A fun collection of three Christmas rom-com novellas. Each novella can be read alone and individually tells a story of a Christmas romance.

Return to Mistletoe by Kathleen Fuller
Emmy has always had a crush on her best friend's brother, Kieran, but shortly after high school, he fled to Ireland and has been renovating an old castle that belongs to his family. Surprising everyone, Kieran comes back to the sleepy town of Mistletoe for his mother's 70th birthday. Emmy hasn't seen or heard from Kieran in decades. Will Kieran stay this time or will he flee back to Ireland? Will she ever be able to tell Kieran how she really felt about him back in high school? A sweet Christmas novella great for those who enjoy second chance romance.

The Mistletoe Prince by Pepper Basham
Continuing with the Skymar series, this novella focuses on Prince Arran St. Clare who is sent to the mountains of North Carolina to help with their annual Christmas fundraiser to prove that he is ready for royal life. It's great to go back and visit these beloved characters, this time in the States! Sent to stay with his sister and her husband, Arran is forced to not only hang out with the locals, but to do some of his own introspection as well. Will Prince Arran be able to get his good name back or will he return to Skymar in shame? A fun Christmas romance that can be read alone, but will mean so much more to lovers of the Skymar series.

Say No to Mistletoe by Sheila Roberts
Hailey is convinced that anything involving her and mistletoe is cursed. After an initial experience with mistletoe in high school and several other instances since, romance writer Hailey is determined that nothing good can come from mistletoe. When Hailey comes home for Christmas, her mom sets her up with several public appearances. Due to a looming deadline and the worst case of writer's block, Hailey just wants to lay low, but when she runs into Carwyn, her initial kiss under the mistletoe, will she be able to stay focused or will she be forced to face the mistletoe? A cute book that lovers of contemporary romance will especially enjoy.

This is a great collection of novellas. Each story is a heartwarming well written story that holds your attention.
LOVED this collection!
I received a complimentary copy from HarperCollins Christian Publishing | Thomas Nelson via NetGalley and was not
required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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.

I haven’t read anything by the other two authors, so I initially requested this book because of Pepper Basham and Christmas. I mean, what more could one want in a book? As I read, I realized there was a lot more! Each story was so sweet, and I just kept getting more and more drawn into the stories. It was a quick read, and reminiscent of a Hallmark movie with masculine men, swoony romance, and clean romance. I definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for any of the above! 🤍

This Christmas, three couples find themselves under the mistletoe . . . whether they want to be there or not.

Say No to Mistletoe by Sheila Roberts Mistletoe is Hailey Fairchild's kryptonite. Every time she's kissed someone under the mistletoe it's led to love disaster. This is a problem being as she is a romance writer, who seems to have writer's block. Back in high school, her brother's friend and hunk, Carwyn, kissed her under the mistletoe on a dare. It was a mortifying moment she's never forgotten, and now she's about to go home for the holidays, single, and still having a bit of a crush on Carwyn. What will happen if Carwyn shows interest in her?
Return to Mistletoe by Kathleen Fuller Emmy Banks has always loved Christmas, making it perfect for someone who lives and works in Mistletoe, Missouri? Kieran O'Neill, her best friend's brother, and high school crush, has spent years abroad, renovating an old Irish castle, but returns to Mistletoe for his mother's seventieth birthday. He reconnects with Emmy, helping her in her antique shop. The more time they spend together, their chemistry boils over, but can Emmy risk her heart when she knows he'll never stay in Mistletoe, and she will never leave?
The Mistletoe Prince by Pepper Basham Prince Arran St. Clare has lost his freedom and fairytale life in exchange for a three-month "punishment" in the small town of Ransom, North Carolina. To prove he is ready for the royal life for which he was born, Arran must engage in the Christmas charity fundraiser, The Mistletoe Wish. As he works with the charity and the locals, especially a beautiful young woman, he enjoys what he is doing and loves the town and it's people. With Charlie, his sister's sister-in-law, he sees a beautiful and intelligent woman who doesn't recognize her own worth. With some Christmas Magic, some mistletoe, and the feel-good atmosphere of helping others, he might understand what truly matters most.

