This was a fun series. I am a fan of most of these authors, so this felt like a treat to me. I thought all the stories were really well done - I loved the interactions, the chemistry and the happy endings. I managed to read all the books in the collection in one afternoon, so quick reads that kept me engaged and wanting more. If you are looking for fun holiday reads, I would check out all the books in this collection.

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

5 short Christmas stories that are very beautiful, entertaining and quick to read, I loved everything🩵🩵

Highly recommended, everyone should read it.✨

I wish this would have put me more in the holiday spirit. A few of these felt like a recycled story and it was a bit disappointing. But a few of them leaned into the novella length to have some bonkers holiday fun and I appreciated those more.

My favorites were Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandra Bellefleur and Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria.

In Merriment, you have a series of meet disasters between our Mcs that make our heroine consider... is the universe trying to tell me something? I love that he was all in from the beginning. And an adorable hot firefighter was perfect for the season.

Only Santas in the Building has neighbors both of whom aren't great at the communication, out loud ,with people, missing signals between each other. I really loved that they were both kind of introverted, but once they started talking, things went fast and hot.

All By My Elf by Olivia Dade was cute but stuck on a highway in a snowstorm is terrifying, not sexy. But it did make me laugh out loud with the commentary around their vehicle. The reality of being a teacher in higher education was very real with how the challenges in the profession were portrayed.

Cruel Winter by Ali Hazelwood was her usual Huge Guy, smol, kind of a mess girl in STEM (Doctor). With the usual miscommunication, a bit of it's always been you and childhood frenemies. It was just ok.

Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey did not work for me at all. Once again... HUGE guy, tensy tiny woman. There was just too much for me to get past with the man not being able to find pants. Not to mention the baby issues... leaving a baby on a bed unattended in a strange house while you make out? Driving in a car without a car seat? And the language she used of "Suicide brain" was just too far. It was not for me.

This was a fantastic group of Christmas-time short stories. All but one was a total hit for me! Having read many Ali and Tessa books, their stories were everything I love about them in a perfect bite sized piece. I haven’t read much by Alexia Daria but everything I have, I have loved and her story was no exception! The other two authors are new to me but have been on my radar. Alexandria’s was so enjoy about and I cannot wait to read more by her because this story. Olivia’s story was disappointing and just not for me but I do still want to check out her other work because I can see potential in more fleshed out characters.

Overall, I definitely recommend reading these for the holiday season!

1. Cruel Winter with You (5⭐️)
❄️Best Friend’s Younger Brother
🩵Billionaire
❄️He Falls First & Hard
🩵It’s Always Been You
❄️Single POV

As much as I love and always want dual POV, this was classic Ali single POV with all the hints (subtle and not subtle) about the MMCs feelings. This short story packed a ton of history and backstory, gave some second chance vibes, and built the tension for Jamie and Marc. With a short story that did have a plot , this was not spicy but steamy. I was completely hooked and sped through!

Spoiler:
Phew, there was a point when I had to take a break, Jamie broke my heart! And I get why she did it; having spent her life with being abandoned by the person who should love you unconditionally will mess you up and leave emotional damage in its wake. With that early trauma, Jamie spent her life trying to be perfect and not too much to keep people in her life, and many left even if it wasn’t because of her. It reinforced that feeling of not being enough, the insecurity of being worthless or unlovable. On top of being in a mentally and emotionally difficult phase of life, her actions with Marc make sense. But Marc was so steadfast in his feelings for her and his determination to carve out a spot for himself in her life. He knew her, even when she didn’t know herself because she was his North Star, his guiding force. This man was down bad all his life for her and wasn’t going to stop! 🥹 He embodied what I love most about out Ali’s MMCs: they fall so hard and literally just want to anything to care for the FMC, make her life easier and want her to be happy in the simpiest and swooniest of ways.

2. Merry Christmas After (5⭐️)
💕Single Mom
🩶Small Town
💕Size Difference
🩶He Falls First & Hard
💕Dual POV

I enjoyed this! Instalove, he falls first and hard shorty story that is spicy and hot. Everything I love about Tessa Bailey in bite size. Evie was cautious because of her son and past. Luke had me swooning, he was persistent but respectful.

