Thank you to Amazon Original Stories for the eARC.

Under the Mistletoe is a short anthology containing five stories from Ali Hazelwood, Tessa Bailey, Olivia Dade, Alexandria Bellefleur, and Alexis Daria.

Cruel Winter With You by Ali Hazelwood: Cruel Winter With You had the trademarked Ali Hazelwood MMC, the one that is so in love with the FMC and it’s evident to literally everyone in the world but her. That is one of the many facets of my kryptonite. I loved that Marc was basically in love with Jamie from birth and that his feelings never wavered. I listened to this one as an audiobook as well, and I loved the cadence the narrator gave to the characters. I felt their emotions while listening.

Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey: A giant farmer that can’t find jeans that fit was kind of a weird plot IMO, and his dirty talk felt slightly out of character. But hey, still had a fun time.

All by My Elf by Olivia Dade: This might have been my favorite of the novellas. I loved the shy, professor William who is obviously crushing on his coworker, Nina. Forced proximity works in this story to make the characters communicate and confess their respective crushes…while stuck in a van in full stop traffic.

Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur: The most humorous of the novellas, Merriment and Mayhem was very low stakes. Who wouldn’t want a hot fireman to come save them from a disastrous cookie baking incident?

Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria: This one had some focus on grief, as Evie is struggling with wanting to decorate her tree after her grandmother’s passing. Her upstairs neighbor Theo, is there to help mitigate the holiday sadness and support her. Another sweet story featuring mutual crushes, so sweet for the holidays.

ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED. Thank you NetGalley, authors, and the publisher. I adored parts of every story!! Initially the interest came from Ali and Tessa but oh my god I like them all. Short, sweet, and steamy!

Overall this was a really fun and steamy collection of Christmas novellas! They're all super quick reads, and I think the entire anthology would be the perfect cozy book to pick up on a lazy afternoon. This collection of novellas includes:

Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood (4.5/5 stars)
Cruel Winter is a second chance romance between childhood friends, and by far my favorite novella in this anthology. Despite being shorter in length, it was so well-rounded that it read like a full-length novel...and I easily WOULD have read a full-length novel about these achingly sweet friends.

Read if you like:
- second chance romance
- childhood friends
- forced proximity (snow storm)
- miscommunication

Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey (4/5 stars)
Merry Ever After was like an absolutely over the top Lifetime holiday movie in the very best way. You know--as in "If this happened in real life I would file a restraining order, but since it's fiction it's a *chef's kiss*". A giant rugged farmer meets a single-mom who recently moved to a small town! She makes him jeans because he is TOO BIG for regular denim pants!

Read if you like:
- farmer MMC
- single mom FMC
- small town romance

All by My Elf by Olivia Dade (3/5 stars)
All by My Elf begs the question: What if the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile was actually a phallic mincemeat roll of phyllo dough driven by hot professors dressed like elves? That sentence was a rollercoaster, right?

Read if you like:
- coworkers (adjunct professors)
- forced proximity
- mutual pining

Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur (3/5)
An accident prone woman keeps having Christmas Vacation-esque holiday mishaps that require the assistance of a very hunky firefighter. You'll want to burn your cookies more frequently...

Read if you like:
- firefighter mmc
- rescue romance

Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria (4/5)
Someone has been leaving Christmas ornaments on Evie's doorknob like a sexy crow. A Christmas themed party in her apartment building, two meddling neighbors, and some mistletoe help her discover her secret Santa.

Read if you like:
- neighbors
- miscommunication
- mutual longing

I received an advanced copy of this e-book from NetGalley and Amazon. All opinions are my own.

Having read and enjoyed Amazon’s Valentines Day collection, I was super excited to read the holiday themed short stories. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed.

While I don’t expect significant character development in short stories, three of the five seemed to forego it completely. They seemed to move directly to insta lust without giving me a chance to care about the characters.

Two stories did stand out to me and I’ll be checking out more writing from Alexandria Bellefleur and Alexis Daria.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Cruel Winter With You: 4/5 - short and sweet best friends brother novella. i enjoyed it a lot, it felt a bit rushed at times, but overall a quick and easy read.

Merry Ever After: 5/5 - Tessa has a way with writing big burly men! I don’t think I’ve ever read a single mom trope by her but this was so incredibly sweet with a little bit of spice! Evie and Luke are such a quirky little couple but they pair well together. I’d totally read this as a full length.

