5 Onion Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

I have read quite a few books by Rebecca F Kenney...and this one almost hits on a different level for me. There was nothing really that I felt needed to change. The pace was perfect. It progressed the right way with the correct cadence but there was just something that felt different…

This is a spicy gender-reversed multiple-POV retelling of A Christmas Carol. The plot in this is simple, Queen Lauriel is a frugal, awful, cruel queen. Forced to rule too soon, her neglected selfish soul is forced to learn a harsh lesson when three riders from the Wild Hunt are summoned after she refuses to provide aid to one of the members of her country. The Three Ghosts have the challenge to make Lauriel change her ways, but there is more at stake than just her change of heart...

As with Scrooge, you do not like Lauriel in the beginning. But she's supposed to be this flawed, broken, almost awful character who has been beaten down and through her circumstances has been moulded into who she is. It's the epitome of the psychological debate that a person is the direct result of their experiences. That theory: that a person's personality is most impacted by how they were raised or the environment they grew up in. Her very being is defined by her life experiences. She is trying to do the best that she can but has been dealt a very short and brutal stick; and has never had the opportunity to understand that vulnerability is not a weakness. I did not like her but I understood her and appreciated that one of her biggest struggles was to battle her pride and appearances while still trying to do what was good.

It truly helped “to know” the outcome of the story (the Christmas Carol one) that through all her wickedness and cruelty, underpinning this cruelty is the right heart. She might have the right motives but doesn’t know how to act, or she's not very good at articulating or expressing how she's feeling.

I have found through my reading journey that the stories that stay the most with me, the ones that have the biggest impact - have a large focus on characterisation. SO…BACK TO THE REASON WHY THIS FELT DIFFERENT… THIS IS A VERY CHARACTER FOCUSED STORY... There is a lot of time spent in the heads of the characters, as they deal with their insecurities and trauma. The writing explores their thoughts and feelings which is beautiful. And something I adore.

The world-building is perfect, and for anyone who is a fan of the Wicked Darlings Series, it has a few easter eggs sprinkled that will make you swoon and giggle.

The smut was also perfectly placed and balanced and didn't feel like it detracted from the story or was overly prevalent. When it happened felt natural and how it developed amongst the characters had an ease and naturality as well.

This is a WHY CHOOSE but I do think that Helix is the premium Ghost. I would not mind it one bit if he haunted me in my dreams or in my bedroom because damn... Brax and Paemon were just as gorgeous but didn't bring forth the same desire I have for Helix where I basically want to wrap myself around him like a firepole and slide down him...

Your Trope Summary
▶ A Christmas Carol Retelling
▶ Why Choose/Reverse Harem
▶ (Ghost) Fae X Human Relationship
▶ Super Character Focused
▶ Multi - POV
▶ Morally Grey Characters
▶ Royalty Romance
▶ Touch her and Die

Overall, I loved it. There's hardly anything that I would change and it was a perfect sexy spicy book for Christmas. Rebecca Kenney knocked this OUT THE PARK!

Thank you so much Rebecca for a copy of this in exchange for a review
All thoughts and feelings are my own