3. All By My Elf
❄️Workplace Romance
💚Forced Proximity
❄️Mutual Pining
💚Snowed In
❄️Single POV, 3rd Person

This was…meh. There were some good puns with Mrs. Claus’ treats and the Mincemobile. I just didn’t particularly care for either MC and found the story a little disjointed. While this is the first time I’ve read anything by this author, I still would like to try one of her books on my TBR.

4. Merriment and Mayhem(4.5⭐️)
🔥Firefighter MMC
💛Small(ish) Town
🔥Damsel in Distress
💛He Falls First
🔥Single POV

I have not read this author but this shorty short makes me want to check all her work! I loved it. Everleigh and all her unfortunate mishaps bring Griffin into her life and her rescue. The golden retriever energy of Griffin was perfection! He falls first and hard, and is so yummy! The spice was 🥵. A perfect holiday, instalove feel good story!

5. Only Santas in the Building (4.5⭐️)
🎄Neighbors to Lovers
🎅🏼Secret Santa Gifts /homemade
🎄Pining
🎅🏼He Falls First
🎄Christmas Party
🎅🏼Size Difference
🎄Grieving FMC
🎅🏼Single POV

I haven’t read much by Alexia Daria but everything I have, I have loved! This was no exception! It was fun and cute but heartfelt while dealing with grief. I loved that Evie keeps getting caught looking like a gemlin when she runs into Theo! I loved her Santa themed costume, a prefect one for the holiday! I could not get enough of the Christmas flirting and innuendos! The homemade Secret Santa gifts were the swooniest! The spice was 😮‍💨!!

It's hard to review a collection, since I felt very differently about some of these stories!

My top 3 were Cruel Winter with You, Merriment and Mayhem, & Only Santas in the Building - these were all 4.5/5 ⭐️ for me.
Merry Ever After + All by My Elf were not for me.

🎄🎄🎄

📖 Cruel Winter With You by Ali Hazelwood
⭐️: 4.5/5 🌶️: open door

I know this is a short story but I NEED MORE 😭😭
In true Ali fashion, Marc has basically been in love with Jamie his entire life 🥹😭 since he’s her childhood best friend’s brother (literally known since birth 🥹)
I had all the feels with this one!

🩵 childhood best friend’s brother
👨🏻‍💻 tech billionaire
👩🏼‍⚕️ pediatrician
💙 he falls first & so hard
💖 single 1st person pov
🎄🎄🎄


📖 Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey
⭐️: 2/5 🌶️: spicy open door

Yeah nope this wasn’t for me at all
If it hadn’t been 50 pages it would have been a dnf but I just kept going since I knew it was short
The insta love didn’t work for me in this one (it’s not something I mind), and I didn’t feel any chemistry between Evie & Luke.
I also couldn’t stop thinking about the lack of safety for this baby in far too many instances for such a short story 😢

😍 insta love
🧑‍🧒 single mom
🌦️ grumpy/sunshine
👨‍🌾 farmer
🌳 small town
💞 dual 1st person pov

🎄🎄🎄

📖 All By My Elf by Olivia Dade
⭐️: 3/5 🌶️: open door
🎧: Andi Arndt

Hmm I’m back and forth on my rating/review for this one.
I was really confused at first and had to read the first couple of pages a few times.
I love a long time crush/mutual pining story 🥹 I would have liked to feel it a little stronger though, I do know that’s hard in so few pages… I also struggle with that in 3rd person writing.
Nina & William are meant to be 37/35 but they felt younger to me.
I was rooting for them to confess their feelings, and being snowed in in a phallic-shaped vehicle was pretty unique 🙃

🤫 secret crushes/mutual pining
💫 curvy/plus size fmc
💼 coworkers/adjunct university professors
❄️ snowed in (in a phallic shaped vehicle)
💗 single 3rd person pov

🎄🎄🎄

📖 Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur
⭐️: 4.5/5 🌶️: open door, hot 🥵

This was so cute, and I didn’t mind the insta-lovey vibes this time - it seemed to work for them 🥰
While in town to manage her late grandmother’s house, Everleigh seems to need saving several times - and firefighter Griffin seems to be the one to do it 🙃
I felt the chemistry between them, and felt like I got to know both their characters in just a short story, which is such a challenge!
This was my first read by this author, and it won’t be my last 💜

😍 insta-love
🔥 firefighter mmc
💗 single 3rd person pov

🎄🎄🎄

📖 Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria
⭐️: 4.5/5 🌶️: open door, hot

I completely adored Evie & Theo 🥹
Comic book artist Evie has been on a deadline, and every time she sees her neighbor-crush Theo she looks like a hot mess 😅
The night of the building’s Christmas party, she takes a chance on something more.

