I love a Christmas romance book, but this one was just not good.

From the beginning, this book didn't have much plot with two characters stranded due to snow in a cabin and they have each had unrequited feelings for each other for 6 years and the other doesn't know. With many chapters full of lustful thoughts, the minute they touch each other they got at it like rabbits and it just isn't entertaining. I like my romance books, whether they are Christmas or not, to have way more plot than this one.

This is a best friend's sister romance and a sports romance AND a trapped in a cabin romance. I couldn't ask for more. I really loved Adele and Jace as characters, and I would be excited to see the peripheral characters come back in their own stories. Great writing with a good flow. Easy to read.

I don't mind if the hero has had a lot of one night stands in the past. But in this case it was a plot point. The heroine couldn't believe that he was going to be faithful to her because she has had a cheating boyfriend and because the hero was a "ladies man". I'm not a fan of the "reformer playboy" trope so that's why I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought.

I also didn't like that the heroine called him a manwhore, she was obsessed with his sexuality and I don't like when a character is judged by his/her sexuality. And she thought that one of his dates was a rink bunny. Don't hate on another woman because of a man, please.

I googled the term: A "hockey fan," usuaully female, who only likes the sport because they hope to/already slept with the players on a team, and generally knows nothing about it.

I felt like this was such a great read for me, especially as someone who really loves a good romance story! if you enjoy watching Hallmark movies, then you'll love this book. It's a romance, with some super steamy scenes! Great read!

Nothing like a cheating boyfriend to ruin Christmas. Plus, being in the spotlight because of said boyfriend. Getting out of town is the best idea. It's a typical story. Boy meets girl reluctant holiday romance. It's still a charming romcom that will make you smile. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from net gallery in return for an honest review. Thank you.

Pretty much what I expected this to be. A charming, well written tale of girl meets boy. Nice characters and easy to read with a Christmas theme throughout. Perfect for a chilled evening in a hectic month! I would read more from this author.

Title: An Unexxpected Christmas
Series: Taking the Shot Book #1
Stand Alone Title: yes
Author: Shannon Richard
Genre: Romance, Christmas
Blurb: BAH-FREAKING-HUMBUG

Adele James’s favorite time of year has always been Christmas, but this year she’s in no mood for the holiday season. Thanks to her famous A-list actor boyfriend cheating on her! Now that her photo is splashed all over TV, the internet, and tabloids her number one goal is to get away. She heads to her family’s cabin to be alone, but there’s another occupant when she arrives: none other than the frustratingly sexy Jace Kilpatrick… the man she’s been avoiding falling in love with for the past six years.

Jace Kilpatrick has never been the biggest holiday guy, and after three months of the NHL being on lockout, celebrating is low on his priority list. Getting the keys to his best friend’s family cabin was supposed to be about being alone. But those plans are foiled by Adele James who brings the mother of all snowstorms with her.

Adele is gorgeous, funny, and fiery, but she’s also his best friend’s sister, aka, completely off limits. But when the cabin loses power in the middle of the storm, Jace forgets the rules and spends the Christmas days and nights with Adele wrapped in his arms. Once the snow thaws, they’ll call things off, no harm, no foul… if they can agree to keep their hearts out of the equation.
Favorite quote/excerpt: He wanted the real thing, the whole thing, with her. In his bed. Skin to skin. Breaths mingling. Bodies moving. For hours and hours.
Thoughts: This is one of the best Christmas romances I’ve read in a long time. It didn’t overly focus on the holiday itself, but it was perfect for a cold winter’s day. Honestly, the romance itself is enough for me to grab it about anytime of the year! The story was sweet – with both of our characters being perfect for each other, they just needed the time to realize it. And when better than when you are snowed in together? The banter and the small, subtle heated moments between them just added a little something to the romance. I just really enjoyed this book! And once our hero Jace decided to go after our heroine, no-holds-barred? That’s always my favorite part!
Rating: A

I read this one just before Christmas and really enjoyed the sexual chemistry of the main characters, and the winter backdrop. There's something about Christmas and winter that make you want to curl up next to someone, and this was a great book to give you all the romantic feels.

Though a bit of a cliche romance, I thought that the author did a great job telling the story. It just felt a bit overdone - the best friend's little sister... I wish there had been something more unique to their relationship and that the story was less predictable. Although, I'll admit, most romances are these days.

I wouldn't call it my favorite, but it was enjoyable.

