Return to Mistletoe by Kathleen Fuller — This is a sweet story. I enjoyed Kieran and Emmy’s love story. They’ve known each other since they were kids, so there is no insta-love here. In fact, quite the opposite. This is a love story decades in the making. I appreciate that both the hero and heroine of this endearing tale are in their early 40s. As a woman in her early 40s, I appreciate seeing characters I could actually relate to. I love how Emmy is a grounded, stable, big-hearted heroine. She is the perfect person for the ever-wandering, runs-away-when-life-gets-too-tough hero. I like how Emmy and Kiran balance each other out. Together, they make a great team!

The Mistletoe Prince by Pepper Basham — Oh my goodness, is this one of the best stories ever! I absolutely love Basham’s Skymar series, so when I heard that this novella was Charlie’s love story I was all in! There is so much to love about The Mistletoe Prince. I love that readers get a complete story. Sometimes novellas feel uber fast and super rushed. But not when Basham writes them. In The Mistletoe Prince, we get a proper beginning, middle, and end. And so much realistic depth. Both Charlie and Arran carry heavy emotional burdens. They are broken people — people who definitely need to work out some heavy baggage — but they’re also really good people with big, kind, loving, compassionate hearts. Both Charlie and Arran have hearts for service. They genuinely enjoy helping others. It’s what motivates and energizes them. It is through this shared love of service that Charlie and Arran are able to move past presupposed notions about one another into actual, endearing friendship. I really appreciate how they bonded over their similarities. Yeah, he’s a royal prince and she works construction getting her hands dirty every day, but they both have deep hurts that need overcoming and a true love for helping people. There’s a lot there for them to establish a good friendship foundation. I love how they become the sort of friends who aren’t afraid to tell it like it is because it is their candidness that allows them to overcome their pasts and their pain. I genuinely loved journeying with Charlie and Arran as they moved from friendship to more. It was a sweet journey. I chuckled a ton and teared up a couple of times. All in all, The Mistletoe Prince was another home run by Pepper Basham!

Say No to Mistletoe by Sheila Roberts — Hailey is a successful romance writer back home for the holidays. She is forced to confront her high school nemesis because her older brother is now dating her. Hailey also has to confront her long-standing crush on her brother’s best friend, Carwyn (not a fan of that name). I’m going to be honest, I struggled with the characters. They all feel incredibly flat to me, except for Hailey. She is pretty fleshed out, but she frustrates me with her selfishness. As far as the love story goes, I would have really liked to get Carwyn’s side of things. I think that would have helped me buy into his and Hailey’s journey to love. As is, it moves SO fast and happens so suddenly that it’s not very believable. This story has the bones of a good contemporary romance, it just needs reworking. Of the three stories in this collection, I struggled to connect with this one.

Overall, I do highly recommend Mistletoe Season. It absolutely got me in the mood for cooler weather, family, and Christmas celebrations.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel in eBook from Thomas Nelson, via NetGalley. I was under no obligation to leave a review of any kind. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.