🏠 apartment neighbors
🥹 secret crushes
🖌️ comic book artist fmc
💻 software engineer mmc
💗 single 1st person pov

Thank you to Amazon original stories + NetGalley for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Cruel Winter With You - 4.5 stars
This story was super cute. The backstory of the characters was told very well. Jamie and Marc are forced to confront their unfinished business when they end up stuck together during a blizzard.
Marc was always in love with Jamie but he had to be patient until she realized she was also in love with him, and worthy of love. Marc spent years becoming the man he thought she deserved.
I loved the way Marc spoke of Jamie.
Although this was a short story, I felt like I really got to know the characters and felt their love for each other.

Merry Ever After - no rating
DNF. Not for me. I couldn't get through the language used for the first sex scene.

All By My Elf - 3.5 stars
Nina and William end up stuck in a weenie on wheels in a snowstorm on the highway. The entire situation was just hilarious. We didn’t get to know the characters and their backstories very well, other than bits of information here and there, but it was a good short story. It was well-written and kept me laughing.

Merriment and Mayhem - 4 stars
Everleigh is trying to fulfill one final perfect Christmas in her grandmother’s house before selling it. But, anything that could go wrong, does go wrong. Firefighter Griffin is always there to save the day.
The chemistry between these two is instant. Not many details were provided on the characters but I got a good sense of who they were regardless. Their attraction and connection was instant.
Even though it was a short story, I still thought it ended abruptly. I did enjoy the small town vibe though.

Only Santas in the Building - 4 stars
Started with a reference to a Charlie Brown tree and funko pops.. so I already loved this story.
Evie and Theo are neighbours in the same apartment building. Evie is constantly embarrassed by her appearance every time she runs in to Theo.
This short story was super cute, adorable and romantic! Perfectly cozy Christmas feel!

Thank you to all the authors and publisher for the opportunity read this novel early. I love a collection of holiday novellas and this did not disappoint. Short and sweet with spice. A perfect holiday combination.

This was a good collection of holiday novellas. As with typical novellas, most of them are insta-love (not all!) but I think that this is a good collection of books to get you in the holiday spirit. My favorite of the bunch was probably Ali Hazelwood's "Cruel Winter" because of the MMC.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4
Under the Mistletoe is such a fun collection of Christmas romances! Given the nature of them all being short stories, the love stories obviously move pretty quickly from meeting to happily ever after but they were great little tastes of Christmas love and joy.
Cruel Winter With You by Ali Hazelwood -- classic Ali Hazelwood snowed in together that was very reminiscent of her STEMinist Novellas with a best friend's younger brother twist.
Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey -- I am admittedly not a fan of Tessa Bailey's writing and so this was not my favorite of the stories. It had some sweet moments between the MCs (and the FMC's young son), but ultimately was not for me.
All By My Elf by Olivia Dade -- Never has a Weenie-mobile been so sexy! I love a story featuring two dumb dumbs (affectionate) who are so clearly into each other and need a meddling best friend to push them together.
Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur -- what more could you want than a hot bi firefighter?
Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria -- Fun, sexy, featuring swoon-worthy romantic gestures

This collection, titled "Under the Mistletoe," is another hilarious and heartwarming Amazon originals collection of short stories that just knock it out of the park. From the adorable meet cutes and the love tropes that you just can't help but root for the main characters, each of these love stories are wonderful and very likely to have you feeling the Christmas spirit!

