Red, White, and Royal Blue is a good comp, but add in some holiday magic. I loved Nick and Hex (the prince of Christmas and the prince of Halloween). Nick's dad (Santa) is obsessed with power and is manipulating the other holidays to keep it.

The love story was fantastic. However, there was just way too much time spent on Nick's terrible relationship with his dad. I get it, he's evil and greedy. This book could have been half as long. Or the same length but give me way more Nick and Hex! The holiday plot was pretty YA but the bedroom scenes were definitely adult.

On the plus side, the narrator was fantastic!

The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch is one of the cleverest & unique romance that I’ve read in a long time. The concept of basically having royal families for all the major holidays is incredible. Then add in family turmoil, holiday struggles & a spicy romance between the prince of Christmas & the prince of Halloween & I am there with bells on.

The Nightmare Before Kissmas is great for those looking to read..:
❤️ MM Romance
❤️ Holidays
❤️ Forced Proximity
❤️ Forbidden Romance

This has me in awe, smiles & giggles right from the start. This was such a fun story, even though it tackled emotional moments, drama & more so well. This was a breath of fresh air in the genre. I loved this world & there are so many other stories that I am anxiously waiting to read!

I listened to the audiobook of this one & it was so good. The narrator did a fantastic job of bringing this intriguing , quirky & fun story to life. I listened at 2x & it was magic for my ADHD brain.

If you’re looking for Red, White & Royal Blue meets The Nightmare Before Christmas, I highly recommend the Nightmare Before Kissmas!

Massive thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio & Tor for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

This was a cute, fast read that had all the holiday elements you love to see. I enjoyed seeing the festivities happening at the North Pole for Christmas and thought the characters were all cute. What worked less for me was the corporate politics nature of this - I see what Raasch was trying to do but it didn’t captivate me as much as I want from a holiday rom com.

When Coal, heir to the Christmas throne, is forced into an engagement with his best friend, the Easter princess Iris, he doesn't see any option other than to go along with it. He's had too many screw-ups in the past to ruin this last chance of proving to his father that he can run Christmas. Then he meets the Halloween Prince. Hex is a committed to his holiday as Coal would like to be, but even with an engagement on the line, neither can ignore the sparks between them. So when it turns out Hex's presence there to "compete" for Iris's hand is just as much as sham as the engagement, they decide they might as well enjoy the time they have together. But does Coal really need to prove anything for his domineering father--or is it enough to take the reins for himself for once?

What an adorable fantasy holiday romance. I love an overdramatic king, and Coal is that on steroids. Obsessed with this book and the whole premise of holiday royals so much that I'm already reading the sequel about the younger Christmas prince, Kris, and his St. Patrick's Day rival. If Iris doesn't get a book after that and fall for, like, the New Year's Princess or something, I'll be deeply upset. But honestly I just want as many books in this series as Sara Raasch is willing to write.

The Nightmare Before Kissmas is a fun, quirky holiday romance that brings the spirit of the season with a unique twist. Set in a world where each holiday has its own royal family, we follow Coal Claus, the rebellious Prince of Christmas, who’s suddenly commanded to court the Easter Princess—though he’s secretly drawn to Hex, the Prince of Halloween. With holiday politics, royal family drama, and plenty of laughs, this story balances humor with heartwarming themes of friendship, romance, and self-discovery. The romance between Coal and Hex is both spicy and sweet, and the audiobook’s narration brings their chemistry to life. This book is a perfect holiday escape, filled with charm and festive cheer.

4.5 stars! The Nightmare Before Kissmas was so much fun! This was described as The Nightmare Before Christmas meets Red, White & Royal Blue (a book I thought was only okay) and so I went in with kinda low-but still excited-expectations and was so pleasantly surprised! It totally gave all the NBC vibes but also delivered on so much more.

I really enjoyed the way the holidays work in this world, basically all the holidays are kind of their own courts and have their own prince and princesses and have heirs and all the royal court things. There is also like holiday politics involved with other holiday courts and I was just so invested with how it would all work out.

