mystery with light, bright undertones. because not only there's a crime being solved, there's adorable romance too.

its about two mystery authors who got invitations to spent christmas somewhere in the UK. turned out, the host was none other than the Eleanor Ashley, Maggie's author role model. but of course, it's not just a normal christmas celebration. because the next day, Eleanor disappeared.

the mystery was okay, not the put-me-on-the-edge-of-my-seat kind of plot but it was quite enjoyable. Ethan was a delightful character and that automatically made the banters fun. but come several weeks i think i'd have forgotten about the plot. just not impressive whatsoever.

This was a fun holiday read! I flew through this book and enjoyed the mystery and English manor setting. Looking forward to more from Ally Carter!

This book was EVERYTHING. Abso-freakin'-lutely AMAZING!
The characters, the humor, the mystery, the suspense, the romance - EVERYTHING.
I highly recommend this book!
This is my new favorite by this author - I also loved that it had WAY less swearing than her previous book, and still closed-door romance - WIN!

Maggie Chase has been having a hell of a year. Not only did she find out that her husband was cheating on her with her best friend but he was able to worm his way into a "legitimate" claim as co-writer of her cozy mysteries. He took everything. And she gets the consolation prize of overhearing her fellow authors discuss her downfall at her publisher's Christmas party. What's worse is the eager listener is none other than Ethan Wyatt, Leather Jacket Guy. One of her least favorite things in the world and he just happens to be a number one New York Times bestselling author. Her other two least favorite things are Christmas and parties. She knew she should have stayed home. But her editor Deborah insisted. Back in her office she hands Maggie an envelope. Maggie has been invited to the home of one of her biggest fans in England for Christmas. This is a nightmare. She was lured to one party to invite her to another. Deborah insists that this is legit and that something very big might be coming Maggie's way if she just gets on that plane. What Deborah didn't tell her was that Ethan Wyatt would also be on that plane. He would be there, calling her Marcie, and just being all leather clad and in her face. Though perhaps it's worth it as they cross the stone bridge and approach the palace made of stone and glass and centuries. They have arrived at Mistletoe Manor. Ethan is sure that someone wants to hunt them for sport and Maggie insists that that's the plot to an Eleanor Ashley novel. The author who has been with her as a guiding light her entire life who Ethan claims to have never heard of. Maggie's frayed paperbacks are nothing compared to the wall of first editions at her publisher's office. That's why she signed with Killhaven Books, because they're Eleanor's publisher. And then all the pieces click into place and she realizes that her host for Christmas is none other than Eleanor Ashley. Well, that and the fact that Eleanor is standing right behind her. She will be spending Christmas with the Duchess of Death. And her family. All of whom have ulterior motives. Eleanor is a wealthy woman, and where there is wealth there are those wanting to separate you from it. Even if you are related to them by blood. But as a storm moves in Eleanor disappears from a locked room. Is this stunt? Is she in danger? Cut off from the outside world Maggie and Ethan are the only ones capable of investigating what has happened to Eleanor and revealing all the secrets held in Mistletoe Manor. Even their own.

This is a book I was determined to love. I mean, even if it wasn't great anything was better than the cover. Seriously, that artwork, those horrid fonts, who designed this and where do they live!?! And there are aspects of the book I love, the leads have chemistry, there's incisive observations on what it's like to be gaslit and how that seeps into your every single decision, plus Thrombey level relatives. But there are two things I can't get past. Maggie and Ethan have wonderful snarky banter when she's under the misapprehension that they are each other's nemesis. And then halfway through the book her eyes are opened as Ethan comes in as a second narrator and the book stagnates. Now it's not that they aren't the perfect couple, because there are swoonworthy moments, it's that the pacing and the mystery of Eleanor Ashley are forgotten and it's more important for them to make out next to the entrance to the secret tunnel than to explore said secret tunnel. It was so...damn...glacial. I raced through the first half of the book and then limped to the finish line. That is not a momentum you should strive for in your storytelling. Yet, that could have been forgiven and forgotten. Because, as I've said, they are a perfect couple who I might have wished stayed more snarky than Nick and Nora once they hooked up, but then Ally Carter ruined it in the end. How you ask? Well, that requires spoilers, which I'm totally about to drop. You have been warned. So Ally Carter got the idea for this novel after learning about Agatha Christie's disappearance. This is a mystery that will endure forever. Where was she for those eleven days? Was it a mental break? Was it a PR stunt? Was she undercover solving a mystery? Was it giant alien space wasps? And yes, these are all theories that have been posited. Obviously one on Doctor Who, so that one probably isn't accurate. Or is it? So here's the fictional Eleanor Ashley, key FICTIONAL. She magics herself away from a locked room and the answer for how she did it is that she's Eleanor Ashley. That is a freakin' cop out of the highest magnitude. This is fiction, fiction is for resolution, not for giving us yet another unsolved mystery. This just enraged me. I was strongly reminded of the book Cartwheel by Jennifer duBois which was a fictionalized account of the Amanda Knox case. Again, fictional. And we got no resolution. None. And in the case of Cartwheel it has the EXACT SAME setup only for the answers to life's greatest mysteries to be what? Ineffable? Give me the answers or get out of my face. Which means that Ally Carter can still save this book with an additional epilogue for the paperback release. Let's make it so.