This book was absolutely adorable and a perfect holiday read!
After a very public break-up, Adele just needs some time to herself away from everyone, most of all her family.
With her family cabin in mind, she heads up the mountain only to be snowed in with her brothers best friend.
Also the man she has been crushing on for forever. When stuck in a cabin with your crush and a broken heart who knows what will happen... read to find out..
I have found a new favorite author and can't wait to read more by her soon!

What a super sweet holiday romance!

I loved Adele and Jace and my most favorite type of romance is friends to lovers. The only twist with this one is that Jace is Adele's brothers best friend, and having an older brother myself....that's never a good thing!

I'm also a huge fan of hockey and I love when sports are thrown in the mix. Overall, this was just a really cozy romantic holiday read with a lot of angst and spice thrown into the mix ;)

I'm really excited to read more from this series though, as this was only book one!

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy for review.**

(Woops! Forgot to post this here for a while.... originally on Goodreads :) Great book!)

An Unexpected Christmas was an unexpected delight.... just kidding. :) The description and the synopsis nailed this one: it is a fun romantic Christmas story will all of the perfect ingredients to make a situation unforgettable and a couple irresistible. The best thing about this story is that while it seemed a bit like a Hallmark movie at times, it wasn't too cheesy and was just the right amount of cozy. Adele and Jace were great to fall in love with as characters and it warmed my heart to see them fall for each other in this book. My one slight non-spoilery thing is that in my mind I did not picture Adele at all like the front cover of the book. Jace is fine, but I'm 99% positive that the first time Adele is fully described she's wearing all black.

[[[[SPOILERS BELOW]]]]

PLOT:

I really appreciated how this story is introduced pretty much right away; there wasn't an awkward amount of trying to set up the characters' hopes and dreams for ages without giving the characters any depth and understanding for who they are. Long story short-- it was a cute Christmas book, and it was laid out and developed really well. The ending seemed a little bit forced when Adele felt like she needed to leave Jace, but it balanced out by the end. What was most interesting to me in the plot was the introduction to the other characters. Because we get to see Jace interact with the team a bit more at the end (especially with Adele's brother), I think that the series will continue to branch out into the stories of the other players. Overall, the plot was fairly expected in almost an overly cliche way, but at the end of the day the cuteness won me over.

CHARACTERS:

Adele- I really liked Adele! It took me a quick second to get used to her character and get to know her. But I really did after only a few chapters. The only thing that was slightly annoying (and I've kind of said this already) is when she leaves Jace because she thinks that he won't have that kind of relationship with her. I get that it's important to the plot of the story, so I say that it's annoying, but I also get it. Adele was such a cool character though. I don't think I've ever read a character with her career before, which was really interesting; her attitude was so independent, which was GREAT; and her habits were so casual they came off perfectly, which sealed the deal on me liking her character.

Jace- My largest concern coming into this book is that I wouldn't like Jace because I typically do not like plots or storylines about jocks or famous people. I get that it's a thing, but I still came into this book with that. DESPITE THAT, I ended up really liking Jace's character. He was so caring for Adele that it was hearbreaking when Adele wouldn't hear him out.

WRITING: I want to visit that cabin. It seems like the perfect place for any winter vacation. There was snow, there were great rooms, cozy atmosphere, and you can be there completely alone like a mini vacation. Granted, a lot of places could fit that bill, but the way this one is described seems amazing. The entire story was filled with a lot of great descriptions that I really think added to the holiday wintery atmosphere.

This book is perfect for the holiday season or maybe even just any cold season. It certainly will make you want to just snuggle up with someone and appreciate the things around you. What is even more exciting to me though is that it looks like this will become a series? I'm not sure if there is enough there to really follow Adele and Jace some more, but maybe it will follow other hockey players or maybe a sibling or something like that? I'm definitely curious though and I am really hoping that whatever it is will be another holiday/Christmas book.

I'm a HUGE fan of Shannon Richard, so pretty much anything she writes, I love.

An Unexpected Christmas is her first foray into self-publishing and I'm so happy to gush over how much I loved this book. Sometimes when an author has been "traditionally" published the voice can change... due to editing and other factors. The voices can be so different that I simply cannot read their self-pub books.

This is so not the case with Miss Richard. I have always loved how she combines small-town settings and families with super sexy time relationships.

Adele and Jace have been a long time coming for those of us that have been reading the Country Roads series. I loved the Christmas setting and the fact that they were basically trapped with each other and forced to confront their feelings for each other.

If you're looking for a Christmastime book to read with some smokin' hot sexy times, please, please, please pick up this book. If for some reason you haven't read the Country Roads series (one of my favorites) please do your self a favor and binge read that series before the end of the year!
You won't be sorry.

