This book kept surprising me with laughs! It was a fun concept that has Christmas and Halloween colliding while competing for the hand of an Easter Princess. Except, it is a reluctant situation all around, with the Christmas Prince and Halloween Prince having feelings for each other. It was cute, while also discussing while imagining the flaws that holidays present as the world becomes more worldly. The main character was annoying but in a just this side of making it endearing, so he didn't drive me too nutsy, particularly cause he liked to make himself the focus of a joke as much as those around him.

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed it and couldn’t stop listening. I was hooked from the first minute! The narration was wonderful. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook.

A book that's been described as Red, White, & Royal Blue meets The Nightmare Before Christmas: YES PLEASE. This story will be the perfect one to curl up with on a cold winter night. It's addictive, funny, and adorable all the way through. For fans of queer romance, rival holiday princes, magic, fantasy, and royalty.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the Audio ARC of The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch.

First, I just want to compliment Ellis Evans on the narration. I thought this was very well done, and Ellis accurately captured the emotions and the dialogue of each character.

For the story itself, it's a bit more complicated. Yes, it is an engaging read, and it's fun if you don't think too hard about it. But if you read a lot of fantasy and world building / plot matters, this can definitely feel like a miss.

The Nightmare Before Kissmas is a cute title, but as it relates to Halloween and Christmas -- that's not part of the story. Halloween/Prince Hex is in no way a nightmare, and Kissmas is cute to say, but it doesn't actually make any sense with this plot. It feels a bit like it's trying too hard, and it's portraying the story as something it is not. The description also is a bit misleading, it sounds like it's going to be a fake competition story over a sham political marriage that none of the three involved are interested in.

There is no competition, at all. That does not exist. Instead, this is a story of court intrigue, political blackmail, collective bargaining, coup planning, with breaks for Prince Coal and Prince Hex to flirt and hook-up. When I realized the story was not a cute fake romance type plot, but was instead going fully non-combative-overthrow-the-hierarchy, I was very confused. First, because the full magic system is never explained to us. Holidays have courts in places around the world, all the royal kids go to Yale and Cambridge and study political relations. Magic is still totally secret, but the innumerable holiday royals are followed by the paparazzi all the time, in magical and non magical places. The holidays create their magic by the joy they generate for/from their believers, and each of them have related magic. The magic though seems to be things like, creating transportation portals that also exist in regular doorways, pulling fancy Easter eggs in sleight of hand, making rooms feel colder, or when a character curses, a Halloween item will magically appear from the sky. For Christmas, the magic seems to also allow Santa to do his thing, but past that the entire system is kind of nonexistent and vague. There's a lot of talk about the commodification of holidays and the dangers of consumerism and plastic, but I don't know where to fit that in something that is described as a "sexy, quirky rom-com". It also seemed very limited in what the holidays were past Christmas, Easter, Halloween, New Year's Day, and Dia de los muertos. It was odd to tell if the choices were solely chosen from a western facing culture or a certain religious background -- if you think about it too hard it seems very. very, very whitewashed and Christian. Like, the idea is very cute, but the execution does not hold up in magical system or anti-corporate theme.

The characters themselves - like, yes, I do want to know what is up with Iris and Chris at the end - 100%, At the same time Coal recognizes he is selfish and a bit of a screw-up from day one, but the way he treats his brother, Chris, isn't great. Whenever he is in a situation with Iris and Chris he relies on humor, which he acknowledges, but at the end of the story he is still behaving that way to them both. And to a degree, yeah, he should let other adults make their life choices, but at the same time, there have been so many hints dropped that Chris seems to be very emotionally fragile and the way Coal kind of dismisses that when Chris needs him irked me.

Hex, while levelheaded, also seems to use way more 4+ syllable words to talk to the other characters, which makes him seem a little bit more stilted on the page, and it's a bit harder to warm to him.

I think having the two only really know each other for 2 weeks and in that time a week is just fun, fun, fun and the next week is "yes, let me take the mantle of leadership that I have shown no aptitude or intention toward and change the world in 5 days" -- I feel like it needed more time to percolate with such LARGE plot. Again, still a lot of fun to read if you don't think too hard about it, but if you do, it's just too many moving pieces over too little time and too little development of character or world.

Spice level: 🌶️🌶️.5/4
Nicholas "Coal" Claus, heir to Christmas, is supposed to marrying his best friend, Iris, the Easter princess, which is news to both of them. When Halloween prince, Hex Hallow shows up to also court Iris, Coal recognizes the handsome man he kissed on an alley behind the bar, realizing it's Hex.

