I thought this was a fun, spicy, engaging series of novellas that was perfect for Christmas time. I loved how it was super inclusive and diverse and had a wide variety of different kinds of relationships. Each was super unique and different but all were spicy and varied in their level of spice. It was really good on audiobook as well. I listened to this while I was doing chores around the house and it was nice.

4.5/5

I enjoyed the heck out of this anthology! It totally got me out of the reading slump I was in.

There was such a good variety of stories and I loved how they were all interconnected.

I also loved that there was a variety of steam levels for all of these novellas. Some were spicy and some weren’t.

Overall this was such a fun listen and all of the narrators were fantastic!

What a delight. I am leaning into holiday books this summer and this was the perfect start to my holiday reads. Amor Actually (with winks to that one movie) is an anthology of nine related short stories centering around a Nochebuena (good night, Christmas Eve) party each protagonist is planning to attend. All of the stories are steamy/spicy, so if you are not a fan of open door scenes then I would pass but for romance readers who have no problem with spice then I would recommend. Typically in an anthology there are a few stories I do not like, but I enjoyed each story in this anthology. and I couldn't pick a favorite. Each one of the stories was strong enough to be a full-fledged novel or novella, and I do hope the authors decide to team up again, as I would definitely read another anthology by this author group. I did listen to the audiobook and the narrators: Ramona Master and Gomez Pugh did a phenomenal job with the story telling, although each story had a different coupling, they made each one unique.

Spicier than I expected from a holiday romance, but I love all the relationships presented within its stories.

Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this one and DNF’ed. I’ve never DNF’ed a NetGalley book before but unfortunately this one was not for me.

a collection of stories that all intertwine, i was sooo in love with this!

there were a couple of authors that i have loved reading in the past and reading these small novellas were everything. there was so much more spicy scenes than i anticipated and it was so, so, sooo good. it really took all these stories with to a whole new level! i feel like i do not come across enough latinx love stories and these were all so perfect.

some great sex scenes mixed with the perfect holiday warmth that isn't too cheesy. can already seeing mysef rereading/relistening. all narrators were AMAZING too!

Lovely mix of stories (immigrant status/language/sexuality/spice level)

Something for everyone and a great starting place for multiple authors who have all written other romance book a reader can dive into.

This is a lovely collection of short stories that really captures the holiday feeling. I'm not the biggest romance reader, but this was a pleasant read. I'm glad I gave it a try.

A steamy/spicy collection of short stories surrounding Christmas Eve and a Nochebeuna party in New York City. I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook over the festive period and it was definitely a lot different to all the other anthologies I’ve read. I really enjoyed that each story was narrated by either a different person or in a different way to make it unique.

This was so cute! I love the idea of short stories surrounding one night with a group of people. Each romance was super cute, and overall had a very enjoyable experience listening to this anthology.

it was a sweet collection of christmas stories but nothing out of the ordinary. All the narrators were great and did a good job.

What’s not to love in this star-studded anthology? I absolutely loved Amor Actually. Each story was so well done, and I loved it. I’m constantly on the lookout for more Latinx authors, and this was an amazing introduction to more I can’t wait to add to my bookshelf.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this collection, it was very festive and very festive ;). I loved the representation of the Hispanic diaspora and all their traditions that were incorporated into the stories. My favourites were from Adriana Herrera, Zoey Castile, Sabrina Sol and Mia Sosa.
This is a great palette cleanser read if you happen to be in a reading slump and love holiday romance novellas.

A nice collection of well written well narrated stories. It was definitely an enjoyable and interesting listen.

Okay, I listened to this on audiobook and had to sit down while listening. I was not prepared for the level of spice, but hot damn! There are some of these stories which take you there and will sweep you off your feet. If you love holiday stories and are disappointed with how white "Love Actually" is, this is for you. It features some of my favorite romance authors right now so I knew I'd be in for a treat. And boy was I right.

From gobs of insta-lust to one truly unhinged male lead destined for prison, this fun Christmas rom-com anthology styled after the cult classic film, <i>Love Actually</i>, actually fell flat.



<b>Make the Yuletide Gay • Adriana Herrera</b>

<i>Synopsis:</i> After a string of broken engagements, an international Latin Pop Star finds love in her sexy and constant manager. Days before her big live holiday special, Vivi wonders if the woman of her dreams could finally be hers.

<i>Mini Review:</i> This was cute, and the setup for the romance (previously established professional relationship between manager and talent blossoming into more) really worked for the short story format. The smut, while rife with really fantastic tension, was extremely graphic, which is not my personal taste. I will say that despite their long-time professional partnership, I still think their relationship progressed too quickly to be believable.

<i>Rating:</i> 2.5 stars.



<b>Only Yours • Sabrina Sol</b>

<i>Synopsis:</i> The Mayor of New York embarks on a Christmas Eve search to find the woman he loves before she gets away.

<i>Mini Review:</i> Based on the synopsis, I was anticipating that this short story would have the male lead running around the city to find his love interest. The reality was a lot less interesting than that; he had to look around a few rooms in a building, getting held up by a couple busybodies. That was it. The female love interest had very little characterization aside from being a stock character for the man to pine after and then achieve. She is the most forgettable character in this entire anthology, firmly shelving this romance as the weakest as well. The fact that these two never meaningfully interacted on the page until the end was even more to the detriment of this short story.

