Merry Kismet

A delightful holiday read. It has all the cozy Christmas vibes. It kept me company while I was sick in bed. I loved the female narration and while the male narration was good, I kept becoming irritated at the tunnel sound and having to constantly change the volume.

I would still recommend the auto with a warning to not have much going on around you or while driving because I the need to fiddle with the volume.

Content: side character infidelity, hospitalization of a loved one

Merry Kismet is a fun holiday romance. It falls into the second chance romance trope since Brie and Rockwell were dating in high school.
🎧 I listened to an audiobook performance by Elise Taff and Sean Yves Lessard. Each did their POV, and both voices in their chapters. The chapters alternate between Brie and Rockwell POV, so the narrators change chapter by chapter. The audiobook was easy to follow. I liked the narrators.
Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Select for the opportunity to listen to Merry Kismet.

”Closure dating. It’s gotta be a thing.”
4⭐️

Merry Kismet is truly at the top of my holiday reads for this season! This story has all of the makings of a big picture Christmas rom-com, rather than a cringey Hallmark movie. The characters and their decisions are actually realistic and the plot feels natural instead of rushed. Walker’s writing is precise, clean, and had me kicking my feet like a middle schooler.

Brie: FMC - former dancer turned school teacher, involved citizen, and hopeful romantic.
Rockwell: MMC - small town boy turned big city finance guy (I think??), playful, and of course, hot.

Tropes: second chance romance, small town romance, forced-ish proximity.

This book is a bit out of my normal romance choice because I definitely gravitate to spicy books, however, I adore this clean book! The plot, character chemistry (dual POV is so fun), and holiday magic in this book just simply brought me joy. I also started and finished this audiobook in one afternoon, I ate it up dude

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for allowing me access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Merry Kismet by Anneka R Walker
Part of Gift-Wrapped romance series by multiple authors.
Contemporary second chance holiday romance. Alternating POV. Closed door/Clean.
Brie is gifted a notebook and told to write down her Christmas wishes. She’s always believed in Kismet or Fate so she does as instructed and wishes for a second chance with her school boyfriend. As soon as she’s finished writing her wishes, he’s knocking on her door.
Rockwell left Bearwood disillusioned with romance and marriage when his parents split. He’s back in town to convince his mother to move closer to him as she gets older. Living temporarily in the duplex next to Brie has him remembering all their good times together.
Brie and Rockwell fall into old patterns of holiday traditions and find themselves realizing how much they’ve missed the other.

Charming and delightful holiday romance. Brie is a bit naive but it works well with her as a school teacher. Together, they make the traditional endearing.

🎧 I listened to an audiobook performance by Elise Taff and Sean Yves Lessard. Each did their POV, and both voices in their chapters. Performances were filled with emotion and easy to follow. The male recording had a bit of an echo and a tin can sound and changing from male to female and back made that tonal difference noticeable through the first half of the book. Either I got used to the difference or it was cleaned up in the second half as I didn’t hear the echo after that. The story was easy to follow in audiobook and a charming addition to the holiday season.

Books in the series
Cabin Crush by Kasey Stockton
Merry Kismet by Anneka R Walker
Solve for the Season by Martha Keys
Jingle Bell Jilt by Mindy Strunk

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher.

Predictable and a bit too cheesy.
The male narrator sounded like he was on speakerphone in a car. Very hard to listen to.

2 ⭐️. This was not the book for me, I wanted to DNF it really bad but it was a Netgalley arc and I felt I had a duty to finish since it was so short. This is a second chance Christmas love story, which misses all the marks. I didn't get any fun Christmas vibes. The dual POV doesn't work because both MCs are not believable, interesting or mature. I can't ever believe that these two have so many memories and hearts still pine for each other after 7 years apart, since they were high school sweethearts. I don't remember anything from high school and I'd hope I wasn't still hung up on the same guy and have had zero growth for any of my issues after all that time. It maybe would have worked better 1 to 2 years post high school. Yikes. Please skip this one.

