Another thoroughly enjoyable and fun read from Sara Raasch! I loved A Nightmare Before Kissmiss and loved the premise of Go Luck Yourself when I saw the release blurb. Not only do we get more of the great campy world Raasch created from the first book, but I was so excited to see Kris' story. The author brings the same hilarious and over-the-top vibes with more spice and banter to enjoy. The Shenangians are great fun, and the pinning and the chemistry were *chef's kiss*!!!

Campy and fun, what more could you want? I truly enjoyed this follow-up to The Nightmare Before Kissmas. Kris and Loch are a delight!

Only swoony irishmen who can paint pass the vibe test now...

Thank you @orbitbooks_us and @sara_raasch for the gifted traveling copy of "Go Luck Yourself"

❔️#QOTD What's something you do that makes you feel creative?

Look no further than Sara Raasch to give you the joy of Christmas and...St Patrick's Day? The second book in the "Royals & Romance" series is the perfect amount of sexy & angst you didn't know you needed.

You thought you adored Hex and Coal? Wait until you experience the banter between Kris & Loch. *fans face*

Read for:
💚 Enemies to Lovers
💚 Christmas x St. Patrick's Day
💚 SPICE 🌶🌶
💚 Magic
💚 Banter
💚 LGBTQIA+

This was a DNF for me. While I mostly enjoyed the first book in the series, I did not connect with these characters at all, and found their enemies-to-lovers arc felt manufactured, immature, and based on pettiness and overreaction.

Also, the phonetic spelling-out of the Irish accent was grindingly hard to read.

Fans of this author might still enjoy this -- I appreciate that there are queer romances out there that showcase humour and sex, and would be interested to read others by this author!

Kris (21) is the younger brother to the heir to the Christmas King throne who has spent his whole life molding himself into the person he believed he should be for everyone else.

Lochlan (22) is heir to the St. Patrick’s Day throne and is holding onto so many secrets so tightly they’re almost impossible to see.

These two young men find themselves stuck with each other for some positive political PR, and this fun, entertaining story becomes unputdownable.

Fantastic follow-up to the first book in this series.

Read if you like:
• Contemporary romance with magic
• Inclusive, safe world for all
• Wonderfully charming banter
• Royalty shenanigans
• Identity and happiness
• Boundaries
• Open door spice

Thank you to Bramble for the chance to read an arc of this book! 🖤

3.5⭐️ a surprising festive romance! |
tropes: hate to love, angst, royalty | low steam | digital + audio'

Overall Thoughts 💭:
I was very curious after the last book about how we would transition from Kris being in love with Iris in the last book to him having a new love interest in this one, but it was done very well! I loved Prince Lochlann and Kri's dynamic. Both of them are struggling with the pressure of their roles in different ways, and I loved the plot of this book even more than the first. There was a new element of the power struggles that occur within this magical holiday world that left me thinking about how it could be expanded even more in future books.

It's another jaunty holiday read hit from Sara Raasch, featuring Kris, Coal's younger brother, and Loch, the prince of St. Patrick's Day.

I really adored this one and when I tell you I was laughing, gasping (at a sudden reveal) and misty eyed, you best believe it.

In Go Luck Yourself, Kris is sent on a covert mission to Ireland to see if he can sus out St. Patrick's Day, and whether they have been stealing Christmas' joy. They have a good reason to suspect St. Patrick's Day when the only evidence left behind is a single shamrock. As Kris spends more time in Ireland with Loch, the tension and heat between them slowly crumbles, finding an unlikely ally in one another.

While the first book in this series heavily focused on court politics and intrigue, I love that this one shifted slightly to identity, mental health, and family dynamics. Kris is going through A LOT and has been carrying the burden of expectations on his shoulders, living a life that isn't truly his own. We see this most glaringly in his love of Iris and in his studies. Through many a conversations (and lovingly yelling) with differing side characters like Coal, Iris, and Loch, Kris slowly comes into his own and it is painstackingly beautiful. We love to see a character grow no matter how long it takes, and if there was much needed pushing from people

As a side note: I also loved how the beauty of art is highlighted in both Kris and Loch as they respectively find solace, comfort, and joy in creative mediums (writing & painting). The ending chapter is incredibly sweet, highlighting this reoccurring theme throughout the novel.

