The cover gave me Hallmark Christmas movie vibes but my mistake as this is mainly just smut, and love at first sight smut at that.

I didn't particularly like either of the main characters, Noelle in particular read very childish with her tantrums and was very obviously 8 years younger than the love interest.

If your in the mood for a quick light hearted bit of spice before Christmas then pick this up, but apart from the snow storm there wasn't much Christmassy about it.

Christmas Cancellation by Evie James pub 11/18 read 12/14-12/18
Christmas Cancellation, by Evie James, is the story of distraught Noelle Nichols as she tries to get to Saratoga Springs by close of business on December 23 only to have the last leg of her journey, her flight to Albany, cancelled due to an impending blizzard. Not taking this news very well, especially after a backstabbing ex led to her quitting her job, Noelle calls her best friend Amanda to loudly complain from her seat at the departure gate. After a period of time, a pilot walks up her, schooling her on all the faults in her tirade, leading to her subsequent breakdown after he turns away. When she murmurs a wish to never have been born, pilot Kol Vinter begins to wonder how he can help.

When his trips for the next several days are also canceled, Kol decides to head home to Rotterdam, which isn’t far from the pretty passenger’s destination. Although Noelle is hesitant when Kol makes the offer, it is her only chance to be able to follow through with getting to the attorney’s office in time to sign whatever paperwork is necessary so her aunt’s estate comes to her.

Through their travels, the meeting with the attorney, taking possession during a blackout and a blizzard, and the events that follow, fate takes hold and two lonely people find a wonderful holiday story. I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it!

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial!

DNF @ 15%

Overall: ⭐️⭐️
Writing: ⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️
Tropes, etc: Road Trip, Forced Proximity
POV: Dual, 1st Person

Brief Summary: After her flight is cancelled due to an incoming snow storm, Noelle loudly vents to her friend on the phone, blaming the flight crew. Pilot Kol Vinter overhears and puts her in her place before taking pity on her and offering a ride to her destination.

The Praise: The premise seemed interesting to me.

The Critique: The conversations between Noelle and Kol were really stilted and unnatural. They just didn’t really sound like how people actually talk. While I wanted to learn specifics about what happened between Noelle and her ex, I just couldn’t continue after an excessively long chapter where Noelle and Kol talk about their favorite musicians. They go into detail about specific artists for so long, and it doesn’t do anything at all to further the plot. And just when I thought I was past it, they struck the conversation back up! Also Kol just came off as snobby and misogynistic.

Final Thoughts: Overall, I just wasn’t enjoying the book and when I thought “well, I have to be pretty far in by now” and checked, only to see I was only 15% in, I decided to throw in the towel.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I found both main characters hard to like. The romance was insta love. The plot was small. This book in the end just wasn’t my type of a book at all.

This book was the book version of a Christmas Hallmark film, and I ate it up in just a couple days. The book follows a super fun meet cute at the airport between passenger and pilot after a cancelled flight before Christmas Eve. The setting and story line was absolutely immaculate. Although I'm all for cheesy and sweet, I found that some instances the conversation between the characters made me cringe a bit, as it felt that the author wanted to put in some typical romantic and inspirational quotes into their dialog but didn't know how to. Some quotes felt forced and rather exaggerated, given that the characters had know each other for less than 24h. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the depth of both characters and their growth. Not only it was a super Christmassy book, but it also talked about navigating grief, new beginnings and inspiration.

2.75 stars rounded up.

I always am a sucker for a good aviation related romance since I'm married to a pilot but this book fell short which was disappointing. Kol was an excellent character and so well written but did have some questionable actions. I really struggled to like Noelle because her tantrum in the first chapter was crazy. I almost put the book down after that scene. She seemed like a spoiled brat and it wasn't even just that incident. There are a lot of spicy scenes in the book and at times I kept thinking, you just met this person and don't even really know them! I also hated that he kept calling her his little elf. The book lagged in some spots but I loved the Christmas theme and the Saratoga Springs setting. Overall, this book had a lot of potential but wasn't executed properly.

