Merry Kismet is a gem of a holiday read.

Readers will meet Brie and Rockwell. Brie is a teacher at her hometown high school. Rockwell is a business man who now lives in the LA. On an unsuspecting night, Brie creates a Christmas list outlining her wish to be with her and past love, only for him to show up on her doorstep. And he’ll be living next door to her over the Christmas break.

Thank you to #NetGalley for and advanced audio version of Merry Kismet

Brie just wants this Christmas to be different than all the others. She’s tired of being around her family, the only one without a partner. And she’s still can’t stop thinking of her old love Rockwell.

Rockwell hates coming back to his hometown. He wants this Christmas break to be his last visiting and hopes he can convince his mom to move to LA with him.

These two together are sweeter than caramel corn. Brie’s nicknames for Rockwell show just how close she still feels to him. Just by the touch of her hand, Rockwell gets mushy insides for Brie. Their families want them together, their friends want them together, but the two of them….can’t figure out how to BE together. Throughout this book, we find they are equally still very much in love with each other.

This book is great for a happy, Christmas time romantic read. You’ll feel warm inside after reading. It’s like a warm cup of the richest eggnog on the shelf.

My favorite scene was the cat in the middle of the night. That cemented the sweetness and safety Brie and Rockwell shared with each other.

I couldn’t rate it 5 stars because I personally enjoy an insane amount of spice. But this does have a realistic amount of tension for the setting.

I’m interested in reading more of this series

This was such a feel good Christmas romance! Brie is feeling down when she gets a Kismet notebook and writes down her Christmas wishes, one of which is her ex boyfriend, Rockwell. Surprisingly enough, he shows up at her doorstep not too long after. He is in town to convince his mom to move with him to LA to be closer to better medical care, but as the holidays go on and they spend more time together, they are both thinking that maybe they are meant to be. I love that there was no real second act break up and that they worked through typical communication issues without there being a big falling out. This is a very typical, holiday romance. I loved the dual audio POV's

On a night where Brie is alone and feeling down, she unexpectedly receives a kismet notebook to write her Christmas wishes in. When she wishes for Rockwell and then he shows up on her doorstep, she thinks there is something to this and it has to be fate.
Rockwell is just in town to convince his mom to move back with him to LA. He doesn't want to be stuck in this small town, but it seems like fate, and their friends have other ideas. They know the two of them are meant to be, and it is time that they open their eyes and Rockwell stops being scared and goes for what he wants.
Brie has a list of Christmas things that she is hoping to do with Rockwell and after he finds the list, he can't help but want to fulfill them.
This was a sweet second chance Christmas romance and no second act break up!
The male POV audio seemed like it was messed up though, so that was a little odd, but I got through it by adjusting the volume. He did sound underwater at times or in a very large room that echoed.
Thanks to Dreamscape, Anneka Walker and Netgalley for an early copy.

Dual narration for the MCs, each listened to at 2x speed. The voice for Brie, our female MC, was perfectly fine. The voice for Rockwell, our male MC, sounded echoey and tinny. It was tough to listen to the male narration.

This is a cute, quick Christmas story. Brie and Rockwell, or Breezy and Rocky if we go back to their HS nicknames, were once kindred souls, but Rock ended things abruptly and then avoided his hometown for several years afterwards. A wishlist in a (maybe?) magical notebook brings Rock back to town, and both he and Brie search for closure.

The characters are cute. Not a ton of depth to any of them, but the lighthearted development is what keeps the story on pace and holiday friendly. No super steamy scenes. No horrifying language. Just an enjoyably simple story.

Overall: 4 stars

I'll tell my students about: supernatural?

**Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for the free ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

Merry Kismet is a second-chance romance story that is a great holiday read. Brie makes a few Christmas wishes, one being for her ex-boyfriend Rockwell. Rockwell broke Brie’s heart in high school and Brie never knew why.

Rockwell comes back home and he ends up renting the house right next to Brie. When he arrived he knocked on Brie’s door to get the key. Brie thought this could be her Christmas wish come true. I am not a big fan of second chance romance but this one was great. The whole story I just wanted Brie and Rockwell to get back together.