I enjoyed all three of these stories. Although they are novellas, they have great characters, amazing towns, sweet plots and happily ever afters. Of course I knew that would happen, but it was fun getting there. If I had to pick a favourite, I would be hard pressed to do it. I really enjoyed how the authors all incorporated Mistletoe into their stories. My biggest complaint is that I wanted more from each of these stories.

Mistletoe Season —Three Christmas Stories

Return to Mistletoe
by Kathleen Fuller

Emmy Banks owns Mistletoe Antiques in the little town of Mistletoe, Missouri, where she grew up. Her 21 year old adopted daughter Carina and Emmy’s best friend Sheryl help out in the shop. At Christmas time Mistletoe is even more magical than ever.

A Christmas surprise is in store for Emmy, Sheryl, and Sheryl’s mother Maggie when Kieran shows up after a twenty-two year absence from the U.S. Kieran is Sheryl’s older brother. Emmy had a crush on him in high school, but he left for Ireland immediately after he graduated. There he acquired an Irish accent and spent 15 years renovating the family castle. Did he feel anything for Emmy fifteen years ago? Is there anything left to be rekindled? Will he just escape again when life gets hard?

Novellas are hard to write as there is so little time for character development. Fuller made me happy with this one. She filled in all the blanks, solved some problems, and provided a clean, gentle romance all the in the space of one short novella.

A Mistletoe Prince
by Pepper Basham

Most little girls at one time or another want to believe in the fairy tale future of marrying a prince and becoming a beautiful princess. Hardworking Charlotte Edgewood, despite having been told all her life by her druggie mother that she wasn’t good enough at anything, had held on to the dream of a rescue by a prince—until she couldn’t anymore. Raised by her father and an extended family of Edgewoods in the Appalachian mountains, she became an introverted carpenter with the nickname Charlie. She is forced into a leadership position when the manager of the annual Christmas fundraiser for The Wish that raised funds for children who would have no Christmas had to step aside. Charlie had worked with the program, but not in a capacity that would require speaking and managing.

Prince Arran of Skymar arrives in the U.S. to work with Luke Edgewood, Charlie’s cousin who is married to Arran’s sister. His parents want to expose him to carpentry work and service with The Wish to pull him out of a disastrous two year slump with outrageous behavior in response to a failed romance.

When their paths cross, Arran is certainly not the prince of Charlie’s dreams. I’ll let the author tell you how they met and if they were able to overcome their initial inauspicious meeting.

A Mistletoe Prince is a fun, Christmas romance that will leave you smiling and wanting to read more by Pepper Basham.

Say No to Mistletoe
by Sheila Roberts

Hailey Fairchild feels like a fraud because she has a blossoming career as a romance author, but she doesn’t have a stable relationship in her own life. As she says, mistletoe is her kryptonite; a kiss under the mistletoe dooms any possible romance to failure going all the way back to her sophomore year in high school when her neighbor Carwyn kissed her under the mistletoe. Extremely shy and introverted, bullied at school, and crushing on Carwyn, Hailey is totally embarrassed.

Many years later, when Hailey returns home for the Christmas celebration, she still has feelings for Carwyn who remains both handsome and nice, but how does he feel about her? Hailey is feted as the hometown hero with a book signing and speeches. She is stunned to learn that her brother Sam is dating Gwendolyn, her high school mean girl bully who hasn’t changed. Hailey is a very likable protagonist, trying to get along with her brother’s girlfriend, but Gwendolyn is everything a nemesis should be. Still mean. Still vindictive. Still out to belittle Hailey.

