‘Merry Kismet’ is proof that the perfect notebook can change your life.

Preface: I feel like I need to write two different reviews for this book, one for readers who are the perfect audience for this book & one for readers with similar preferences to mine, who may not be the exact audience.

First Review: 4 stars (or more) for readers who love a book that reads like your classic Hallmark Christmas movie. And I’ll start by saying that there is absolutely nothing wrong with loving this kind of story! This is a very light & fun, clean romance that is dripping with holiday joy. We get Brie, the whimsical elementary school teacher who is firmly implanted in her hometown. And we get Rockwell, a corporate workaholic visiting this same hometown from his current home in LA. Rockwell is both Brie’s high school ex-boyfriend & super determined to never actually move back to this small hometown (he’s only visiting for Christmas). It even includes a little bit of magic in the form of a notebook which may or may not be able to make Brie’s holiday wishes come true. Tropes include second chance love (they dated in high school) & forced proximity (they are staying in their own halves of the same duplex).

Second Review: 3 stars (or less) for readers like me who may want a little more heat in their romance & who also might not enjoy stories of tight-knit families during the holidays. This book was a little too clean for me - holding hands was a huge deal & they didn’t kiss until well & truly near the end. Overall, it was a cute holiday romance, but I didn’t really like Rockwell (the MMC) & the forced family holiday games made my skin crawl.

Notes I took while listening included:
Rockwell literally has a “no nostalgia” rule. Lol k.
Cheesy family games that would make me want to jump off of a cliff.
I really need this man to charge his phone.

This book is festive, cute, & short. It may or may not be your cup of tea, but it’s a good addition to a list of holiday romances.

Audiobook Notes: I listened to ‘Merry Kismet’ as an audiobook & the audio quality was incredibly mismatched between the FMC & MMC points-of-view (different narrators). The FMC audio sounds perfect, like any other audiobook I’ve listened to. But the MMC audio is low-quality, muffled & sounds like it has that “underwater” sound. It makes the transitions between the points-of-view incredibly jarring & stops me from getting fully into the story. I also noticed a little glitchy-ness around the 12-minute mark of Chapter 21.

Thank you to NetGalley & Dreamscape Select for providing an advanced listening copy of this audiobook. All opinions & thoughts expressed are my own.

this book was super cute. an adorable christmas read. The perfect book to cuddle up to during the holiday season.

Merry Kismet was a sweet second chance holiday romance with a touch of magical realism and all of your favourite cozy tropes.

Brie received a kismet notebook from a kind stranger at the grocery store and decides to write down her Christmas wish. A second chance at a happily ever after with her high school sweetheart, Rockwell. When he suddenly shows up at her door Brie can't believe it! Is this fate?

I really enjoyed the chemistry between our two MCs Brie and Rockwell which made for a feel good hallmarky read.

Though part of a series, all books can be read as a standalone and this one is my fav of the 5.

Thank you Netgalley and the Audio Publisher for an ARC audio of Merry Kismet. I went on to listen to 3 of the others after this one, I enjoyed it so much.

Second chance romance meets hallmark Christmas movie magic. I really enjoyed this one, I read and listened to the audiobook. Such a fun sweet holiday romance. I would definitely recommend this one

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This book is a very sweet small town, second chance, Christmas romance. Brie has one wish on her list this year, her high school sweetheart Rockwell. When he randomly comes home after vowing to never return, she wonders if it’s kismet.

I really liked this book. It was light and fun. It kept me engaged. The characters were really sweet. I would definitely recommend.

I love when authors are able to have dual narrators and I liked both of the ones used in this audiobook. I thought they both did a great job with the story.

This was my first Christmas romance of the season and it really hit the spot for me because one of my favorite tropes is second-chance romance!! Brie still misses her high school boyfriend Rockwell Davenport who disappeared from her life 7 years ago without a word. When a store clerk gifts her with a notebook inscribed with "Kismet" across the cover, Brie decides to make a Christmas wish list for Santa and #1 on her list is "I want Rockwell Davenport for Christmas".