This collection of Christmas short sorties , filled with spicy romance , was a real treat.
I binge read them all in 48 hours but if you’re more disciplined than me, it would be cool to use them as a spicy advent calendar and treat yourself to one story each week in December. I’d have to say the first two books but Ali Hazelwood and Tessa Bailey were my favourite, but all of the stories hit the spot with the perfect blend of festive feel good and spicy romance.

I will definitely be recommended this collect and popping it in a stocking or two.

Thanks to the authors, publishers and NetGalley for a chance to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for this ARC!

I typically don't enjoy nor rate short stories/novellas highly but this was such a nice surprise. I love how with this collection, I was exposed to a few new authors and am now keen on reading more of their work. All the stories are fast paced and overwhelmingly cute and humorous. Though they are short stories and don't have a fully fleshed out world or characters, I still enjoyed each story and became so invested in these characters.

My favourite story (and new author discovery!) would have to be Alexandria Bellefleur's Merriment and Mayhem! Would love to read about this couple in a full book!

Cruel Winter With You by Ali Hazelwood
- 3 stars
- Good character background development and use of timelines
- Sweet best friend's brother and first love story; very much a right person and wrong time situation

Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey
- 3.5 stars
- Superrrrr cute and swoony, especially the MMC's acts of service and commitment to the FMC and her child
- Most smutty out of all of the stories (not complaining lol)

All By My Elf by Olivia Dade
- 3.5 stars
- This was just sweet; had the right amount of backstory and romance and did not feel rushed
- Adorable colleagues-to-lovers romance

Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur
- 5 stars
- Loveeedddd this; funny and witty characters with the best banter and spice but also tackled sensitive topics such as loneliness and grief quite well
- Hilarious meet cute/s which may or may not involve the FMC's life being in danger

Only Santas In The Building by Alexis Daria
- 4 stars
- Really likeable FMC
- Sweet and flirty story about neighbours and meddling older people lol

Would read again. Definitely got me in a festive mood!

Overall rating: 4/5

I read and loved the Valentine's Day short story collection that was released earlier this year. So I was really excited when this Christmas collection announced. There is a good mix of authors I've read and ones that are completely new to me, and that made it even more fun to pick up and try.

I liked all of the stories, and there were a couple that I loved. Though they all center on the Christmas season each story was unique and fun to read. Ali Hazelwood's was my favorite. Even though it is a short story, I you really get to know the characters well and see their journey from teenagers all the way through to adulthood. It was an emotional, sweet and romantic story.

I highly recommend this collection!

I thought it’s be easiest to review each story individually so here we go!

Cruel Winter With You: Hazelwood is so hit or miss for me. I do tend to like her novellas better than her full length stories and I thought this one was pretty cute! Nothing crazy or revolutionary from Hazelwood’s forte but if you’re a fan of her formula, this one’s great!

Merry After After: I will not lie and say TBailey’s bonkers plots and brand of dirty talk that borders on silly isn’t my cup of tea…because it is LOL I feel like TB wanted to see how ridiculous and tropey she could make it and then dialed it up to ten with a GIANT farmer and a single mom and the strangest meet cute (he rips his pants). It worked for me. Idk what to tell you.

All By My Elf: Okay I love the whole they’re both into each other but one of them thinks the other is into their friend when they’re really just trying to get advice on how to ask the other MC out. Olivia Dade I think is more enjoyable with full length stories, but I also feel like she gets that this is short and fun and made it work!

Merriment and Mayhem: Bellefleur is also kind of hit or miss for me and I actually think I like her sapphic stories better? This was very cute though! This is probably the only one in the collection that I did actually think needed just a hair more pages to really push it into the enjoyment category. But….it has a hot firefighter soooooooo. I’ll take it.

Only Santas in the Building: This was my favorite one in the collection. A mystery ornament Santa! A Santa themed party! Meddling neighbors that try to shove two young singles together! He makes her hand crafted ornaments and has been in love from a far since she moved in. Sweet, adorable, a little spicy, and two introvert neighbors in love. 10/10 no notes.

This collection of novellas is so easily bingeable that I found myself reluctant to stop reading and easily devoured most of the short stories in one sitting. Full of holiday spirit and holiday romance I was won over by Ali Hazelwood, Tessa Bailey, Alexandria Bellefluer, and Alexis Daria. All of their novellas are easily 5 stars. The one by Olivia Dade felt clunky and overly-wrought—like it was tweaked one too many times.

