This is the perfect sweet closed door romance for the Christmas season. Sprinkled with magic realism and second chance romance. I enjoyed the story and the narration. I did find the male voice was a bad recording worse at some times

Merry Kismet by Anneka R Walker was a sweet, clean Christmas second chance romance. The audio was narrated well and helps draw you into the story.

Brie still lives in her home town and is ready for some things to change. Her ex (Rockwell) knocks on her door, unknowingly, because he is staying in the other half of the duplex while trying to take care of some family matters. From there, Brie is intrigued and Rockwell is doing all he can to not follow in the path of his parents, even though the feelings are still there.

Thank you NetGalley for my copy of the audiobook. All opinions are my own. #NetGalley #MerryKismet #AnnekaRWalker

This was my first experience with this author and I listened to the audiobook version. It was a very sweet and clean, second chance romantic comedy and was a delight to listen to. It is part of the Gift-Wrapped Romance series, and as I have not read any of the others in this series, it was easily read (listened to) as a standalone.
Brie and Rockwell were once high school sweethearts but circumstances caused them to separate. Years later, Rockwell is now back in town for the holidays and Brie is hoping to get the closure she never had so she can move on. Brie and Rockwell find themselves falling into their old holiday patterns and the feelings that were once buried deep down come bubbling back to the surface and they both realize that as much hurt as they went through, they never stopped loving each other.
A very charming and heartwarming holiday romance that is sure to leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling and a smile on your face. The story was entertaining and the narration was also well done, each narrator putting feeling and emotion into each character's voice.
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and am providing my review.

when brie finds her ex-boyfriend (the one she wants a second chance with) living on the other side of her duplex, she thinks it has to be kismet. rockwell is only in for a little bit to look after his mom and doesn't want to stay in the little town. the trouble is is that the longer he's around brie, the harder it'll be to leave.

a sweet little second chance romance. i enjoyed it and the narrators did phenomally!

Finding a book that fits what I need when I need it is like the ultimate reader win. This was it.

The characters were likable, believable, and praise be (spoiler alert) no third act break up!

I can’t wait to listen again next holiday season.

(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me this free audiobook. All opinions are 100% my own.)

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I absolutely adored this book! It was a perfect blend of serious and quirky Christmas drama.

The story was great, I had a slight issue with the audio book as the narration had a tendency to go up and down in volume and quality dependant on whose point of view it was. I assume this would have been fixed before publication.

Overall I gave this book a 4 star, I couldn’t stop listening to it.

Such a cute, sweet rom com!! Perfect for the holidays! Loved the voices of the characters in the audio recording!

Merry Kismet is a second-chance romance and it part of the Gift-Wrapped Romance series. It is a sweet and clean romantic comedy.

Brie and Rockwell were high school sweethearts, but Rockwell broke up with Brie and never wanted to return back home. Fast forward and now he's her neighbor. Brie is cheerful and sweet, while Rockwell is grumpy and back home to get a job done and head back out again. Brie uses her sweet charm to break down Rockwell's walls and the two are working their way back to each other.

This was a sweet holiday romance. I enjoyed the narrators and the storyline very much.

Thanks to NetGalley and Audible Audio for an advanced eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed this whole series, and this was my first audiobook for it.

I am not a big second chance romance reader, but this one had me laughing and enjoying the holiday magic all the way through. I am going to be reading more from this author, because the banter and situations made this an amazing read.

Merry Kismet
by Anneka R. Walker
3.5 Stars
This is Part of a series but can be read as a standalone.

Brie and Rockwell, Were high school sweethearts, but during the last year of school, Rockwell was having a hard time with home life and decided to get out of town and break Brie's heart in the process.

Now several years later, Brie is a first-grade teacher, and one day after school she meets a clerk who looks like Mrs. Claus who gives her a notebook that says Kismet on it and informs Brie to write her Christmas wishes in it.

After Brie writes down a few things, All of a sudden there's a knock on the door and Rockwell has come back to town. As Brie and Rockwell reconnect and learn things about each other, will they find their way back together or is this romance done for?

This was a cute quick Christmassy read, gave me hallmark vibes, and was perfect to listen to while baking cookies. Dual POV, Grumpy Sunshine, and Second-chance Love. I didn't have to read all the books but had them added to read around Christmas time again.

Thank you, Net Galley and Dreamscape Select for the e-ARC for an honest review

This sweet second-chance romance was set in a small-town community and had all the feels that go along with small-town life.

Brie has never left town and is teaching in the same school she went to as a child.

Rockwell left town on graduation night and never looked back.

The problem is, he broke her heart when he did. They had made plans together. They were going to make a life together. But after learning a hard secret his family had kept hidden, he simply couldn't stay.