This book was fantastic. I loved it and can’t wait to read more by the author. The clue style mystery, the enemies to lovers and the sharp wit made it a great read.

Another quirky and fun read by Ally Carter!!! Was this a perfect swoony romance to top my list? No. But it was a fun Christmas read that made me smile

I fear I simply could get get into this book. I was super excited to start reading this, but it just didn't grab my attention.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun, quick read. It really was the best combination of a cozy mystery/whodunit and romance. Since I don't typically read mystery books, I appreciated the fast pace of this book. It had plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing without confusing me or losing my interest. The romance did feel a bit rushed like the characters went from zero to one hundred all of a sudden and so it was a little tough to buy into it. Besides that, this was a great holiday read that any Knives Out fan would enjoy!

This was fun, and I enjoyed the main characters' banter. It was an easy read and perfect for people who enjoy mysteries, rom-coms, and spending Christmas at an estate. The story is both a locked-room mystery and enemies (rivals) to lovers trope.

Maggie and Ethan are writers - she is more the cozy mystery type, and he writes thrillers. And they've been invited to a Christmas party at the estate of a super fan. The fan turns out to be a world-famous author. And then she disappears.

Now Ethan and Maggie have to solve the mystery and not kill each other in the meantime.

My thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

"If you were missing, I'd find you. I'd tear the house down stone by stone. I'd rip apart every room and scour every field and I wouldn't stop. I would NEVER stop."

Oh also

"Who did this to you?"

Yes, so.. go read this book!

The mystery vibes were 10/10 and the romance was everything.

TWs - cheating by an ex and a best friend (FMC), vehicular accident in the past (MMC), death of parents (past, FMC), parent who abandoned kids and emotionally distant parent (past, MMC)

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

I absolutely have enjoyed every Ally Carter book I have read and this one was no exception! Rival authors Maggie and Ethan find themselves in the thick of a mystery when snowed in together at the estate of crime queen author Eleanor Ashley. When Eleanor mysteriously disappears without a trace from her locked study, it’s up to Maggie and Ethan to put their rivalry aside and solve the mystery.

This book reminded me of the fun of CLUE the movie mixed in with the cleverness of Agatha Christie and the banter of Abby Jimenez. It was a fun rom com holiday read that was a nice break from the typical Hallmark-esque holiday romances. I really hope we see these characters again in a future sequel!

Thank you NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ally Carter is a queen and I will devour whatever she writes. This was such a fun mystery. I loved, loved, loved the main characters. Their dynamic and banter was chefs kiss. Will never turn down an Ally Carter book!!!

this has legit noooo business being as good as it was … will be reading ally carters entire backlog now thank uuuuu

My review did not previously save, sorry! I loved this book and hope there will be more to come. Every aspect felt very intriguing and like I wanted to know more. I believe I read this in 24 hours, it was that good!

I have loved Ally Carter for the longest time and this book just continues to prove how great of an author she is. While I couldn’t remember fully what the book was about when I picked it up I loved the mystery of it all. It took all the classic mystery troupes and played with them to make it into something. I loved how Maggie and Ethan interacted from hating each other to relying on each other. I also loved how the ended. This author is definitely one I will continue to read.

This was a rom com with a mystery. The setting is at a Christmas party for a famous author who just so happens to go missing. Maggie & Ethan are rivals who work together to solve the mystery of the disappearance. I was not a fan of Ethan in the beginning because how do you blatantly say someone's name wrong! But Ally Carter knew what she was doing of course & Ethan was completely redeemable. This was a real fun book & much better twists than some thrillers out there.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I was super intrigued by the plot and loved the cover. This was a quick, easy read that started out really strong for me and then kind of fell flat for a little bit. It seemed like most of the good stuff was saved for the very end. Overall, it wasn’t a bad book and I thought it was well written. I enjoyed many quotes throughout the book. It was your typical super cheesy romance novel but definitely a book I would recommend to anyone who enjoys that genre.

This book was so fun! I loved the mystery and intrigue. And coupled with the romance? *chef’s kiss*

Ally Carter is an auto-buy author for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

I'm admittedly biased since I like pretty much anything Ally Carter writes. This story follows two authors that are invited to spend the holidays at the home of a very famous (but mysterious) author named Eleanor. Once they're there, Eleanor disappears and they find themselves having to solve a real life mystery.

I enjoyed the mystery piece of the book, there were enough twists and turns to keep it interesting but not over the top where you felt like the author was just trying to shock you. More importantly, the romance between Ethan and "Marcie" was amazing. The characters had great chemistry and it was the biggest draw of the book.

Another great story from Ally Carter!

I will always enjoy an Ally Carter book, since growing up reading the Gallagher Girls series. This book, along with her other adult novels, brings me joy because it fills the part of my reader heart that used to long for the latest from Ally.