This book was absolutely adorable!! I was sold from the tagline RWARB meets Nightmare Before Christmas and it did not disappoint. Are they the same, no. However they have the same vibe: optimism, hope, spice, fun, figuring out who your true self is and being braver than you think you are.

It is fun, addictive and perfect for the spooky/holidays seasons. The group texts were so fun. All characters have depth, emotions and dang if the romance well written! The romance was a huge aspect for both mains and the spicy scenes reflected that including lots of talk about communicated and consent. Lots of growth in the characters as well but especially both our MMCs. I liked learning about the seasons politics and how some of their individual magic works.

Overall this book brought exactly what its magic runs on: joy!

Thank you to Tor Publishing and the author for an advanced copy of The Nightmare Before Kissmas.

I selected this book because of the cover so I had no real expectations going in. Halloween and Christmas are my two favourite holidays so how could I not read this book. This book is so much more than a romance book, as I kept reading it I kept cheering on Coal, Hex, Kris and Iris. This was such an interesting spin on classic holidays that I never thought I needed but clearly I did.

I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to the sequel.

This is definitely those two mixed. I loved the son of Santa and prince of Halloween as a forbidden romance especially when Santa wanted his son to marry into Easter.
Loved the power politics in usurping joy and how Coal came into his own after being the black sheep for so long. Loved Hex and the description of his outfits, those corset vests are hot, so I get it.
Lots of conflict and expectations and it did get steamy. They didn’t have much alone time. Santa was a bit scary in this one in his grief and heartache. Luckily I think his boys reached him before it was too late. Can’t wait for the next one!

This was a cute and fun holiday read!

In this world, holidays are run by individual families with Christmas reigning supreme. Nicholas’s (aka Coal) family is in charge of Christmas and he is next in line to be Santa. Unfortunately, his life has been plagued with bad decisions and scandal. In order to save the holiday, his father has arranged his marriage to his best friend and heir to Easter, Iris. However, he has some competition for Iris’s hand from Hex, the heir to Halloween, who it turns out is the guy that Coal kissed and never quite forgot about.

Coal and Hex were adorable together. They were so sweet and I loved their banter. It was so fun to see Iris intervene in their relationship when they were both supposed to be competing for her.

I really loved the world building and how the different families are in charge of the holidays. I liked the tumultuous relationships between them because it sets up a lot of possibilities for future stories. I can’t wait to see what the author has in store for Coal’s brother.

Gods, I enjoyed this book so much, and it 100% met my expectations. I was silly, fun, and completely ridiculous and I loved every second of it, so much that I couldn´t put it down, and I mean it literally. I was on a family weekend when I received my copy so I had to dive right in and then spend every second I could get away with reading it.

As I said, this is absolutely ridiculous, I mean we are talking about royal families for the holidays. Does it make a lot of sense? No! Was it absolutely entertaining?? Yes! 100% I think you just have to accept it and enjoy it!

That being said, some of the themes hit pretty close to home and I didn't expect to see stuff like parent's expectations and grief play a huge role in a funny holiday romance, but it was very well done and handled with care adding a deeper layer to the story.

Coal and Hex and so stinking cute, I love every second of their flirting and sneaking around. Coal is so funny and his relationship with his brother is a perfect portrayal of siblings, in my opinion. I loved Iris, the Easter princess, and I wish we get a book soon about her happily ever after!

This book is the perfect mix of fun and serious, doesn't take itself too seriously, and manages to be the perfect holiday romance!

If you want one more reason to love the fall and winter holidays, then this is the book for you. Achingly romantic and festive, Coal and Hex is the gift that keeps on giving in the opening chapter to this exciting new series.

This was a cutesy, cozy holiday romance full of family drama and the weight of responsibilities.

I'll have to say, I started this book in the middle of a heat wave and I was not feeling the holiday vibes. I was melting, but the deadline for review was looming 🫠 that, plus the first two chapters being quite long made this a rough start for me, though I found the premise to be cute and intriguing.