This is a holiday romance that I recommend but I don't recommend the audio version. Both Elise Taff and Sean Yves Lessard do a great job at narrating Brie and Rockwell but there was such a severe difference in audio quality. Taff was loud and clear while Lessard was very muffled and much lower. Constantly having to change the volume every time the narrator switched took me out of the story at times. I understand this is an early copy and I hope this is fixed by release because Lessard's narration would have been great if the audio was cleaned up.

This was a GREAT story to listen to! AWESOME narration! Great main characters. The plot was easy to find. The story was engaging and easy to follow. Will be purchasing this book. Shout out to Netgalley and publishing for allowing me to listen and review this story.

4 STARS!

Do you believe in kismet? This sweet Christmas second chances rom com is centered around the idea of kismet, or fate as it is better known, and whether or not it is real. Ultimately, I believe that you can make your own kismet, but you'll have to read the book to see what our main characters decide. Fun coincidences and circumstances lead our main characters into spending much more time together, but can they overcome the fundamental differences between them or are the doomed to repeat the past? A sweet romance that will have you giggling and sniffling at different times and sometimes the same time that will entertain you for hours and make you feel like you need to reach out and touch base with your circle of friends and family. It's definitely a great book to read if you want a feel-good romance! The dual narration on the audiobook did such an amazing job of helping to bring the story to life so if you are an audio fan, this one should hit your must listen list as well!

A small town sweet second chance romance. After a strange encounter, Brie makes a wish for her high school boyfriend who broke her heart to come back into her life for she has never gotten over him. Moments later, he is knocking on her door. They begin the will they won’t they dance that leads exactly where we know it will.

This started out very cute and magical, with a mysterious women giving Brie a notebook that says Merry Kismet and insisting she write a Christmas list. On her list she writes the name Rockwell, her high school bf that abruptly left her and left town after he found out his dad was living a double life the day he graduated high school. Right after completing her list, Rockwell shows up on her door. That was where things started to go downhill for me. I don't typically like high school love second chances because they tend to lack character development. Like, 7-10 years ago, xyz happened, and you're still hung up on it. Cool. So, Rockwell finds out his dad sucked and yes that was brutal, but it takes him way too long to realize he isn't actually his dad and doesn't have to chose a solitary life.

I found myself tuning out from the story yet not missing a thing in the plot. Brie at first is trying to get closure from Rockwell then abruptly decides the list means everything and it will all come true. It was a very tame romance, I think the characters spent like five minutes each debating a single kiss and what it meant. Also, I don't know what happened with the sound on the audiobook for this but the male narrator was like, mumbling and quiet so I had to slow down for his chapters and crank the volume, then I could speed back up and turn the volume down for the female narrator. I do appreciate the ARC, thank you NetGalley and the publishers.

“Her kiss tastes like Christmas morning. Full of love, joy, and peace.”

SWOON

This it y’all. This the *perfect* Christmas happy ever after story. Anneka perfects the sweet tension and longing the main characters have for each other, but without any spice! I would recommend this book to everyone who loves Hallmark movies, Gilmore Girls, and Pride and Prejudice. Rocky is the perfect modern day Mr. Darcy.

Merry Kismet by Anneka R. Walker. #MerryKismet #NetGalley

Coincidence or kismet? Such a fun holiday listen. It had some great moments that would be a great book club discussion.

I was lucky enough to listen to the audiobook of Merry Kismet. I enjoyed this book. It put me in the Christmas vibes. There isn't any spice if that is what you are looking for but this book is a small town, second chance romance. The story follows Brie and how she's not over her first love and when he shows up at her door. She couldn't believe it. If you want to read a clean story with all the Christmas feels and no spice i would highly recommend this book

Merry Kismet is the perfect second chance holiday book. It brings in all the good vibes, with family and friends and the craziness of the holiday season.

✨ If you believe in the magic of Christmas and fated romantic meetings, you’ll love this.

Bonus - takes place in Idaho and even mentions my hometown of Spokane!

Great narration as well. 👍🏼

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for this advanced audio in return for my honest opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub date: 20 Dec 2023

Rockwell is back in Bearwood to convince his mother to move to LA with him. Brie has three wishes for Christmas but it depends on Rockwell’s intentions. Can kismet bring them back together again or will he leave her again after a magic Christmas? Sweet rom com and better audiobook with Elise Taff and Sean Yves Lessard and their magic with all the emotions, feelings and inner thoughts from the Characters.