<i>Rating:</i> 1 star.



<b>Meet Me Under the Mistletoe • by Priscilla Oliveras</b>

<i>Synopsis:</i> Challenged by his friends to find a plus one to Nochebuena dinner or else, widower Hector Gutierrez isn't sure he's still got any good moves left. That is until he strikes the right chord with his son's music teacher, Cristina.

<i>Mini Review:</i> I loved Hector and Cristina as characters! They both had pretty solid motivations and interests outside of one another for a short-form story. While the conflict was believable, the way it was resolved was unearned and came out of nowhere. This left us with a lazy ending that felt hastily cobbled together.

<i>Rating:</i> 3.5 stars



<b>All I Want for Nochebuena • Alexis Daria</b>

<i>Synopsis:</i> When sparks fly between adult film stars Honey and Julie, Honey must work up the courage to invite Julie to her family's holiday party or risk losing what she really wants for Nochebuena—a chance at true love.

<i>Mini Review:</i> I was most excited to read Alexis Daria’s short stories in this anthology and was sad to say that I was rather underwhelmed by both. This was the first of the two. Honey and Julie both had discernible personalities, but their quick spark quickly became a relationship over the course of only a few days after meeting each other. The issue with this—which is an issue I have with a bunch of the stories in this collection—is that their physically intimate interactions take up so much page time that the rapid progression from acquaintances to lovers feels entirely rooted in lust. This does not a romance make. It also doesn’t leave me feeling like the HEA is going to last very long beyond the holidays. To top it off, the smut was also overly graphic in this one which, as I said before, is not my preference.

<i>Rating:</i> 2 stars.



<b>Santa's Eager Little Helper • by Mia Sosa</b>

<i>Synopsis:</i> Sarita's plan to confess her crush on a coworker goes awry when she's tasked with playing the Sexy Elf to his grumpy Santa.
Will she seize the opportunity to make Carlos's naughty list, or will she spend another Nochebuena alone? The

<i>Mini Review:</i> This one was fine. I thought the conflict between the love interest and the female lead’s brother was interesting, although it was resolved in a way that feels like the conflict is just going to come back around again later on. There was also one part that took me straight out of the story. While the two love interests are on a livestream for the female lead’s family business doing a cooking demonstration, the male lead makes a vaguely sexual comment out of nowhere and then the two leads segue back into family-friendly content immediately after. It was really fucking weird and felt totally unrealistic, given that it would not bode well for her family company for its employees to be making vaguely sexual comments when kids could be watching a professional business’s livestream.

The romance itself was pretty forgettable. Both Sarita and Carlos had very little in the way of substantial characterization separate from one another. They also had no chemistry, even when he was eating her out on the kitchen counter (which happened out of nowhere and resolved much the same…and was also super fucking unsanitary for a business in the food industry).

<i>Rating:</i> 1.5 stars.



<b>Nochebuena Dating Dare • by Diana Muñoz Stewart</b>

<i>Synopsis:</i> Eneida Lucero takes a second chance on love with the handsome musical director at her school-even if it means causing some Nochebuena drama with her ex-husband and familia.

<i>Mini Review:</i> This was the most egregious romance of them all. Eneida was an interesting character and I really liked her perspective at first. She was shy, bookish, and awkward, so she stood out in this cast of suave sexpots. However, the male love interest shot off a whole host of red flags after he weaponized his past hurts to force this woman to introduce him as her boyfriend to her children before she was ready (and after just ONE date and ONE night together). Ladies, I didn’t think this had to be said, but here we go: Don’t let anyone rush you or guilt you into incorporating them into your children’s lives before you are ready. It’s giving red flag. It’s giving predator. It’s giving jail. The fact that this man withdrew his affection and shamelessly guilted her for hesitating before she included him in her kids’ lives is fucking crazy, manipulative behavior. Their whole first date was giving love bombing the entire time, and I just could not believe Eneida folded. Her kids are still leering from the divorce. Her daughter is doing all sorts of insane things like pretending to break bones in an effort to parent trap her mom and dad back together. And this man - who is their musical director at school - wants to be introduced to them as their mom’s boyfriend? I don’t fucking think so. Holy shit. Jail.

<i>Rating:</i> 1 star.



<b>Love in Spanglish • Zoey Castile</b>

<i>Synopsis:</i> A heartbroken romance writer gets snowed in with a novel-worthy hero who may just make her believe in love again.

<i>Mini Review:</i> This was such a fun premise! A romance writer on a deadline gets snowed in at a cabin with a handsome stranger? Yes, please! The twist that the leads are inhibited by their knowledge of each other’s primary language was really interesting to see navigated. It made me want to brush up on my Spanish again. This one had a similar issue as a few other stories that came before it, though: the short timeline in conjunction with the quick relationship progression and the nonstop sex made it feel like their entire relationship is founded upon lust. Add to this that the two can barely speak each other’s languages, and this issue becomes even clearer. Still, this one at least had a buzzy premise.

