Thank you, NetGalley and Bramble, for the e-arc!
OK that was the cutest and most amusing holiday romance! In this book, we follow Coal Claus, the prince of Christmas, after an unbelievably huge PR nightmare and drunken makeup session with a hot stranger at a bar! In order to make up for this monumental mistake, he is convinced/forced to marry his best friend Iris. But when the Halloween court takes issue, a challenge is set up. And the Halloween prince will be given a chance to fight for the princess's hand! The catch? The hot stranger was actually Hex, the prince of Halloween, and Coal would rather vy for his hand.
This was such an enjoyable read. The promise was fun, spicy, and just the perfect setup for an entertaining Halloween. There was instant chemistry between Hex and Coal, and they pair so well together! Watching how down-bad Coal was for the Halloween Prince was so amazing; literally, he fell, and he fell hard. I love it when one of the romantic weeds it's just so smitten and in love with the other person! Overall, the romance was really solid, and the spice and flirting was the chef's kiss. There were so many moments I was laughing out loud over Coal's inner monologue.
The plot was a perfect balance for the romance. It didn't take it too seriously, which I appreciate. While there were definitely some heavier moments and some more emotionally charged stuff, it was still a light and fun book to read.
Now things of note! This did have a third-act breakup; I am not mad at it, but I am noting it because I know a lot of people don't love this. This follows the pretty standard romantic comedy formula. I really like it: It was comforting, enjoyable, and easy to read! Will definitely be a fall/Halloween time staple

The Nightmare Before Kissmas was a surprisingly emotional love story. I fell in love with Hex, Coal, and their relationship and I thought that the way that each holiday was represented was extremely interesting. This book is a great read for the Fall!

Coal is the first prince of Christmas. A trickster, a jokester, a closeted dreamer; but ultimately what he is, is tired of his father’s controlling attitude. Hex is the antithesis of Christmas. As a prince of Halloween, he struggles in the winter wonderland that is the North Pole, but is willing to put up with anything to protect his beloved holiday. The two can’t seem to keep their hands off one another, despite being pitted against each other. With so many obstacles stacked against them, we are left to wonder if they will fight for each other, or fall to the pressure of their holidays.

The world these two characters live in is a world filled with magic run by joy, joy produced by the celebration of holidays. Raasch had such an interesting take on this alternate, holiday reality and I really enjoyed the political elements we got in this story. The Nightmare Before Kissmas was one of my most anticipated reads for the year and it was well worth the hype! This was such a perfect seasonal read and would be great for the month of November (right between Halloween and Christmas!)

I loved everything about The Nightmare Before Kissmas! The plot, the characters, the setting, the romance; it was an absolute delight from start to finish! I look forward to the sequel and for Kris’ happily ever after next!

This was a super fun and quick paced read. It was interesting to get the political/business side of Santa and Christmas. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

An interesting concept that takes a little bit to get started, but I appreciated the "nightmare before christmas"ish story element of different worlds for different holidays. The dialogue is snappy and fun and I enjoyed my time in this universe,

I have loved every second of this book I’m still reading it but it’s hilarious and just a fun ride. I have been laughing and kicking my feet the entire time I’ve been reading it I can’t wait till her next holiday book I need to know everything about every holiday royalty family

Well, this was a DNF, and while I think it was mostly a matter of "fit" for me as a reader, I think there were some misses in terms of execution. The premise was really cool, something I could easily see being made into a movie or tv series - the Prince of Christmas and the Prince of Halloween, in a relationship? Yes, please. Which is why I requested it. However, the writing completely failed to draw me in. The first MMC we're introduced to is Coal, who comes off as a highly immature and somewhat unlikable character. I had zero interest in reading his inner thoughts a moment longer. It was so heavily focused on how he felt that there was a huge missed opportunity to allow the reader to experience what seems to be a very interesting world he lives in. One reviewer said it felt like things were told rather than shown, and I would completely agree. Worldbuilding was needed earlier on in this book, so that I could be invested in the characters and everything Coal was whining about. And then when he meets Hex behind the bar and they have a mini makeout session, I was completely underwhelmed. Didn't feel the spark, the kiss was just...meh. When it was all done, Coal said he could still taste Hex, but then the author never gave detail on what he tasted like? Pumpkins and bourbon, maybe? I dunno, I needed something though.

Hopefully others enjoy this more than I did, so that some studio can pick it up and make it a motion picture or tv series. I will be sat with popcorn whenever it arrives.

Highlights
~amazing group chat names
~don’t trust Santa
~PEEP
~what happens when a Hex curses
~this book sparks SO MUCH joy!

It has been a WHILE since reading a book made me this freaking happy!