Second Chance Hometown Christmas Magic (:

BRIE
Things I should never have done:
1. Put my ex-boyfriend’s name on my Christmas wish list.
2. Grin dumbly at him when he shows up at my door.
3. Think it's kismet that he's staying on the other half of my duplex for the holidays and means we’re meant to be together. Because we’re not. He broke my heart in High School and never looked back.

ROCKWELL
Things I will never do:
1. Move back to Bearwood.
2. Repeat my parents’ mistakes by getting married.
3. Kiss Brie Holland under the mistletoe. I know how good her kisses are, and if I want to make sure number one and two don’t happen, I’m going to have to keep her safely in the friend zone until I’m out of Bearwood for good.

Thanks NetGalley, Dreamscape Select & Anneka R. Walker for the ARC of this super cute Christmas story.

Merry Kismet
A Sweet Romantic Comedy
By: Anneka R. Walker
Narrated by: Elise Taff, Sean Yves Lessard
Publisher: Dreamscape Select / Anneka R. Walker
Release date: 12-20-23

Bri and Rockwell were high school sweethearts, that is until Rockwell’s family is torn apart on the night of their high school graduation. Rockwell leaves without even a trace of an explanation to Bri. Ten years later, Rockwell is back hoping to convince his aging mom to move to L.A. with him. Simultaneously, Bri writes a Christmas list with Rockwell at the top of it.

While I found this to be a cute holiday romance, it was just a little too cheesy for my taste. Predictability is often a characteristic of rom-coms, and I'm usually okay with that. Still, with this story, I knew what would happen from the beginning, making it harder for me to get into the book fully.

I listened to the audiobook of Merry Kismet, narrated by Elise Taff and Sean Yves Lessard. I enjoyed both voices, but the chapters narrated by Lessard (Rockwell) clearly had a quality issue. It almost sounded like the recording was muffled or underwater. It took a few minutes at the beginning of each of his chapters to forget about the poor quality of the audio.

This would be a great Christmas read for fans of Hallmark movies.

Thank you @netgalley and @dreamscapeselect for the ALC.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.25⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Holiday romance📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
An adorable and cozy romance

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Second chance romance
All the Christmas vibes
Grumpy/sunshine
Hallmark vibes
Daul POV
Friends to lovers
Forced proximity
Small town traditions
Accidental fake dating
Slight magical aspects
Crazy cats

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
A quick and fun read
The narration was great

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
I didnt really feel the chemistry

Thanks NetGalley and The audio publisher for an advanced audio copy.
This was a fun, quick audiobook perfect for this time of the year.
The book has a very little pinch of magical realism with the kismet wish notebook. The main female Bree writes down her Xmas wishlist. She wishes for a happily ever after with her ex high school boyfriend Rockwell.
Rockwell left the small town and Bree behind the day of his high school graduation and never looked back after a family devastation. The last thing he expected was to find himself back in the small town and keep running into Bree. Soon is strong resolve to keep his distance starts to wain.
The story was cute. Easily listened to it in a day at work. It's a clean romance which is usually not my thing but it didn't feel unnatural.
A small criticism is that the story is narrated by both a female and male actor and the male recording sounded like he was in a tin can.
Overall a lovely sweet story of second chance love.

Merry Kismet was such a sweet, second chance romance. I really enjoyed the relationship and the characters. It's a short romance at just over 200 pages, but the development was really well done and nothing felt too rushed or too dragged out. And I loved that there was no 3rd act drama and communication was prioritized. The Christmas aspect is not overwhelming, but people who love really Christmassy romances may find this isn't enough for them. Overall, a very enjoyable read, and I recommend to fans of clean romance and second chances.

I listened to the audio and the narration was fine, but the speed and volume of the narrators did not match and I had to adjust speed and volume whenever the narrator switched. Hopefully this gets evened out before publication.

Thanks to Dreamscape Select, Anneka Walker, and Negalley for an audioARC in exchange for an honest review!

listened to this via audiobook and it is a great holiday romance read. this is a second-chance romance told through dual POV by Bree & Rockwell. I really liked their chemistry and that they had a history, because it made their rekindled trust and love for one another that much better. the writing flowed so easily, which made listening to this a breeze. it’s a short audiobook and perfect for the holiday season to listen to while decorating, working, shopping, etc. I’d categorize this one under the friends to lovers, small town and second chance romance tropes.