A very charming twist on the holiday romance, this book following a romance between the prince of Christamas and prince of Halloween is emotionally resonant, charming, sultry, and a perfect holiday read. The book does seem to bite off a bit more than it can chew, building a whole holiday-based aristocracy with complex politics and a larger-than-life big-bad who is nonetheless easy enough to take down with some reason and a bit of a push. There is more in here that I would have liked to see developed - the interactions with grief in particular, as they shape much of the emotional resonance of the novel. But the romance is charming and the magical-realism of it all brings a nice touch to the story

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley and Bramble for this advanced copy.

This story was so much more than I expected it to be, and there were so many little things I loved!
- The fantastical element that the holidays are royal families!
- The text group chat names between Iris (the Easter princess) and the Claus boys!
- An extremely funny Marvel reference — a conversation about Loki, Chris Hemsworth and Cate Blanchett (aka: the sexuality equalizer) from “Thor: Ragnarok.” #iykyk
- The description of the library in Claus Palace! I’d die to see that in real life!
- There is an Elf on the Shelf prank situation that made me LOL!
- The chemistry between Coal and Hex! 🥵

Read this if:
- You love Christmas and Halloween
- You love love
- You enjoy sarcastic, witty banter with LOTS of steam.

I did feel like the ending wrapped up a bit too quickly, with some major unresolved situations. I know this is a series, so I’m hopeful the sequel provides the clarity we need.

I had so much fun reading this book! It was really funny, and a great seasonal read. I'm really looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

A fun holiday book, with a unique setting and a cute romance! I loved the intricacies of the plot, with the two main characters as ‘holiday royals’. The main character was funny and sweet, and seeing the two MC’s fall for each other was a delight. A nice book to read in the winter!

🌈Queer rep: MM main couple, bi male main character, bi female and male secondary characters.

4.75 stars - knocking off that .25 because honestly the ending felt unresolved. Or did I miss it? There was such a build up with the other holidays and the wedding and the coup and the father's anger...but then (view spoiler) Maybe that's why there's going to be a book 2 and it will pick up right where this left off.....?

Anyway, I really enjoyed this. I loved that each of the characters was so well fleshed out and we really saw each of their personalities. I loved that we really saw that world and the magic and a bit of how the holidays really work, both with the 'royal families' and down to the citizens. Coal and Chris' relationship as brothers was so sweet and I loved that they weren't the perfect family. We actually saw what was driving 'Santa' to have issues and with these issues, there are real people who are affected by them, real reactions. I just thought this was so well-done!

This story is told in first person by Coal, the prince and heir to the current Santa. Coal remembers a time when he learned about the joy of Christmas at his father’s knee, but since his mother left them, his father has changed. Coal wants to impress his father and bring joy and giving back to the holiday instead of commercialism and acquisition, but his attempts so far have been embarrassing failures, the last of which ended in his confiding in a stranger in an alley behind a bar and experiencing the most exciting kiss of his life.

Coal’s first-person narrative is broken up with the occasional text chain with his brother, Kris and their friend, Iris, the princess of Easter. This all culminates when Santa expects Coal to do his duty and marry Iris to join the holidays and powers together for the good of the Christmas kingdom. Unfortunately, Coal is still hung up on his alley-crush and Kris is in love with Iris who may or may not return those feelings. Then a rival from the Halloween kingdom arrives and Coal is expected to compete for Easter’s hand with Hex, the guy from the alley behind the bar.

I really enjoyed the characters in this story. Coal, Kris, Iris and Hex are caught up in a political quagmire of court manipulation and power plays. I loved the sibling bond between Coal and Kris. They both reacted differently to the loss of their mother but support each other in their own way. I also enjoyed Coal’s friendship with Iris. They are caught between being friends, reconciling themselves to their parents’ wishes, and wanting to rebel against them. At times one more than the other, and it flips occasionally as the story progresses. Adding in newcomer, Hex, gives the group an interesting dynamic, showing their strengths and fun sides.

I enjoyed the comradery of this group just as much as the romance. I found the story creative and entertaining. I look forward to more from this author in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bramble for a copy provided for an honest review.

Loved it! Laughed, cried, celebrated the morons, could not be more excited for this series to continue. I think the world that was built here has so many paths it could take. It's got the vibes of The Tarot Sequence, very high praise, but a much lighter version. Hex was a really fun counterpoint to Coal, and the ways they both encouraged each other to grow and learn to trust each other was so sweet.

WITH THAT SAID, this book was marketed horribly IMO. "Red White and Royal Blue meets Nightmare Before Christmas" was obviously there, but so much more of this book was devoted to Coal's relationship with his father, the reigning Santa, and the commodification and cheapening of their Holiday, along with all kinds of underhanded political machinations. There were really uncomfortable points where Santa felt super similar to Trump in terms of the level of worship for him from the general citizens, like they were propagandized enough to never see any negative about him. And I'm not saying any of this because it was bad, because it wasn't, I think it was honestly done really well. But it did the book and the readers a massive disservice by marketing this as a cute holiday romance and nothing more.

