves unexpectedly into a urban fantasy story, in a kind of jarring way. Admittedly I was expecting a more straight forward Christmas romance, not what I ended up getting.

Was okay, not really great. 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

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Kringle Falls is atown that celebrates Christmas every day. It is not a lighted hearted rom-com, which I first expected.

Andi inherits her grandmother's antique library. Theodora appears seeking to claim part of the collection.

The book is mostly sci fi and fantasy.

I had a hard time getting into the characters - I feel like they weren't well rounded enough to make me really care.

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This book was so much fun. Some good old fashioned magical Christmas schmaltz (I promise, only in the best way). It makes the soul relax and a smile come unbidden to the lips.

The novel is primarily about Theodora and Andi. Andi is coming home to Kringle Falls to be the Town Librarian (honestly, the rest of it coulda sucked and it still would have gotten 4 stars, luckily, the rest was just as good as the beginning).

Andi and Theodora meet as Andi sorta destroys the Santa that waves as people come into town. From there it's a bit hit and miss for them for awhile. Theodora wants to buy a collection from the library. Andi doesn't know what she's talking about at first. But, then they get closer and lots of truths come to light. Of course, Theodora and Andi also get closer too.

I will admit that the surprise-ish ending didn't surprise me at all. That's not saying that the ending (as well as the rest of the book) wasn't enjoyable, it totally was, I just guessed the ending. What I didn't guess was the part after the ending. I really hope that it means what I think it means! This was such a fun read. It had all the great beats of a classic Christmas story and left me smiling in the end!

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would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this quaint book

Andi Thatcher is back home in kringle falls..taking over the librarians job, but she doesnt bank on the ice and crashes into the towns big welcome sign...poor santa...

not far behind her is Theodora Declan, who has come to town for a bit of business, but cant get passed the accident

its not long before theodora and andi are spending time together

a pleasant read with a touch of the russia and mystery behind it all

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Well, I tried to get into Kringle Falls, but I'm afraid it just wasn't my preferred style of reading. I couldn't get into the story, the characters are okay, and the setting is very good... But this book isn't for me. Just like to add, it's Sci-fi/fantasy, both not my top favourite categories books to read and I didn't realise this when I started. ( sorry)

This book isn't for me, but if you enjoy Sci-fi and fantasy, it might be perfect for you!

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A different Christmas romance. The cute cover and blurb led me to think this is a light holiday romance. I did catch that it also falls into the fantasy category so I wasn’t surprised at some magical happenings. The town of Kringle Falls promotes Christmas every day of the year. Andi Thatcher returns to town after inheriting her grandmother’s library. On her first day she meets Theodora (Teddy) who is visiting Kringle Falls. Teddy has been sent to purchase a collection within the library. There is humor and romance in the air. But the truth about the prized collection is a big change in the plot and the ending goes much darker side than I was expecting.

This is a strange book to market because you don’t want to spell out the real plot because of spoilers. But on the other hand a reader like me comes in expecting one thing and that isn’t what this book delivers. I like Andi and Teddy but I wasn't invested in the whole mythology of the story. Thank you to NetGalley and Bella Books for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

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An eARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. This book will be published on 23 November 2023.

I was expecting a cute and cosy sapphic Christmas romance with a touch of magic thrown in - you know, like a gay Hallmark movie. The book started off along this vein - nothing special but cute and lighthearted. The plot ended up getting super tangled and the end didn't seem to fit at all. It got dark fast and suddenly everyone had a gun - honestly, I didn't see it coming.

I feel like the adversity could have been dialled down a whole lot as it didn't fit with the overall feeling of the book. At the very least it should have been given more time to play out as it seemed like an afterthought.

Before the weird ending, this book was a three star because I enjoyed it. It was fun and sweet, giving me sappy Christmas movie vibes in book form. It didn't stick with this and that was really disappointing. I also found some of the dialogue to be really awkward, which took me out of it a few times (there's nothing wrong with saying there's, she's etc rather than there is, she is), but honestly, that pales in comparison as an issue once you get through 70% of the book.

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I liked this story. A bit of mystery, a bit of romance and an entertaining tale. Kringle Falls, where it's Christmas all year round.. What could be better.

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This was certainly an interesting read. A holiday mystery romance with a dash of magic.

Andi has moved home to Kringle Falls to take over running the town's library, but she stumbles onto a secret that has greater impact than she could have ever imagined. Theadora has come to town to purchase a collection from the library, but she might find more in Andi than expected.

This book had a really interesting concept, but its execution was...weird. I do enjoy holiday magic, but the story took a very dark turn at the end. I think this could have done with more editing because some parts were repetitive or contradictory. I definitely enjoyed Andi's ultra supportive family dynamic. I think this is the first in a series based on the ending.

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I figured this book would be a nice read with a bit of Christmas spirit sprinkled in. I got something that was baffling. I stopped reading this book at 60% and I’ll tell you why in a second.

Let me start by saying I am all for giving debut authors a chance and stories that are a bit of the beaten track. This one has many glaring faults that I won’t all point out, I’ll stick to two. First is the storytelling, it just doesn’t flow, it’s a bit stop and go. Second, and this one really is something I think the editor, publisher, beta readers and author need a good look at, this book is about protecting Kringles, some sort of Santa figurine that harnas all happiness or something. Apparently the European one got in the wrong hands during/before WOII and caused the war and Holocaust. Getting it back ended the war. I’m sorry, but writing that in just half a page just shows such a lack of common decency, knowledge of world events and empathy. Really, what is wrong with you? Do you know how many people died and suffered? How many people are still feeling the pain of that war? Not the mention the current wars? I’m sorry, this is an absolute no-go. A fucking Santa statue, excuse the language, to end all wars, no fucking way.
After reading this, I let it sit for a couple of days, maybe I was overreacting, but I don’t think I am. I would never put all of this out there out of context of a book if it weren’t so glaringly obvious that this isn’t a thing one can write.

My suggestion is to at least scratch this part of the story. Since I can’t continue reading this book after the 60% mark I feel like it’s not entirely fair to judge the entire thing, it might redeem itself, however, I don’t think that is possible. There is no coming back from such thing in my opinion, but to each their own.

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Great start. Prologue set a bit of a mystic scene. Spooky goings on continue. I would say I’m suffering slightly from descriptiveitis, that ailment where the writer describes so many things in detail, I can’t picture anything.
About 15% a bit of mystery about the other main is hinted at, and there is still the spooky goings on but apart from enjoying the style and humour of the first paragraphs, I am not gripped.
25% and the mains are starting to interact and although I am told they clicked and 3 or more hours of conversation disappeared in a heartbeat, I am not seeing their connection on the page. With the result I feel I am wading through at this point.
I never saw the mains as fully formed people. The mystery was certainly novel but a wee bit too unbelievable for me initially.
2.5 up to 3 because the mystery had me interested, to the point I want to find out if any of it is mythology based. To be honest a bit of Christmas spirit also has me moving it up the way.

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The cover drew me initially but the story hooked me. The Christmas read had it all romance, suspense and mystery.

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Wow, I just finished reading this book, and it truly left me speechless. At first, I expected a sweet holiday romance, but it turned out to be so much more. The author deserves a round of applause for crafting a captivating story that seamlessly blended mystery, the battle of good versus evil, and a thrilling quest to save the world. I was absolutely enthralled by every single page. Amid the adventure, the book also delivered a healthy dose of humor, some heart-wrenching moments, and an abundance of intriguing twists. The ending hints at the possibility of more to come, and I can't wait to see where the story leads next. Bravo to the author for an incredible journey!

Was this review helpful?