All By My Elf: 3/5 - I am very hit or miss with Olivia Dade. This one was very short and an easy read but it wasn't my favorite. I loved the fact that geographically, it's based where I live, even if it was only really mentioned in passing. I also thought the idea of the weenie mobile, I thought it was such a silly idea but worked. Overall, it was a good read to knock down a reading TBR but I wouldn't do much else with it.

Merriment and Mayhem: 5/5 - This was my first time reading Bellefleur and will not be my last! This short and steamy novella took me by surprise! It was funny while also being heart warming. I’d love to read this as a full length.

Only Santas In The Building: 4/5 - another super cute holiday novella! I felt like this was the perfect closer to the anthology. I really liked the characters in this one! Def will be looking for other works by this author!

Thank you so much NetGalley, Amazon, and these 5 amazing authors for this book!!

Where do I even being! I loved the compilation of stories from Valentine’s Day and these Christmas ones were just a good! They were fun but heartfelt and so funny at the same time. They were the perfect reads to get me in the Christmas mood!

I will say, Ali Hazelwood’s was my favorite! I think I could have read a whole book about Marc and Jamie. I absolutely loved their story and wanted more of it!

Thank you again for to opportunity to read these short stories!

I wanted this to be more than a three star read, but when I started to do the math on what I would rate each story, I had a hard time bumping things up. It wasn't bad, and I"m sure that anyone who likes these authors will enjoy every single one. But for me, it wasn't great. The only story that really came in at a solid 4 was the one by Hazelwood. The other three were ok, and then Bailey just was a total miss. I find that Bailey has a hard time with short stories. They come across as vaguely creeper-ish and this was no exception. Mind you, some of her longer books come across that way too.

Cruel Winter with You - This was a cute story with some lovely characters. The fact that these two have been circling around each other for years makes it all the more believable even if the freak power outage is a bit convenient.

Merry Ever After - Well, I already said that this one didn't work for me. Luke was a bit less stalker than in previous short stories by Bailey, but it still gave me negative vibes the way he would go to Evie's work and then how he kind of lurked all the time.

All by My Elf - The whole premise here was cute and the characters don't do the insta love. But the hook up in the back of the truck didn't work for me. I mean, they are apparently freezing and sure body heat is good, but nope. .

Merriment and Mayhem - Fun story and Griffin seemed too good to be true and Everleigh too much of a clutz to be believed. Also the insta love was meh. I also didn't get why or how you could uproot your entire life for a person you just met.

Only Santas in the Building - My 2nd favourite in the series. Evie was likeable. Not sue how she missed all the signs, but she was just clueless enough for me to believe it. Interestingly, Theo came across a bit stalker-ish with the way he just wandered around her.

Cruel Winter with You: 4/5 stars—I love Ali Hazelwood's writing, and this one did not disappoint! As someone from Illinois who met her last November when Check & Mate was released, I loved that the MCs were from Illinois! The spice did not disappoint, and I kind of wish there was a little more. Overall, though, I enjoyed it, and I want more holiday romance from Ali!

Merry Ever After: 3.5/5 stars - This one wasn't my favorite out of the bunch, which breaks my heart because I love Tessa's writing. I enjoyed the characters until the spice started, and then...."daddy" happened. It didn't feel like it fit the story, and the fact that she's a single mom calling him daddy didn't work for me.

All by My Elf: 3/5 stars - My least favorite out of the bunch; this one didn't hold my attention, and I got tired of reading about how they were driving around with a giant phallus on top of their vehicle. I didn't connect with the characters, but it was a decent amount of spice!

Merriment and Mayhem: 4.5/5 - This one was my favorite out of the bunch; it was fun and SPICY, and I loved all the shenanigans. I'm a sucker for the kind of story where the FMC is always getting into trouble, and the MMC is there to help her out of it.

Only Santas in the Building: 4/5 - Holy cats! This one was pretty spicy, and I enjoyed the characters. I'm not sure how I felt about Theo just kinda barging into Evie's apartment, but he was hot nonetheless. It was hot and steamy, and I enjoyed the characters!

Overall, this collection is a lot of fun! I'm glad it has spice because I wanted more from it, as much as I enjoyed the meet-cute collection. If you're in the mood for a quick holiday read (or five), definitely pick up one of these!

