If you’re looking to get into the holiday spirit with your reading and don’t want to jump into a big novel, try any of these 5 novellas!!!

This collect on Amazon has 5 amazing stories from 5 incredible authors! I can’t pick a favorite out of these because I loved each one so much!

If you haven’t read these authors, I think this collection is a great place to start! These stories are short and sweet with some spice!

Grab your coziest blanket, cuddle up on the couch with your kindle (and your pets!) and read these 5 holiday novellas!

Five sexy & sweet short stories set around Christmas…say less. These were all fun, quick reads and I enjoyed all of them. Perfect little snippets to get in the holiday spirit!

A very cute and heartwarming collection of holiday short stories that definitely made my days brighter. I honestly can’t even choose which one was my favorite!

CRUEL WINTER WITH YOU:

3.00!

I mean it was fine 🙁 nothing special. There was like one cute scene that's why this is a two. Usually when I read Ali Hazelwoods books I enjoy them so much but that feeling wasn't here. Maybe short stories aren't for her. :(

MERRY EVER AFTER:

0.50!

And then Tessa goes and spoils it all by saying something stupid like:

• "I tell him he's daddy and my pussy needs his come."

• "what's this little dress called" "Get the straps down and show me them tits" (its so bad it hurts)

• "Why was I so turned on watching him eat his fourth grilled cheese?" (This isn't acomaf 🙏🏻)

• " 'How hard are you going to make me pump.'

Hard as you want.
Wreck me forever.
Daddy." (Pls stop 👹)

• "They don't make jeans that fit me and they don't make women that fit me" ( 😟)

• "I've never had pants that fit me." (Bitch bffr 😭)

•"Can he see me clenching through this denim. Good gravy, am I attracted to him" (ok Geraldine and second interaction btw)

• "And the fact that she already has a man should make me ashamed that I fucked my fist to the thoughts of her bent over. Yet in my fantasies, I've had her all over town since the first time I saw her."

ALL BY MY ELF:

2.45!

it was like 40 pages and the basic summary would be: The girl thinks the guy is dating her best friend (how she doesn't know that he's not actually the best friends bf I will never know because like?? She's your bestie. So she finds out that he isn't and then they have sex 😭 that's it)

I honestly liked the valentine novellas better 😭 this one was better than the last one but not as cute as the first one. I liked the nerdy MMC but I honestly didn't feel anything 😝 a tad bit cute, I feel it could've been like the Abby Jimenez one without the spice because again just 40 pages.

MERRIMENT AND MAYHEM:

3.75!

This is what I was looking for in these novellas. This was so cute and also steamy at the same time, it's very short but the banter and the chemistry comes to the two main characters so naturally and I overall enjoyed it so much!! I'm happy that after two disappointments this one was better!!

ONLY SANTAS IN THE BUILDING:

2.75!

It was mid ☹️ it could have been wayy better but it wasn't. There were like one or two cute scenes but that was it. This collection was a miss mostly 😔 so yeah not happy.

Rating for the series
• Cruel winter with you: 3.00
• Merry ever after: 0.50
• All by my elf: 2.45
• Merriment and mayhem: 3.75
• Only Santa's in the building: 2.75

Overall rating: 2.49

Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood

I won't share my real thoughts about this one because I'll be too mean. I don't like Ali Hazelwoods writing.

Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey

Classic Tessa Bailey. That's all I'll say. This book is classic Tessa Bailey.

All by Elf by Olivia Dade

This one had all the Christmas spirit that I love. I thought it was a lovely quick rid novella with all the christmas cheer.

Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur

It was there, it was something. I did not like it and I hated how it ended. It was too quick for me.

Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria

Perfection. I loved this passionately. The tension was there since the moment we meet him. I thought it was so cute and I can't wait for Christmas.

Pub date Nov 12.

Great collection of holidays novella. This was a fun, quick, and cute stories. My favorite is Ali and Tessa's book. Overall rating was 3.5⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the eARC.

Under the Mistletoe is exactly what you need to get in the mood for the holiday season. These stories are all written by assured romance writers, and their comfort in their craft shows.

They’re also all short stories, so you don’t always get a full HEA (and an HFN is often more believable in these cases). Some are comforting, some are humorous, and some are heartwarming. But there isn’t a bad story in the bunch.

