Three cute holiday romances. Fun to get in the holiday reading spirit!
My favorite was "Say No To Mistletoe." Mistletoe has never led to a successful relationship, so stay away!

Three cute and well written Christmas stories! I loved how they all had a mistletoe element included in them. And, the last story was somewhat reminiscent of the movie 'You, Again'.

This was the perfect feel-good holiday audiobook. The story is full of charm, love, and festive spirit, making it a delightful escape during the holiday season. I especially enjoyed how the authors blends romance with small-town dynamics, creating characters that feel relatable and engaging. The audiobook narration was smooth and pleasant, enhancing the cozy atmosphere of the story. The pacing of the plot was mostly good, though a few moments felt a bit predictable. However, the overall warmth and lightheartedness more than made up for it. If you're looking for a cozy holiday listen to get you into the Christmas spirit, Mistletoe Season is a great pick!

Mistletoe Season
This has 3 authors. Sheila Roberts, Kathleen Fuller, & Pepper Basham. I was fortunate enough to listen to the audiobook, which as you know – is my preference lately. Life gets too hectic & before I know it, I have no time for reading. Which, is why I appreciate audiobooks. It’s like having someone read to me while I go about my day. It’s fantastic.
“Say No to Mistletoe” by Sheila Roberts
Kryptonite. We all have our own, it doesn’t belong solely to Superman. I know I have mine. In this story, Hailey Fairchild’s kryptonite is mistletoe. Every time she has kissed someone under the mistletoe it has led to disaster. To top it off, Hailey is a romance writer.
Could you imagine? Mistletoe being the downfall to your lucky streak? Mistletoe being part of every breakup? Yikes.
When Hailey Fairchild was in high school, she was the quintessential gawky girl who was attracted to her neighbor, Carwyn Davies. Of course, Carwin Davies is the star of the basketball team, hunky boy next door type. When he kisses Hailey under the mistletoe it was anything but a dream come true. It was mortifying. A moment that stays with Hailey.
Flash forward. Hailey is about to return to her hometown for the holidays, unengaged, single, & determined to keep her head down to get through the holidays & return home. To her apartment in New York.

Return to Mistletoe by Kathleen Fuller
When you live in Mistletoe, Missouri – you will either despise everything Christmas or you will embrace it completely. Emmy Banks loves Christmas.
Kieran O’Neill is from Mistletoe, Missouri as well. He has spent many years abroad in Ireland. He’s been spending his time renovating an old Irish castle. He only returns home to Mistletoe for his mother’s surprise 70th birthday party.
Emmy is Kieran’s sister’s best friend; childhood besties are the best. I speak from experience. The only thing is, Emmy has always had a crush on Kieran. While in town Kieran reconnects with Emmy & helps her decorate her antique store in time for the holiday season.
I love this tag line – “When the weather turns colder, things start to warm up between Emmy and Kieran.”
Come ‘on! How could anyone possibly NOT like that tag line? It’s straight out of every Hallmark lover’s dreams. Fine. How about this one? “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
I married my prince charming & we lived happily ever after. I love me a good royalty falling in love with someone without clout. Even, someone from another country with an embarrassing family history. Enough about me & my preferences.
Prince Arran St. Clare acted out of character for any royal & for his punishment, is sent to live in Ransom, North Caroline for three months. Attempting to prove to his parents, King & Queen, that he is ready for a royal life, Arran must engage in a community fundraiser. Luckily for Arran, his sister lives in Ransom & has volunteered him to assist in the Christmas charity fundraiser; The Mistletoe Wish.
Learning quickly that his royal pedigree isn’t worth much in North Carolina, Arran learns that kindness, authenticity, & hard work are the traits he will be flexing. While helping with the planning & preparation of the charity event, he meets Charlie.
Charlie, having been raised by her single dad, is a tom boy. She can hang with the best of them & work construction alongside the guys. She’s not only beautiful, but she’s also intelligent. Only thing is, she lacks self esteem & cannot see her worth.
“Some mistletoe, and a little Christmas magic and it all might be enough to help the rebel-prince understand what truly matters most.”

The 3 of these novellas were perfect. I’m already wishing it’d snow. When snow falls, I know the holiday season is upon us. I love nothing more than drinking warm coffee or hot chocolate while watching romance movies come to life. That’s what happened with these. I could see them playing in my mind like a movie.

the first story and the last were my fav. really liked it !
never tought i would read a complie of short stories here

I loved this trio of short stories! A wholesome bundle of rom com joy sprinkled with holiday magic! Think your fave predictable holiday movies but even better with fantastic story lines and great narration!

Tanya Eby did a fantastic job narrating these sweet holiday stories.

Perfect way to get into the holiday mood.