As an overall collection, these stories are fun and bring the perfect amount of cozy Christmas vibes to the table, perfect for a light December read!

Reviews for each story separately:

Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood - 3.5 stars
This was super cute! Short and sweet with good Christmas vibes and somehow Ali Hazelwood always knows how to get me attached to the main characters very quickly. I find it can be difficult to pace novellas properly, but she paced this one perfectly, and I felt like I knew enough about the characters in a short amount of time that I really understood their story. My only real complaint here is that I am a little upset that it's not a full-blown book because I am kind of in love with these characters!!

Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey - 2 stars
The first chapter of this felt very promising to me, but I felt like it went downhill very quickly after. However, I do tend to be very picky about grumpy/sunshine dynamics, so this just may not have been for me! It seemed a bit insta-lovey to me in a way that didn't entirely make sense to me because I felt like there wasn't really a whole lot of actual plot to work with here.

All by My Elf by Olivia Dade - 2.5 stars
I felt like this really had the potential to be cute but it fell flat for me. I think this kind of fell into the novella pacing issues I mentioned earlier, so it was like a lot of unnecessary or overexplained backstory that didn't really feel necessary to understand the characters at all. The MMC in this story was absolutely a cutie, but the FMC kind of came off incredibly childish, which became even worse after she reveals that she is almost 40 years old.

Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur - 4 stars
This one was definitely my favorite of the bunch! I had never read anything by this author before, but it is safe to say after reading this that I will be diving into more of her work. I am currently in the middle of watching 9-1-1 which may be why I enjoyed this so much, but I was really giggling and kicking my feet the whole time! This was perfectly paced and felt comfortable ending without trying to tie up all the loose ends or give me some sort of an epilogue, which was actually very refreshing.

Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria - 3 stars
Loved the title of this, it made me giggle and also let you know exactly what to expect from this one. This was cute, cozy and well-paced! I have not read anything by this author, but I enjoyed her writing style so I am inclined to check out more of her stuff. However, this was the only one where I felt like I actually didn't have enough backstory to the characters to really get attached or form a connection with any of them. Genuinely think this would've been near perfect if it had an extra 10 pages.

A collection of Christmas novellas with a spicy twist, sure to keep you engaged. Best enjoyed with your favorite holiday beverage.

Ali Hazelwood’s was my favorite of the bunch! Cozy vibes during a blizzard, child hood friends to lovers! Ugh love!

I have read Tessa’s work before and it wasn’t my favorite but this was cute for the time of the year! all the cozy Christmas vibes!

All by My Elf….. chefs kiss!

Merriment and Mayhem, firefighter???? Sign me up!!! Love love love!

Only Santa’s in the Building, Evie and Theo are just so damn so cute!! I’m glad they found their way to each other!

These were adorable! Some stories were more festive than others, but all pack a very spicy punch and have fun, interesting storylines. Would be great for the fast-paced holiday season :)

Cruel Winter with You - Ali Hazwood
5⭐️ 1🌶️
- MF
- Best Friend’s Brother
- Reverse Age Gap
- Mutual Pining
- Childhood Friends to Lovers
This was so cute! I loved every minute of it. It was adorable with the perfect amount of angst. I really loved Jamie and Marc together. I love a man who is willing to wait and will do anything to prove his love. I hope that this will get expanded one day because I’m dying to know Tabitha’s reaction to their relationship.

Merry Ever After - Tessa Bailey
2⭐️1🌶️
- MF
- Single Mom
- Farmer/Designer

I usually love Tessa’s writing but this one was a bit of a miss for me. The story itself was so stinking cute. I loved Luke the gentle giant who fell head over heels for Evie and her son. Evie’s story about why she picked this town was equally absurd and adorable. I loved it.

But good lord was the dirty talk in this book god awful. 😅 If this was written by anyone else I probably would have DNF, but since it was Tessa and a novella I stuck it out. Partially out of morbid curiosity to see if it could get worse.

All By My Elf - Olivia Dade
3⭐️ 1🌶️
This was my first time reading Olivia Dade and this novella was just ok. The beginning was a little confusing and I didn’t really connect with either character. I don’t know how a novella this short could have been a slow burn but somehow it was.