Overall I enjoyed my read and would easily recommend to fellow readers.

Thank you Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Such a cute (and a little spicy!) collection of short stories. Perfect if you’re looking for a quick holiday read. All of these authors were new to me, but I’m excited to now check out some of their other works. My favorites in the collection were Cruel Winter with You and Only Santas in the Building.
Individual book ratings can be found on my Goodreads.

These are so cute!!! My favorite was Ali Hazelwood’s, it felt more fleshed out and immersive. I enjoyed the short novella format and it put me right into the Christmas spirit! Thank you for the opportunity to read these early!

Very cute collection from some of the best romance authors out there. I loved that these were holiday centered and each of them had their own twist. Though instant love is not my favorite trope, these short stories always do good because it is a quick beginning, middle and end with a nice happily ever after. A good collection to get into the holiday spirit.

1. Cruel Winter With You by @alihazelwood
This was absolutely everything to me. I loved it so much, start to finish. Childhood friends to lovers is one of my all time favorite tropes and this was done RIGHT. I could not have loved how much Marc was obsessed with Jamie more. My actual only complaint is that I wanted more!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

2. Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey
Don’t hate me Tessa Bailey fans 🫣 There was just very little I liked here.😬 The MMC was not it for me, the insta lust was INSANE—like absolutely no depth even for a novella, and the dirty talk was SO cringey to me. Also, I absolutely could NOT with the FMC getting so hot and heavy that she literally forgot about her baby in the next room. No.
⭐️⭐️

3. All By My Elf by Olivia Dade
The mincemobile in this was kind of…weird, but definitely an original idea. This one is your typical people have crushes on each other but don’t realize the other one has a crush on them. I like forced proximity, and I liked the Never Have I Ever game the two main characters played. Overall, though, I just found this story a bit strange and very forgettable.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

4. Merriment and Mayhem by @a.m.bellefleur
This one was super cute! I loved Everleigh and Griffin’s chemisty, and I’ll never complain about a hot firefighter as the MMC. Everleigh’s constant need for saving was a funny way for them to connect, and Griffin researching ferry times was 🥹
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5. Only Santas in the Building by @alexisdaria
I really liked this one, too! Evie and Theo are adorable. I always think he falls first is just one of the cutest tropes! Theo’s gifts, too! 😍 The mutual pining really worked well here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall, these are short and spicy reads that would be fun to add to your Christmas reading! They were my first holiday reads of the year and did not disappoint. ❤️💚❤️💚

A collection of holiday themed short stories were exactly what the doctor ordered! I had a great time reading them. I am totally in the holiday mood now.

Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood

4 stars

This story was a quintessential Ali Hazelwood story. I was invested and obsessed in under 100 pages. It was sweet, swoony, and steamy. I need a “best friend’s brother” full-length book by Ali Hazelwood YESTERDAY!

Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey

2 stars

This was not my favorite short story. I think it tried to fit too much in the 59 pages, and things got a bit rushed. Evie was a very considerate single mother but accepted a ride home from the farm with no car seat for her baby? That small detail kept nagging in the back of my mind. My other issue was that Luke was a super nice guy, but also a caveman when it came to spicy scenes. I’m all for a bit of caveman behavior, but since it was a short story there wasn’t enough space to transition the two sides of Luke. So it ended up feeling very abrupt. Overall, this one was just okay to me. It was definitely hot if that’s what you’re looking for, though!

All by My Elf by Olivia Dade

4 stars

I love a shy, nerdy guy. This short story was quick, spicy, and funny. I mean, a repurposed weinermobile is such an out there side job. I couldn’t help but be obsessed with the story!

Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur

4 stars

Everleigh Dangerfield needing 911 so many times is probably a huge drain on resources, but I was here for the developing love story. I love thoughtful gestures, and Griffin had those down! This story was very sweet.

Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria

4 stars

This story takes the award for most swoony in the entire collection! I was so locked into this story of a Christmas ornament fairy. Are you joking? That is so cute! This short story collection went out with a bang. I had a great time reading.