Nicholas “Coal” Claus is the heir to the Santa namesake and the Prince of Christmas. He has made a lot of mistakes and caused a lot of scandals, so he’s currently on his father’s (aka Santa’s) naughty list. But Coal’s presence is requested home for the holidays where he’s thrown front and center when his dad calls for press and surprises everyone with an announcement that Coal is courting Iris, the Easter Princess, and an engagement will be coming soon. The only problem is Coal is very much not courting Iris, who happens to be his best friend, and they have zero plans to marry. Things get even more complicated when the Halloween court finds out about the possible merger between Christmas and Easter so they say it’s only fair they send in Hex, the Halloween Prince, and toss him in as a possible suitor for the Easter Princess’ hand too. But instead, Hex and Coal are the ones falling for another!

This book sounds so wildly quirky and bonkers, but it was so entertaining and fun. I was invested in the politics between the holiday courts and all the royal things happening. The romance and characters were good too, but I do think I was more invested in the plot overall cause it was just so fun and strong! Very much filled with alllll the holidays, in the best way. I’m excited now for more coming in this world.

This started giving me the ick. I had hoped that it wasn't like so many other gay stories written by straight women, but it started feeling like that and I won't be finishing it.

When I first found out this novel took place in a world, where each holiday had a royal family I was sold. Then I found out that it was about the Prince of Halloween and the Prince of Christmas, I was more than excited to read it.

This book follows Nicolas "Coal" Claus who is the local Christmas fuck up, after another recent fuck up he is drinking his worries away, which than leads to him being entangled in a drunkenly make-out session with a beautiful man behind a seedy bar. But that is all forgotten when the heir to Christmas is commanded to marry his best friend, Iris, who is the Princess of Easter. She is also her younger brother's crush, which makes this situation a huge disaster. Although things go to worst, when the mystery man from behind the bar is actually the Prince of Halloween, who is there to challenge Coal's hand at marriage. Now the two princes have to fake a competition between the two while trying to keep their hands off of each other.

When I first saw this novel, I assumed because of the cute cover that this novel was YA, oh boy did I realize quickly that this novel was defiantly not young adult. This book is spicy, and full of moments that will turn your face red. Even though the novel is spicy it doesn't take away from the romance. If anything it was the perfect amount of spiciness that was placed at the perfect moment.

As for the romance, I loved Coal and Hex and their bickering. I loved how from the start they had so much chemistry from the start. I also really appreciated how much Coal was trying to help Hex but kept on messing up. Meanwhile Hex, is doing everything in his power to hold it together. I was a bit worried when I started this novel that the bickering and enemy part was going to last too long. Instead we have Coal, who is constantly apologizing and Hex just shaking his head.

I listen to this novel as a audiobook, at first I couldn't really get into the narrator's voice but slowly I really started to enjoy it. But more importantly I just think I was obsessed with this book.

I honestly enjoyed the storyline of this novel but more importantly I really liked the world. I am so excited to read the second book in this series which follows Coal's brother Kris and the crown prince of St. Patrick.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Bramble for giving access to the audiobook!

PS: This book is going to be apart of my 25 days of holiday books series I'm going to be posting on tiktok in December!

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley. I thank you for the opportunity.

The only thing that could have made this better is if it was dual point of view. Other and that it was the perfect book amazing adventure beautiful storytelling and absolutely hilarious.

4.5/5

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy!

Read if you:
- Liked RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE
- Enjoy the holidays
- Appreciate found family
- Go for all the spice ;)

Wait I loved this book??? The premise was sooo out of the box that I wasn't sure what to expect, but I found it very clever and fun with the holiday "royalty" at the center of this story. The romance was steamy and sweet and I enjoyed the meet-cute foreshadowing to start the book. While romance was the centerfold of this story, there were also amazing coming of age, character development and found family themes that made this so much more meaningful than the shallow romance it could be. I loved each of the main characters and all of their friendships/relationships. This was truly a spicy and heartwarming story that had everything I love in a romance. Highly recommend and can't wait for #2!

