**4-Star Review of *The Nightmare Before Kissmas* by Sara Raasch**

*The Nightmare Before Kissmas* by Sara Raasch is a delightfully chaotic holiday romance that perfectly blends Christmas cheer with a spooky twist. Nicholas “Coal” Claus, the reluctant heir to Christmas, is thrust into a whirlwind of festive obligations and romantic entanglements that are as unpredictable as they are entertaining. The story takes a turn for the unexpected when Coal’s mysterious behind-the-bar fling turns out to be none other than Hex, the Prince of Halloween. Their chemistry is electric, making for a steamy and unconventional holiday romance.

The fake competition for the hand of Easter Princess Iris, paired with the undeniable attraction between Coal and Hex, sets the stage for a sweet, sexy, and utterly messy love story. Raasch crafts a unique and playful narrative that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The characters are vibrant, and the mix of holiday traditions with a modern, inclusive twist adds a fresh spin to the seasonal romance genre.

As much as I enjoyed the audiobook, I found myself wishing for a dual narration to bring even more depth to the characters’ voices. Despite this, *The Nightmare Before Kissmas* is a fantastic read that’s sure to get you into the holiday spirit. It’s a festive, fun, and unforgettable story that will warm your heart and leave you smiling.

#NetGalley #BookReview #HolidayRomance #SaraRaasch #TheNightmareBeforeKissmas #ChristmasReads #LGBTQRomance #AudiobookLovers #HolidaySpirit #MustRead #FestiveFun

When Nicholas "Coal" Claus is commanded by his father to marry his friend Iris, the Easter Princess, he is anything but pleased. To make matters worse their courting soon becomes a fake competition with the prince of Halloween to see who can win her heart before Christmas Eve. Coal will do anything to prevent this from happening, and soon learns the secrets his father has been keeping about Christmas. Trying to stop a looming marriage and starting a secret relationship with the Halloween prince, may be more than this Christmas Prince can handle.

I can't stop thinking about this book! I loved every character and this storyline was perfect! I was fully consumed by this story and I found myself listening to it at every second I could. I loved Coal and his inner dialog, and it was brought to life in this audiobook! The chemistry between Coal and Hex was phenomenal and I loved the support they gave each other. This was one of my top reads of the year and I can't wait for the next book in this series!

This was the actual sweetest story and it makes me wonder why I don’t read holiday themed books!

When the Prince of Christmas and the Prince of Halloween are both competing for the chance at the hand in marriage of the princess of Easter, the tension and the attraction between the princes reaches its peak. And I loved every minute of it.

I have attempted to explain this book to a few people and it always sounds so juvenile when this book really and truly isn’t! The politics within the holiday system were really fun and inventive. I enjoyed everything about this book, though I wish we got more voices. The audiobook narration was spot on and gave such life to the characters.

I am absolutely obsessed with these two and the audio narration was so good I was actually shocked to see it wasn't dual narration. Coal and Hex are goals, they are everything. I want to live in their little holiday world. Yes, please.

This was so cute, fun, and ultimately sweet. It is a cozy LBGTQ+ holiday romcom. Set during Christmas it introduces a world where holidays are run by royal families. You get the see the court system, and some of the interaction between holidays, but the main focus is the Claus family and Christmas. A quick read, it does have a nice ending, but not complete closure. It sets up more to come from this series, and I will definitely be along for the ride.

The narrator did an excellent job. You quickly become engrossed in this world, and the lives of the characters.

This might be one of my favorite Arcs I've been lucky enough to get.

This book was such a fun read. I'm always a sucker for a cute queer romance, but this book knocked it out of the park. This book is a fun silly read. The banter between the characters is so fun, and made this book so fun to read. Very quickly I started to love Coal. He is such a fun loveable character. While he might be a little problematic he doesn't mean to be. You can't help but root for him the whole time. And then there Hex... Who doesn't love a prince of Halloween? If you want a cute holiday romance you need to add this book to your TBR right now!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan/Bramble for an advanced reader's copy of the book. I had a very hard time getting into this book. I dnfed it at the 20% mark as it was not holding my attention. While I love the concept of the book, I had difficulty wrapping my head and taking the plot seriously. Kingdoms representing holidays? There's mentions of the North Pole and magic but also contemporary college life. It just didn't gel with me. I also thought there were way too many trauma and problems of the main character to make this a light read, which is what I am hoping for. The book tries really hard to fit in the box of "Red, White, and Royal Blue" but it doesn't work as there is no rivals to lovers here. I did, however, like the audio narrator who brought the characters to life. The book just didn't leave a lasting impression and didn't hold my attention.