In Christmas Cancellation, we met Noelle who just found out her flight to Albany was cancelled. She throws a tantrum at the airport and the pilot, Kol, overheard her. He ends up offering to drive her to Saratoga Springs since he lives close by. She agrees and the two are stuck in the car together driving through a snowstorm. Noelle needed to be at an appointment that day which is why she was in such a hurry to get there. After her appointment Kol drives her to her aunts house she just inherited and they get snowed in. Kol and Noelle seem to be getting along by that point and possibly having feelings more than friendship.

Thank you Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this Christmas book but I don’t think I was in the mood for this sexy steamy story. I am also not a fan of the love at first sight trope but this was done well. The storyline of grieving and the trauma that both main characters shared made it all the more interesting for me. I also adored the setting of Saratoga, which is such a gorgeous place. Now I need to visit there in the winter! I am more curious about Noelle’s next adventures and would have loved an epilogue.

31/2

Sometimes a book leaves you with a bundle of mixed feelings—Christmas Cancellation by Evie James is one of those books. While it has some glimmers of promise, the execution left me frustrated at times. For anyone intrigued by grumpy/sunshine pairings and snowy road adventures, it’s worth exploring, but be prepared for a bumpy ride.

The premise of the novel is set up well. A chance meeting between Noelle Nichols—a woman with a lifetime’s worth of emotional baggage—and Kol Vinter, a broody, scarred pilot, amidst a cancelled flight and snowstorm feels like classic Christmas rom-com fodder. James crafts a festive backdrop with small-town charm and plenty of potential for heartfelt moments. But somewhere along the way, that potential melted like a snowflake on a car windshield.

The biggest obstacle? Noelle herself. I understand what the author was going for—a deeply traumatized heroine whose layers of pain make her both relatable and deserving of a second chance. But her behaviour often came across as grating. Her outbursts felt more toddler-esque than emotionally nuanced, which made it hard to root for her. A particularly eye-roll-inducing moment involved her screaming during a car accident, blurting out, “Oh no, not again! Not like that time four years ago!” This kind of overly deliberate “telling” rather than “showing” felt amateurish and jarred me out of the story.

Kol, on the other hand, fares a little better. He’s the quintessential brooding alpha with a heart of gold—a holiday Hallmark hero dipped in just enough angst to keep things interesting. His competence, protectiveness, and moments of vulnerability almost saved the book for me. But even he fell into the trap of uneven writing, especially during intimate moments. Kol’s tendency to push Noelle’s boundaries without clear communication—particularly when kink is introduced—didn’t sit well with me. Consent is sexy, and it felt like a missed opportunity to deepen their connection in a meaningful way.

The book’s dialogue and inner monologues leaned toward the juvenile, which made some of the emotional beats hard to believe. For instance, Noelle’s flirtation style is a blend of bratty defiance and insecure hesitance that never quite hits the right note. Her accusations toward Kol and repeated references to her high school traumas felt repetitive and, frankly, exhausting.

That said, there are glimpses of charm in the story. James clearly tried to give us a holiday romance filled with hope, healing, and redemption. The snowy roads, warm hearths, and wistful Christmas nostalgia are all there, and fans of festive romances might find something to enjoy. But for me, Christmas Cancellation lacked the polish and maturity it needed to elevate the story.

Would I recommend it? Maybe, if you’re in the mood for something light and can overlook an immature heroine and some clunky writing. But if you’re looking for a steamy, heartwarming romance that hits all the right notes, you might want to leave this one on the shelf.

A Christmas romcom is always a hit in my book! This one had several of my favorite tropes and coming from a girl who has read about 10 holiday books so far this season I would definitely recommend this one!

This had so many things happening at once that it fell a star in rating for me. Kol was fantastic, but I felt like Noelle was a lot. I have my fair share of trauma and issues, but don’t act super bratty in airports or immediate freak out if I can’t find someone in 2 minutes.