This was such a fun, cute, and romantic read! Coal and Hex were amazing together, but I almost enjoyed the brotherly bond between Coal and Kris and the overall friendship between the group even more.

There was so much to love about this book. I particularly enjoyed how the funny moments were so well balanced out by the serious moments. It was fantastic how the characters grew and developed throughout the story with Ellis Evans there all the way through narrating this wonderful audiobook. He brought the characters and this story flawlessly to life.

The Nightmare Before Kissmas is a great way to start your holiday reading!

Thank you, Macmillan Audio, for this ALC. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was a really cute mm romance that gave me Romeo and Juliet vibes. In this book, Santa is not warm and fuzzy, but rather an insincere power-hungry dictator determined to strip power from all holidays for Christmas alone. The Christmas heir, Prince Coal, who did not want to be the heir, is initially clueless about the darker side of the holiday. He starts to sense that all is not as it seems when he discovers that the hot Halloween Prince he'd been flirting with, Hex, was being held at the Christmas court as a hostage. Once Coal learns the extent of his father's tactics, he is determined to find a way for all holidays to work together for the benefit of all.

I loved the chemistry between Coal and Hex. The banter between them was so adorable and I immediately hoped they would get a HEA, despite it not looking too good in the beginning. Coal's plotting and plans to overthrow his father's iron grip on Christmas was fun to read, although the book did drag down a bit in the middle.

I loved the narrator. He did a fantastic job, and I'm glad that I listened to the book rather than read it. I may have been tempted to DNF when things started to drag in the middle.

The prince of Christmas meets the Prince of Halloween. Nicholas “Coal” Claus used to love Christmas. Until his father, the reigning Santa, turned the holiday into a PR façade. Coal will do anything to escape the spectacle, including getting tangled in a drunken, supremely hot make-out session with a beautiful man behind a seedy bar one night.

But the heir to Christmas is soon commanded to do his duty: he will marry his best friend, Iris, the Easter Princess and his brother’s not-so-secret crush. A situation that has disaster written all over it.

Things go from bad to worse when a rival arrives to challenge Coal for the princess’s hand…and Coal comes face-to-face with his mysterious behind-the-bar hottie: Hex, the Prince of Halloween.

The idea of this was cute but it was just kind of silly and okay.

Thank you Macmillan Audio & Netgalley for the review copy.

After just listening to the first chapter of this book, it felt like I had captured the feeling of listening to Red, White & Royal Blue for the first time (which is a high I’ve been chasing for a LONG time). The book was so witty and creative in how it portrayed modern Christmas joy – with tongue in cheek commentary on how Christmas takes over holidays in the fall & winter months to monopolize the joyous energy but losing sight of the meaning of the season. This, of course, is in the background of deep friendships between Coal, Kris and Iris, and the electric sizzling romance between Coal and Hex. The banter is top-notch, and I highly recommend the audiobook, read by Ellis Evans - 12 hours and 23 minutes never passed by so quickly as it did in this performance!

Looking for a relaxing tun escapist holiday read or listen ?
This book is absolutely adorable and addictive—I loved it from start to finish! The Nightmare Before Kissmas is the first in a series that blends the charm of Red, White & Royal Blue with the darker holiday magic of The Nightmare Before Christmas. It's a spicy, fun rom-com where the Prince of Christmas falls for the totally off-limits Prince of Halloween. Honestly, it's the perfect read for the entire holiday season!
Summary:
Nicholas "Coal" Claus once loved Christmas, but that changed when his father, the imposing Santa, turned the holiday into a shallow PR spectacle and his mother left. Desperate to escape it all, Coal winds up in a heated, drunken make-out session with a gorgeous stranger behind a seedy bar. That stranger? None other than Hex, the Prince of Halloween.
Coal's duties quickly catch up with him, though, when he's commanded to marry his best friend, Iris, the Easter Princess(who else, of course - this gave me The Santa Clause vibes) —who also happens to be his brother's not-so-secret crush. Disaster seems inevitable. Things spiral further when a rival challenges Coal for Iris's hand in marriage, only for Coal to realize his competitor is none other than Hex.
What follows is a fake competition between two holiday princes who can't keep their hands off each other, all over a marriage of convenience that no one actually wants. The result? One of the sweetest, sexiest, and messiest love stories of the year. It is very much a sweet holiday romance with family drama adding depth to the story and hurdles for our couple to get over.
I listened to the fun audio for this entertaining book, the narration by Ellis Evan's is quite perfect,