According to Brie, Rockwell Davenport is "The cinnamon roll type. The good guy who cares about everyone, respects women, and has the manners of a gentleman. He's a cinnamon roll. Ultra yummy, inside and out." But Rockwell never planned to return to Bearwood, ID when he left, he's only back to help a friend and get his mom to agree to move to L.A. so he can help take care of her.

I'm a sucker for a great second chance romance and this one roped me in right away. I loved the magical air about this one--how Rockwell was staying in the duplex next to Brie and that she was able to check off all the items on her wish list. I loved the dual POV and the small town traditions. This book had all the feelings of watching a Hallmark Christmas movie and it was just the right length--not too long, but not too short. Oh, and Brie was right--Rockwell is a cinnamon roll!!

If you want to get into the Christmas spirit, grab this book and curl up with your favorite comfy throw. You'll be wanting to string popcorn, trim the tree and watch Christmas movies by the time you finish reading it.

I received a complimentary copy from Dreamscape Select via NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you to netgalley, Dreamscape Select, Anneka R. Walker for allowing me to listen to this book. This book was just okay. I was expecting more but it never came.

Hi, I’m sorry but I didn’t like the story nor the writing style. I really think it’s a *me* problem and not a *book* problem though. I didn’t post review on social media

A sweet second chance romance, I enjoyed Anneka R. Walker's Merry Kismet. The banter between Brie and Rock is charming and pretty humorous.

The audio version is nicely performed by Elise Taff and Sean Yves Lessard.

Another holiday read! This one is more sweet and not so steamy.
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Brie and Rockwell dated in high school. He moved away but still crosses her mind.
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Brie makes a list after being urged to do so by a store employee who looks a lot like Mrs. Claus and basically manifests Rockwell back in town and knocking on her door.
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Their building of a friendship and then romance was sweet. Their banter was fun!
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RomCom with a magical element made for a great Christmas romance to warm your heart!
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I enjoyed the dual narration by Elise Taff and Sean Yves Lessard. They really brought the story to life.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

An adorable second chance romance with a hint of magic. Gave me hallmark movie vibes with the beginning of the kismet list and I loved how sweet it all was.

Part of a series, but it seems fine as a standalone. It was a Christmas story, with a bit of magic sprinkled in. A cute small town second-chance romance filled with Christmas spirit, fun holiday activities & adorable meddling family members proving Christmas wishes maybe do come true!

The audio version was easy to listen to. The female narrator was great, but the male narrator sounded off. Don't get me wrong- he did a great job- but the sound drove me nuts! Many times, I was adjusting the volume between characters because the male part seemed so muffled.

Overall, it's worth the read, especially during the holiday season!!

Thank you to #Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to listen to a free audio book in exchange for my honest review!!

I love a good feel good Hallmark Christmas movie vibe book and this is definitely that vibe. I also love a good second chance romance. In this book we meet Brie and Rockwell. They dated in high school but Rockwell broke Brie's heart when he broke up with her and left town. Now he is back and they are spending time together. Before he returned Brie made a Christmas list and put "I want Rockwell Davenport for Christmas." Do wishes really come true?

I liked the characters and how Rockwell wanted Brie reach her dreams. Brie was supportive of Rockwell and they complimented each other well. There was also cute banter between them that made me smile. Rockwell was sweet and even though he had his reasons for leaving, he felt really bad and wanted to make it up to Brie. Brie was a sweet and forgiving person and didn't hold any grudges.

The narrators were great and I love a dual POV in a romance book. 4/5 stars for narration, 3.75 stars rounded up for storyline of book.

Listen to this book if you enjoy:
* cinnamon roll MMC
* second chance romance
* hallmark movie vibes
* small town romance
* dual POV
* fake dating (sort of)

This audiobook will be released on December 20, 2023. If you are looking for a fun rom-com, check out this audiobook!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for an advanced copy of this audiobook. I voluntarily listened and gave an honest review. I have left a review of this audiobook on Amazon and Goodreads.

