Under the Mistletoe

JUST ONE MORE KISS

There's no place like home for the holidays. And the Lucky Harbor Bed & Breakfast is bursting with festive lights and good cheer. But for Mia, Christmas is turning out to be anything other than merry and bright. Her recent break-up with her boyfriend Nick has made her return bittersweet. But then a surprise arrives, when Nick follows her to town bearing gifts-and asking for forgiveness.

Nick grew up without a family of his own so he's overwhelmed by the love that Mia receives from all her relatives, gathered together to celebrate the season. Under their watchful eyes, Nick finds earning back her trust the hardest thing he's ever had to do. If he succeeds, he will receive the greatest gift of all, Mia's love for a lifetime.

(Synopsis from Goodreads)

Mia is Tara and Ford’s daughter whom we met in The Sweetest Thing as she was instantly lovable. I really enjoyed seeing her story and loved the fact that it is set five years after the original stories take place. When The Sweetest Thing ended, Mia was in love with Carlos, who urged her to go to college and ended things with her to allow her to live her life but still loved her. Part of me believed they would still end up together. So at first I was disappointed Mia and Carlos didn’t make it but I loved the closure Shalvis gave to their shared first love. In the end, it felt right.

Shalvis manages to toss readers a bone with a quicky sex scene and not only does it fit, it’s not rushed (for a quicky). She develops characters in a short amount of time and manages to make you fall in love with them.

Being that this was just a short Christmas novella and they are both still in their early twenties, I think Mia and Nick’s story ended perfectly for them. It wasn’t rushed, it was just a snippet of their love story but it was beautifully done.

I love the Lucky Harbor series and the first trilogy was my absolute favorite so I loved seeing my favorite characters from beloved books five years later. Maddie and Jax are still the most perfect couple; their small interactions had me grinning like a fool.

“You’re it for me Mad. For always. And I love your yoga pants.” – Jax.  Damn that Jax, it made me want to pull out Simply Irresistible and re-read yet again Maddie and Jax’s story.

Christmas novellas are hard to get into. As novellas, there is not the usual amount of pages in order to develop the characters and their relationship and they usually feel rushed and cheesy. I went in to this with low expectations because of that but I have to give it to Jill Shalvis, she can take an eight chapter novella and write an exquisite story and leave you feeling happy and satisfied that the characters ended just the way they are supposed to.

If you’re in the market for a short Christmas themed romance, I would make Under the Mistletoe your choice. If you’re a Lucky Harbor fan like myself, this is a must read.