The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch is a solid holiday romance. A romance between the prince of Christmas and the prince of Halloween. I adored both of these young men and the slow burn of their relationship which included teasing and glorious sexual tension that definitely delivers. I enjoyed the strong bond between Nicholas, his brother Kris and his best friend Iris. The story itself kind of lost me at times with the holiday political focus and I found myself rushing to get to the genuine interactions between the characters.

Have you every watched a thirst trap and realized it was about men's corsets? Imagine your initial confusion and then growing interest in the fashion. That's how it felt for Coal when he first laid (sober) eyes on Hex. I absolutely loved this book and felt like each character had its own identity within the story, not just existing on the sidelines. Coal and Kris had a relatable sibling dynamic, with Iris being a good friend with each of them to have their own inside jokes. Hex was so much fun to read and I especially loved learning about what happens when he curses! In addition, and unfortunately, the familial relationship each of the Claus brothers with each parent stood out as the most realistic and relatable part for me. Thankfully, Coal and Hex were able to have their own happy ending. Looking forward to seeing one for Kris!

This book is truly adorable.

Prince Hex Hallow is one of the most appealing book boyfriends I've encountered in a while. The relationship between he and Prince Nicholas Claus develops in all the cutest and most satisfying ways.

Fans of both Halloween and Christmas will enjoy this gay Christmas romance.

Although the premise is light. Sara Raasch dives into many themes about love, acceptance, and finding your place in life. I loved that Coal's friend and family surrounded him and supported him in finding his place after really struggling for a long period. Hex and Coal find the special love we all dream of.

I'm a bit torn on this one because, on the one hand my deep and abiding love for movies like Tooth Fairy starring The Rock and The Santa Clause is thrilled about a romance set in a world with a mafia Santa and arranged marriage between holidays. Fantastic concept. On the other hand, the sex scenes read like filler and there's a lot of set-up for book 2, something I hate when it feels shoehorned into a novel.

I wish I could give this book 100 stars. 1,000. 1 million? It’s worth it. I haven’t been so thoroughly entertained, so amused, so heart gushingly emotional from a novel like this in such a long time. I’m devastated that it’s over and the only keeping me going is that there’s a sequel. I may die from happiness overload from the intensity of my love for this book. I can’t wait to shout it from the rooftops.

HOLY ! This book was everything I could ever wanted!! Coal and Hex were so precious and I loved how their relationship came to be! This world buidling was also perfection! I loved the concept of them both being princes with their holidays as they try to get through this fake competition! The way the trauma was addressed and dealt with! And I also appreciated Coal's relationship with Kris and Iris ! And don't even get me started with the delightful easter eggs that seemed to be just for me! Yes I see you The Mummy and Taylor Swift !! Truly a book of perfection !! I loved it so so so much !!

I just really wish this were told in dual POV. It had a weird balance between fantasy politics/world building and romantic comedy vibes. The writing style didn't flow well for me, but I did appreciate the banter among the characters. I would've loved more heart-to-heart conversations between Nicholas and Hex though since I feel like we barely got to know them aside from their roles in their respective Holidays.

This is a very cute rom-com novel following the Prince of Christmas and the Prince of Halloween. They both are suitors of the Princess of Easter as a marriage of convivence match, but are obviously attracted to each other. The story ends up involving more insight into the political and business side of holidays, which was done in an interesting allegory for capitalism and corporate greed. It's cute and well done. I personally am not necessarily the target audience, but my rating here reflects that of the readership I think the book is going for. I recommend this if you enjoy cute and quirky rom-coms, something like Red White and Royal Blue.

A friend recommended this book to me and she was emphatically correct that I would love it. The Nightmare Before Kissmas was sweet, angsty, and very funny. I giggled out loud so many times. And the plot and world building was interesting and intriguingly unique. Who knew Santa could be a villain. In the midst of Santa’s manipulations, we meet Hex the son of Halloween. He was a fantastic character who was the opposite of Coal in so many ways, but also a great guy. I loved how the dynamic between Coal and Hex changed as they got to know each other in their very insta-lust turned insta-love romance. I also grabbed the audio and let me just say, I’m a little disappointed that Ellis Evans hasn’t narrated a book for me before. He was absolutely fantastic, and narrated each character incredibly well, making the story so much better by adding subtle nuances for each character. His comedic timing was impeccable and made me laugh so much.