This was such a cute holiday read! I loved the returning to your small hometown at Christmas, comfy feels. I didn't love the main characters - they were just okay for me. Being swept up in a romance is sweet, but this moved too fast for me. Some of the spice, and just their general interactions, was a bit too intense for a couple we haven't seen build any trust yet. I went back and forth a bit on how much I enjoyed it

Thank you to Netgalley, Evie James and BooksGoSocial for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

This was a cute, fun holiday read🎄

Noelle is traveling back to her hometown and gets stranded at the airport due to weather. It so happens that Kol,an angsty pilot is headed back in the same direction that Noelle needs to go and agrees to give her a ride. Add in the massive blizzard that leaves the two strangers with opposite personalities stranded, and you’ve got yourself a Hallmark Christmas Movie in book form. 🎅🏻 This was a quick, easy read for anyone who enjoys a lighthearted Christmas themed romance book.

Rating this a solid 4.5/5 stars. I love a good Christmas book, and this one was different from the others I've been reading recently. Good characters, good story, and I liked how colourful this book felt (it just felt like Christmas lights, I don't know how else to describe it).

This book between Noelle, whose life tends to fall apart around Christmas, and Kol, a former military man now pilot, was Christmas, Spice and all things nice. Kol's flight gets cancelled and he overhears Noelle loudly complaining that the flight crew probably just doesn't want to leave before Christmas. When he politely calls her on that notion, she crumbles like a cookie -- her desperation to get into a town she'd been avoiding before Christmas has him feeling badly enough for her to drive her on his way home. All of her wounds get exposed and he chooses to stay with her as a support and gets snowed in for his trouble. From there, all sparks ignite.
A cute quick holiday romance read but with high spice factor for those who want to be heated from the inside out while reading while Christmas shopping!

#arc
#netgalley
#Christmascancellation

Sometimes its too quick and it took a little bit to break in with a few chapter. I was hooked with the description of the book, having bad luck sometimes creates a good opportunity for something good.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

⭐⭐⭐
Spice Frequency: 🔥🔥🔥🔥/5
Spice Intensity (how explicit/descriptive and adventurous it is): 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5

Read this if you like:
insta-love
one bed/forced proximity
a cute Christmassy setting and retelling of It's a Wonderful Life
emotional and poignant themes of grief and loss
feisty FMC (in and out of the bedroom!)
ex-military MMC
"tough love" from MMC
acts of service and caretaking
banter and play fighting

What I liked:
The poignant themes of grief and loss - Honestly, I wasn't expecting such strong themes of grief and loss throughout the story, but I felt like they were done quite well. Kol had some very insightful quotes about grief, loss, trauma, and moving forward in spite of it, and I loved how he was able to help move Noelle forward through her grief because he had experienced the same thing in the past. Also, the moments with the parents' old house and their Christmas gifts were surprisingly poignant and emotional, and I appreciated that Kol was there for Noelle as a supportive partner and someone who understood grief to encourage her to move forward in her own time.
The banter and non-sexual intimacy between the MCs - I did feel like the two MCs did have very good banter, and matched each other's wit pretty well. I especially liked their moments of emotional vulnerability and non-sexual intimacy, especially when they were able to share their trauma with each other while naked, which was really nice because it separated physical nakedness from sexual intimacy and gave another layer of vulnerability to the trauma revealand when he was able to take care of her.
The smut - I hate when there is a "feisty FMC" and then during the smut scenes, she turns extremely submissive in bed for no reason - this did not happen here, which I appreciated! This book is definitely not femdom but there were some dominant moments from the FMC which matched her feisty personality.
The practical knowledge and acts of service of the MMC - I LOVE a MMC who has a lot of practical knowledge and shows his love for the FMC through acts of service with this knowledge - there were PLENTY of examples of this in this book of this which I enjoyed. I also liked that at the end, the FMC reciprocated the act of service in a big way. The aviation and other knowledge seemed to be well-researched as well.

