3.5 stars - rounded up bc of Christmas magic

I really loved the concept of this book. I have been putting off reading it because the weather has been so hot in my area and a Halloween/Christmas book just didn't really feel right yet. This week, the weather started to cool down and I knew it was time.

This book was so delightful!!! The Prince of Christmas, Coal, and the Prince of Halloween, Hex, were both so damn charismatic. They were both complex leads with well rounded intentions and traits. The entire book is from Coal's POV and he is absolutely self deprecating yet so deviously funny. It is definitely Red, White, and Royal Blue meets Nightmare Before Christmas. It gave me all of the cold weather, Christmas vibes that I have been wanting to jump into with really likeable characters. There were also some spicy scenes that had me blushingggggg! I just really enjoyed the way the book was written and how much humor played a part, truly a romcom.

I recommend this book for anyone wanting to get into the cozy, cold weather feeling. Even though it leans more towards Christmas, there is just enough Halloween sprinkled in that I think it's perfect for fall. Overall, I really enjoyed this audiobook and the narrator. Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan audio for this arc!

The cover drew me in because of how cute it was, and it didn’t disappoint! In fact, I ended up getting even more than I had expected out of this 5 star read.

The world was fantastical enough to be fun and magical, but not so ridiculous that the power structures and political ploys weren’t genuinely engaging. There aren’t going to be any dissertations written on the politics or magic system, but for what the story is about, I think it’s worth suspending the critical eye. The characters had great chemistry: in family, in friendship, and in romance.

I was rooting for Coal from the beginning, loving his wit and humor and good intentions. And boy, was Hex worth crushing on! But beyond the cute couple, there was a great story about serious family dynamics, grief, and building joy one small thing at a time.

Ellis Evans was delightful in narrating the audio version! The characters were distinct and personable, without being distracting. He handled the somber, the silly, and the erotic with a feel of authenticity and immersion.

Wow!! Wow wow wow!! I laughed out loud a lot, I swooned, and I cried. Literally weeping. I probably looked like such a weirdo on my morning walks listening to this.

This was such a funny and touching and magical story!! Coal & Hex are relationship goals!!

I loved the magic, I loved the personal growth and the problems, personally and professionally, the characters had to work through.

At its core this is a story about coming of age, learning about yourself, being a kid of divorce, uncertainty, mistakes, sibling love and of course Falling in Love.

This book takes a hard look at what makes a holiday a holiday and what’s truly important too. And how we deal with grief.

This was such a warm hug of read. I was able to listen to the Audiobook through NetGalley as an ARC and oh my gods it was wonderful. The Narrator did an amazing job of bringing this story to life.

The spice was delicious and also wow the tension created without ever saying the words c*ck or d*ck. Very impressive. I was totally swooning over these two.

I also very much loved the side characters, Chris and Iris. They were so funny and such amazing people too!

I cannot wait for Chris’s story in book two!!

This is the perfect read for your Fall and Winter TBR!

Also can we have huge high fives for disaster bisexuals everywhere!!!! 💕💕

Prince Nicholas "Coal" Claus is trapped in his duty to Christmas, which has become a corporate spectacle, and a marriage of convenience to Easter Princess Iris, while his heart belongs to Hex, the Prince of Halloween. As Coal navigates this love triangle and a battle for control, the romance between him and Hex flourishes amidst the chaos of holiday politics.
The world-building in this book is creative and fun, mixing holiday traditions with deeper themes like the commercialization of Christmas and family pressure. While some parts were predictable, the romance was heartfelt, and the blend of humor and serious undertones made it more impactful than expected.
The narrator also did a good job of highlighting each character and didn’t distract from the story.
Recommend to those who enjoy festive rom-coms with a twist or anyone who loves holiday-themed stories with depth and humor.

This book is a warm Christmas hug full of new but familiar characters and beautiful relationships. The love that is shared by the leads is so beautiful, and this book emphasises the importance of standing up not just for who you love but also for the things that matter to you. A great holiday romance read.

It took itself too seriously while not being serious at all. I wanted it to lean into the silly because at the end of the day it is a romcom. But I think it focuses too much on not well fleshed out politics and the romance suffered and felt insta lovey. I still think people could enjoy this though!

I made it about 10% into this one and just couldn’t get into it. I just wasn’t a fan of the writing style. I love the cover though and the audiobook was well done!

UGH—this one had me hooked until about 60% in, and then... well, things took a turn.

The first half? I absolutely loved it. The world-building was rich, the characters were wonderfully developed, and their relationships felt deep and meaningful. I especially loved the creative take on the holidays, with Santa as this mob-boss figure—so unique and fun!

But after that, the story really started to drag. It felt like not much was happening, and I found myself losing interest. I'm honestly disappointed because this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024, and I had already preordered the next book in the series. Now, I'm not sure if I want to continue.

The concept was fantastic, but the plot just didn’t deliver in the end. Still, I'm grateful to NetGalley for the ARC.

Coal is the heir to the Christmas kingdom who is being forced into an arranged marriage with his best friend Iris from Easter. But when Prince Hex of Halloween shows up to court Iris too, Coal realizes he’s met him before – when they made out at a bar a year ago.

Determined to get to the bottom of what is going on between the Holiday Courts, Coal tries to avoid Hex and keep up the ruse of the arrangement. Except these princes can’t seem to stay away from each other for long…

Why Kirsten loves it
This was filled with chaotic energy, a fun new fantasy world, and all kinds of holiday lore. It was billed as Red, White, and Royal Blue meets The Nightmare Before Christmas. Seems like an odd pairing, but I went in with a totally open mind and was rewarded with a unique, charming holiday story.