And let's not forget the chaotically PINNING with these two. Kris x Loch give Coal x Hex a run for their money. They were absolutely FERAL and guttural with their declarations. Spice level is at a 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5

If you're looking for fun holiday reads with chemistry filled tension and spice, look no further, and make a stop at Go Luck Yourself 😉

Kris may be the second prince, but he is determined to help Coal run Christmas without their father’s interference. So, when they discover someone has been siphoning Joy from Christmas, Kirs volunteers to follow the shamrock left behind to the most likely culprits—St. Patrick’s Day. Since he had a recent PR incident with their prince, Loch, he has the perfect cover to go to Ireland and investigate the infuriatingly handsome man himself. As the political heartbreakingly intersects with tangled interfamilial dynamics, this pair of princes will do their best to survive their circumstances as an unlikely pair.

This is just a delightful series. I love the idea of each holiday having royals to try and create more joy which they then use for magic. While I didn't like this one as much as the first, I thought Kris, the Prince of Christmas, was a good main character. The enemies to lovers really worked with Lochlan from St. Patrick's Day. There was funny banter and vulnerable moments as well. I really hope we get a book about Iris next!

I really thought there was no topping a Halloween x Christmas romance but here I am, wanting to sing Christmas carols while eating corned beef and cabbage.

We’ve got a spare prince figuring out what he wants in life, a university rivalry filled with tinsel, and stubborn tension that is thick as a blanket of snow. The chemistry hits, the burn is slow, the banter is kicking. This was an audio read for me and the narration was oozing with sass and wit. The magic of the world continues to develop and I’m really interested to see where it leads to next.

How can a book possibly be this sweet & lighthearted, and sexy at the same time?!

How can a sequel be this good, BETTER even than the first?!

So, remember Red White and Royal Blue? (We do.) THIS is like that ... but better. With a bit of Beauty & the Beast (delightful) and Bridge to Terabithia (shattering).

"Wonder. That's the feeling. Like all these books hold possibilities and if I pick the right one, I'll get swept away somewhere better and righter and truer."

This read was an absolute delight, so much fun to dove back into this world that Raasch created. Between the obvious sexual tension and the slight edge of mystery learning more about the second prince of Christmas was the magical ride I thought it would be- but so much more

I recently finished reading Sara Raasch's latest addition to her holiday royalty romance series, "Go Luck Yourself," and wanted to share my thoughts. Having thoroughly enjoyed the first book, "The Nightmare Before Kissmas," I was eagerly anticipating this new release.

Initially, I was a bit surprised by the change in Kris's romantic interest. However, I quickly grew to appreciate his new love interest, Prince Lochlann Patrick, the heir of St. Patrick's Day.

While I didn't enjoy "Go Luck Yourself" quite as much as "The Nightmare Before Kissmas," it was still a delightful read filled with queer joy and festive holiday spirit. Sara Raasch continues to impress with her work in this series.

I really enjoyed this enemies-to-lovers romance novel! Thank you so, so much to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this title!

Blurb:
Someone has been stealing Christmas’s joy, and there’s only one clue to the culprit—a single shamrock.

With Coal busy restructuring Christmas—and their dad now having a full midlife crisis in the Caribbean—Kris volunteers to investigate St. Patrick’s Day. His cover: an ambassador from Christmas to foster goodwill. What could go wrong?

Everything, it seems. Because Prince Lochlann Patrick, Crown Prince of St. Patrick’s Day, happens to be the mysterious student that Kris has been in a small war with at Cambridge. They attempt to play nice for the tabloids, but Kris can’t get through one conversation without wanting to smash Loch’s face in—he’s infuriating, stubborn, loud, obstinate, hot—

Wait—hot?

Kris might be in some trouble. Especially when it turns out that the mystery behind Christmas’s stolen magic isn’t as simple as an outright theft. But why would a Holiday that Christmas has never had contact with, one that’s always been the very basis of carefree, want to steal joy? Can a spare prince even hope to unravel all this, or will Kris lose something way more valuable than his Holiday’s resources—like his heart?

