What does a debutante do when being forced into an arranged marriage just before Christmas? Run away to her favorite reading spot of course! Of course it can't be that simple and she has to accidentally kidnap a guy to get her out, and they have to go on some pretty wild adventures just to get to their destination.
While the story was predictable, the way it unfolded was still cute.

#netgelley
#arc
#ithappenedonechristmaseve

This is a very cute romcom to listen to in the holiday season (or if you want to add a little holiday magic into your reading any time of the year!). The events are unrealistic, but it makes for a fun romcom.

I enjoyed the audiobook, it was fun to escape on the sleigh with Claire and Sam for a few hours.

It turns out this is book #3 in the series; I was able to read this as a standalone without a problem, and I plan on going back to read the first two.

Super cute, quick, insta-love Christmas romance! The narrator does a good job voicing the characters and the story was short and sweet!

*Mild language, one fade to black scene, mild innuendo

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my complimentary alc of this book. All opinions here are my own.

A fun little cozy Christmas read that is sure to get you in the Christmas mood! Although not long enough for a lot of character depth, I found It Happened One Christmas Eve to be entertaining and cute.

This was a short and fun listen!! Perfect to get that serotonin us book lovers need and love! It's charming and gives you a vintage Christmas story feel. Filled with clever dialogue, witty characters and gives you that fill good vibe. As its usual when a novella is well written, you are left wanting more!!

I was thrilled when I learned that the heroine was older as that's not a 'norm' in romance!! However, I did roll my eyes at the heroine being 40 and still being totally controlled by her mother. I hoped it wouldn't become a weak heroine needing a man to sweep her off her feet when she is more than capable of saving herself. THANKFULLY, it wasn't.

I loved Sam and how creative he was with solving issues and also how he showed Claire she was more than capable of being her own woman and didn't need her mom's approval nor controlling her.

Jen did a great job narrating the novella. Subtle changes in cadence and tones giving each character their own voices.

Overall, it was a great holiday novella!

Like with the others in this museum series, I wish this was a full length novel! I want more of these characters. I enjoyed this novella, and I'm not usually a fan of short works. The characters got themselves into several shenanigans, which I always love, and there was even a moment that brought tears to my eyes. Between the giggles and the tears, I found myself swept away in the story.

I received an advance audio copy. All thoughts are my own.

It Happened One Christmas Eve by Jenn McKinlay
Narrated by Sara Young
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Genre: Romance
Published: December 6, 2022

It Happened One Christmas Eve by Jenn McKinlay is a standalone Christmas romance and I absolutely loved it!!!

Listening to this book made me smile so much!!! I loved the characters and the storyline. I thought it was done brilliantly! This is the perfect Christmas romance in all the special ways!

The narration by Sara Young was wonderful! I loved listening to her bring the story to life!

I definitely recommend reading or listening to this one!!!!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3⭐️

Claire Macintosh has it all. She’s rich and the director of the Museum of Literature, but she’s forty and still single and her mother wants grandkids. So on the night of Claires holiday gala at the museum the man her mom has chosen for her to marry is going to propose. But with the help of some alcohol, Claire steals the horse and carriage, including Santa, and makes her escape! Unbeknownst to her, Santa is actually reporter Sam Carpenter, who wanted the inside scoop for a magazine expose.

This novella is short and sweet! It’s a perfect holiday read that will put you right into the Christmas spirit and bring a smile to your face. Since this is a novella there is insta-love! It isn't crazy fast but fast, especially the ending… that was a lil to fast for my liking! The main conflict was quickly solved and wasn’t something totally unbelievable (no eye rolling here!). It was a short, fast-paced holiday romcom, with some Christmas carols, forced proximity, and love. I did really enjoy Claire's character arc throughout the story and how she was able to go back to her roots and see who she had become due to her families money. This book was a great alternative to a Hallmark Christmas movie.
*I have not read the other books in the series but really enjoyed this and didn’t feel like I was missing any important info!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced audio copy for an honest review. I love you guys 💕

I hate to give books bad reviews, but I was not a fan of this novella at all. I read her previous book and liked it, so I was looking forward to this one, but this is not for me. The bare bones of the plot were ok, but it was perhaps under-deveoloped in the novella form. The romance happened unrealistically fast, with little time given to developing chemistry. The dialogue didn’t resonate with me either. The narration was fine, but I honestly wouldn’t recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so sweet and charming. It is a great Christmas story that is heart warming. I wish it would have been longer because I loved the characters and all of their adventures. This was the perfect Christmas romance.

This was a cute and quick novella. I really enjoyed listening to this on audio and it was the perfect read for December. Overall I found the characters likable and I was rooting for them.

A well to do girl running away from a proposal from someone that she doesn't really love. In the process of running away to main she ended up racing right into the arms of someone she really did love. How did this all end up and what was the ending, a fairy tale life or a arranged life by her mother. Read this book to find out .

I thought this was a super cute book. And then the end ruined it for me. Whyyyy. I listened to this on audio and the narrator was super.

It Happened One Christmas Eve is EVERYTHING you want in a holiday novella. There is smoldering, humor, and adventure. We follow a museum director that's from a wealthy family who is about to be proposed to, but not for love. She takes off on a whim and ends up on a wild road trip with a reporter out to write a story about her. But, of course, in the end, sparks fly and they end up in love. I liked the relationship between the main characters, and I enjoyed their growing connection as the story unfolded. It gave me all the Christmas feels!

It Happened One Christmas Eve starts with a runaway museum director from an expected proposal into a whirlwind road trip that she never would have expected. The story is cute and the characters fun, the second half seemed too short to fully flesh out the narrative. It was a fun audiobook to get into the holiday mood!

Thank you to Netgalley and to Dreamscape for the review / audio copy.

This audiobook was cute and so much fun! The story was well written. I could really feel the connection the characters were making with each other. There wasn’t much of a major conflict at the end but the story did wrap up nicely. All in all, this story gave me all the Christmas feels. The narrators did a great job making the story enjoyable. Huge thanks to the audiobook narrator and netgalley for allowing me to listen and review this book.

It Happened One Christmas Eve has everything in it that you want for a holiday novella. Even though it is listed as the third in a series, this book also works as a stand alone. There is the perfect amount of humor, romance and holiday shenanigans to make this a perfect holiday read.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Sara Young. I enjoyed the emotion she brought to the story and found her character voices to be distinct enough without being too much. I listened at a 1.5x speed which is my usual speed and the pace was good. I would listen to the other books in the series knowing they are also narrated by Sara.

I read a previous book in this series and wasn't that impressed with it, but I loved this book! It was a really fun Christmas read and the narration was enjoyable.

This was a very cute Christmas story. It gave me a lot of reminders of Hallmark Christmas movies. The conflict was very predictable(Claire’s mom, the to-be fiancé, the travel woes) However, I appreciated the adventure they went on. As predicted, I was waiting for Sam was to turn on Claire, because of his career profession/job security. However, he made it right and turned out to be such a gentleman. If you’re looking for a quick, feel good, Holiday romance story, this one checks the box. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I love a holiday novella. It is a low commitment! It Happened One Christmas Eve is the story of Claire, a New York socialite who runs out of a Christmas Eve party where her boyfriend was about to propose and ended up being aided in her escape by, Sam, a reporter trying to get scoop on her family. This was a series of wacky adventures as these two got out of town and found their way to Maine, getting assistance from quirky folks along the way and spreading holiday cheer. And of course, a sweet romance and some truths came out as Claire found her voice and stood up for herself. I listened to this one and laughed out loud. It was fun and charming in its absurdity. I heard there are more in this series so now I have to go back and do a backlist read.