Enjoyed this book!! Grumpy/sunshine is my type of vibes. Nice warm book for the holiday season, with laughter and spice. Cannot wait to purchase a physical copy and re-read for the holiday season. K. C. Mills is becoming an auto-buy author for me.

This pulled me in so quickly. I really cannot believe that it was over as quick as it was.

I loved that Noel absolutely loves the holidays and is this bright sunshiny character (I apparently have been on a grumpy sunshine kick for far longer than I care to admit). I really did enjoy the opposites attract situation and the spin on one bed being one apartment was kind of fun to see how it would go. I think everyone has a scrooge in their life, its just how they become the not scrooge that matters, just like Kanton.

I will absolutely be reading this closer to December and suggesting it to my book club because I have got to share in the characters

This story is going to pair nicely with the holiday season. I enjoyed watching the characters partake in holiday activities and will be a great addition for those looking to really immerse themselves in the holiday spirit.

While I didn't feel deeply invested in the characters, I did find the story and writing enjoyable. The forced proximity and instant attraction between our two main characters had me eagerly anticipating when they would finally give in to the tension.

This book gave all the feel-good holiday movie vibes but with black main characters and a bit of spice. I will absolutely be recommending this during the holiday season.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Black Odyssey Media for the advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super cute story with the perfect holiday vibes. Great for Hallmark rom com lovers who want to read something to get them into the holiday spirit.

Thank you, NetGalley, Black Odyssey Media, and K.C. Mills, for providing me with the arc Christmas in Spite of You. I will be giving an honest review in return.

Christmas in Spite of You

Trigger Warnings- sex scenes, assault.
Tropes: Forced Proximity and Grumpy and sunshine

What would you do if you were sharing your one-bedroom apartment with a sexy businessperson during the holidays?

Noel Anderson is a Christmas-loving woman. She has two big Christmas wishes on her list. She wants to go home for Christmas to see her parents. Her other wish is to land a new virtual design job. She wants to know about the virtual design job before Christmas. An email she received stated the hiring process would start after the holidays. Now Noel feels overwhelmed as she urgently requires cash for rent and other necessities.
Noel made a Shared Space ad listing her apartment for the holidays. Placing this ad will give her a chance to earn money. Whoever answered the ad would have the place to themselves. Noel had the perfect plan.

Kanton Jospeh, a businessperson, plans on renting Noel’s apartment to get close to a potential client. Once he gets there, he wants to arrange a meeting to make Brighton a new client. Both Noel and Kanton believe they will get what they want.

Unfortunately, Noel has a cold and cannot go home. This change in her plan causes Christmas-obsessed Noel to be grouchy. She decides to cancel the ad for the house guest. She puts in her cancellation and goes to sleep.

The next morning, after waking up, she finds a strange man cleaning her kitchen. The man is Kanton, who she notices is well-dressed and handsome. His looks do not put her at ease, so she charges into the kitchen and demands him to stop. Kanton finds her behavior amusing, but her body is sexy. He tells her he is the house guest and has a right to be there. They go back and forth about his right to be there. Noel finds out he does because her cancellation did not go through. Now she is stuck with the hot and Christmas-hating man for one week.

I love how K. C. Mills takes the time to give background information about Noel and Kanton. Mills provides information about both main characters’ traits, ambitions, family, life, and connections. Noel has a sweet and giving nature. Her positive outlook causes people to love her. She also has a wonderful support system. Noel’s supportive system inspires her to have hope for the future. They also motivate her to build a healthy romantic relationship.

While Noel has people who admire her, Kanton keeps people at bay. He wants a family but does not find a compatible significant other. The other thing he pursues is clients. His apprehension of having a genuine relationship may come from his mother’s behavior. She wants him to marry the perfect girl she picked for him. This is one reason He does not want to go home for Christmas. The author also describes that his family is not sentimental about Christmas. That is why he does not celebrate the holiday.

Once Noel finds out he does not celebrate Christmas, she makes this Christmas special. Her plan allows her and Kanton to have intimate moments, like watching romantic holiday movies and eating together. These small moments allow for the couple to share laughs and cuddles. It is a wonderful way to build up to the sex scenes. It makes their romance more believable and special. Overall, it was a heartwarming book about people finding love.

She does it again! I really love how K.C. had evolved as an author over the years. She is versatile and provides great stories with characters who are lovable.

I enjoyed this book. It definitely gave Hallmark Movie Channel movie vibes but not in an overly cheesy way. The meet cute between Kanton and Noel was funny, and their overall chemistry was great.

Noel was really "cute" and bubbly with her over the top Christmas spirit. I love how Kanton didn't give up when it seemed that things might not work out between them.

Thank you, Netgalley, Black Odyssey, and K.C. Mills for the advanced copy of this book.

4/5 stars
2/5 spice

Tropes:
Strangers to lovers
Forced proximity
Opposites attract
Grumpy/sunshine
Christmas themed
Dual POV

This was a fun read that has some great Christmas themed shenanigans. I liked both main characters, but more so Noel for her tenacity and sunny disposition. There were moments I didn't like Kanton and felt like he didn't deserve her but he did make up for it every time... so overall, he was good.

This will be a great Christmas romance for the season that has fun moments with diverse characters. Highly recommend for rom com fans and those who like to read holiday romances.