I finally switched to audiobook on publication day and that helped me get over the longer, slower beginning. While we got a lot of backstory for Coal and Nick, I wish we had gotten more from Hex and Iris. There are certainly backstories for each character, but I would've like to see more of their personalities.

Overall, I enjoyed the romance and the idea of holidays being ruling courts out of everyday human eyesight. The was a fun filler read!

Thanks to Bramble for the eARC and I think the eventual finished copy as well!

🎃The Nightmare Before Kissmas🎄 by @sara_raasch
Genre: romance novel/ romance fantasy

This book has fun idea to make whole word of different Holiday’s kingdoms! It felt so unique, refreshing and fun! You have Christmas Kingdom, it’s two princes and a king, Easter, Halloween Kingdom and others. The characters, banter and humor is just great!

This book has:
🎃LGBTQ (m/m) romance
🎄 found family
🎃opposites attract

If you need help to get into Holliday mood, this book will definitely help you!!

Also, look at this cover and red sprayed edges!! This book so cute, fun, and sexy all around!

Thank you so much @brambleromance and @torbooks for this gifted copy!! ❤️🎄🥰🎃❤️

I was really hoping to love this book, but it just didn't really come together for me.
When you compare a book to Red, White and Royal Blue and The Nightmare Before Christmas, you set really high expectations. I thought we were getting a paranormal romcom between the Christmas and Halloween princes. However, this wasn't as funny or cute as I wished it to be.

First, I found the dialogue very all over the place, like the main character couldn't keep to one track of thought. I felt that this could have been better with an auditory medium. Or even if this wasn't a book, but a movie. I had a hard time following the banter. Then, it leaned more into cringy than funny. I had many moments where I just wanted to face palm about how Coal was speaking to everyone.

This book is very political as well. I knew that we were going to have some sort of holiday hierarchy and system, since so many Christmas movies set in the North Pole have them. However, this was darker and more political than I actually thought it was going to be. Some characters that are supposed to be the good guys are horrible. So much so that there were no redeeming qualities and none of these plot points were in the synopsis.

I did like some of the romance here, but I felt that it took too long to get started, took a backseat to the political plot, and then proceeded too quickly for me wanting to actually see and experience the romantic build up.

Overall, I didn't necessarily hate this book. I just think that the writing style was not for me, and the synopsis did not completely let you know what you were getting into.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! I really enjoyed this book! Personally, give me a silly premise (the Prince of Christmas falling in love with the Prince of Halloween) but a genuine, heartfelt romance between the two main characters and I’m going to be in heaven. The reason it’s getting 4 stars is just I felt there were some things left unresolved. I know there’s going to be a sequel, so maybe those resolutions are forthcoming. But overall, this was a fun book that actually had a lot to say about where we find joy and the ways in which love can change us.

4.5 stars and my thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

"He said joy creates a foundation, and we do create that foundation, every kiss and caress sets up a reality where the sun will rise tomorrow and I'll make him tea and we'll leisurely figure out what want to do with our day, no schedule, no events. We'll go down to North Pole City and buy ornaments and then come back and turn this bed inside out again. And in that reality, we don't worry about days passing. We don't worry about losing everything, because our everything is impenetrable, and we create and create with every shake and beg and heartbeat.
I love him.
I love him, and I can't put it into words with how big it is, so I keep talking, and showing, and creating with him."

What I expected: A fun rom-com about a prince of Christmas falling for a prince of Halloween.

What I got: That but also Family Trauma.

Nicholas, the oldest Prince of Christmas and next in line to be Santa, is struggling with his duties and responsibilities after losing the trust of his father, the reigning Santa. To make up for his past mistakes, Nicholas (Coal) is told he is to marry the Princess of Easter, one of his closest friends, despite neither of them wanting this. To make matters worse, ~For Press Reasons~ he has to fake-compete for his fake-marriage against Hex, the Prince of Halloween. A man he's only met once...in the back alley of a bar years prior.

This plot is so cheesy and stupid and I loved every minute of this fucking book. Coal and Hex are fantastic together and I loved their chemistry. I'm a little tired of third act breakups, but I see the appeal for a lot of romance writers.

