I listened to an audiobook performance by Elise Taff and Sean Yves Lessard and I loved every part of the narrative, generally I don't like it when there is dual pov and the female voice does a falsetto or imitation of the male voice and vice versa, but these two narrators solved it very well, and I really enjoyed the story through their voices
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Merry Kismet is a second chance romance, between Brie, an elementary school teacher, and her High School boyfriend Rockwell who mysteriously appears on her doorstep after she writes his name on a Christmas wish list given to her by a very mysterious lady
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From that moment Brie tries to become disenchanted with the love she continues to have for him while she has a little hope for that future that could not be. While they live together as neighbors in the middle of the town Christmas festivities
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I really enjoyed the story although I had a hard time understanding the reason why they had ended the relationship and why Brie wasn't angry with him if he had disappeared years ago without a word, but then everything run smoothly
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I enjoyed the beautiful scenes painted by the narrations and each interaction of the protagonists that keep make me smile.
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Thanks to Anneka R. Walker and Dreamscape Select for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion

This is my second read in the Gift-Wrapped Romance series of standalone books and it was another enjoyable cozy Christmas story. I really enjoy second chance romance and this one had that touch of Christmas magic that we love in these stories. I was so afraid that Brie was going to get her heart broken again but Rockwell pulled through. The third act was handled really well and I enjoyed the sweet moments between the main characters. I just wanted a little more of their backstory and more info in the epilogue on Rockwell’s current situation.

I listened to the audio of this on an ALC from NetGalley. I thought both narrators did a great job bringing the characters to life though the sound quality on Rockwell’s chapters needed some work.

Content Notes: Infidelity (side character), kisses, sick parent

I love this book! Love that they had a male and female narrator! The story is so sweet and has a great flow! Can't wait to listen to more from her.

I really enjoyed Brie and Rockwood's story. This book is perfect for fans of second chance romance and friends to lovers. A great Christmas read.

Rating: 4/5
I received an Audio ARC for my honest opinion.

This is part of a series called Gift-Wrapped Romance, but it can be read as a standalone.

I thought this book was cute because it had all these tropes: second chances, forced proximity, small town, dual pov, and kinda fake dating. Oh, and how can I forget Christmas.

I thought the plot was cute, and well done for being a Christmas romance, I thought the characters were fun and easy to relate to. I thought the plot was not forced and it did flow in the manner of second chances, but I did have a hard time with connecting to the characters because I felt that there was a lot of attention on their past relationship and not really who they were now. However, other than that it was a fun and easy read for me. With a great pace and it didn’t linger on subjects that didn’t matter.

Brie was a great MFC, I loved her energy and her love for Christmas. I liked that she doesn’t just give up on things but wants to understand the why, and how it feels apart so she can be better prepared if it ever happens again. I loved that she was all into the kismet and was doing it for all the right reasons but really you know her inner feelings when listening to her talk and she really does believe in fate.

Rockwell there were times that I really was annoyed at the guy, but I can understand if you have someone that has an oh moment too soon it can ruin the book but at the same time I was like “look dude, pull that head of yours out of your butt and see what is right in front of you”. He was a great MMC for this romcom with being there for Brie when she needed it and being there when she didn’t even know that she really needed him.

I did get the audio of this book and I don’t know if it’s just me, but I loved the female narrator, I thought did an amazing job bringing Brie to life. However, the male narrator felt that something was off, I want to say that it sounded like he was muffled. I know that I was able to get used to it after awhile but to have the male character come out clear and clean like the female one would have made this audio a lot better for me.

I will still recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a cute, fast paced, Christmas romcom.

I want to thank NetGalley and Deamscape for the opportunity to review this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced audio copy of this book.

DNF
I don't want to give this a negative rating because it certainly wasn't bad by any means at all, but the writing style was just the teensiest bit too cheesy for my taste and the plot was fairly predictable. Again, these aren't bad elements, and I think they could honestly sell a lot of people on this book because a lot of people love that. I don't hate Hallmark Christmas movies but this leaned pretty heavily into that, so if you love cheesy Hallmark movies that are predictable but fluffy and fun I think you will absolutely like and enjoy this! Just not completely to my taste. The audio narrators did put on wonderful performances too!

I'll give it a 3/5 stars to be fair, but it could easily be a 4-5 star for someone else!

Well. I hated it.

Take a super annoying lady that triggered my secondhand embarrassment constantly.
And add the MOST BORING and HORRIBLE guy in a nosy ass town, pining and whining for 200 pages.
Definitely didn’t feel like a healthy relationship nor could I understand the attraction…

Also HP reference, casual sexism and fatphobia.

I’m so glad it’s over.

Thanks NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for an advanced listening copy.

This was such a cute Christmas romance! It’s an amazing choice to get into the holiday mood, just like a Hallmark movie!

This book was HORRID.

I hated both MCs. I found the dialogue to be so robotic and unnatural. They had personalities of wet napkins and their struggles were just so pointless. I hated the plot, and every minute I spent reading this book.

The male narrator also needs some new sound equipment because the audio quality was just terrible. It made for a very uncomfortable read since the sound was so bad.

I could tell this author was religious and probably thinks this is the epitome of romance but they are deeply mistaken and I won't make the mistake of reading anything else by them. Ever.

This book was okay. It was cute but it wasn’t really anything special. I loved the cover, so I had to give it a shot. While this book was cute and definitely had great Christmas vibes, I just didn’t see much of a connection between the characters. I feel like most of their connection was from their past relationship years ago but that they never really got to know the new versions of each other. I liked both of the characters and thought they were both really sweet and great people. At times Rockwell was frustrating because he couldn’t see how he was different from his father and I was hoping he would get more closure on that through the book. I loved the small town vibes and thought that was all very sweet and christmasy as well. I think I just needed a little more from the relationship. I thought the whole notebook and Christmas list aspect of the book was really cute and I could totally see this book being a fun hallmark movie.