The audio is splendid! The story is so fun, I truly can't wait to receive my copy of the book and listen to the audio while reading the book. I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did! Everything about this story was very fun, from the cover, to the story, to the audio! Even the title is so eye catching, I can't wait to see what the author comes up with next.

I laughed out loud and had so many feels while listening to this book! What originally attracted me was the silliness of it. The Prince of Christmas and the Prince of Halloween falling for each other amidst questionable politics in countries which are actually holidays told as a mashup between Red, White, and Royal Blue and The Nightmare Before Kissmas? Yes, absolutely yes.

Coal and Hex (bet you can guess to which holiday each of them hails from) go on hilarious, heartwarming, and spicy journey to find themselves and save Christmas. The audiobook is read masterfully by Ellis Evans who does all the characters justice through both the sweet and steamy moments.

My only criticism is the lack of diversity. In the many mentions of "other winter holidays" it's never clarified what's meant by that. There's also a mention of Coal's Frost cousins. I'm assuming that means Jack Frost, but what about the other winter holidays not based on European tradition? I wanted a little more out of the worldbuilding..

However, The Nightmare Before Kissmas is a top tier diversion from real life that pulled me into its wonderful world and made me care about its characters. Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review it.

This book was so freaking cute! The mashup of comp titles definitely fits. I liked the larger plot and Hex was just… I LOVE HIM. This was such a cool book and I would definitely continue to read in this world.

I loved this book so much, easily 5 stars and immediately going on my go-to rereads list. The holiday kingdoms are done so well and in such a fun way. I already can’t wait to read more books in this universe and hopefully see many more of the different holiday kingdoms/lands. While yes it is a very funny and charming book, it also covers some tougher topics with poignant perspective.

The audiobook narration was wonderful and made it so easy to feel immersed in the story right away.

The characters are interesting and multifaceted. I really loved both main characters, but the supporting characters were great as well! Hopefully we will get to know some of the supporting characters even better in future books.

I have already recommended this book to multiple friends and will most likely continue to recommend it to pretty much anyone who will listen to me for the next several months.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Very red white and royal blue. Cute story. I wish it was spicier just because I am a slut for spice but all in all it's a cute story. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

Sara Raasch’s new book is a majestic blend of fantasy, holiday themes, and LGBTQ+ romance. It is an elegant equation — The Nightmare Before Christmas + Rise of the Guardians + Casey McQuiston = THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE KISSMAS, a.k.a. The holiday LGBTQ+ romance of your dreams.

Raasch accomplishes 2 feats with this novel — she challenges the Disney-fication of Santa Claus, with its excessive Tim Allen projects, making the mythical figure and his family more human, more real. Second, Raasch was clearly just having a lot of fun when writing. And that really comes through the prose. A lot of writers seem to have forgotten that it’s okay to have fun when telling a story. Thank goodness Raasch hasn’t. That’s why I am already looking forward to the next book in this series.

Brava, Ms. Raasch.

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!

Rating: Loved It, 4.5 stars

I had such a good time with this book! It was fun and had me cracking up at times! I heard about this book and knew I absolutely had to read it! In this, the crown prince of Christmas falls for the crown prince of Halloween while they are both pretending to compete for the hand of the princess of Easter.

I really enjoyed Coal's antics and being in his head. His narration had me laughing out loud as I read, and I just had so much fun learning about this secret world of holiday royals. I loved the depth to this one too. Coal was so sincere and earnest, which was just lovely. I was rooting for him and Hex, but also for him and his brother as they plotted a way to make Christmas great again.

Overall, such a fun time, and the audiobook really emphasized how much heart the story has to it.

Thanks to Bramble and Netgalley for an advance audiobook copy. The Nightmare Before Kissmas releases on October 8, 2024. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book, while not perfect, was such a stupid fun time and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve also already recommended it to other people.

I was originally interested in this book due to the comparisons to Red, White & Royal Blue (a book/movie I loved) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (a movie I’ve heard a lot about, but never seen), but I think the characters are the true selling point. Due to Raasch’s great characterization, and an EXCELLENT performance by Ellis Evans, Coal really seemed to leap off the page and felt like an actual person.

While I loved the characters, I felt as though the plot ended up being a little underwhelming. The romance felt a little insta-love, and I almost would have preferred a dual POV so we could get some more insight into Hex. Where Coal felt fully realized, I think Hex could have benefited from a bit more characterization. The other issue I had was the choice to only focus on holidays that are big in the United States. I think including other holidays (like Eid, Diwali, Holi, Rosh Hashanah, etc) would have made this fantastical world where Holidays are magical places feel even more cemented in reality.

With other books coming in the Royals and Romance series, I’m hopeful that there’s time for these other holidays to be brought into the fold and given a place among the courts of Easter, Halloween and Christmas.

P.S. Not sure how to rework this into the review, but I also really loved what Sara Raasch had to say about joy and all the ways it affects us. One of my favorite lines was when Hex described Halloween as "finding joy in the terrifying" and "finding joy in what's gone".

The Nightmare Before Kissmas was still a great listening experience and I am actively looking forward to next year’s Go Luck Yourself.

Take two of my favorite holidays and squish them together! Yes, please! This was an adorable and sexy version of the Nightmare Before Christmas. Everything I read was saying it as Nightmare Before Christmas meets Red, White, and Royal Blue and that is exactly what we got. The banter was great the spice was sexy and very sweet at the same time. The tension in this book was wonderful. I loved all the characters and I can't wait to see what happens in the rest of the series.

I was able to listen to alc, the narrator did a fanstic job pulling you in, however with any romance I do prefer for it to be dual pov narration. While the book started out great, and I was really sucked in at the beginning, it really lack luster at the end. I was fine with Santa being the actual villian in this story,but it just got to be too much at the end.

3.5 stars