I’ve always loved the idea of the personifications of different holidays meeting (perhaps clashing and then teaming up, perhaps getting right to the teaming up part). Through in a little gay romance to move the plot along and all the better. The Nightmare Before Kissmas, the first entry in Sara Raasch’s “Royals and Romance” series (the sequel, Go Luck Yourself, comes out in March) is silly, giddy fun from start to stop. This does not mean that the emotional stakes aren’t real – they are, and range from living up to your parents’ expectations to realizing your parents are not as infallible as child-you thought, to making amends to people you didn’t realize you were hurting – but those stakes are surrounded by a comedy of errors. And all the main characters, male and female, are hot and very human. This is less Nightmare Before Christmas and more Red, White & Royal Blue for the soon-to-be monarchs of the holidays. I liked that we meet Nicholas “Coal” Claus, prince of Christmas, at essentially rock-bottom and slowly get to see why his brother Kris and best friend Iris (the princess of Easter) support him and love him despite all the ways he self-sabotages himself under the weight of the family legacy (and a decent helping of generational trauma). I enjoyed meeting Hex, the prince of Halloween, before we really know who he is, and learning about his own family pressures. These four main characters are the core of the book, although it is narrated in the first person by Coal so most of our views of the other holidays are from his (sometimes skewed) perspective. I also like that most of the drama stems from Christmas’ ongoing, ever-quickening, encroachment of the other holiday. Raasch is not afraid to make that a clear point of contention in this fictional world, as it is for many people in the real world. (If you know me, you know how much I love Christmas – but not to the point that we’re putting Christmas trees up in October and taking them down in March.) While very few are mentioned by name, the author acknowledges that there are a lot of holidays observed and celebrated during the winter months.

I enjoyed this enough that I’m intrigued to see where the sequel, focused on younger brother Kris, will go in exploring holidays other than Halloween, Christmas, and Easter.

I think this book is definitely meant for a certain demographic of readers: romance, sci-fi, slow-build. However, I found this story pretty boring and I had a difficult time staying engaged. I feel like there was a lot of political discourse between the holidays and the romance was lacking. Perhaps if this story had multiple points of views instead of just Coal’s, it would have been more engaging.

I'm always up for something new from Sara Raasch so I was excited to see she was branching out into a holiday fantasy romance and the premise was intriguing and despite the 3 stars I did kind of like it but for me the characters just didn't grab me the way I like them to in romance. I'm totally intrigued by Coal's brother Kris though that is appearing in book 2.

The play on names was a bit too cutesy for me ( Coal, Kris for xmas / Lily & Iris for Easter / Hex for Halloween) but this was an enjoyable, lighthearted read that fit my holiday reading mood.

Thanks for the chance to read this early!

I really wish I would have read this one sooner because THIS WAS SO CUTE. I am already planning a reread for next October because I can't think of a better time to read this!

I really liked the concept of holidays almost like sovereign nations with their own royalty, and the currency and what fueled them was joy. Like to create political turmoil over that was pretty clever.
Coal (Nicholas) is a Prince of Christmas, and is arranged to marry the Princess of Easter. Neither of them want this. They’re best friends, but that’s as much as they love each other. Prince Hex of Halloween shows up to court for Princess Iris’ hand, though he also doesn’t want to actually marry her. It’s all political.
Many moons ago, Coal made out with an intriguing stranger in a back alley. Surprise! It was Hex. So while the two are supposed to be battling it out for Iris’ hand, they’re actually into each other. So we’ve got a bit of forbidden romance going on here.
So while that is going on, turns out Santa is being a grump and trying to ruin Christmas. So there’s a lot of trauma and healing in that area, that does become a big point of contention. I never thought I’d hate Santa!
It also gets spicy between Hex and Coal. They both also have powers that deal with their holiday so that was pretty nifty. Overall, I did like this book.
I found Coal a little bit annoying, but that could have just been the voice the narrator used for him and/or part of his growth arc. I loved Hex though, and I thought their opposites attract worked. They both mean well, and just went about things differently. Coal has a really good heart, but also just constantly gets rejected and is labeled a screw up. So a lot of the novel is also him learning to make a difference, his way, which is a change for the better.

I can’t wait to read how Kris’ story goes in the next book!

Thank you Bramble for the physical copy!

Although I initially thought this was just going to be a fluffy, light romance, I didn't actually mind the shift into a more political storyline between Christmas and the other holidays. There was a lot of great dialogue, lovely scenes, and lore that was built in this world, and for the most part, I was intrigued.

This was just short of four stars for me, and I think what was missing was more of the initial "Holiday magic" that is sort of introduced near the beginning (with the way the Christmas prince brothers can travel, and a little bit of conjuring), but there's a severe lack of it in the middle. There's bits and bobs here and there but I really wanted more in that regard.

The other part is just wanting a little more romancing. It did feel a little "insta-love" in a sense, which is ok, but again, I just needed a little more.

I'm super excited to start the next one as I really liked Kris' character and curious to see where it goes! Hoping for more romance and more "holiday magic" by the characters in the second book.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Always love reading new romances featuring queer characters, but was curious how I'd feel about this holiday fantasy take. I loved it! The characters were surprisingly relatable and incredibly endearing. A perfect wintertime read. Can't wait to read the follow-up!