I received an ARC and ALC of this book. I'm copying my ARC review below and the only thing I'll add is that the audio was fine. I don't have strong feelings about the narration outside of the plot, which is detailed below in the ARC review

**

I really wanted to like these and I'm so sad that I didn't. I love what these authors set out to do, I just didn't find the execution to be well done and this ultimately fell flat for my taste. I read the first story, Return to Mistletoe by Kathleen Fuller, and then about 2 chapters of the second one, The Mistletoe Prince by Pepper Basham, I decided to DNF.

Story 1 - Return to Mistletoe by Kathleen Fuller

Return to Mistletoe had the potential to be a heartwarming second-chance romance, but unfortunately, it fell a bit short for me. I love reading novellas, and I understand that with a limited page count, certain details or developments may be glossed over. However, even with that understanding, this novella struggled to find its footing.

The premise was definitely sweet—there’s something inherently charming about a second-chance love story, and I think it was a good choice to give the characters some shared history. I didn’t dislike either of the protagonists, and I definitely found myself rooting for them to get together. However, despite their backstory, the relationship still felt rushed. The author could have incorporated more from their past without eating up too much space in the novella. That would have added depth, making their current feelings more believable and their chemistry more palpable.

Another issue was the passage of time in the story. The events supposedly unfold over multiple weeks, but the way it was written made it feel like mere days. A more condensed timeline—like everything happening over a long weekend—would have felt more natural and allowed for deeper, more immersive character development. Instead of telling us that they had feelings, we could have seen those emotions evolve in a more organic way.

The writing itself also had its rough spots. There was a moment when a character’s mom picks up the phone and says something like, “How are things in Kansas City?” to a friend. It felt forced, like dialogue you’d hear in a sitcom to clue the audience in on where a character is, rather than something you’d expect in real life. These clunky moments pulled me out of the story and made it hard to get fully invested in the characters or their journey.

Ultimately, Return to Mistletoe had a cute premise, but the execution left me wanting more. It didn’t quite capture my interest or deliver the emotional payoff I’d hoped for.

Story 2 - The Mistletoe Prince by Pepper Basham

I almost stopped after the first book but decided to give the second story a chance. Initially, I wasn’t excited about a contemporary royal romance, which should’ve been my first clue to stop, but I pushed on. Within the first two chapters, the FMC repeatedly said or thought things like 'I dreamed of being a princess once, but those dreams are over' or 'Trust me, I’m over my infatuation with princes.' While I’m too lazy to go check my Kindle, I’d guess some variation of that line was used 5-6 times in just two chapters. She’s also supposed to be a tomboy, which is great, but with those elements combined, the story felt predictable and cliché. I knew it wasn’t for me, so I decided not to continue.

Overall thoughts:

Generally, I don’t rate DNFs, but 1) NetGalley requires a rating and 2) I feel like I identified some objective issues with the writing, beyond my personal preferences. That’s why I went with a 2-star rating. I understand novellas aren’t typically as complex, but I’ve read many that were more developed than these. If you can’t make a novella feel fully formed and satisfying, maybe short stories aren’t the right format. I’m sure plenty of people will enjoy these stories for what they are, but they just weren’t for me.

This is my favorite kind of holiday book! Three stories by three great authors. I loved the narration so much (the accents?!) and each story was paced just right. Say No to Mistletoe by Sheila Roberts, Return to Mistletoe by Kathleen Fuller and The Mistletoe Prince by Pepper Basham were full of holiday cheer, mistletoe, cozy romance and heart-happy endings. Highly recommend!

a solid 3.75. Very quick listen. Broken up into three short stories. I think I prefer a full book vs. the short stories... I'm always left with questions that the author just doesn't get to. But overall, they were very sweet.

Thank you to the authors, NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had such a great time reading these stories! They were all wonderfully paced and had just the right amount of Christmas mixed with romance. Overall Pepper Basham's story was my favourite - i loved the tie in to "loyally Luke" that I was lucky enough to also receive an ARC of earlier this year.

These short stories are perfect for the reader who is looking to get into the Christmas spirit but needs something a little quicker than a full length novel to get them going. Would definitely recommend to both the seasoned reader and those who are new to reading!

4 stars overall!

This audiobook was ok, i liked the stories, but i did not love them. I also was not a fan of the narration. But this is good for a quick Christmas read. Perfect to cosy up with beside the fireplace.

Firstly, I'd like to extend a thank you to the authors of this short story collection, Sheila Roberts, Kathleen Fuller, and Pepper Basham, the publisher, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. I will share my review on Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble upon release. Each of the three romantic novellas mixed holiday charm, cozy, festive vibes, and cute characters for a fun, light book.