I devoured this! Queer romance rooted in a works with the magic of holidays. Each holiday has royals and it feels a little like Succession the way a certain Father Christmas wants to run the family business. There's power struggles, there's politics, but the stakes are personal too. The comparison to Red, White, and Royal Blue meets The Nightmare Before Christmas feels entirely apt. Ellis Evans does an excellent job with narration, I appreciated his voices and can usually tell them apart.

Thank you to Macmillian Audio for an ALC on NetGalley. All opinions are my own. This book is due to be published 10/8/24. I will be posting on my Instagram closer to the publish date.

I loved this book! I enjoyed the premise of the two princes coming together and that the princess Coal had to marry was one of his best friends. I rooted for him from the beginning because it was so easy to see that beneath that exterior of the jokester, he had a heart of gold. I also love that Hex is the prince of Halloween and Dia de los Muertos, so there's a tiny bit more representation in the book with him. I hope we see more of Hex's side of things in future books because I'm intrigued to see how the other holidays work and do things (hell, I'd love to see more of that for Christmas, too). I think the narrator did a fantastic job; he expressed so much emotion that I felt what the characters felt, and each character felt different. I enjoyed listening to his narration. Overall, I enjoyed this and highly recommend it!

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC!

This book desperately needed to go back to the drawing board.

It’s frustrating, because the basic premise of this was great, and there are elements that really work. Although this has been comped to Red, White and Royal Blue, for me, it gave off more Boyfriend Material vibes. Coal is a bit of a mess, and his status as the Prince of Christmas means there’s the ever-present threat of paparazzi blowing up his failures. His memorable voice was brought to life by an outstanding audio performance from Ellis Evans. I also really enjoyed his relationships with his brother, Kris, and his best friend, Iris. Although, I do think the snarky banter walked a razor-thin line between “funny and endearing” and “cringey,” and sometimes it tipped too much into “cringey.”

But the entire trajectory of the plot was a complete mess. The summary promises a fun rivals-to-lovers romance, but this book is NOT that. Coal and Hex never wanted to be rivals, don’t even bother to fake a rivalry, and are pretty much in love with each other from the get-go. There is basically no conflict in their relationship until the third-act breakup. In fact, there is a severe lack of agency for all of the main characters until a little after the halfway point. They’re all being forced to do things they don’t want to because of Coal’s father, instead of actively controlling the plot, and that makes the story feel like it’s moving through molasses in the first half. The romance would have been much more exciting if Coal and Hex acted as legitimate rivals (like Hex legitimately wants to win Iris’s hand, and maybe Coal doesn’t think Hex is good enough for his best friend), only to find they have more chemistry with each other than with Iris. Also, both the third-act breakup and the resolution of the Christmas conflict at the climax were some of the silliest things I have read in a while, and I really do not say that lightly.

The other part that really fell short for me was the holiday politics. Normally, I enjoy angst and drama, but for this book, I wish it had stuck to being just a lighthearted, magical, fluffy romcom. The attempt to add high stakes via the holiday politics felt silly and melodramatic. Oh, Coal’s screw-ups are bad for Christmas’s reputation because Santa wants to expand the global reach of the holiday? I mean…that sounds kind of colonialist/imperialist, no? Considering that non-Western countries have their own major, important holidays? (It would have been actually interesting if Christmas was duking it out with Lunar New Year, Eid, and Diwali, but I guess the author didn’t want to tackle that angle.) Oh, Coal is upset that Santa wants to mass-produce cheap toys instead of giving real gifts because he wants to save his magic to turn more of a profit? Oh, Iris needs to go through with the arranged marriage because her family is unpopular with the Easter Court (and yet it's not like they can be removed from power)? Oh, Santa wants to check the power of Halloween by holding its prince hostage??? I’m sorry, but I found these “stakes” laughably ridiculous and nonsensical. I wish this book had been written more like a contemporary romance in the sense that the stakes are usually more personal and emotional, instead of attempting and failing to have grand, world-changing stakes.

Also, the whole message that “one day of joy doesn’t accomplish much compared to improving people’s lives” just felt like a misunderstanding of what holidays are. For as much as the book tries to critique the capitalist approach to holidays, it ultimately does the same thing by treating holidays as only “one day of joy.” Holidays are not just about buying and receiving presents; they’re about tradition, community, and culture (and, yes, religion, in some cases, even though the book attempts to brush that part off). And again, none of this would have been a problem if the book had just stuck to a fluffy, lighthearted, whimsical fantasy world, like Rise of the Guardians. It’s by clumsily trying to make “deeper” points that the book utterly falls flat on its face.

Other things that bothered me: some of Coal’s internal struggles were repetitive and brought up too many times, and the book was way too melodramatic at some points. Also, the make-out and sex scenes were actually torture to read. It's like the author took a thesaurus and went to town during these scenes. The prose was flowery to the point of making me laugh out loud, and not in a good way.