Here is the review on Goodreads:
I love a good feel good Hallmark Christmas movie vibe book and this is definitely that vibe. I also love a good second chance romance. In this book we meet Brie and Rockwell. They dated in high school but Rockwell broke Brie's heart when he broke up with her and left town. Now he is back and they are spending time together. Before he returned Brie made a Christmas list and put "I want Rockwell Davenport for Christmas." Do wishes really come true?

I liked the characters and how Rockwell wanted Brie reach her dreams. Brie was supportive of Rockwell and they complimented each other well. There was also cute banter between them that made me smile. Rockwell was sweet and even though he had his reasons for leaving, he felt really bad and wanted to make it up to Brie. Brie was a sweet and forgiving person and didn't hold any grudges.

The narrators were great and I love a dual POV in a romance book. 4/5 stars for narration, 3.75 stars rounded up for storyline of book.

Listen to this book if you enjoy:
* cinnamon roll MMC
* second chance romance
* hallmark movie vibes
* small town romance
* dual POV
* fake dating (sort of)

This audiobook will be released on December 20, 2023. If you are looking for a fun rom-com, check out this audiobook!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for an advanced copy of this audiobook. I voluntarily listened and gave an honest review. I have left a review of this audiobook on Amazon and Goodreads.

Here is the review on Goodreads.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6032405734

This was too Christian and too cheesy for me and the male POV was pretty insufferable. I can wholly admit that this is probably a lot of people's preference in books but I won't be reading another in this series or anything else by this author.

Merry Kismet is part of the Gift-Wrapped Romance Series, but can be read in any order or as a stand-alone. I listened to it on audio and it was such a fun and quick holiday read. The story is a sweet holiday second chance romance with loads of Christmas charm. The setting is a small town where everyone knows eachother during a beautiful Christmas cozy snowy season. There's a touch of holiday magic when Brie is given a notebook & told to write down her Christmas wishes and they begin to come true. If you're looking for a quick, delightful holiday read then you're going to love this one. It was just what I was looking for this season.

This was a super cute not too cheesy Christmas romance book. Quick, easily consumable read. Perfect for the holiday. Thank you for the ALC!

Loved this Christmas romance. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC listen.

This story is like a mug of hot chocolate, it melts your heart and has the fuzzy warmth that I associate with Christmas. The characters of Bree and Rock are both so lovable! I love the clean romance in the book. The bouyant character of Bree and the tender nature of Rock made their relationship even more joyful.

I appreciate how this story is not just about Christmas magic, but also represents the troubles of real life. This Hallmark romance is a perfect Christmas romance.

I was not that big a fan of the narrators though. Sometimes their narration felt disjointed and forced. Other than that I loved this book.

3.5 stars [liked it]
This was a quick and fun holiday read. It’s part of a series but can 100% be read as a standalone. I loved the characters and the storyline. I loved the dual POV and narration was good but the male audio quality was poor / muffled so I would recommend checking this one out on kindle or paperback instead of audiobook.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Sweet little romance with no real drama, no spice, no triggers other than divorce and a parent in a hospital. And those, minor.

I enjoyed this one and loved both main characters.
And I can't get enough of the 2nd chance hs sweetheart trope. 😂

I received an ALC (Advanced Listener Copy) of this audiobook from NetGalley & Dreamscape Select.

3 Stars ⭐⭐⭐🎧

Coming back home after seven years isn't easy for Rockwell, but he wants to convince his mom to move out of this small town. She refuses. But Rockwell meets up with his Ex. Brie is still just as sweet and sly as ever.

They came up with this idea to make a list of what you want for Christmas. And as much as Rockwell doesn't want to be home, he's getting ideas. Brie is changing his mind.

Is it Kismet? Or is it love? You decided.

This is a quick little Christmas story that will warm your heart.

The narration was okay; I found Sean Yves Lessard to be quite delightful.