My favorite story of the three was The Mistletoe Prince, which gave me some Princess Diaries vibes. Prince Arran has to prove himself by getting involved in the community. This small town forces the Prince to confront some of his own insecurities and difficulties in order to be successful. The other stories in the collection were very sweet as well, and reminded me of short Hallmark-movie-esque episodes to make one bigger movie. I think fans of the channel would adore these stories and listen to them again and again. When it's cold outside, these stories will warm your heart!

Major Tropes/Themes:
- Second Chances
- Small Town/Community Cozy Charm
- Royalty Romance
- Brother's Best Friend
- Mistletoe Mishaps
- Personal Growth/Redemption
- Older MCs
- Holiday Rom-Com

I found these stories to be sweet and loved that there was three different ones in this one audio. However, I found the first one a bit hard to connect to. Overall I would recommend for a fun holiday listen.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author/publisher for a copy of this book.

This was a cute series of novellas perfect for the holiday season. The characters were easy to follow and so were the stories. The narrator did a great job of accents and differentiating between characters which is sometimes hard for me to follow in audiobooks but this once was not like the others. I would def read more books by these authors.

When it comes to Christmas books, there's nothing better than a captivating anthology. It offers the perfect bite-sized stories that check all the boxes without demanding too much time during the busy holiday season. I was thrilled to have the chance to listen to the audiobook version of this anthology, and it turned out to be a delightful way to dive into the festive reading season. I adore the Irish ☘️ character in book one and the Scottish character in book two.
Thanks for the arc, @NetGalley!

I found all 3 Novellas to be very cute and fun to read but my favorite would still be Pepper Basham. I have read and enjoyed her Skylar series. Her books always make me laugh.

Narration for these was ok. Not my favorite but not bad.

Thank you NetGalley & Thomas Nelson for the opportunity to read this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was so much fun! I loved all 3 short stories. They really get you in the holiday spirit. I would definitely recommend the audiobook. The Irish accent really added to the stories.

A very cute festive anthology audio. I really enjoyed the different writing and stories. Perfect for Christmas

Mistletoe Season by Sheila Roberts, Kathleen Fuller and Pepper Basham - 4 Stars Overall
3 Christmas Novellas

Overall, these 3 novellas are charming and heartwarming holiday romances that perfectly show the magic of Christmas. I really enjoyed each of these, with Kathleen and Sheila being new to me authors! Looking forward to reading more by those authors. Pepper is one of my favorite authors and her's was my fav because we had Luke show back up! :) Loved the audio narration!

Return to Mistletoe by Kathleen Fuller - 4 Stars

This was a unique Christmas romance between two characters in their 40s. I really liked that because you don't see those ages of characters portrayed much. In this one, we have Emmy Banks, who is fully rooted in her community with her antique shop. Set in Mistletoe, Missouri, the shop add an extra layer of charm to it. Kieran O'Neill has spent years abroad, renovating an old Irish castle, but returns to Mistletoe for his mother's 70th birthday. We see him reconnect with Emmy, his sister's close friend, and spend time helping her in the shop. A romance ensues and the rest is history. :) I really liked the characters and small town - a very cozy read. I loved that he was Irish too, added a nice layer to the story.

The Mistletoe Prince by Pepper Basham - 4 Stars

We are back with our Skymar characters and this time Princess Ellie's brother is getting his romance! Prince Arran St. Clare lost his fairytale life in exchange for a 3 month "punishment" in the small town of Ransom, North Carolina. He has to prove he is ready for royal life so he has to participate in the Christmas charity fundraiser, The Mistletoe Wish. The fundraiser not only forces Arran to get involved but also allows him to interact more deeply with the locals, helping him grow as a person. For anyone who LOVED the Skymar series like I did, this is a MUST read yall! (Specifically Loyally, Luke readers will love this the most!) We see Luke and Ellie again - which were lovely! Really enjoyed the faith elements in this too. A must read for those who enjoyed a mix of royalty, small-town charm, and a holiday romance.

Say No To Mistletoe - Sheila Roberts - 4 Stars

This one made me laugh out loud several times! I loved the mistletoe mishaps here. It's giving Christmas rom-com. We have a romance author, Hailey Fairchild, who always has a disaster under the mistletoe. Her handsome neighbor, Carwyn Davies, star of the basketball team, kissed her under the mistletoe many years ago and it was an embarrassing moment. Now, back home, she is determined to say no to mistletoe, until a second chance erupts between her and Carwyn. :) I really liked this one. I really needed the laughs and this one delivered!

Overall, this anthology is a great one to pick up during the holiday season. Very lighthearted, hallmark like novellas that are bound to be enjoyable!

Thank you to the Thomas Nelson for providing a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.