Roberts tells the story with flair from Hailey’s point of view. We get to hear what Hailey says in conversations, but also what she thinks. There is also some insight into the workings of a romance author. Say No to Mistletoe is a fun short read. It is the perfect length for this story with its interesting plot. It doesn’t require a lot of background to set up the story, and there is sufficient time and space for all of the elements of a good tale without lengthy character development.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Romance, Women’s Fiction

Notes: As a rule, I find novellas lacking, usually in the area of character development. There is just not enough time. I expected Say No to Mistletoe, as the last of the three novellas in Mistletoe Season, to be the one I didn’t like because the other two were so good, but I was certainly wrong. When the publisher chose these three authors for a mistletoe theme, they selected three authors known for their work in romance. These ladies created success with their well-written stories with good plots and lots of fun.

Publication: October 8, 2024—Harper Collins Christian Publishing (Thomas Nelson)

Memorable Lines:

Return to Mistletoe: Her cheeks reddened, and he would have thought it was cute if the tension between them wasn’t as thick as a castle wall.

A Mistletoe Prince: But deep inside, she wondered if her tomboyishness had something to do with the fact that if she put forth effort to look attractive or poised, and failed…then she was only proving Mama right. That Charlie wasn’t enough. And proving her mama right was the last thing she ever wanted to do.

Say No to Mistletoe: Moving away and adulting is all well and good, but their excitement over welcoming me back into the nest, knowing they love me and always will, no matter what? That makes me go all mushy inside and happy to have flown back.

A wonderful collection of books for the holiday season. I enjoyed all of them and their delightful surprises.

Three sweet Christmas stories wrapped up in one happy package.

RETURN TO MISTLETOE is a sweet second chance romance between Kieran and Emmy. He’s been off renovating Irish castles, which she’s been building a life and business in the town of Mistletoe. These characters are in mid-life, and the side characters (aka family) play their parts in being matchmakers for this couple. It’s short, cute, and oh, so much fun!

Be still my swooning heart! THE MISTLETOE PRINCE is about LUKE’S brother-in-law, Arran. He’s been banished to change his bad-boy persona and who better to help than royal-obsessed Appalachia resident, Charlie? I adored everything about this story, as it’s full of just what I love.

SAY NO TO MISTLETOE is full of silly mishaps and superstition. I loved the banter and flirtations between Carwyn and Hailey and this one is full of swoon and laughs. What a fun novella to end the set on!

You will enjoy reading this delightful collection of Christmas short stories! In the first story, Halley's motto is to steer clear of the mistletoe, since she has had bad experiences with the guys she kissed under the mistletoe. In another story, Emmy lives in Mistletoe, Missouri and encounters a local man who has lived abroad for several years while working on his old Irish castle. In the last one, Price Arran has been sent to Appalachia to assist in a local Christmas charity fundraiser and meets the surprising leader of it. In all the cases presented, the question is whether the lure of mistletoe attraction is strong enough to last way beyond Christmas! With Pepper Basham as writer of the last story, I knew for sure that it would be a winner, and it was! All the stories were wonderful! So, grab a cup of hot chocolate and get cozy for a wonderful time of reading, any time of the year!
I appreciate being able to read this collection of stories, compliments of the editors. The opinions expressed are my own.

First off, I will say that the big reason I slogged through this is because I am not a novella fan in general. I need MORE depth and plot from a story to feel connected. Besides that, I enjoyed the holiday cheer from these stories! The first one by Sheila Roberts was cozy and cute, I liked the second chance story. The second one, Pepper Basham's story, was the one I was invested in the most because the characters were interconnected with her Skymar series. Charlie and Arran made a great team, supporting each other. Sheila Roberts' story was full of humor! If you want some quick holiday reads, this one will work for you!

This was such a beautifully written holiday romance book from 3 brilliant authors. I love each story the romance and character development and of cause the happy ever afters. I would highly recommend. Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced reader copy.

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

This was a fun book. I definitely loved two of the stories more than the third one, but the other two were good enough to make up for the one that wasn't as great.

“You’ve expressed two important things every thoughtful human wants.” He studied her face. “To be seen and loved for who we really are.”