I thought the concept was fun. Being snowed into a grey market Oscar Mayer mobile was certainly new. While this novella may not have been my favorite, I won’t write of Olivia Dade completely.

Merriment and Mayhem - Alexandria Bellefleur

5⭐️ 1🌶️
- MF
- Firefighter
- Accident Prone FMC

This was my first time reading Alexandria Bellefleur and it certainly won’t be my last. This is my far my favorite novella in the series. It was just so adorable and hilarious. Griffin and Everleigh had such great banter and chemistry. My only complaint is that it wasn’t longer! I want more of them!

Only Santas in the Building - Alexis Daria
4⭐️ 1🌶️
- MF
- Neighbors
- Mutual Pining
- He Falls First

This was super cute and exactly what I was hoping for in a Christmas novella. Evie and Theo were adorable together and I really enjoyed their quick journey to each other. I’ll definitely be looking up more of Alexis’ writing.

A perfect collection of steamy romantic short stories for the holidays! I loved each story and will be purchasing them when they release later this month!

Cruel Winter With You: I found this very sweet. Having known each other since they were babies, practically, one quick errand during a storm brought them together. They have history, awkward moments and sexual tension off the charts. I would enjoy reading a lengthier story but as a short story it still does the trick.

Merry Ever After: Hot and steamy! A stranger in a new town, with a baby in tow, has caught the eyes of the giant single farmer. Luke is a big man, says what means and loves working his farm. Evie has a passion for design and just wants the best for her son. The two strike up a friendship than flips quickly into a future.

All By My Elf: Short and cute, no chapters just a fun story. Colleagues traveling during the holidays in an Oscar Mayer Weiner mobile look-a-like van are stuck in traffic. Games are played, chats are had, and quickies completed.

Merriment and Mayhem: Just a little accident prone, she’s gotten to know a certain firefighter very well. Just a few incidents and these two get hot and heavy pretty fast. It’s definitely not for the squeamish, but still highly entertaining.

Only Santas in the Building: My favorite of the short stories in this collection. Both characters are creative types, have secret crushes on each other and have great sense of humor. It’s bit of a secret Santa situation with a side of sexy crush. It’s also the only story that mentions mistletoe.

I received a copy of the entire collection through NetGalley and have written these reviews voluntarily.

A great book to get you in the holiday spirit! As always with anthologies, some stories are better than others. They’re a quick read and will leave a smile on your face.

Reviewing All By My Elf by Olivia Dade.

What an absolute charmer. I am extremely here for this short story that features the sexiness of close observation and paying attention; a hero with gorgeous, flexing wrists; laughing during sex; deep and abiding nerd-love; and the world's hottest and most romantic game of Never Have I Ever.

I really enjoyed this year's improbable meet cute series and couldn't wait to dive into this collection of holiday novellas!

With stories by some of the romcom faves (Ali Hazelwood, Tessa Bailey, Olivia Dade, Alexandria Bellefleur, and Alexis Daria) what's not to love?!

These quick reads, perfect for getting into the holiday spirit, have exactly what you'd expect from these authors, just on a wee bit smaller scale. Did I want a longer form story of each of these?? Absolutely. My two favorites, by far, were Cruel Winter With You and Merriment and Mayhem, I wish there had been full length stories but you can't go wrong with the collection as a whole!


Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC in exchange for my review!

unfortunately this holiday novella series was a total disappointment for me😔 the daddy kink and size difference in tessa bailey’s book was actually my last straw💔 i loved ali hazelwood’s novella the best but it was still weak compared to her other books. unfortunately this was not for me

Overall 3.5.
1-Yes. This is what a Christmas short story looks like! Ali Hazelwood is great at dynamic characters who mesh well together. She’s able to bring a lot of heart and emotion in a few short pages. 4 stars
2-There were…a lot of weird lines in this one. It’s my first Tessa Bailey read and it may be my last. Not sure if this is reflective of her typical books, but this was not for me. To me, it almost read like a caricature of romance novels. 2 stars
3-Still not entirely sure I understand/could explain the business venture. Other than that, a pretty standard friends-to-lovers. 3 stars
4-Very cute meet-cute. Has the small town/community vibes that are perfect in a Christmas romance. 4 stars
5-There were a few cringey lines in this, but there is self awareness in the writing of some of the Santa-related puns. The author was able to build community in a few short pages. 3.5 stars
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.