I do think this could have done with a little bit more editing, a little bit of tightening up in some parts. But the prose can be beautiful at times, as evidenced by the excerpt above.

I enjoyed the concept of this book, and I loved the connection and inspiration to Nightmare Before Christmas. There were several good moments, and I appreciated the author’s attention to detail and world building. So, lots of positives! However, I found the central romantic relationship to be so incredibly repetitive and inner monologue heavy that I found myself speed reading my way through large sections of the book. I liked the romantic connection, but it felt was though it was shoved down the reader’s throat just a little to vehemently- and I’m speaking of the romantic bedroom scenes here in particular. Constant inner monologuing about the same, sappy infatuation sentiments made it difficult to completely invest in the love story.
However! I do think there’s good room to grow with this series and I may just be reading the sequel when it arrives next year! Thank you NetGalley & Publishers!

2.5 Stars
This was a cute and cozy read and would be a fun and festive book to read for the holidays. I didn't entirely love the way this was executed and the romance between the MCs didn't really hit the way I needed/wanted it to and I wish we got more of the backstory (what ever happened between Kris and Iris?? Did we ever find out and I just wasn't paying attention lol or is this going to be a plot point in the next book?). I did enjoy the narrator and felt that he did a great job at portraying Nicholas/"Coal" authentically.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC!

Nicholas “Coal” Claus used to believe in the magic of the Christmas holiday. He saw and experienced that magic as a child when his father, Santa, showed him how it worked to bring joy. But somewhere along the way, things changed for Coal. Looking back, it might have been when his mother walked out on him, his younger brother, and his father. Now, Santa is obsessed with cementing Christmas as the biggest holiday. When he announces that Christmas will be partnering with Easter as a way to expand their influence, Coal balks. Not the least because part of this ploy will involve Coal marrying Iris, the Easter Princess, and the girl Coal’s brother’s Kris been in love with forever. It’s the last thing Coal wants, even as his father argues that the only way for Coal to contribute as future leader of Christmas is by marrying Easter to cement the holiday’s future.

When news of the impending union of Christmas and Easter gets out to other holidays, Halloween takes exception. But in order to have a shot at partnering with Christmas for a share of the joy the holiday generates, Halloween will have to send a diplomat. Enter Hex Hallow, the stunningly attractive heir to Halloween who is sent to Christmas to compete with Coal for Iris’ hand in marriage. As soon as Hex arrives at Christmas, however, Coal feels drawn to him. Over the course of the “competition,” Coal falls more and more in love with Hex. And when they steal moments together, they learn their approach to leading their respective holidays could be far more equitable than what the current Santa has in mind. As Coal and Hex resolve to work together to achieve that vision, Santa himself uncovers the plot and threatens to bring it all crashing down.

The Nightmare Before Kissmas is a holiday-themed romance where the holidays in question exist as physical places and are organized like monarchies, complete with all the palace intrigue, power plays, and blackmail. It’s set in the current day and takes place almost exclusively in the North Pole and during the Christmas season. The story is narrated by Coal and starts with a short vignette taking place about two years prior to the main story. This short intro establishes Coal’s heart-felt views on what Christmas should be–a way for people to experience some real joy–and his exuberantly rash actions. It also establishes that Coal is at least bisexual and shares a kiss with a stranger that impacts him deeply.

The story feels like it is divided into two main themes: Coal and Hex’s relationship and Coal’s future as the heir of Christmas. For me, I really enjoyed watching Coal and Hex get closer together. Privately, they cannot deny the spark of attraction that flares between them. Both of them, along with Iris and Kris, see how well Coal and Hex fit together. There is quite a slow burn between them. Coal and Hex find ways to talk to one another and Hex’s explanation of how his holiday works as a collective with other holidays to equitably share the joy that powers their magic intrigues Coal. A combination of their shared leadership values and good old physical attraction help these two build a connection that eventually lets them be very vulnerable with each other and eventually fall in love.