I had so much fun reading this collection of short stories! It introduced me to the writing of Kathleen Fuller and I will definitely be reading more of her work. And I always enjoy the writing of both Sheila Roberts and Pepper Basham. I really enjoy the idea of falling in love during the Christmas season, perhaps because that’s the time of year that my husband and I started dating and falling in love. I also love books about falling in love when it’s least expected and second chance at love so these stories were right up my alley. I found the characters of all three to be fun and relatable. I especially enjoyed getting a visit with Luke from Basham’s Skymar series and would love a longer book featuring Arran and Charlotte. This set of stories was truly the perfect way to relax and get into the holiday spirit.

I enjoyed The Mistletoe Prince the most and the others are very festive! The first is especially great for those who love romances with older protagonists.

I can get easily frustrated at novellas for not nailing the pacing needed to have the proper build up and pay off of a love story, but Pepper Basham is a master of her craft and I of course loved this dive back into the world of Skymar and the Edgewoods. This novella is a great punctuation on the Skymar series. Seeing the love blossom between Charlie and Aron was so sweet and the way they have to pull back the facade each other is presenting to the world is delightful.

*Unfortunately I would skip the third novella in this collection.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for the gifted title. All opinions are my own.

A wonderful trio of stories! These were festive and fun, yet each one was different and lovely in it’s own way. As always with a collection of stories, there were some that were better than others. I loved this format and enjoyed the short but sweet stories found within.

Mistletoe Season is a collection of three cozy Christmas romances by Sheila Roberts, Kathleen Fuller, and Pepper Basham. I was drawn to the collection because Pepper Basham is a must read author for me, but enjoyed all three stories. These are perfect for a quick holiday read for lovers of opposites attract and royal romances. Thank you to NetGalley, the authors, and the publisher for my review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed this three Christmas novella's though my favorite of the three was The Mistletoe Prince by Pepper Basham I loved getting another glimpse at beloved Skymar characters While watching another royal romance unfold at Christmas time with Ellie's brother Arran and Luke's cousin Charlotte "Charlie" who at first glance seems the least likely princess. But if grumpy cousin Luke can end up with a princess maybe there's hope for Charlie.

This set of 3 novellas was a great holiday read. I picked it up because I so enjoyed The Mistletoe Countess by Basham but all three stores captured the spirit of the season without being cheesy. It was nice to have three shorter, distinct stories at this busy time of year.

Perfect holiday novellas! I enjoyed each of the stories but what I loved the most was this felt like a much more approachable Christmas book because it was three stories in one and it was refreshing to read clean romances as well. Pepper Basham’s was a favorite! This will be a hit at our library.

Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this title.

If you're after some short and sweet Christmas stories then this might be the book for you!
I really liked the idea of there being multiple stories within the one book, especially because it introduced me to 3 new authors.

Return to Mistletoe by Kathleen Fuller - 2.5 Stars

This was the first of the 3 stories and it ended up being my least favourite. The story itself was cute and I think the most Christmassy of the 3 of them but, the writing style wasn't my favourite. Personally, I felt that the writing was more focused on telling me how the characters were feeling as opposed to showing me, if that makes sense? I just struggled to really FEEL the romance. I did however find the plot of it very cute.

The Mistletoe Prince by Pepper Basham - 3.5 Stars

This one was my favourite! It was actually such as cute story. I loved the characters and the plot. For a short story it felt very well paced and properly fleshed out. I honestly think that this one could have been a book of its own but I think Pepper did a fantastic job at telling the story as a novella.

Say No to Mistletoe by Sheila Roberts - 3 Stars

This was such a unique idea! I really enjoyed the plot but it felt very rushed throughout most of it. Towards the end it just felt like all of the 'good' parts were skipped (I wanted to read about all the lovey dovey stuff!) in order to address if the couple could make their relationship work after the holidays. It just made the ending feel like a bit of a let down. I just wanted more authentic moments of them together.

Overall, they were a good bunch of short stories but they weren't anything amazing.