The Nightmare Before Kissmass is what I’m delighted to call a squee-book: one that makes you grin, makes you sparkle, that fills you up with fizzy, vivid delight. The kind of book you want to hug to your chest and kiss in the rain and gift to absolutely everyone. I have not read anything of Raasch’s before, but I will be preordering the next book in the Royals and Romance series and COUNTING THE DAYS until it gets here!

This book, though. This book is silly, and knows it, and owns it. I approve immensely.

what’s a Halloween drink? Apple cider? Goat blood?

In a world that is almost ours, the holidays are magical kingdoms ruled by magic-wielding royals. The normal world does not realise that there is a real kingdom of Christmas, or Halloween, or Easter. That’s a secret. But the Holidays wield real power, which is partly why it matters so much that out main character Coal – aka, Prince Nicholas of Christmas – is a well-intentioned fuck-up. His one attempt at Being A Prince backfired massively and got so many people hurt, so he’s primed to do whatever his dad – the reigning Santa – tells him to, for fear of making another terrible mistake.

Except Santa announces that Coal and his best friend Iris – princess of Easter – are to be married. Without consulting either Coal or Iris about it. Inter-Holiday politicking drags the crown prince of Halloween, Hex, into the mess, and events spiral from there.

I have just two sort-of-critiques, and I say ‘sort of’ because neither of them actually bothered me; the romance is kind of insta-love-y, and the worldbuilding is bonkers and nonsensical. I have no problem with insta-love – it’s only lust masquerading as insta-love that annoys me – and as for the worldbuilding?

Yes, it’s ridiculous. It makes no real sense. I could poke endless holes in it.

And folx, I did not care.

If you’ve followed my reviews a while, you might get how big a deal that is: I am unhealthily obsessed with worldbuilding. The tiniest detail can jolt me completely out of a book if it doesn’t fit into the worldbuilding; and worldbuilding that doesn’t make sense to me is often a quick DNF. I’ve put aside books after TWO PAGES because of worldbuilding that immediately doesn’t work for me!

But I was having so much fun with Kissmass that I couldn’t care less. Raasch made me laugh so much that I was able to embrace this adorable, cheeky, absolutely ridiculous premise. I was full of so much fizzy delightedness that I forgot to nitpick. I fell so hard for these characters that it didn’t bother me that their powers were nonsensical.

I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT.

So no, Raasch does not address the fact that these holidays are all religious ones, nor how Christmas’ influence going global is tied to and has echoes of Christian colonialism. Nor is there any explanation for how exactly these kingdoms came to be or if they came before or after humans started celebrating these holidays. (Did the kingdom of Christmas use to be called Yule and changed as the celebration did? Or did they come into existence only when Christmas in its Christian form was invented? Who knows! Who cares? Not me, for once!)

It’s just not that kind of book, folx. If you’re taking it seriously, you’re doing it wrong. You’re not meant to think about the set-up very hard. It’s utterly escapist, sugar-plum-fairy-sweet nonsense, and it’s excellent.

Now I’ve told you a bit about what the book ISN’T, let’s get on to what it IS.

Back to the Point!
I realise that it’s wildly overused as a comp, but Nightmare Before Kissmass gave me fantasy!Red, White and Royal Blue vibes throughout. I can make a good argument for the similarities between the two stories, but what really matters is that they have the same FEEL to them; the same sort of wish-fulfilment, the same kind of giggly heart-eyes, the same undercurrent of hope and optimism and joy.

In both books, that’s in big part down to the characters, and I have to say, I LOVED the cast here. Coal is Just Trying His Best – he has such a huge heart, but doesn’t believe in himself at all; not to the degree that it becomes annoying, but definitely enough to make you want to hug him. He’s much braver than he thinks, and you can feel how badly he wants to do right by everyone. It doesn’t hurt that he is well aware of how ridiculous his own existence is, and is willing to laugh at it – but he also genuinely loves Christmas, both the kingdom and the holiday as you and I understand it, and somehow Raasch managed to capture a lot of the childhood wonder and delight in the holiday without making the grown-up part of me cringe. I think that was partly due to Coal’s unselfconsciousness about his own love for Christmas, and making him the first-person narrator meant that came through to the reader as well.

And while I adored the romance – more on that in a bit – it made me SO HAPPY that Coal’s relationship with his younger brother, Kris, and his best friend (and Kris’s secret crush) Iris, was so foundational to the story. The in-jokes and whatsapp groupchats and how they had each other’s backs 500%… It was a rollercoaster ride between laughing my head off at their antics and snark, and feeling my heart ache for how much they loved each other and were ready to fight for each other. Coal and Kris, especially, have the kind of relationship that people without siblings DREAM of (with very good reason!)

I really had started to think I’d made him up, a fever dream brought on by vodka and regret.

But he’s here, he’s real, and he’s disastrously hot, wearing a goddamn corset vest.