Wow! What a great book for all of us transitioning from Halloween to Christmas reads! This book surrounds characters from all the holidays primarily from Christmas, Halloween and Easter. The inner workings of Cole, the heir of Christmas, is absolutely hilarious. He is to marry his best friend, Iris, a representative of Easter to strengthen their holiday spirit and bring joy to the world. The only problem is that they don’t love each other, at least not romantically. The conversations between them within the group chat had me constantly laughing out loud. They all have a fun sense of humor along with Cole’s brother. Then the prince of Halloween Hex, also happens to see Cole and they have a magical kiss. Everything changes as they start to gradually have more feelings for each other. Halloween wants to also strengthen their holiday spirit and want to court Iris as well. Hex is always calm, cool and relaxed whereas Cole is nervous, anxious and silly. Opposites attract as their fathers have alternative plans for them. Under the immense pressure from his father, Santa Claus, will Cole be able to choose his future inheriting the responsibilities of the Christmas holiday or choose true love with Hex from Halloween? Absolutely LOVED this book and highly recommend it for a fun, LGBTQ+, spicy read! Hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

This was a very enjoyable read. I loved getting to know these characters and the magical holiday world that they live in. I thought the chemistry and romance between Coal and Hex was well developed. I am always a fan of a little forbidden romance.

The narrator did an excellent job with this as well.

All around, I definitely recommend.

omg this story was so cute. The premise of this book was so unique. All of the holidays are set up like their own royal kingdoms, with royal families, etc. it kind of reminded me of a very grown-up version of “rise of the guardians.” Coal and hex had such a cute relationship, and their chemistry was just perfect. I also loved how wholesome this book was. It really was like a warm hug of holidays… with spice lol. I can’t wait to read kris’s story next.

The Nightmare Before Kissmas is an absolute delight! It's funny and messy and cute and everything I could have wanted in a holiday romance. I love that the author brought the holidays to life as their own courts and their magic is powered by how much joy they bring into the world. It's an interesting setup and I greatly enjoy romances with royalty so really perfect for me. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of court politics in this book too.

Coal and Kris are the princes of Christmas, with Coal being the heir. Coal starts out well-intentioned but a bit impulsive. His character growth through the book is so satisfying. Kris is such a caretaker sibling and I can really relate to that. I can't wait for the next book because it is about him.

Coal and Hex have amazing chemistry. I cannot resist a forbidden romance. And the fact that Hex cannot cuss or his magic acts up is hilarious. I laughed out loud while listening to that.

And lastly, I really enjoyed the friendship between Coal, Kris, and Iris. They are childhood friends and rib on each other constantly and it's both funny and endearing. I love how much care Coal put into making sure Iris was ok through everything. Since the arranged marriage involved Iris, anything Coal did to disrupt it would affect her.

I listened to the audiobook and would highly recommend it! It's single narrator, which works because the story is told from Coal's POV. It was easy to follow along and stay immersed in the story. Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the early copy!

Read if you like:
-forbidden romance
-court politics
-holiday romance
-bisexual rep
-royals

The audiobook, narrated by Ellis Evans, was a delightful listen with great inflection and feeding into the energy of the story.. An interesting take on how holiday royal families would exist with magic abound in our world, great for fans of Nightmare before Christmas but with the romance level of Red, White and Royal Blue. Coal as a main character is snarky and lovable with clear flaws and Hex is a great foil with his insecurities too. Raasch builds a great web of magical royalty that is easy to follow and really helps the world building. It hits many of the romance cliches but that is what helps it weave well into the genre. Content skews more to the New Adult side than Young Adult so be aware of your audience