As intense as Hex and Coal’s connection is, however, it has to be kept under wraps. Publicly, both of them are competing for Iris’ hand. That narrative is pushed hard by Santa himself, who has been using threats and blackmail for years to ensure his holiday gets the lion’s share of joy. Santa only wants a veneer of the competition to placate other holidays while, secretly, Coal and Iris are as good as wed. Over the course of the “competition,” Hex and Coal, with the help of Iris and Kris, work together to figure out how to free the winter holidays from Santa’s iron grip. For me, the political intrigue in the story takes up a lot of space. Personally, I thought it was a little exhausting trying to follow the justifications and explanations. When all is said and done, our MCs get a happily ever after, but I felt like the loose ends regarding Santa’s scheming were left unresolved.

The Nightmare Before Kissmas offers readers so much more than a sweet little holiday romance. In addition to the spicy, emotional bond that develops between Coal and Hex, there’s Coal’s personal struggle to find self-worth after years of his father reinforcing the notion that Coal is nothing but a screw up. If you’re looking for a story where a seemingly impossible love grows, even in the harshest environment, I think you’ll find a lot to enjoy in this book.

This was such a cute, fun, and creative romance with the different Holiday kingdoms! Christmas x Halloween was the perfect mash up of opposites attract. The romance was adorable and steamy! And I loved their little found family. But there’s also an important message of what spreading joy truly means, of the capitalism that is being peddled these days as joy. True joy comes from being with those we love. It also touches on deeper themes of grief and loss and mental health, of how these change us. I’m looking forward to reading more in this world!

Thanks to the publisher and author for the eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing the ARC.

1000% yes for this book.

This book is an absolute delight, even when it shattered my soul. Nicholas/Coal is a walking disaster put into a seemingly impossible situation when his father aka Santa forcibly engages him to the Princess of Easter to further extend Christmas' reach in what can only be described as holiday imperialism.

This all get turned on its head when the Christmas palace plays host to Prince Hex of Halloween, the person that Coal met one time and has been obsessing about for two years.

This book is full of amusing holiday charm and joy, a laugh out lead with a heart of gold, a stoic partner who is just begging to be mussed up a bit, and a coming of age tale that really makes these characters all the more endearing. I absolutely loved this book. I loved the characters and their shenanigans, the writing, and the story. It is everything I could have possibly wanted out of a rom-com and I am literally telling everyone I know about.

10/10, 5 stars, two very enthusiastic thumbs way up. I can't wait until book 2.

Nicholas “Cole” Claus is the first son of Christmas and heir to the Santa namesake…. But a lifetime of messing up and causing scandal has put him on his father, Santa‘s naughty list!

He’s been sent home for the holidays and if he doesn’t find a solution, he’s going to find himself walking down the aisle on Christmas Eve with his best friend, the Easter Princess!

When things seem to not be able to get any worse… in comes the dark and handsome Halloween Prince to also vie for the Easter Princess’s hand!

Too bad for the Easter princess, but it looks like both the Christmas and Halloween princes only have eyes for each other!

This was such a fun and quirky YA romance! I love the ultimate world of the Holiday states, and they are political intrigue! as a fan of the movie, the nightmare before Christmas I definitely found myself singing. This is Halloween, every time Hex, the Halloween Prince entered a scene!

I love to seeing these characters grow and develop their own maturity and respect for their individual holiday states. It was nice seeing the aimless Cole, find his purpose and take charge of his life!

This book was such a fun twist on a holiday romance! I loved the dynamic between coal and hex so much and there dialogue was top tier! I also loved the relationship between Cole and Chris as well, the family dynamic really added extra heart to the story, which I loved so much

It took me a little bit to get into this book but once I did I was pleased. I love the little play on Nightmare before Christmas. This was a fun read with great character development. Cant wait for Sara’s next book!

Thoughts: I thought this was a very cute MM romance. With its tropes of fake dating and rivals to lovers be prepared for lots of laughs. In addition to the humor, there is a decent amount of spice for those looking for a spicy romance. Finally, with its themes of overcoming grief, sibling bonds, friendship and the meaning of holidays The Nightmare Before Kissmas makes for a great choice as a holiday read or just a pick me up when you need good vibes