Now he's back and hoping not to be long. But everything (and everyone) seems to be conspiring to get Brie and Rockwell back together again. And the only thing standing in the way is him.

This story had so many elements that I enjoy. My one complaint is that in the audiobook, the the audio levels weren't set the same between Elise Taff and Sean Yves Lessard's alternating chapters. As a result, Sean's voice was often soft and muffled in comparison to Elise's.

Overall, though, it was a great story and I'm thankful to Anneka R. Walker, Dreamscape Select and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

A very cute Christmas story. I don’t usually like Christmas romances because they end up being so cheesy but this one didn’t get too bad. In fact, I found it witty and hilarious at points. Plus, I love a good second chance romance.

🌀Synopsis
Brie is making her Christmas list. No need to check it twice though, she knows what’s at the top- her ex, Rockwell. Which is why when Rockwell shows up at her door one night she’s a little shocked. Only, he’s not in town to see her. In fact, he’s only here to convince his mom to move closer to him in the city.
Fate, or something, keeps pushing them together. From cats to dinner invites, they start to get close again. Rockwell starts to realize he might still have feelings for her. Is it possible that Brie will get her entire Christmas list this year?

This was cute audio book I listened to for the holidays. Story is super cute and easy to follow along with in audio while doing something! I love the idea of Kismet - where you write down exactly what you want and it happens!

Thanks, NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book!

Brie and Rockwell's story was a fabulous one to enjoy this Christmas season. I read the book and then also enjoyed listening to the audiobook!

Brie had me smiling when she received her notebook at the grocery store and then when she started writing in it and things started happening! I'm trying to be spoiler free so you can enjoy all of the fun surprises. It just felt so magical and I loved experiencing the magic right along with Brie. And then having Rockwell join in the magic later on just made it an adorable adventure.

These two were high school sweethearts and some life happenings had Rockwell leaving and never wishing to return. But when he does he's kind of grumpy and ready to finish up what brought him home and get out of there. But some Christmas magic and the sweet and cheerful Brie will tear down the walls he's put up around his heart. And there is plenty of laughter and swoony moments along the way!

Content: Clean. Some kisses and nothing further.

I purchased my own ebook copy and received an audiobook copy from the publisher, Dreamscape Select, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

If you’re looking for a cute, mostly drama less, hallmark movie type feel of a book. This is it. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the author wrote 5 of these and released them all within weeks of each other. They are each an Independent holiday story. It was cute and fun and festive. A short listen/read. It’s hallmark except the man is the business guy from the big city going back to his small hometown where his ex is.

I just love a cozy, wintery romance with holidays vibes and family time. This book has all those and more. It’s a funny and swoony second chance romance in a small town, with a just a touch of magical realism and all the Christmas vibes you can hope for. I thought the chemistry between the MCs was great and the whole thing had a hallmark feel to it. The banter was really charming.

I listened to this book thanks to an advanced copy from Dreamscape Select (all opinions are my own). The female narrator was fantastic. I loved listening to her and thought she did an amazing job! The male narrator had potential but his sound booth sucked. It gave all his parts this weird quality… like he was in a tunnel. His voice was great but I found that aspect of it really distracting.

I listened to the audio version of this book, and had some issues with the narration of the MMC. The sound and pace were off. This was a closed door, second chance romance for two high school sweethearts brought back together by 'kismet' and a Christmas wish. It had the Hallmark small town feel with lots of local Christmas events. Some of the antics were a little too silly for my taste, and the resolution was a bit too quick for me after how dramatic the MMC made out his plight to be.

This was a sweet, fun take on a second chance Christmas romance. I enjoyed the plot, the families and friends, and the Christmas cheer sprinkled throughout. I listened to the audiobook, and the male narrator sounded like e was talking through a tube - the audio quality was totally different than the female narrator and it was quite distracting for me. Over a fun listen!

There’s something so magical about the Christmas season where anything can happen. A chance encounter at the grocery store with a Mrs. Cashier Claus leaves Brie with a Merry Kismet journal and when she writes the Christmas wish list of her heart on its pages, enchanted things begin to happen, beginning with her one true love appearing on her doorstep just moments later. Listening to this story was pure Christmas magic!

Anneka Walker does such a brilliant job of incorporating romance, humor and swoon. There were so many moments that made me laugh out loud and my heart was dancing. But what really captivated me was the character growth and the interactions and flirtations between Rockwell and Brie. I swooned hard for this second chance romance and the flutters just kept coming with every page turn.

If you love small town traditions, Christmas magic and snow, second chances, family reconnections, crazy cats, toe-curling mistletoe kisses, picnic dinners on blankets, and wish lists, this is the story for you!

Content: mild romance

*I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and were voluntarily given.*