Also, this was an audio arc, listened between 1.75x-2x. The audio was also pretty bad, the speaking pace of the fmc and mmc are very different and the mmc voice is a lot lower in volume. It was not a great listening experience.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

This was a quick and cute holiday romance but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I liked the quick pace of the story and the setting but it really felt like something was missing as I listened to the audiobook. I realized that I didn't really feel like emotions were being conveyed well. The characters personalities felt flat and one dimensional as well. I think it's hard to pull off such an emotional plotline with a second chance romance and this just doesn't manage to. That being said, it was still pretty cute and I don't regret reading it.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have made a review post on Instagram that I have linked below. I will also copy/ paste my review here:

I have some mixed feelings about this. It was ok. There were some cute and heartwarming moments. It was quick to listen to at less than 6 hours. I didn’t really feel connected with the characters or buy the romance though. Maybe if it was a longer full length book I would have enjoyed it more. The most annoying thing about this listen was the female and male narrators spoke at different volumes, so I constantly had to adjust the volume, as there were short chapters. There was also a weird quality to the male narrator’s voice recording that should have been edited too.

Merry Kismet is a holiday themed second chance rom com short story. Brie, who is the female main character, writes down her Christmas wishes in a notebook gifted by a Mrs. Claus lookalike. They are all related to her ex high school boyfriend Rockwell. Surprisingly, like magic, Rockwell shows up knocking on Brie’s doorstep shortly after. Brie and Rockwell spend time together throughout the holidays, working through issues related to their past as well as rekindling old feelings.

If you are looking for a sweet, no spice holiday short story, I would recommend it. But, I would say go for the actual book and not the audiobook version.

⭐⭐💫 2.5 stars. Second chance, squeaky clean, Christmas romance with plenty of whimsy and a hint of magic. This was a feel good, predictable, Hallmark-esque book that I think would appeal to readers who value gentle romance. It was a little basic for me though.

Brie is content as a teacher in her hometown, but has not been immune to adjusting her life plans. One lonely holiday evening she is given a notebook and told to write down her Christmas wish list. Reluctantly she decides to do it, but if she's going to wish for something she decides to be specific and wishes for her high school boyfriend back.

Rockwell is a bit of a Grinch with some family/hometown trauma he hasn't gotten over. He comes home to wrap up some family business and hopefully never return. But he soon finds this goal difficult once he runs into his high school girlfriend, Brie.

I received an advanced audio copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own and voluntarily provided.

This was a darling small town at Christmas/ second chance at romance story!

Story is told in Dual POV.

Brie and Rockwell were high school sweethearts. Brie thought they’d end up together but family complications make Rockwell flee their small town leaving Brie behind.
Years later he is back in town for Christmas but will be stick around?

Listened to the audio and loved it! Feel good, small town Christmas romance.

If 2022 gave us the <i>Christmas Escape</i> series, 2023 gave us the <i>Gift-Wrapped Romance</i> series of clean Christmas companion romances that can be read in any order.

<I>Merry Kismet</i> is the second in that series and follows Brie, a teacher in the small town, and Rockwell, who has returned to his hometown to convince his mother to move back to LA with him so he can better care for her.

<b>The Narration:</b>
I listened to the audiobook for this and I really liked the female narrator. I’m not sure if it’s because I was listening to an ARC, but the male narrator never started his chapters with the chapter number or name of the character. I also wasn’t a fan of the higher pitched voice he used for when the female character was speaking, but on the whole I thought he was pretty good.

<b>The Story:</b>

This is a second chance romance filled with plenty of Christmas spirit and festivities! I loved wassail night, and all of the other traditions of the small town. I liked both Brie and Rockwell as characters as well, and for being fairly short, their romance was pretty well developed. It got a little more serious than I was expecting, especially at the end, but it also had some cuteness and humor in spots. I would definitely recommend this to fans of clean romance and Hallmark Christmas movies!

I really did not like this book or the male narrator or the quality of the male narration. It sounded like echoish.

The story was a bit too predictable too cliche christmas book and very yt.

[3.5] i wasn’t sure what to expect going into my first ever audiobook but i really liked this one! it was a really cute, cosy christmas read, and the friendship between the fmc’s friend group was really nice to see. i did find the mmc a little bit “icky” at times but overall i enjoyed this!!

thank you to netgalley and dreamscape select for the advanced reader’s audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Merry Kismet" by Anneka R Walker delivers a delightful holiday romance, entwined with the magic of Christmas fate. This audiobook, narrated by Elise Taff & Sean Yves Lessard, serves as the perfect companion to warm up the holiday spirits, painting a cozy picture of a nostalgic journey of rekindled love.