This story is on the surface seems very out there, but at it’s heart it’s an adorkable romance and such a fun read. I giggled as Coal thought things through and had his “Ahh-Ha!” moments and the dialogue with his brother Kris was so much fun. While romcoms are not usually my thing, I think the complexity of the plot and the absolute silliness of the holidays paired with a sweet, opposites attract romance completely sucked me in. And don’t be mistaken, there is some slow burn steam mixing in there too. The story left me quite intrigued to find out what comes next for Kris and hopefully Iris too. This opposites attract, holiday, romcom was so much fun I can’t wait to continue the series.

Imagine that scene from Nightmare Before Christmas with all the trees that lead to the different holidays. Now instead of trees, make it kingdoms that reign over the holidays. Add in espionage, blackmail, and Santa as a silver fox in a red Versace suit. Now add in a hot mess of a son that will inherit Christmas and a hot Halloween prince in a corset vest (think Ragnarok Loki).

This book was so freaking adorable. It was such a fun time.

Nicholas “Coal” Claus is at odds with his dad, Santa. In recent years, Christmas has become about consumerism, but all Coal wants to do is spread Joy. When Santa arranges a marriage between Coal and Iris, a princess of Easter, all Coal wants to do is rebel. But when Santa brings in Hex Hallow, a prince of Halloween to “vie” for the affections of Iris, Coal finds himself falling for this rival prince.

This was a cute holiday rom com that did not take itself seriously. It was campy and fun, and mildly angsty. The political workings of the rival holidays was a bit much, but overall this was an enjoyable holiday story.

It's been years since I have picked up a Sara Raasch novel, but this brought me right back into her writing. I enjoyed the character dynamics and the magic of this story. Perfect for the holidays.

A perfect book for the time between Halloween and Christmas when you want something festive and seasonal but you aren't looking for a full-blown Hallmark movie yet. This book is really more royal logistics and politics than about the holidays, and I would say it is less 'enemies to lovers' and more 'forbidden love' but I loved the disaster that was Coal and how he began to take responsibility for his own life instead of playing along with what his father, Santa, had decided for him.

The chemistry between Coal and Hex was undeniable, and I loved the best friend triangle of Coal/Kris (his brother)/Iris (princess of Easter), but I do wish there was a teeny bit more information given about Iris since there was a lot of insinuation that she was going through something but no real details to help the reader figure out what. The ending was a little abrupt but honestly, I was just enjoying this ride so much and loving the romance (and holy, the spice level is high!) that I am really looking forward to the second book and want it right now!

This is a fun and funny book with a really interesting premise and great characters. I loved reading it!

The cover of this book is so fun and had me really excited to give it a read! and I was only more impressed by what I found inside. For a fantasy book it all felt surprisingly real to me! the characters and their struggles were things I could empathise with and the magic was just such a fun touch I loved it. The concept itself was really well done and was very unique making this feel super new and exciting.

I'm rating this book 4 out of 5.
Pros:
The relationship between Coal and Hex is adorable. They have chemistry and banter that works. However. the star of the show for me was the relationship between Coal and Kris. Their sibling relationship felt so real and genuine. It's one of the best depictions of siblings I've read in a very long time. The court politics is engaging despite the off the wall premise of the book..

Cons:
The relationship between Coal and Hex borders on instalove which is not a trope I tend to like. Raasch makes it work but I would've loved to have seen a slower development between the two.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. The vibe is warm and joyful. The relationships are cute. It also feels like there is a message to this book that is worth hearing out. I would definitely recommend this book.

This book had more substance than I was expecting for a holiday romance! I love the idea and storyline of holidays banding together or forging alliances and having some levels of royalty as well.

If you like holiday romance, some spice and magic and good winning over evil, pick this up during the holiday season.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bramble for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun book! I liked how the author brought the two holidays (Halloween and Christmas) together in such a cute way. The character's banter was so funny. I just loved them. This was just what I need to distract myself and I totally enjoyed it!!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I’m not entirely sure if the author meant for this to read like destiel fan fiction but I AM HERE FOR IT. It’s wholesome and perfect. No notes.