*Copy provided by author via Netgalley

This was just such a great Christmas read, it gave me all the warm and cuddly feelings required for a Christmas read.

I thought that these two were just amazing together, and the author did a great job of slowly building up the story so that it never felt rush or dragging. I have to say that for me that is essential to balance in a good book. Firstly there was Adele who is a great heroine as she is both vulnerable, but unbelievably strong, and she is a dog lover which always gets extra points in my books. Then there is Jace who as a male lead is just so caring and sweet, and even as he knows that there is a huge risk in developing this relationship, he is always so sweet when dealing with Adele. Like I said the book has just perfect pacing and overall is a great xmas read.

DNF
I had a hard time clicking with the characters and the romance. I'm a fan of sexy times in books, but there is such a thing as too much sex. I wanted to see the hero and heroine actually fall for each other.

I have been killing the Christmas books this year!  If you have read any of my other book reviews for Christmas books, you will be well aware of that fact that I read books set during the holiday season, during the holiday season.  For me, that starts pretty early.  I like to get a head start on all of my Christmas things in late October, maybe early November if I'm busy.  I have been known to start before Halloween sometimes out of spite for the lost Halloween holiday.

Once again, I received this book from NetGalley.  Thankful shout out to both NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity; I really enjoyed it!  

This story starts with Adele James.  Her holiday season is turned upside down by the news of her cheating boyfriend and the reaction of the press.  Trying to get away from everyone and her photos all over the internet, she decides to take a trip to her family's cabin in Tennessee to escape the holiday.  When she finally arrives there, family friend Jace Kilpatrick is already occupying the cabin.  In a perfect series of events, a huge winter storm follows Adele to the cabin guaranteeing that everyone has to stay.  Love ensues and it just happens that Adele and Jace may have deep feelings towards each other; what happens at the cabin stays at the cabin.  Once again, another nice story to read for the holidays with a good ending.

While the story is sweet and probably more relatable to me than others that I have read, one thing that I really disliked was the plethora of sex scenes throughout.  After about the first 1/3 of the book, there is just so much sex.  It's not that I 100% dislike it --it adds to the story--its just that I ended up skipping over and skim-reading a lot of the book because after the first couple of scenes, it gets really repetitive and boring.  Every scene, unless something significant happens, does not majorly change or alter the plot.  I get why it is there -- it is a romance novel!  Just a fair warning though, there is a lot in this book.

I gave this book 3 stars on Goodreads mainly because of the amount of book that I skipped or quickly skim-read.  I enjoyed the characters, especially Adele and Jace together.  They were really cute and once they got past their weird awkwardness, the two complemented each other well.  The writing was nicely done and the dialogue between the characters was well-written.  This book is part of the "Taking the Shot" series.  Goodreads does not list other books in this series yet, so I assume that they are being written.  By the title of the series, I assume that it would follow Jace, or Adele's brothers since they are in sports.  An Unexpected Christmas was published on December 4th, 2018, so I absolutely started reading it just after it came out.  I highly recommend it if you are looking for a sweet, but subtlely steamy holiday read!

This book is the perfect feel good holiday read. You know how the story is going to end up, but enjoy the ride! I enjoy these heartfelt books during the holidays and this one was extremely well written.

For the first book in a new series, this story has set the bar up pretty high for the stories to come. I have no doubt though that Ms Richard will keep the momentum going with Felicity and Sean’s story.

Jace and Adele’s six year in the making road to their HEA was an emotional ride from the onset of the story. There wasn’t one moment that I didn’t feel invested in how they were going to get to that happy ending with the self imposed roadblocks they each placed in the way. All in all, this was quite a romantic and satisfying story, leaving a happiness feeling after the last chapter.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

After her boyfriend is caught cheating and it's plastered all over social media, the idea of going home for the holidays is the last thing Adele James wants. She sneaks away to the family cabin without telling anyone, which is why she ends up being snowed in with long-time friend of the family, Jace Kilpatrick (not to mention the guy she's had a crush on for years).
I enjoyed this holiday romance immensely! It definitely got me in the Christmas spirit and I especially loved all the antics with Adele's dog, Katie! I highly recommend this one!

The best description of this book I can come up with is “steamy Hallmark” – it’s cozy and comfy holiday goodness, with lots of sex. It’s also ridiculously tropetastic – there’s “best-friend’s-little-sister” plus “snowbound” plus a dash of “Christmas-elf-wannabe-must-teach-Scrooge-how-to-enjoy-the-holidays.” In other words, it ticked a whole bunch of my boxes!