The story follows Brie, a first-grade teacher, and Rockwell, her high school sweetheart who vanished from their small town years ago. A chance encounter and a mysterious gift named 'Kismet' spur Brie to pen her Christmas wishes, unknowingly setting the stage for Rockwell's unexpected return. As their paths collide once again, Bearwood's gossip mill churns, weaving a tale of old love and second chances. The linear storyline unfolds smoothly, guided by endearing side characters and the whimsical meddling of mothers and unexpected feline arrivals. "Merry Kismet" embraces the quintessential holiday activities, from winter carnivals to festive parties, encapsulating the seasonal charm listeners seek.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Select, Anneka R. Walker, and the editorial team for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC in audiobook format and to you, my reader, for taking the time to read this honest personal book review.

If you are interested in other of my book reviews, make sure to follow me on GoodReads! #MerryKismet #NetGalley #LifeLongLearning

I really enjoyed this bit was a quick and fast read to get me into the holiday spirit. Definitely going to recommend

Merry Kismet is a cutie, second-chance story with a holiday twist to it and the perfect audiobook to quickly get you into the holiday spirit. Merry Kismet follows Brie and Rockwell, high school sweethearts who seemed to very end game. That was until Rockwell left Brie and their small town of Bearwood, ID behind and moved to LA. A true best friends to lovers to strangers situation.

Fast forward and we see Brie, now a first grade teacher, at her local grocery store. While checking out, the store clerk, described in almost a Mrs. Claus manner or just your casual Christmas elf, gifts Brie a notebook that reads 'Kismet' and suggests to write her Christmas wishes down. After getting home and conferring with her friends, that is exactly what Brie does.

Enter Rockwell, who returns to Bearwood seemingly out of the blue. Rockwell returns to help out a good friend and SURPRISE, is staying next door to Brie while he is home. His return does in fact turn some heads and get the town talking, which is only ramped up once he and Brie are seen hanging out.

The storyline was very linear, you weren't left confused at any point because of jumps. The side characters really helped helped to move both the plot along and Brie and Rockwell back together...but what could you expect from a cat coming out of nowhere and the always beloved meddling mothers?

I've been looking for an easy read to get me into the Christmas spirit and Merry Kismet was that read. It has all of the stereotypical holiday activities that you would think of when comes to the holiday parties: winter carnivals, stringing popcorn, and family Christmas parties featuring ugly sweaters, just to name a few!

While Merry Kismet is technically part of a series, it can be read/listened to very easily as a stand alone without causing any confusion,

My only piece of negative feedback, and the reason I docked a point, is because the audiobook is a dual narration. When it came to to the narration of Brie, the recording was clear and had the standard of a typical audiobook, very high quality. However, when it came to Rockwell's parts, the audio was very drastically different. It sounded like the narrator was reading his story parts on the phone. It was much lower quality and was very noticeable when switching from Brie's parts. TLDR; inconsistent recording sounds.

Merry Kismet by Anneka R. Walker is a cute second chance holiday romance with a few funny moments.
Brie is given a journal from a Mrs. Claus to write her Christmas wishes in. Her wish appears on her doorstep a moment later after writing it.
The story is clean and told in a duo POV with a HEA. This book is available now, so go get yourself a copy. It’s a great holiday read!
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️.5/5
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this Arc.

2.5 stars for Merry Kismet. I have to be honest in my review and say that this wasn´t my cup of tea. The book itself it´s not bad but I found the story predictable and sort of lame.
For me, second-chance romances are the most difficult to write. Conveying all the emotions that brought to the first break up and to the eventual getting back together. If the premises for this are not strong than the plot it´s a flop for me.
In the case of Merry Kismet, I´m torn. On one side I really liked the beginning of the book, but from 60% in I was struggling to keep reading and moving forward.
The characters are boring and too close personality-wise that I really don´t see the spark between them.

Regarding the audiobook, I really liked the voices, but I think there is a need to adjust the volume of the male voice. He was so much lower than the actress and not in timber.

Anyway, I´m sure this is a very subjective review and many people will love this book. It is cozy and sweet.

Thank you, Dreamscape Select and NetGalley, for allowing me to listen to Merry Kismet by Anneka R. Walker. It was a lovely second chance, a small-town Christmas love story. The story is short, but sweet, it also has that touch of "magic" because of the "kismet" part, but I think it mas because of Brie who seems to daydream alot. I'm happy the story was during Christmas time and felt Christmasy at some point. I dislike when the story should be a holiday book and turns out it is everything but a holiday story..

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ALC of the audiobook.

I quite enjoyed the story, very quick and cute. Love a second chance holiday romance (no cheating!) in a small town. Regarding the audio, I really liked both narrators but the production quality was pretty drastically different that it was jarring going from a well produced female narrator to a quieter and more echo-y male narrator. That's my main criticism.