<i>Rating:</i> 3.5 stars.



<b>To Us, You Are Perfect • Alexis Daria & Adriana Herrera</b>

<i>Synopsis:</i> Newlyweds Pasquale and Yamilette's Christmas is just short of perfect. The missing piece is their best friend Marcelo, who has loved them from afar for years. This Nochebuena, they'll finally complete their happily ever after.

<i>Mini Review:</i> This one was a collaborative effort by Alexis Daria and Adriana Herrera. Like I said earlier, I was excited to read Daria’s stories. Unfortunately, this was another underwhelming iteration. None of the three love interests were compelling. I also typically love a yearning, angsty narrative, but this one fell flat. The emotions lacked the setup to get me invested and keep me hooked. The poster board slideshow was also the most on-the-nose allusion to the film, <i>Love, Actually</i>, and it took me out of the story to have the film mentioned alongside this blatant rip from the source material. Overall, this was a boring story that fell flat.

The flashback sex scene also came across as very juvenilely written. It also rubbed me the wrong way that two of the characters kissing after the love declaration became a lust-forward moment, rather than a romantic one. I was excited to see a poly relationship be given a sweet, romantic spotlight, and instead, every remotely physical interaction was just a prelude for them to get aggressively turned on. Again, the overabundance of relationships rooted in lust was to the detriment of this collection.

<i>Rating:</i> 1 star.



<b>The Great Holiday Escape • Zoey Castile</b>

<i>Synopsis:</i> Gigi is always on the hustle, making sure her little sister has everything she needs including a big Christmas Eve fiesta with all their friends and family.
That night, Gigi receives an all-expenses paid trip to a luxe South Beach weekend where not one, but two beautiful strangers steal her heart.

<i>Mini Review:</i> Yet another victim of insta-lust resulting in insta-love. An MM couple brings Gigi into their bed for one night and they’re suddenly so in love that the men cancel their plans to go to Amsterdam in order to come home with Gigi to meet her family and friends at the Nochebuena dinner everybody has been alluding to the whole book. Gigi was a fun character and there was a lot of chemistry in the smutty scenes, but wow, did this one just completely tank in the most important category—romance.

<i>Rating:</i> 2 stars.



<b>OVERALL THOUGHTS</b>

I had fun reading this short story collection, especially because I chipped away at it in the days leading up to the holiday season. But now that I’m considering the merit of each individual story, I have to admit that this was a weak collection overall. Despite being billed as a romance, almost all of the short stories lacked true romantic feelings, and instead relied heavily upon lust and smut. Not my cup of tea.


<b>Audiobook Review:</b> Ramona Master’s narration was excellent. Her voice is so pleasant and soothing to listen to, and her voice acting was immersive. Gomez Pugh’s performance, on the other hand, was wooden and robotic, and detracted from the overall listening experience.


<b>OVERALL RATING:</b> 2 stars.


<i>A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Dreamscape Media, for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!</i>

This was a lovely, heart-warming collections of stories focusing on romance and finding connections with other people. I enjoyed how queer-positive this anthology was and especially enjoyed the stories about polyamorous love, as this is often under-represented in queer collections. The way the final story brought everyone together and tied off each happy ending was uplifting and gave a satisfying sense of closure for all characters.

This was beautifully written and narrated! I loved the inclusion of queer stories of all shapes and sizes in this anthology.

This was a really great anthology to listen to during the holiday season. Like all anthologies, some stories resonate more with different readers than others do. My favorite stories were Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, The Great Holiday Escape, and To Us, You're Perfect. I really liked how some of the stories had a bit of overlap in the characters and how they all came together at the end for the same nochebuena party.

This book had a good mix of straight, queer, (presumably) monogamous, and non-monogamous stories, as well as some that were much sexier than others. Overall, I thought it was a very good mix.

3.75/5 Stars

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for providing me with an audio advanced listener copy.

I have had my eye on this book for a while so when I saw an ALC up for request I grabbed it. I really enjoyed it overall, there were some stories I liked more than others which is normal for anthologies but I felt like all together they really worked well in the universe. My favorites were The Great Holiday Escape by Zoey Castile, To Us, You Are Perfect by Alexis Daria & Adriana Herrera and, All I want for Nochebuena by Alexis Daria. I did love getting to see a lot of latinx author’s writing styles and definitely will be picking some of their books up as I did enjoy most of them and the issues I had with them weren’t major they were just often because they story needed a bit more length to not be as rushed. Most of these were either insta love or insta lust so if you don’t like that maybe skip this one but if you don’t mind it in cases like this I recommend it.

I absolutely adored learning more about different latinx traditions and how they can differ based on where the character is from. This book overall was great for the holidays but maybe don’t read/listen around family as it was extremely hot and spicy in a lot of the stories. The narrators were amazing. I felt like Ramona Master and Gomez Pugh both did an amazing job differentiating all of the characters which was a lot as this was 9 different HEAs in one book.

I recommend this book if you looking for a short story anthology that is interconnected, romantic, spicy, and overall cute holiday vibes.