Which brings us to Hex, crown prince of Halloween and Coal’s not-so-eventual love interest. My perfectly poised, contemptuous goth child who looks illegally good in corset vests (it is a CRIME that they didn’t put him in one for the cover, imo!) and brings a dash of socialism to all this monarchy stuff. *Chef’s kiss* So much appreciation for Raasch refusing to utilise BORING bad-boy tropes and cliches for Hex, that would have been too easy and predictable; instead Hex gets to be someone much more complicated than he would have been in the hands of a lesser writer, with a lot of guilt and grief and a heart easily as big as Coal’s. It was fascinating how what he brought from the Autumn Holidays was so different from the political (and kinda-financial?) set-up of the Winter Holidays, and introducing Coal to Other Ways Of Doing Things was both plot-critical and necessary for growth for both boys. Yes yes yes, APPROVED!

every second of a life spent being the comedic relief has been saving up sincerity for him.

The romance? Delicious. Sweet, spiky, hilarious, both Coal and Hex inspiring each other (possibly my favourite element of a good romance) in a bunch of different ways, complicated by political shenanigans (some of which I saw coming, some of which I REALLY DID NOT: THE FUCK, SANTA?!) and the need to Be A Secret (because Coal’s meant to be marrying Iris, remember?) Also, plenty sexy, for readers who like that sort of thing. Me, I just flailed a lot because SO MANY FEEEEELS!


I SHIP IT
Draw me that map again. Take me beyond the edges. And then, and then, and then–

Like all the best romances (in my extremely limited experience) Kissmass delves into some surprisingly deep topics alongside its love story. I’ve already mentioned that Hex is dealing with guilt and grief, and Coal too, for that time he Massively Fucked Up. But Coal and Kris’ MIA mom – who left the family when they were kids and hasn’t been part of their lives since – is another brick in the foundation of this story, and the entire book revolves around their dad’s increasing and insidious awfulness. Santa’s not a moustache-twirling villain, but he’s the kind of parent who’ll make most of us feel cold and sick, especially if you have any experience with psychologically/verbally abusive authority figures – and that’s without even starting in on who he’s become as a monarch. How do you stand up to a parent like that? To a king like that? Can he be reasoned with? If he can’t, what other options are there? Coal and Hex are both crown princes, heirs to their respective thrones; what kind of monarchs do they want to be? What’s the role of the media in politics, how does it work as a filter between the ruling class and the public, how do the former use it to manipulate the latter?

It was thorny and crunchy and I was Most Extremely Pleased with it all.

I always joke that I’m going to dedicate my books to you, the reader.

But this one? I mean it. This book is for you.

I just want it to make you smile.

Raasch’s dedication at the beginning of the book is Kissmass in a nutshell: this one is going to make you grin. I cannot over-emphasise how much sheer FUN it is, how much it made some very grey days SPARKLE. This is the book I’m going to reread when I’m feeling low, and I WILL be giving it as Yule gift to all the readers in my life. For the pure enjoyment factor, it’s going on my Best of the Year list, and it is definitely a new favourite.

I can’t wait for book two, featuring Kris and *checks notes* the prince of Saint Patrick’s Day. I’m already crying with laughter just thinking about it!

If you have even the SLIGHTEST interest in ridiculous, escapist, just-a-little-magical romance, you need to read Nightmare Before Kissmass.

Then hit me up, and we’ll squee together about it!

Everything I’ve ever wanted in a Christmas book! This was so cute and fun and I loved every moment. The pacing was perfect and the character development was exactly what I was looking for in a romance.

This was so cute and heartwarming, it’s the perfect cozy read! I loved the banter between the characters so much and there so many scenes where I genuinely laughed out loud. Would definitely recommend this, especially during this time of year!

Fun, flirty, and great banter!

I love holiday-inspired romances and this one did not disappoint. I also enjoyed the twist on the holidays and it was surprisingly emotional.

Thank you Bramble for the arc!

I knew from the moment I saw Sara posting about this book that I would love it. It's described as The Nightmare Before Christmas meets Red, White & Royal Blue and I think that's an accurate description! I loved our two main characters, Hex and Coal. I love rom coms with complex characters and both of them are very complex. I did wish we had more confirmation as to how the "holiday" worlds and the "real" worlds were connected. Sometimes I felt like the boundaries were a little unclear. I also wish it was dual POV!
I loved the royal families and the way the kids bonded over the pressure of familial obligations. The little found family moment we have with Coal, Hex, Iris, and Kris is very cute and reminds me a lot of the found family vibes in RW&RB!
Overall, I highly recommend! This is the perfect book for both your fall and Christmas TBR!