It’s a shame, because a Rise of the Guardians-style holiday story with a Boyfriend Material-esque queer romance could have ended up being a brilliant book. Unfortunately, the execution of this story was a miss on so many levels. Alas.

This was such a cute and fun book with some
Spicy! I really enjoyed it and look forward to the next book in the series. Thanks NetGallery!

This is such a cute story! It imagines that all of the holidays secretly have royal families, who are responsible for bringing joy to the world, which fuels their magic. Santa is the king of Christmas and the main character Coal is his son and heir. On his worst day, Coal meets and fells a strong connection with a stranger behind a bar, but didn't get his name or contact info before he disappeared. After searching in vain for two years, they meet again as "enemies." It turns out the mystery guy is Hex, the heir of the Halloween court, rival of the Christmas Court.

I love the world building and the characters. It's amazing to see them develop and work out their issues, both among themselves and with their parents. There were parts that made me tear up and pats that made me laugh out loud. The story also hints at possible pairings for future books and I can't wait to read those too!

LOVED this audiobook!! I adored everyone, but Hex was my absolute favorite. He and Coal have my heart. I was also excited to see Día de Muertos included in the holidays!

4.5 stars rounded up. This was such an adorable listen, I really enjoyed the narrator along with the festiveness. The concept alone was a blast. The prince of Christmas, Coal, and the prince of Halloween, Hex, have feelings for each other but Coal has to honor his royal duty of an arranged marriage with the princess of Easter, Iris. I loved of all of the characters and am hopeful the next book will be about Coal's brother and Iris. This book was cozy, laugh out loud funny, and spicy. All of the perfect ingredients to make a Christmas/Halloween romance so good! I'd love to learn more about this world and these holiday kingdoms. If you love holiday romcoms, insta-love, and Red, White & Royal Blue, you will definitely want to keep your eye out for this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Santa is a tyrant and his sons Chris and Cole are pawns in his schemes. Every holiday is a kingdom that runs off the amount of joy and recognition it receives. Cole is know for being the jokester and the mess up, Chris is the caretaker and forgotten son, after a massive mess-up Cole goes to a bar and wallows in his self doubt. There he ends up making out with an extremely hot guy before he literally poofs and disappears, his best friend and brother thinks he imagined it all. A year later Santa, in his goal of complete holiday domination, arranged marriage between the Easter princess and Cole (even though its Chris who is in love with her). Halloween sees the ploy for what it is, before they can complain Santa makes a back handed deal that the prince of Halloween can also fawn for the hand of Easter. But Santa cant be trusted and is one sighted. When the Prince of Halloween arrives, it is the guy from the bar. Cole is still yearning for what he experienced that night with him but now they both have to "try to win the hand of Easter" for their holidays sake. Cole also starts to see exactly what his tyrant father has been up to.

This book had me feeling all the feels. It was a blend of Red, white, and royal blue and a backwards Nightmare before Christmas. I was so mad watching the characters get manipulated by Santa, so giddy when they see each other, and so damn sad at the 80% mark. I've also never wanted a book 2 so immediately. when it cut off a gasped and said you cant do this to me. A great holiday read and feel good read.

This was a fun read. I love, love, love Coal and his ‘dick joke locked and loaded at all times’ mentality. This book has a super fresh take on fantasy compared to everything else I’ve been reading lately. I also think this book lives up to the references the blurb gives (I still loath those but at least this one is accurate). Coal and Kris’s sibling relationship is lovely. I love how much they deeply love each other. Hex and Iris are amazing as well. Coal’s attraction to Hex and Coal’s frustration with Hex’s mysteriousness had me drooling over Hex too. So fun! This is clearly planned to be a series. We get a lot of resolve in this book but a major aspect is left for continuation. The narration of this audiobook was astounding as far as I’m concerned. I absolutely loved it - this one audiobook made me an instant Ellis Evans fan. I’ll look for their narrations intentionally for more. I absolutely recommend the audio for this one. I loved this read and am excited for others to get into it so we can chat!

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Sara Raasch, and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook ARC.

Everything about the premise of this book is bonkers, but that doesn't stop it from being an absolute delight. This book hints at being rivals/enemies to lovers which it's absolutely not. As someone who has spent much of the year complaining about instalove, this book went and made a hypocrite out of me. The reason I think the instant attraction works in this novel is that the hold up to the romance comes from outside forces and not the denial/stubbornness of one character. It's fun to see the friendship and love develop throughout the novel, alongside the attraction.

I also want to point out this novel has developed side characters that add to the plot and don't take away from the main romance.