Hazelwood uses the trapped-in-a-storm trope to build a charming romance with—of course—the heroine’s best friend’s brother. I really enjoyed Bailey’s story of a single mom and the huge man who makes her feel safe. All by My Elf has lots of Dade’s trademark humor along with pointed commentary on the role of adjunct professors in education today. Bellefleur creates a grieving heroine who attracts all kinds of trouble, which keeps her running into a very helpful and considerate fireman. And Alexis Daria plays with a New York classic, the apartment building where the neighbors all know what’s happening between a couple before they do.

You can’t lose no matter what story you pick, so go ahead and get ready with these holiday delights!

I love these authors, and the holiday novellas they have written are so great!! All bringing their usual flair to their story, it’s a fun way to try new authors if you haven’t read any of their books before.

Arc review
Under the Mistletoe Collection
Cruel Winter With You @alihazelwood
Merry Ever After @tessabaileyisanauthor
All By My Elf @oliviadade
Merri-ment and Mayhem @a.m.bellefleur
Only Santas in the Building @alexisdaria

These novellas were so fun and cute! All of the MMCs of all sizes and occupations had me absolutely swooning. This was the perfect cozy read to start the holiday season.

You can read and listen to this collection for free on Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited on November 12th.

Thank you @netgalley and @amazonpublishing for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars overall. I personally found them each a bit quick to the super spicy, which isn’t 100% my style. I like a little more build up to the moment, but this makes sense for the shorter medium.

Only Santas in The Building was my favourite story in the mix.

Thank you to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cruel Winter with You:
I just know this man took care of her med school debt and it didn't even make a dent in his bank account.
✧ 5 golden rings

Merry Ever After:
I don't need the christ in christmas but I do need there to be some semblance of christmas in a christmas novella.
✧ 3 French hens, the dirty talk was so uncouth and not in a good way

All By My Elf:
why was there a giant phallus and why wasn't it attached to the male love interest?
✧ 2 turtle doves, grown adults don't play never have I ever for fun with their colleagues

Merriment and Mayhem:
ladies, apparently all it takes is baking cookies and hand delivering them to your local fire department. go forth and prosper with this information.
✧ 4 calling birds

Only Santas in the Building:
the jon snow fan fiction I didnt know I needed
✧ 4 (and a half) calling birds

Thank you to Amazon Original Stories for the eARC.

Under the Mistletoe is a short anthology containing five stories from Ali Hazelwood, Tessa Bailey, Olivia Dade, Alexandria Bellefleur, and Alexis Daria.

Cruel Winter With You by Ali Hazelwood: Cruel Winter With You had the trademarked Ali Hazelwood MMC, the one that is so in love with the FMC and it’s evident to literally everyone in the world but her. That is one of the many facets of my kryptonite. I loved that Marc was basically in love with Jamie from birth and that his feelings never wavered. I listened to this one as an audiobook as well, and I loved the cadence the narrator gave to the characters. I felt their emotions while listening.

Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey: A giant farmer that can’t find jeans that fit was kind of a weird plot IMO, and his dirty talk felt slightly out of character. But hey, still had a fun time.

All by My Elf by Olivia Dade: This might have been my favorite of the novellas. I loved the shy, professor William who is obviously crushing on his coworker, Nina. Forced proximity works in this story to make the characters communicate and confess their respective crushes…while stuck in a van in full stop traffic.

Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur: The most humorous of the novellas, Merriment and Mayhem was very low stakes. Who wouldn’t want a hot fireman to come save them from a disastrous cookie baking incident?

Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria: This one had some focus on grief, as Evie is struggling with wanting to decorate her tree after her grandmother’s passing. Her upstairs neighbor Theo, is there to help mitigate the holiday sadness and support her. Another sweet story featuring mutual crushes, so sweet for the holidays.

ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED. Thank you NetGalley, authors, and the publisher. I adored parts of every story!! Initially the interest came from Ali and Tessa but oh my god I like them all. Short, sweet, and steamy!

Overall this was a really fun and steamy collection of Christmas novellas! They're all super quick reads, and I think the entire anthology would be the perfect cozy book to pick up on a lazy afternoon. This collection of novellas includes:

Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood (4.5/5 stars)
Cruel Winter is a second chance romance between childhood friends, and by far my favorite novella in this anthology. Despite being shorter in length, it was so well-rounded that it read like a full-length novel...and I easily WOULD have read a full-length novel about these achingly sweet friends.