I never knew what people meant when they said they were "giggling and kicking their little feet while reading a book". Now I 1000% understand since that was my whole time listening to this book! There was a lot more of a plot that I anticipated and I really thought it was a wonderful story. We get to watch Coal figure out what he wants in life. And Hex is the sweetest most supportive boy. I seriously loved this book and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book! The narrator was so good! He didn't change his voice a lot for different characters but he was so passionate. He was acting more than just reading off a page and that was defiantly a bonus! If you want a fun holiday romance about the holiday's royal families I HIGHLY recommend!

The Nightmare Before Kissmass is a book that I was immediately drawn to both from the beautiful cover and the fantastic title and I was telling people about it long before I got to read it. I so wanted it to be an incredible story, and I was not disappointed. The world was creative and fun, the romance was cute, and the puns were everything I could have wanted. Where this book really and truly shined, however, was its exploration of what Christmas is in both its idealized and current form, as well as how you can love something and still be disappointed by it. Something to note is that religion is very much absent in this book. There is a line where its addressed that they rule over the holiday as it evolves throughout the years and as such religion is a separate matter. For me, this was a plus in the story, however I could see this being frustrating to others for whom the religious aspect is crucial to the holiday. Also, while one of the main leads is the Prince of Halloween, this is very firmly a Christmas story - a fantastic Christmas story with some spooky vibes - but if you're a seasonal reader, maybe hold onto it until December to give it a read.

An enjoyable read. More for fans of American Royals than heavy fantasy. A very cute romance with a holiday overlay.

This was a really cute, but also surprisingly emotional read. Nick aka Coal (the Prince of Christmas) meets Hex (the Prince of Halloween) one drunken night at the bar, and then that’s all he can think about for the next year and a half. Coal and Hex reunite unexpectedly when their “courts” meet to arrange a marriage (not between he and Hex) and work some other things out. I loved getting to see Coal and Hex fight their attraction and really get to know each-other through talks about their lives and spending time together sleigh riding and other things. Although this is a romance read, there is quite a bit of conversation between Coal and his brother Kris about the damage their mother leaving caused and it really got me all in my feels. Kris is such a sweetheart and it’s heartbreaking at times to hear how desperate he still is for his mom to want to come back to them and actually be a caring mom. The further the book progressed the more meaningful and eye opening Coal and Hex’s interactions were and the narrator (I did audio and e-ARC) did a wonderful job of portraying both men’s emotions and hesitations to give in to their feelings.

Thank you so much Tor and Netgalley for the E-Arc.

This book was a very cute read, speacilly for a lover of Halloween AND Christmas such as myself! The writing is on point and I left the book with a huge smile in my face. I'll definitely be reccomending it to my colleagues (:

Super charming and fun book! It does what it sets out to do for sure, and the characters are incredibly likable. I had a lot of fun reading this and am interested in the sequel!

Ah this book. Okay so if you aren’t quite on board with Christmas yet, can I interest you in this fun mashup between Halloween and Christmas? Coal is the prince of Christmas and Hex is the prince of Halloween. Coal reminded me of Alex in Red White and Royal Blue (which if you loved that book, you would love this book). This book was hilarious and had me in stitches at times. I was besides myself with laughter and had so much fun. I truly think that this author must moonlight as a comedian because the one-liners are just that good. There was a little miscommunication, but it was handled nicely, and I enjoyed how it was handled (like adults). I also loved that the characters were whole people, and we got to see a whole wide variety of emotions in them. For example, Coal had anxiety, stress, excitement, and glee all throughout the book. He was just great. The author made me feel connected to the characters so my empathy kicked in along the way and I was also rooting for them. Truly a great reading experience.

So, this one lives up to the marketing. If you loved RWRB or the Nightmare before Christmas, you would want to read this one ASAP. Don’t sleep on it, get it now.

Genre: contemporary holiday rom-com with a little magic

Coal is the heir to Christmas, and while he's known for being jolly, he's also known for his pranks going just a little too far. He finds himself in a bind when his father (the reigning Santa Claus) arranges a marriage for him to his best friend, Iris, daughter of the ruling family of Easter. Iris is great, but Coal isn't in love with her and he thinks his younger brother Kris is. But Coal can't get the stranger he made out with in the alley a couple years ago out of his head... until one day that stranger walks into the Christmas palace and Coal discovers he's the heir of Halloween. Hex is mysterious and dark and everything Coal wants in a guy, but Hex is also supposed to be there to woo Iris. (It's a love quadrilateral when you explain it, but don't worry all the emotion goes between Coal and Hex.)

This was a lot of fun to read. The MCs (and their behavior) skew a little younger than I prefer, but it fits so well with the overall tone of the narrative. Nightmare Before Kissmas was a near perfect surface level read where I suspended a lot for "romance reasons" and let myself enjoy the spicy holiday book. I giggled quite a bit over the friend groups’ antics and group texts, and love that they’re all looking out for one another.