4.5 ⭐️
🌶️🌶️
Lgbtqia+ rep
Wholesome
Cozy winter romance

First I’d like to thank Macmillan audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this arc for my honest review.
This book is so warm, cozy, and all around just so freaking cute! Honestly this is a perfect fall/winter read. Just grab some hot cocoa, a nice warm blanket, this book, curl up by a fire and you’ll be in for a relaxing, heartwarming, sweet experience.
The prince of Christmas father has decided Nicolas will marry the princess of Easter but then in a political stunt his father brings in the prince of Halloween to compete for her hand. But theres a twist the princes of Christmas and Halloween fall for each other, but they have to keep the charade up.
I will definitely be adding this to my shelf when it’s released and rereading around Christmas time for sure.

One of my favorite books of the year! I will be shouting from the rooftops how much I enjoyed this! I’ve picked up young adult fantasy books from this author but this blows them out of the water.

Rise of the Guardians meets Percy Jackson with romance, humor, and Christmas cheer!

The narrator did a great job embodying the main characters sass and embarrassment and I can’t wait for this book to release so I can buy multiple copies and force all my friends to read my new favorite romance!

ARC REVIEW 📚🥰 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️thank you to @netgalley for giving me this opportunity to listen to this wonderful audiobook. This book comes out Oct.8th of this year. this was a five star cozy read for me because I’m a fall and winter girlie until I die. This was red, white , and royal blue meets nightmare before Christmas. I WAS LOVING IT. It’s a warm cup of hot coco, sweet, addictive, and funny. Highly recommend for this year. Thank you to the publishers and the author for giving me this opportunity to read the book early.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio arc!

I thought this book was so much fun. It was advertised as Red, White, and Royal Blue meets Nightmare Before Christmas, and it really delivered on that energy! The characters were likable and made you want to root for them. The story was a unique take on the typical Christmas representation. If you’re looking for something life-changing, this isn’t that, but if you want a good holiday story with grumpy/sunshine tropes, cute romance, and complicated family dynamics, this is for you. I’m excited to read the next one.

This was my first audiobook experience and I loved every minute of it! The narrator had such a great voice and I loved how they captured the essence and emotion of the characters. The story was well crafted and I found myself just completely enthralled. I loved the dynamic and relationship of Coal and Hex. I just really loved this book! Can’t wait to read it again when I have the physical book in my hands! 😍

Sometimes a 5-star review means this book was a literary masterpiece. Other times, it just means I enjoyed the hell out of a book. And let me tell you, I enjoyed THE HELL out of this book!!!

The premise seemed silly at first. The holidays are actually kingdoms, and the Prince of Christmas, Coal, is being forced into an arranged marriage with the Princess of Easter, Iris. They’re best friends and don’t actually want to marry each other. But don’t worry, Halloween is here to contest the engagement! Oh and by the way, Prince Hex of Halloween just so happens to be the hot stranger that Coal made out with in the alley behind a bar a couple years ago.

This book was super fun, funny, heartwarming, and spicy all rolled in to one! I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was excellent, really bringing the characters and their chemistry to life. I’m so happy to see that this is the first in a series, and I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this book!

This book was great! I loved this as my first adult read from Sara. Coal was such an interesting character. I loved seeing him grow throughout the book. I loved that this was a romance between the prince of Christmas and the prince of Halloween. I loved seeing their relationship develop. I also loved that this was so much more than just a romance. I loved that there was commentary on Christmas taking over all of the other holidays. I totally feel like Christmas overshadows everything else and the depiction of Christmas in this book really matched that. I really hope that there's a sequel to this!

I loved everything about The Nightmare Before Kissmas. This is described as Red, White and Royal Blue meets Nightmare Before Christmas and I cannot think of a better description. I fell in love with this book from the very beginning and the narrator does a phenomenal job in being the voice for the characters, especially for Coal. I have never listened to a book narrated by Ellis Evans, but it definitely will not be my last. Coal and Hex was such a fun couple, and their chemistry (and spice) was spot on. I am hoping that this is not the last time we see Coal and Hex in this series because I am obsessed with these characters. The book does leave a couple of questions for the readers that leads to the next book in the series. I will be immediately pre-ordering the next book when it is announced.