You have humor, heart, sexual tension AND unionizing holidays. What more could you want? (More time in Halloween and Hex's POV, but that may just be me).

I had such a great time with this ridiculously out of left field novel. A special shoutout goes to Ellis Evan whose narration brought such joy and charm to this tale.

If you loved "Red White and Royal Blue" then this book is for you! There was a smile on my face the whole time I was listening to this book and a lot of kicking of my feet and giggling <3.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy! The description of this book is very accurate as I was definitely getting Red, White, and Royal Blue vibes, along with the Nightmare Before Christmas fantasy aspect. I really liked the ideas of families as holidays and the almost Monsters Inc. way they talk about joy (rather than screams). This was fun and clever and I enjoyed the Halloween x Christmas crossover.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan audio for the free ALC. My opinions are being left voluntarily. This started off slow but 20% in it took off and I was enraptured. I love this audio I love the story I love the message. What absolute perfectionof a book. Coziest romance I've ever listened to I wanna live where these characters are.

5/5☆ obsessed highly recommend

Fair warning, The Nightmare Before Kissmas will result in premature holiday decorating if read outside the Halloween/Christmas season. You will fall in love with the Princes of Christmas and Halloween as well as their love for their holidays. Quite simply, this book is an absolute delight. I don’t know the last time I smiled or giggled as much as I did while reading this book. I have to say bravo Raasch - you’ve simultaneously given me a new favorite romance book and new favorite comfort holiday read. I challenge anyone to read this and not adore Cole’s character. In general, this book really shines with the characters. I loved the friendship trio of Cole, Kris, and Iris. Hex is a Halloween delight, and I am obsessed with how he uses his holiday to mess with Kris. Be prepared for one liners that absolutely sleigh and great pop culture references. Despite the cozy nature of the read, it deals with some surprisingly heavy topics surrounding abandonment and grief. I both eyeball and audiobook read this and hands down can’t recommend the audiobook enough. Ellis Evans nails the narration. You can fully feel Coal’s anxiety, stress, excitement, and every other emotion experienced throughout the book with Evan’s excellent narration. I also felt that it made the story really come to life and added an extra level to some of the truly fantastic puns. Again, I can’t recommend this story and especially the audiobook enough.

This was utterly delightful and I binged the audio in a day with a huge smile on my face the whole time. It definitely has Red White & Royal Blue vibes, and since I loved that one, I was bound to love this one. But the twist of having the kingdoms be holidays with associated magic was so cool.

Coal and Hex are so endearing and they just sparkle whenever they're together. All the characters really jump off the page and feel so real and 3D and I loved the found family vibes. I loved the political intrigue side of it too. It was a perfect blend of romance and plot and Christmas meets Halloween goodness. Like the magical side effect when Hex curses? brilliant, adorable, delightful.

I desperately hope that Sara Raasch writes more books about these characters because I can't cope with having the story be over.

The narrator was incredible and really brought the characters to life. I was completely transported while I listened.

*Thanks to Macmillan Audio for providing an early copy for review.

if you're somehow put-off by the cheesy title or the cover art, please don't let either fool you. this was so so fun. i hesitate to compare this to anything because i'm not sure if i've read anything exactly like this, but i think if you threw christmas and halloween magic into a blender with red, white, and royal blue by casey mcquiston, you'd have something like this book.

so, what is it: a prince of christmas (and successor to the one, the only santa claus) named coal is kind of a fuck-up. he reads a letter from a kid making a plea about a parent's lost job, then grants the wishes for a LOT of kids at once which caused problems - overinflation in that country but also the loss of a big chunk of christmas magic. as a result, his dominating, controlling father arranges for him to marry a daughter of easter without his consent and puts on a sham public "competition" for her hand with the son of halloween, hex, who... once kissed coal outside of a bar and has been on coal's mind ever since.

what you will get from this without expecting it: a large chunk of this book is a commentary on capitalism. there's a lot of discussion of christmas becoming expansive and how ultimately it cheapens the meaning of the holiday. christmas also manipulates and is funded by the holiday joy of others and plans to steal more power, a replication of corporate greed.

for me, i think it was really interesting that this was included but... it was written with no commentary about religion at all, which seems strange given christian imperialism is to blame for the expansiveness of christmas and when two of the three main holidays discussed within this book are christmas and easter vying for global power, the exclusion seems strange. but i also realize that, at its crux, this is supposed to be a romcom. i just don't think you can have nuanced conversations about capitalist holidays without also discussing the toxic religious push. and, as other reviews have mentioned, non-western holidays weren't mentioned at ALL. which felt weird.

since this seems (according to goodreads) to be book one in a series, i'm interested to see where the plot will go from here. i think this is a fun read with a cute romance, just some of the political commentary didn't work for me.