I loved this book probably more than the first in the series. The first book had great detail to world building. This one had greater detail to the enemies to lovers trope as well as to cultural commentary. I'd read it all over again for the first time if I had the chance.

I loved this second book in this holiday royal romance series. I’m not a big holiday theme reader, but the first book was just so adorable I had to pick this one up. While the first book felt cuter and more wholesome(?), the second book felt more emotional to me. Still fun but less whimsical. We don’t get to see as much magic in this one due to St. Patricks joy situation.

First off, there is less of a found family vibe with this. Even though Loch has siblings, we don’t get to know them like we did with Kris in book 1. So most of the plot is focused on Loch and Kris. This made the romantic development better but I did miss having this wholesome friend group. Fortunately we are visited by Coal, Hex, and Iris a few times throughout this one.

Second, we dive deep into Kris’ past trauma that he’s fought so hard to accept. We see him eventually find peace and self-love. We also get Loch’s story but the primary character is Kris. His struggle to learn who he is and what he wants is both heartbreaking and healing.

The concept of the holiday lands is still fun. We don’t learn more about other lands like we did in the first book. This is very much focused on St. Patricks. I felt like the author could have incorporated more history of the holiday, instead it felt like a bunch of celebrations of Irish culture. Still, fun!

Just like in Book 1, we have an “evil” family member that needs to be taken down. We also get a who-did-it type of mystery as we follow Kris in trying to figure out who is stealing joy from Christmas and why.

This is spicier than book 1. There are a lot more intimate scenes between Loch and Kris. I loved the attitude they both had with each other when they were “enemies.” It’s less enemies, and more “that annoying guy who is also really hot.” 😆

I really thought book 2 would be about Iris. After reading this, I am convinced book 3 will center Iris’s love story and Easter land. We get hints that she is busy in Easter but things are not going smoothly. We see a new friendship form between her and another character; and it’s clear the other character is crushing hard on Iris. 🥰

One thing to note is the author intentionally leaves out religious beliefs in both books. So even though Christmas, Easter, and St. Patricks Day all clearly have Christian ties, the author does not incorporate this in her stories. For example, Easter mainly represents Spring. I appreciated this choice. I recommend suspending belief and just accepting the lands as they are presented for the best reading experience.

ARC Review
Go Luck Yourself by Sara Raasch
Royals and Romance - Book 2

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun trip back to the world of magical holidays. Instead of Christmas and Halloween, we have the mixing of Christmas and St. Patrick's Day.
After a disaster at school, there is a bit of media scrutiny. To try to keep the peace, Kris is going to visit Loch and St. Patrick's Day. There were quite a few sparks that flew - the story that follows was a lot of fun.

I enjoyed this one just as much as the first one. I liked seeing into Kris's head and understand his thoughts.

I absolutely love this series! It's lighthearted, hilarious, and a little bit silly. A prince of christmas solving a mystery and falling in love with the heir of St. Patrick's day? Perfection!

Go Luck Yourself is the sequel to The Nightmare before Ex-Mas. We follow Kris as he meets the Prince of St. Patrick’s Day and must act as a representative from Christmas to look at who is stealing joy from Christmas. This is a difficult review for me to write because I am not sure if I liked it. Kris’ whole arch is that he does things for other people and not for himself so people are trying to get him to do things for himself. We follow him as he has to work out his feelings for the Prince of St. Patrick’s day, work on personal family business and his own uncertainty. I personally don’t know how believable Kris and Locke are and that’s one of the reasons why I am conflicted about this book. Kris was going after Iris in the first book and realized at the end that he thought he wanted it because that is what everyone else wanted for him. He wanted that “storybook love story,” if you will. However, he start to realize in this book that he was wrong and is starting to fall for Locke. I just don’t know if that is super believable, but that is the point of the book that he needs to find himself. But, I am not sure if that was a forced plot point, or if it’s something the author wanted to work through. I did find the story funny and I was invested in who was stealing from Christmas. Also the look into another holiday was interesting and I am happy we explored something that is so based on culture. This was not a bad book by any means, I am just struggling with how believable I found Kris as a main character. I would recommend this book if you enjoyed the first one and I am looking forward to more from the author. I just didn’t enjoy following Kris as much as following his brother.