This is a must have for your Fall TBR!

The Nightmare Before Kissmas is out October 8th!

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to review The Nightmare Before Kissmas. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC!

This book was just the cutest and sweetest! It was marketed as RW&RB meets the Nightmare Before Christmas and I couldn't have said it better. I found this enthralling and found the MMC super likable! I enjoyed the LGBTQ+ cast and all of the characters seemed super real and fleshed out. The romance was romancing and I couldn't have asked for more! Perfect fall/Christmas read ❤️

✨ALC Review✨
Another fun one! This is the story of two holiday princes who are sort of rivals, but end up lovers. Swoony.

Nicholas, or Coal as he prefers, is the heir of Christmas. He’s famously kind of a mess. We start our story where he tried to do something kind and Christmas-y and took down the economy of a small country. So, he’s in a bit of a sad, drunken state when he meets a gorgeous man outside of a bar and they share a meltingly hot kiss.

He thinks about this man often and how he unloaded his soul to him and then kissed the everloving fvck out of him.

Almost two years have passed and Coal’s father (yes, Santa or King of Christmas) wants Coal to get married to his ex-girlfriend’s sister, a Princess of Easter. They’ve been besties forever and do NOT want to be married to each other, but they’re resigned to do what is best for their holidays.

Enter Hex Hallow, the Halloween princess, set to vie for Iris’s (the Easter princess bestie) hand. Again, it’s considered what’s best for his holiday. Well, who is Hex Hallow? Only the hot, kissable guy from two years ago.

Oh y’all. The sexual tension is real. The way Coal loses his shit over seeing Hex in a corset vest? Hex seeing Coal’s fingernails painted in Halloween colors? 🤯🤯🤯

There’s fun banter amongst all these new adults and all the Christmas-y goodness you could ask for. This book is a freaking treat!

And the narration is fantastic! #ellisevans does an amazing job as the solo narrator and having distinctive voices for all the characters. His voice for Coal is perfection.

I received this ALC from #netgalley and @macmillan.audio. All thoughts are mine alone. It releases 10/8/24 and you need it. Preorder, add it to Goodreads, tag it at your library. ❤️

#romance #romancebooks #contemporaryromance #mmromance #lgbtqia+ #bookrecs #bookreview #bookstagram #audiobooks #narrators

I absolutely loved this book! The reader was wonderful, and really got into the story. His voice fit Prince Coal perfectly! The story was quick, sweet, and so adorable. I loved that it flipped the love triangle on its head and didn't make that the focus of the story. I think the tag line of "red white and royal blue meets the nightmare before Christmas" fits perfectly. 10/10 would recommend!

Oh, I really enjoyed this one!

The premise is basically that each holiday is it’s own kingdom, with Christmas being the biggest and most powerful, and Santa is running is like the mafia, blackmailing the other holidays into giving them a percentage of their joy.

I’m not usually a fan of holiday themed books, but this one worked really well.

Coal is the prince of Christmas and Hex is the prince of Halloween and I just loved everything about both of them. Coal tried to do something good, tried to spread joy, and it was a disaster, so he’s stepped back from anything related to the holiday. But when his dad, Santa, starts making wild moves in an attempt to grab more power, Coal, his brother Chris, their friend Iris, and Hex, work together to come up with a better, and more equitable, option.

The relationship between Coal and Hex was great. I absolutely loved the level of consent that was happening in all of the sex scenes, how Coal was getting enthusiastic consent for everything, and explaining why, but in a sexy way that just added to the scene. I am always here for a well-written consent discussion during a sex scene.

There were also some really funny parts, especially what happens when Hex swears. 😂

Overall a really great read!

I was not ready to feel all these feels.
This book surprised me again and again. I thought it would be a bit cozier, but there was a little more heaviness than I anticipated. Not in a bad way by any means. But in a "this isn't quite just a holiday rom-com" way.

I truly loved every character, and the narrator did a great job with the women and men. No voice made me uncomfortable.

Each character ended up being so different than I originally thought they would be. Prince Hex, the Halloween prince, was so different than what you'd expect. And Coal genuinely had me laughing.

Please don't sleep on this holiday book. Pick it up as soon as possible.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and Netgalley for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.