“But continuing to keep him oblivious was going to be that much harder now…with just the two of them…alone together…in a two-thousand square foot cabin that now felt like the size of a shoe box.
Perfect, just perfect.”


Adele is not in the Christmas spirit this year – she’s just broken up with her actor boyfriend after he cheated on her. The only way to escape the paparazzi – and her family’s relentless Christmas cheer – seems to be holing up in her family’s cabin in Tennessee. When she arrives there with a storm on her heels, however, it’s to find her brother’s best friend and fellow hockey teammate, Jace, already there. She’s had a crush on him for the past six years, and the last thing she needs is to spend Christmas snowed in with him avoiding her attraction to him while nursing her broken heart. Jace, for his part, isn’t in a great mood, either, as the hockey league is still in the middle of months-long contract negotiations, with no end in sight. But, somehow, it’s hard for either of them to stay un-merry around each other, and as the holiday spirit grows, so does their attraction to each other. But Jace has a reputation as a ladies’ man, and the last thing Adele needs is another broken heart. Will the new year ring in a new relationship or just another heartbreak?

“This feeling of contentment with her was becoming stronger and stronger. He was so unaccustomed to it that it was starting to get almost overwhelming. But overwhelming or not, it didn’t change the fact that he didn’t want it to end.
He wanted more nights like this. More nights with them cooking dinner together, more nights with them eating pie on the sofa, more nights with her in his arms watching cheesy romantic comedies. More nights of anything. More nights of everything.”


Adele and Jace – plus Adele’s dalmation Katie – are so good for each other. After his mother died, Jace didn’t really celebrate the holidays – that is, until he got sucked into Adele’s family’s orbit when he joined the same hockey team as her brother. Adele has felt a bit left out of her family lately. Everyone else is happily married, while she hasn’t had a serious relationship, besides that mess with the cheating actor, in a long time. Initially, Jace helps Adele deal with the mass of feelings she has around her breakup, and then as she gets back into the Christmas spirit, she introduces him to new holiday traditions, like building snowmen and making a homemade gingerbread house. There’s lots of fun Christmas content like decorating the tree, kissing under the mistletoe, making snowmen, baking pies, cooking delicious holiday dinners, baking a gingerbread house, and watching Die Hard, of course. Once their relationship becomes physical, they agree to go follow “Vegas rules” – that is, what happens at the cabin, stays at the cabin. They already trust each other – they have known each other for six years after all – so they’re pretty much already friends and familiar with a lot about each other. I think that’s one of my main criticisms about the book. While it’s certainly fun to vicariously participate in all of their holiday fun, there’s really not much in terms of conflict until the big “black moment” so it was quite slow. Plus, since Jace is in the middle of a lockout, there’s actually very little in the way of hockey content, which isn’t necessarily a negative but wasn’t what I was expecting.

“Her bah humbug demeanor was now replaced with genuine holiday cheer. Or was that the post-orgasmic glow? She didn’t know, nor did she really care.”


Overall, if you’re OK with the fact that it’s pretty much going to be holiday fun and sex, I think you’ll enjoy this book!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

An Unexpected Christmas begins the Take The Shot series by Shannon Richard. If you’ve read the Country Roads series it’s possible that you’ve run into the James family before… if not that’s fine, but it is an excellent series you may want to check out for yourself. I just happen to enjoy catching little snippets of connections between series or characters, and the fact that Adele has been crushing on her brother’s friend, Jace, for years is a sweet touch to the beginning of this new series.

Adele made the mistake of getting romantically involved with a lying, cheating former co-worker. It might not have been quite so bad if Troy wasn’t a famous bad boy actor with a reputation of a playboy or that his cheating hadn’t made tabloid headline news. Now all that Adele wants is to get away from cameras, family and spend her time off before her next project totally alone, except for her dog. She headed to a remote cabin of a friend’s family and was ready to shut out the world. But circumstances had different plans as it seems that cabin already had an occupant – her brother’s friend, Jace. And wasn’t this an unwelcome fine mess to land in. Alone was one thing, alone with the man she was more than half in love with for years was just another case of fate not liking her too much lately. But maybe fate had other plans for them both, and being snowed in was just the beginning of a future neither had planned on but was turning out to be perfect for them.

I enjoyed my time in An Unexpected Christmas. The chemistry between Adele and Jace sizzled, they are a very believable couple with temptation right in front of them. You’ll discover some priceless laugh out loud moments, and some tender ones as well. It’s a quick read but one full of Christmas magic, two people who work well together and a chance at an everlasting love… if they are willing to take that risk. I’d recommend this one to any Romance reader who enjoys holiday touches, believable characters and the excitement of starting a new series.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*