What I disliked:
The "play fighting" and treatment of the FMC by the MMC - There was a lot of problematic and behavior from Kol to Noelle that was justified by him being able to read her and know that "she wanted it", which is a very slippery slope. For instance, he slapped her ass without consent towards the beginning of the book and would basically "fake-kidnap" her by tossing her over his shoulder whenever she did something that particularly bothered him and she would play-fight back - it kind of seemed a bit too abuse-adjacent for me. A scene that particularly bothered me is that when she was at her parents' grave, she screamed at him that she wanted to be left alone, but because "he knew he didn't mean it" he fake-kidnapped her and took her kicking and screaming back to the house, which unsettled me. I don't really have an issue with these problematic dynamics in books as long as we are warned beforehand, and I did NOT expect something like that in a cutesy Christmas romance. In addition, his love was a very "tough love", which some would appreciate but I personally didn't especially when he told her to "suck it up" - if someone told me that I would treat that as a red flag and break up with them if they did that too many times
The sexism/NLOG (especially from our MMC) - Even though Kol, the MMC, said that he respected women, it didn't really seem like he did? He made some comments at the beginning of the book about not trusting women because they will take half your salary and made sexual advances on Noelle at the beginning of the book when she was in a vulnerable position He also made comments that insinuated that Noelle was "not like the other girls", which irritated me especially given his early book comments.
The insta-love in this book - I don't dislike the insta-love trope if it's done right, but the insta-love wasn't really believable in this book, especially since their relationship to me seemed more like insta-lust + a trauma bond which doesn't seem like a healthy foundation for a relationship.
Some characters did not seem fleshed out - I didn't really think that Kol was a super fleshed out character, which kind of made sense due to his role in the story, but to me he just kind of read like a grumpy guy that helps Noelle through her trauma. Also, the best friend character only appeared and was mentioned in 2 chapters of the book, and I felt like she was there just to have a best friend character and was not needed at all.

I did enjoy reading the book overall, so I would give it 3 stars given my criticisms on the MMC and the character dynamics. Overall, this was a spicy, fast-paced, and funny Christmas insta-love romance that dealt with themes of grief in a very poignant way.

Evie James delivers a delightful blend of humor and heart in Christmas Cancellation. Set against the backdrop of a snow-blanketed small town preparing for the holiday season, This story captures the magic of Christmas, Noelle is going through so many hardships in her life! Her boyfriend just dumped her after stealing her promotion, She’s quit her job, and she has to go back to the hometown she’s avoided for years. The day before Christmas Eve she learns that she needs to be there, or she will lose her inheritance. Of course her flight is then cancelled and she finds herself in forced proximity with Kol the grumpy pilot. While they both come with "baggage" the banter between them is laugh out loud funny. But is there some Christmas magic out there? Read this and find out.
This was a new author for me, thank you to NetGalley for being introduced to Evie James.

I

Pure escapism wrapped up for Christmas! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Evie James’s Christmas Cancellation is a cozy holiday romance packed with festive charm and emotion. Noelle and Kol’s journey through a snowstorm delivers heartfelt moments and steamy sparks, exploring themes of grief, healing, and love. The small-town holiday setting is beautifully atmospheric. it delivers a warm, festive romance perfect for fans of grumpy-sunshine pairings and holiday vibes.

Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for an ARC copy of this book to review. Congrats to Evie James on the publication!

Christmas Cancellation is a heartwarming holiday romance set against the backdrop of a snowstorm. Noelle, a workaholic reeling from a tragic loss and betrayal, is determined to reach her hometown by Christmas Eve to claim an inheritance. When a blizzard disrupts her plans, she reluctantly accepts the help of Kol Vinter, a brooding former military pilot who overhears her distress. Forced into close quarters, the two opposites clash but also discover unexpected sparks.

I loved it! This book delivers all the feels for the holidays—snow, Christmas, and that yummy warmth you get from a satisfying love story. I expected this read to be extremely fluffy but was pleasantly surprised by the emotional depth. Not everyone is lucky enough to have someone help them navigate grief, especially at such a vulnerable time of the year, and this connection between Noelle and Kol felt stronger because of their willingness to open their hearts up to one another. The cover is absolutely darling—it is what initially captured my attention. I think it will do wonders to create a first impression for this story.

A bit cliché, but that's exactly what makes it a perfect holiday read for someone who wants romance, a bit of spice and characters that bond nicely on a road trip together. There is substance to both Noelle and Kol and I liked the way they managed to find middle ground, to understand each other and eventually fall in love.