Read if you like:
- second chance romance
- childhood friends
- forced proximity (snow storm)
- miscommunication

Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey (4/5 stars)
Merry Ever After was like an absolutely over the top Lifetime holiday movie in the very best way. You know--as in "If this happened in real life I would file a restraining order, but since it's fiction it's a *chef's kiss*". A giant rugged farmer meets a single-mom who recently moved to a small town! She makes him jeans because he is TOO BIG for regular denim pants!

Read if you like:
- farmer MMC
- single mom FMC
- small town romance

All by My Elf by Olivia Dade (3/5 stars)
All by My Elf begs the question: What if the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile was actually a phallic mincemeat roll of phyllo dough driven by hot professors dressed like elves? That sentence was a rollercoaster, right?

Read if you like:
- coworkers (adjunct professors)
- forced proximity
- mutual pining

Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur (3/5)
An accident prone woman keeps having Christmas Vacation-esque holiday mishaps that require the assistance of a very hunky firefighter. You'll want to burn your cookies more frequently...

Read if you like:
- firefighter mmc
- rescue romance

Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria (4/5)
Someone has been leaving Christmas ornaments on Evie's doorknob like a sexy crow. A Christmas themed party in her apartment building, two meddling neighbors, and some mistletoe help her discover her secret Santa.

Read if you like:
- neighbors
- miscommunication
- mutual longing

I received an advanced copy of this e-book from NetGalley and Amazon. All opinions are my own.

Having read and enjoyed Amazon’s Valentines Day collection, I was super excited to read the holiday themed short stories. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed.

While I don’t expect significant character development in short stories, three of the five seemed to forego it completely. They seemed to move directly to insta lust without giving me a chance to care about the characters.

Two stories did stand out to me and I’ll be checking out more writing from Alexandria Bellefleur and Alexis Daria.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Cruel Winter With You: 4/5 - short and sweet best friends brother novella. i enjoyed it a lot, it felt a bit rushed at times, but overall a quick and easy read.

Merry Ever After: 5/5 - Tessa has a way with writing big burly men! I don’t think I’ve ever read a single mom trope by her but this was so incredibly sweet with a little bit of spice! Evie and Luke are such a quirky little couple but they pair well together. I’d totally read this as a full length.

All By My Elf: 3/5 - I am very hit or miss with Olivia Dade. This one was very short and an easy read but it wasn't my favorite. I loved the fact that geographically, it's based where I live, even if it was only really mentioned in passing. I also thought the idea of the weenie mobile, I thought it was such a silly idea but worked. Overall, it was a good read to knock down a reading TBR but I wouldn't do much else with it.

Merriment and Mayhem: 5/5 - This was my first time reading Bellefleur and will not be my last! This short and steamy novella took me by surprise! It was funny while also being heart warming. I’d love to read this as a full length.

Only Santas In The Building: 4/5 - another super cute holiday novella! I felt like this was the perfect closer to the anthology. I really liked the characters in this one! Def will be looking for other works by this author!

Thank you so much NetGalley, Amazon, and these 5 amazing authors for this book!!

Where do I even being! I loved the compilation of stories from Valentine’s Day and these Christmas ones were just a good! They were fun but heartfelt and so funny at the same time. They were the perfect reads to get me in the Christmas mood!

I will say, Ali Hazelwood’s was my favorite! I think I could have read a whole book about Marc and Jamie. I absolutely loved their story and wanted more of it!

Thank you again for to opportunity to read these short stories!

I wanted this to be more than a three star read, but when I started to do the math on what I would rate each story, I had a hard time bumping things up. It wasn't bad, and I"m sure that anyone who likes these authors will enjoy every single one. But for me, it wasn't great. The only story that really came in at a solid 4 was the one by Hazelwood. The other three were ok, and then Bailey just was a total miss. I find that Bailey has a hard time with short stories. They come across as vaguely creeper-ish and this was no exception. Mind you, some of her longer books come across that way too.

Cruel Winter with You - This was a cute story with some lovely characters. The fact that these two have been circling around each other for years makes it all the more believable even if the freak power outage is a bit convenient.

Merry Ever After - Well, I already said that this one didn't work for me. Luke was a bit less stalker than in previous short stories by Bailey, but it still gave me negative vibes the way he would go to Evie's work and then how he kind of lurked all the time.