Unfortunately life and chaotic schedules kept me away from this one for far longer that I would’ve liked but I’m so glad I was I’m finally able to get to it. This was an absolute seasonal delight. While fun filled and cute it wasn’t pure fluff and had depth and has joined the ranks of a great holiday read.

The Nightmare Before Kissmas is a delightful and heartwarming queer romcom that blends holiday magic, royal politics, and sizzling romance.

It follows Nicholas (Coal) Claus, Prince and Heir of Christmas who used to love Christmas until his father, the reigning Santa, turned their holiday into PR facade and cheap commodity. Coal, known for being irresponsible and always joking, tried to do something good once, but it ended in disaster.

Ever since, he’s kept a low profile. When his farther suddenly announced his engagement with his best friend, Iris - Princess of Easter, who is crush of his younger brother- Kris, Coal is determined to find an escape. But then Prince of Halloween, Hex Hallow, challenges Christmas for Iris’s hand. Hex is also the same man Coal kissed in a drunken stupor two years ago, a moment Coal has never been able to forget.

As Coal and Hex spend more time together, their attraction becomes undeniable. Amidst their growing chemistry, Coal uncovers a manipulative scheme by his father that goes against everything Christmas should stand for. Now, Coal must decide how to navigate this fake engagement, confront his father’s deception, and figure out what his relationship with Hex means for both his holiday and his heart.

I loved the concept of Holidays royals with seasonal Holidays having their court and playing politics, and their power comes from how much more joy it creates. And of course, Christmas is big and powerful Holiday.

Writing is engaging and fun with lots of banter, Christmas jokes and puns, Christmas activities, sizzling chemistry and mild politics and tension. Themes of healing, grief, courage, and standing up for what’s right are central to the narrative. I rooted for main characters from the beginning.

Coal is a smart, fun-loving character who hides his real emotions behind a joking façade. He deeply cares about Christmas but struggles with self-doubt and fear of failure. His vulnerability, his longing for his father’s love, and the hurt caused by his mother’s abandonment is touching.

It was amazing how meeting Hex and being with him healed the hurt he felt from his parents, how his love for Hex bought out the best quality in him, take responsibility of undoing the damage his Holiday did so far, find courage within him to stand up for what he believes in and fight for his Holiday and people he loved.

Hex was broody, serious, mysterious and responsible, exactly opposite of Coal. He didn’t wanted to marry Iris but was in competition for his Holiday. I loved how put together he is throughout the book. He is wise, observant and dedicated to his Holiday and his love for his holiday and family shines through out the book. I didn't understand why he was helping Coal until the reason was revealed in the climax and after knowing his full story, I liked him even more.

What I loved the most is friendship and sibling relationship. Bond between Coal and Kris was like twins. It was amazing how they understood each other. Kris is caring and brilliant, always stands with Coal in all situation and Coal is protective of Kris. The way their parents separation changed their family dynamic and impacted their relationship was touching.

Iris plays a key role in their dynamic. She is as funny as Claus brothers but is always compliant, keeping her image clean by never rebelling no matter how much royal politics hurt her. But I liked her for pushing Hex and Coal together and for standing with Coal in his plans. Their dynamics, group chats, and banter reminded me of Red, White and Royal Blue.

Romance is a kind of insta lust/love but I liked that author took time to develop. Chemistry between Hex and Coal is sizzling and sexy. There were many lovely moments between them. I especially loved those almost kissing scenes during the Christmas activities. All those scenes felt magical.

Climax is predictable and I was expecting it happening as soon as Coal put forth his plan but I wasn’t expecting it resulting in third act break up and the reason was unexpected. I mean one moment they were sure about their relationship and next one chickening out. But I liked how things changed after that.

End is satisfying with Coal finally standing up to his father, Hex coming to his senses, and Kris finally coming out with his feelings but that was kept behind the scene and I know why after reading the snippet of the next book.

Overall, The Nightmare Before Kissmas is an engaging, heartwarming, and magical Holiday themed queer romance with an amazing concept and lovable characters.

This is one of my favorite holiday books of the year! Not only did it give cute and cozy vibes; it also had the perfect amount of social commentary regarding politics and capitalism.

I love Coal so much. His emotions bleed through the pages, making me feel the range of emotions he felt. The representation throughout the novel was also something I adored. For example, Hex is Latine, his mom represents Dia de los Muertos and he goes to university in Mexico. There is also wonderfully, chaotic bi-rep that had me squealing with delight. If you like spice with your romance, this is sprinkled throughout and is done with the utmost consent presented by both parties.

Overall, it's a fun and thought-provoking holiday read that will squeeze your heart in the best of ways!

This was adorable!!!!!! The perfect holiday read. I will def be reading more from this author. Doing a reread in December so I will add to my review as well


I am still so obsessed and so ready for the next one

I’m looking forward to the rest of this series. I love how it was laid out and the implications of what has happened in this one.
It did read a bit slow in the beginning but once it picked up it was really enjoyable.
The audio was enjoyable and the narrators added to the characters.