I also listened to the audiobook version of this book. The female narration was fantastic but the male narration almost sounded like he was speaking underwater and made it so much harder for me to focus on the male perspectives. It was an issue I have never had with an audiobook before.

Overall, this was a cute and wholesome Christmas read but don’t go in expecting too much depth of development from the characters.

Tropes:
- second chance romance
- neighbors
- closed door
- forced proximity
- no 3rd act breakup
- fake dating (kinda?)
- small town
- dual pov
- first person

Merry Kismet
By Anneka R. Walker
Narrated by Elise Taff & Sean Yves Lessard

Book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
Narration ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5/5

This Christmas book was like a magical Hallmark movie. I could not get enough of it. I was smiling and laughing through the entire thing. It was a sweet and clean rom-com with a second chance romance for high school sweethearts Brie and Rocky. Gosh these two were absolutely stinking adorable, I was rooting for them from the start. Their banter and quick wit, won me over quickly. Their chemistry was undeniable and they are without a doubt my favorite book couple.

This book was just a feel good romance, it literally brought me so much joy. My absolute favorite scene was at Brie’s family Christmas party. It was so fun and made me wish I was there, I’m a little bit jealous of all the games. I need someone to invite me to a party like this one.

The only reason I have the Narration 4.5 stars instead of 5 is because the males voice sounded a bit muffled or like he was quite a bit away from the microphone. The performance by Elise Taff & Sean Yves Lessard was top notch. The audiobook is full of wittiness, a touch of magic, adventure and Christmas fun. The Narrators Elise and Sean were a great choice for this fun and fast paced performance. This audiobook will keep you engaged and laughing out loud.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. I love a cute holiday themed book especially around Christmas. It gives me all the feels. The book was very cute and fast paced. I thought the characters were bland and didn’t spark my attention nor did i think their romance was very exciting. It’s definitely a good book for the season but not my favorite in the romance. Also as an audiobook listener, the male voice was very far from the mic and I had to keep adjusting the volume between the two characters.

This was such a sweet second chance, holiday romance. I really enjoyed Brie and Rockwell’s story. It was cute to see them both try not to fall for the other the second time. I love that there’s no third act breakup too.

The audio is great too. Elise Taff and Sean Yves Lessard were great as Rocky and Brie, and I think it added so much good to the experience.

Merry Kismet was a fun second chance romance between two former high school sweethearts. These two characters were so close and connected, first as friends and then eventually as girlfriend and boyfriend, before Rockwell broke Brie’s heart and left town.

It was so fun to see these two be thrown back into each other’s lives in this sweet and swoony tale! I liked that these two were able to be kind to each other and even tried to establish a bit of a friendship again. Of course, there were feelings right below the surface for both of them, and it was fun to see those romantic feelings begin to build. There were many fun and heartwarming moments between these two in the story.

I listened to the audio book and liked that there was both a female and a male narrator. I enjoy when audio books have dual narrators. At times, the male narrator’s voice had an echoing quality to it and sometimes the volume would drop when it switched to the male narration. I still enjoyed this story a lot and found it to be a fun second chance romance.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

1 of 5 Gift-Wrapped Romance Series with multiple authors / but standalone read
Cabin Crush by Kasey Stockton
Merry Kismet by Anneka R. Walker
Solo for the Season by Martha Keys
One Small Secret by Esther Hatch
Jingle Bell Jilt by Mindy Strunk
Second chance romance Bri & Rockwell former High School sweethearts.
Little ear safe read, no spice, Hallmark Christmas love story in a book
Perfect length, for a busy holiday season, this book will definitely put you in the Christmas mood, it has so much Christmas vibes, and literally “Christmas Magic”!

Merry Kismet is a very sweet and clean romance. I really enjoy books with a dash of magical realism and this one was enjoyable. Bree and Rockwell were likable characters and I like that their chemistry was pretty blatant from the beginning… you really didn’t need to guess what was happening in this story. If you enjoy second chance romance that’s clean (no spice), this one is sweet like a Hallmark movie. I received this book as an ALC through NetGalley and easily enjoyed in one sitting. Both narrators were great and told the story well. If you are looking for a Hallmark type of listen that you really don’t need to pay close attention to, to understand what’s going on, this one might be for you! Merry Kismet audiobook is out tomorrow 12/20/23!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for the ALC and the chance to listen and review it honestly.

Happy reading!

The sweetest second-chance romance! I loved this cute, cozy little holiday read. Brie and Rockwell are so perfect for each other. Inseparable high school sweethearts, but during senior year, Rockwell decided to break up with Brie and leave town without a goodbye. Fast forward to the present, Brie still misses him. 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. #1 on her list? - "I want Rockwell Davenport for Christmas". Enter Rockwell, back in town, visiting for the holidays. This book will have you in all your Christmas romance feels. *Part of a series, but can be read as a stand-alone!

If you are looking for a short holiday romance. This is for you. The romance was addictive and I enjoyed it so much. I would highly recommend this book.

Can you really manifest Christmas wishes into being just by writing a list to Santa? This story definitely makes you wonder! Brie and Rockwell are given a second chance with each other, but you begin to think that maybe life will get in the way. This book is so cute! I definitely recommend if you want a light Christmas story.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this short, sweet story. I really enjoyed this in audio format and the female narrator, but the male narrator’s audio quality was far inferior and it was a bit distracting. The characters were likable but there wasn’t anything about the story that gripped me. It was the perfect length for a simple holiday romance.