All by My Elf - The whole premise here was cute and the characters don't do the insta love. But the hook up in the back of the truck didn't work for me. I mean, they are apparently freezing and sure body heat is good, but nope. .

Merriment and Mayhem - Fun story and Griffin seemed too good to be true and Everleigh too much of a clutz to be believed. Also the insta love was meh. I also didn't get why or how you could uproot your entire life for a person you just met.

Only Santas in the Building - My 2nd favourite in the series. Evie was likeable. Not sue how she missed all the signs, but she was just clueless enough for me to believe it. Interestingly, Theo came across a bit stalker-ish with the way he just wandered around her.

Cruel Winter with You: 4/5 stars—I love Ali Hazelwood's writing, and this one did not disappoint! As someone from Illinois who met her last November when Check & Mate was released, I loved that the MCs were from Illinois! The spice did not disappoint, and I kind of wish there was a little more. Overall, though, I enjoyed it, and I want more holiday romance from Ali!

Merry Ever After: 3.5/5 stars - This one wasn't my favorite out of the bunch, which breaks my heart because I love Tessa's writing. I enjoyed the characters until the spice started, and then...."daddy" happened. It didn't feel like it fit the story, and the fact that she's a single mom calling him daddy didn't work for me.

All by My Elf: 3/5 stars - My least favorite out of the bunch; this one didn't hold my attention, and I got tired of reading about how they were driving around with a giant phallus on top of their vehicle. I didn't connect with the characters, but it was a decent amount of spice!

Merriment and Mayhem: 4.5/5 - This one was my favorite out of the bunch; it was fun and SPICY, and I loved all the shenanigans. I'm a sucker for the kind of story where the FMC is always getting into trouble, and the MMC is there to help her out of it.

Only Santas in the Building: 4/5 - Holy cats! This one was pretty spicy, and I enjoyed the characters. I'm not sure how I felt about Theo just kinda barging into Evie's apartment, but he was hot nonetheless. It was hot and steamy, and I enjoyed the characters!

Overall, this collection is a lot of fun! I'm glad it has spice because I wanted more from it, as much as I enjoyed the meet-cute collection. If you're in the mood for a quick holiday read (or five), definitely pick up one of these!

As an overall collection, these stories are fun and bring the perfect amount of cozy Christmas vibes to the table, perfect for a light December read!

Reviews for each story separately:

Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood - 3.5 stars
This was super cute! Short and sweet with good Christmas vibes and somehow Ali Hazelwood always knows how to get me attached to the main characters very quickly. I find it can be difficult to pace novellas properly, but she paced this one perfectly, and I felt like I knew enough about the characters in a short amount of time that I really understood their story. My only real complaint here is that I am a little upset that it's not a full-blown book because I am kind of in love with these characters!!

Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey - 2 stars
The first chapter of this felt very promising to me, but I felt like it went downhill very quickly after. However, I do tend to be very picky about grumpy/sunshine dynamics, so this just may not have been for me! It seemed a bit insta-lovey to me in a way that didn't entirely make sense to me because I felt like there wasn't really a whole lot of actual plot to work with here.

All by My Elf by Olivia Dade - 2.5 stars
I felt like this really had the potential to be cute but it fell flat for me. I think this kind of fell into the novella pacing issues I mentioned earlier, so it was like a lot of unnecessary or overexplained backstory that didn't really feel necessary to understand the characters at all. The MMC in this story was absolutely a cutie, but the FMC kind of came off incredibly childish, which became even worse after she reveals that she is almost 40 years old.

Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur - 4 stars
This one was definitely my favorite of the bunch! I had never read anything by this author before, but it is safe to say after reading this that I will be diving into more of her work. I am currently in the middle of watching 9-1-1 which may be why I enjoyed this so much, but I was really giggling and kicking my feet the whole time! This was perfectly paced and felt comfortable ending without trying to tie up all the loose ends or give me some sort of an epilogue, which was actually very refreshing.

Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria - 3 stars
Loved the title of this, it made me giggle and also let you know exactly what to expect from this one. This was cute, cozy and well-paced! I have not read anything by this author, but I enjoyed her writing style so I am inclined to check out more of her stuff. However, this was the only one where I felt like I actually didn't have enough backstory to the characters to really get attached or form a connection with any of them. Genuinely think this would've been near perfect if it had an extra 10 pages.