Thank you to Netgalley and Black Odyssey Media for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.

At first, Kanton’s grumpy attitude didn’t sit right with me, but learning about his past made me understand him better. Noel, on the other hand, is Christmas personified—how fitting is her name? I loved her friendship with Simone; their sweet conversations had me tearing up. The spice was just right, not over the top. The third act breakup was new to me, but I enjoyed the chase of them finding their way back to each other. If this wasn’t an ARC, I’d have saved it for my December TBR because it’s got all the Christmas vibes I need!

Thankyou NetGalley for this ARC.
A perfect grumpy sunshine Christmas romance which feels like watching a Hallmark movie. If you are looking for a funny flirty romance to give you all the Christmas feels then definitely give this one a go.

Woefully this was a DNF for me - I think it was the timing, it truly didn't hit me this time of year and I found it difficult to get into. That's a me problem! But it also just felt pedantic for the bit I did read, a bit too Hallmark for me.

Not going to lie, it was super weird reading a Christmas book in early August, but once I pushed back that odd feeling I really enjoyed this book. It read just like a classic Hallmark Christmas movie, with a pretty book cover to match. If you need a fun book to read around the holidays, this should be on your list.

It was a cute holiday romance. The meet-cute was spot on and the ending was such a Hallmark Movie (which I love)! Kanton though brash in the beginning really was a teddy bear. And Noel even though Christmasy, came off as a spoiled brat at times. Her character seems wishy-washy.... like do you want the romance you dreamed of or not? LOL.... this had one of my favorite tropes, forced proximity and I love KC Mills writing! All in all, it was a fun holiday romance!
Plot: 4
Character development: 4
Book flow: 4

Upcoming Release Date: Sept 24, 2024

Christmas in Spite of You is a fast-paced romance that gives off Hallmark movie vibes. The relationship revolves around Noel (the "Christmas Spirit") and Kanton (the "Scrooge").

I liked how Noel loves giving gifts, baking, wearing tacky holiday attire & goes overboard with all the decorations. We all know someone like that! She's a little scatterbrained with what to do with her career & also with her feelings about Kanton. There are plenty of silly, steamy holiday puns.

Kanton is a businessman who is straightforward with making fast & profitable money moves. But to me, has the same persona relationship wise with Noel - almost as if buying her love/commitment is the deal in the end. 🥴

While I enjoyed the change of pace from my last few reads, the plot is predictable (not a bad thing) & characters are a bit flat. I can see this being a holiday movie on a streaming platform or Hallmark channel!

Thank you to NetGalley & Black Odyssey Media for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.❤️

KC is one of my very favorite authors to read. This book was an enjoyable read and i loved the dynamics. Ms. ,ills always keeps ,e entertained and I always look out for the next release

Noel is in need of cash and because she will not be at her place she is renting her place for the week of the Christmas , but what is happening is that is she gats sick and she ends up having to spent her Christmas with her attractive man who rent her place . Kanton is a successful bussinessman and is in Atlanta to meet with a new client . The two of them are totally different but are drown together . Will they make it work even tho he lives in NY and she in Atlanta ? Can we hope for a Christmas miracle ?
I received this book from netgalley , the author and the publicer as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .

Publication Date:  September 24th, 2024

-Forced Proximity
- Grumpy x Sunshine
First, I want to thank NetGalley, Black Odyssey Media, and K.C. Mills for providing an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Noel Anderson is nearly broke before the Christmas holiday after suffering a bump in the road when starting her own business. To make a little money during this time, she places her home on SharedSpace (an Airbnb service) to rent out while she's away with her family. But after a bad cold and accidentally forgetting to cancel the SharedSpace reservation, Noel finds herself sharing her space with Christmas Scrooge reincarnate Kanton Joseph. Both can benefit from staying in the apartment differently and agree to cohabitate for the week, with Noel agreeing to stay out of Kanton's way. Though their ideas on Christmas are wildly different, they find themselves attracted to one another, and Kanton considers softening his views to match Noel's Christmassy ones.

This book was such a fun holiday read. It was easy to relate to Noel and Kanton and root for their romance, which made the miscommunications between them even funnier. Their love for one another felt genuine and sweet; though it initially started with a strong physical attraction, it became much more. I'm always looking for winter Christmas reads; this book gave me just that.

I love the idea of this book, but it seems as though it was all over the place to me. Overall good read. I appreciate the opportunity to read this book.

This was a very cute romantic Christmas comedy. It was a perfect pallet cleanser when you are looking for a happily ever after. It was light but predictable but most light HEA are so I wasn’t disappointed. The conflict and toxicity was minimal which was refreshing. I would definitely read more from this author.

Thank you to Black Odyssey Media and NetGalley for this Advance Readers Copy ebook in exchange for my honest review


Rated 3.75/5 stars

I enjoyed reading about the time they shared, it was real cute. But, I didn’t really feel the passion Noel had for her business and the romance fell short. I just wanted to be more invested in the characters individually and as a pair but it was still a good read with all the holiday feels.

Thank you to NetGalley and Black Odyssey Media for this ARC!

The cover for this book caught my eye so I thought I would check it out. I love a good holiday romance.

Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. It was a bit all over the place. There was a lot going on but not much happening in the sense of the plot moving along. I think with some good editing, this book could have been better.