📣 a new spin on holiday magic

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 what would a silly nightmare of yours be? Mine would be not having coffee in the morning 😱.

The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch ended up being an adorable story where a fake dating situation implodes & some *real* holiday magic happens.

Prince Nicholas “Coal” of Christmas thinks of himself as a family screw-up. It’s true that he’s a charmer who gets in a bit of trouble now & again, but he also has a lot to deal with when it comes to his dad Santa’s expectations.

This Santa is controlling, & arranges a betrothal between Coal & Coal’s bestie. Things are more fraught when Coal realizes a third player is the man he kissed over a year ago: a mysterious man who turns out to be a prince of Halloween.

Coal is so gone for Hex, said Halloween Prince, & it gave me such good feelings. So did the way Hex builds Coal up, showing him all of the good things about him & how he adds to peoples lives.

The text message exchanges between the group of friends is so funny & cute, & the overall message of this anti-consumerism, joy & celebration & empathy-driven story is great.

4.5 ⭐️, out now.

Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.

[ID: Jess holds the book in front of a group of orange & pink flowers.]

This was such a fun twist on holiday magic and structure. As a Prince of a Christmas, Coal has messed up, massively. As he tries to fix it we follow him through some pretty important moments of his life.

I didn't really connect with any of the characters. The conflicts were paper thin. The description also definitely makes this seem like it's going to be enemies to lovers but it is very much not. The supernatural world aspect of this seemed to be barely thought out.

"The Nightmare Before Kissmas" by Sara Raasch is a delightful and imaginative twist on the beloved classic, blending the spirit of the holidays with a dash of dark whimsy. Raasch captures the essence of the original characters while introducing fresh perspectives and new adventures that keep readers engaged. The writing is both playful and evocative, beautifully balancing humor and heartfelt moments. Themes of love, acceptance, and the magic of the season resonate throughout, making it a perfect holiday read. Overall, this book is a charming tribute to the original that offers both nostalgia and new enchantment for fans of all ages.

Where do I start with this one??

Oh my god, this book is the cozy queer holiday read that I was needing. This book is billed as Red, White and Royal Blue meets The Nightmare Before Christmas and it doesn’t disappoint. This is a very cute story of Coal and Hex (princes of Christmas and Halloween) and figuring out what’s wrong with Christmas. I both read this with my eyes and then also listened to the audiobook and fell even more in love with Coal and Hex.

I really enjoyed reading this book and am excited to read the next book in the series, Go Luck Yourself, slated to come out in March of 2025 and features Coal’s younger brother Kris and the Prince of St. Patrick’s Day.

Tropes:
- dating competition
- faking it for sake of publicity
- kiss and ghosting
- magic of holidays
- lots of Christmas food and sweets
- rivals to lovers

If you loved Red, White And Royal Blue, then please give this a try!!

I enjoyed this cute little story of rival princes falling for each other. This was a cute way to see Christmas and a Halloween come together. I would have liked a bit more Halloween and a bit less rambling from Nicholas while he was “with” Hex but overall the story was good. I know we are left hanging at the end so we’ll want to read the next story but it was way too abrupt for me.

Oh this was such a lovely story. Couldn’t recommend it enough especially for the upcoming holiday season. Really great characters very well written funny fast paced

I am always very nervous about romance books, but there was no need for me to worry with this one. Despite a few one off cringey lines, this one was perfect. Each character was crafted so beautifully and carefully that they all felt like real people. Our main characters internal monologue was so real and relatable that it made me care immensely about him and everything happening around him. The plot itself was also extremely well constructed and compelling, I truly couldn't put it down. Was not expecting such a cliff hanger ending, I can't wait for the next one!

This book is everything I needed in a romantic comedy novel. Incredibly funny with great banter and romance. Love the whole thing!

Overthrowing Santa has never been so sexy.

Coal, the Christmas Prince, more like the Chaos Prince, grants every Christmas wish for a small country and causes an economic collapse. He runs to a local bar to drown his sorrows.

Cue his meet cute with a brooding stranger in a dark alley, complete with intense making out. His brother and best friend think that he is drunk and imagining things since the stranger disappeared without anyone else seeing him.

…Christmas, One and half years later

The darkly, mysterious stranger is none other than the Halloween Prince. The two princes are reunited when the holiday representatives are gathered to celebrate Christmas and the holiday festivities are about to heat up.

With Christmas Eve quickly approaching, Coal and his friends have to find a way to balance the distribution of winter joy to save Christmas and stop his father's manipulative plans for their holiday.

Recommended for: fans of opposites attract romances & Christmas romance readers

Content warning: profanity; sexy times; one bad Santa

I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking for more of a “fluffy” light title like Disney Channel level of drama but this was more Lifetime. Not bad by any means just not what I was looking for/my cup of tea. The love interests definitely hit it off immediately and there is a lot of politics with a slower plot. Give it a try! You will know instantly if it’s for you or not.

This was the delightful chaotic bisexual energy that I needed. This book had me laughing, crying, and feeling all of the emotions. The friendship group was fantastic, and I could see the growth that Coal went through during the book, and how he kind of noticed he wasn't being the best friend or brother, but that he did have his heart in the right place.

I can't wait for Kris's story next.

Red, White & Royal Blue meets The Nightmare Before Christmas. Coal Claus loved Christmas until his father, Santa, turned the holiday into a PR façade. One night Coal gets tangled in a drunken, supremely hot make- out session with a beautiful man behind a seedy bar one night.

As the heir to Christmas he’s commanded to do his duty: he will marry his best friend, Iris, the Easter Princess. A situation that has disaster written all over it. Things go from bad to worse when a rival arrives to challenge Coal for the princess’s hand...and Coal comes face-to-face with his mysterious behind-the-bar hottie: Hex, the Prince of Halloween. It’s a fake competition between two holiday princes who can’t keep their hands off each other over a marriage of convenience that no one wants.

A story that it’s perfect if you like the following:
⛄️Fake rivals to lovers
🎃The nightmare before Christmas
⛄️forbidden romance / secret relationships
🎃 holiday magic
⛄️family drama

This book was a delight to read, from the first moment the charisma of the characters grabbed my attention, from how they interact with each other to all the banter in their group chat, it was so funny to read. Coal and Hex were my favorite characters, not only because of their blooming romance but also because of all their talks about their courts and how they view the world and their expectations and struggles as heirs to their holidays. It kind of felt like an adult coming of age at times, kind of like Honey Girl.

I loved learning about the holidays courts and how they exist in our world and function with joy; the subplot of what the current Santa is doing to make Christmas the most joyful court and all the mentions Hex did about Halloween and Día de Muertos. This world has a lot to give and I can’t wait to go back to learning more about the courts in the next book.

🍂Thank you @coloredpagesbt, @brambleromance and @sara_raasch for gifting me a copy in exchange of a honest review.

This was literally everything I craved and wanted in a romance!!! The pining, the FLIRTING, the TRAUMA???? I fully wanted to reach into the book and give Hex and Coal hugs and then smoosh their faces together until they kissed forever. I loved Coal finding himself throughout the book, because he was only ever seen as the fuck up, even by his friends. AND THE SPICE??? Sara Raasch continues to amaze me (and I told her this in person) with how poetic and beautiful her spice scenes are!!! I cannot WAIT for book 2, and I will be feral for these boys, especially because my birthday is St. Patricks Day!!!

What an insanely silly and sweet book. I think if you're looking for a serious romance, this won't be your thing, but if you're looking for a blast of a time, go ahead and read this!

This was a delightful little queer holiday romance and I cannot wait to read more books by Sara Raasch.

I loved the world building that she created for this world of Holiday Royalty. It very much made me think of the world of Nightmare Before Christmas, which it was obviously inspired by. It added in some great political intrigue and a lovely romance built on a chance meeting and some wonderful chemistry.

Totally recommend this one! Loved it.

This book will draw you in the from the start with echoes of The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Santa Clause movie franchise vibes, but featuring a romance between the sons of different holidays as they are simultaneously being forced into other relationships to benefit their holidays. A real coming of age story as the heirs figure out how to come into their own and right things going forward.

This book is silly and delightful and more political than I expected, but one of my favorite books of the year. This is a must read for anyone who needs a little holiday joy and I can’t wait for the second in the series.

(4.25/5 stars)

The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch is a fun queer holiday romance with a lot of heart and the author's adult debut.

I initially picked this up because it was comped to Red, White, and Royal Blue meets The Nightmare Before Christmas and I was completely sold. I really enjoyed reading the former and the latter is one of my top ten favorite movies. Also the cover is AMAZING and the paperback has red sprayed edges!

I always have fun when books have mixed media elements, and in these books there are text chains between various characters. It was a little easy for me to tell that this was an adult debut; it felt like it leaned a little YA, especially at the beginning. But it's definitely an adult book, even if it leans on the New Adult side for me.

Overall this was very cute and there was great chemistry between both our MCs but also throughout their friend group. I loved the emphasis on the importance of communication in both romantic and platonic relationships, too. It's always great to see clear, explicit consent being sought for steamy reasons. I liked the worldbuilding and want to learn more about the different holiday kingdoms.

You might be asking yourself if this is a spoopy season book or if it is a winter holiday season book. It is absolutely the latter, but I think you could have a fun time reading this at any time of year. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

Tropes in this book include: forced proximity, forbidden, disaster bisexual

CW: toxic parent, absent parent, death of sibling (prior to book), processing grief

✨ ALC Book Review ✨
Thank you @macmillan.audio & @torbooks for my gifted copies of
The Nightmare Before Kissmas By Sara Raasch, narrated by Ellis Evans.

There is no secret, I love Nightmare Before Christmas (I have a village of black light houses on top of my shelves 😅) so when I saw this on Netgalley I HAD to request it. Next thing I knew it was in the catalog of offerings from Mac Audio and I scooped it up ! And I sure am glad I did! This audiobook narrator was enthralling, entertaining and got all the emotions rolling.

Sara Raasch is a new to me author and I already have the next in the series set on my TBR wishlist. The story follows Coal, Kris, Iris, Hex and many other characters within the magical realms of the Holidays.


I highly recommend this novel if you enjoy:
LGBT representation, family drama, self discovery, holiday politics and getting to the roots of Joy.