Review: Holiday Ever After by Jill Shalvis

 

Holiday Ever After by Jill Shalvis

Publication Date: October 26th 2021 by Avon

Pages: 352

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads 

My Thoughts:

Sometimes I just want a short and sweet romance with the promise of an HEA without long drawn drama. Novellas fill this need perfectly. All three of the stories in Holiday Ever After have a bit of a forced proximity element, two are second chance romances, and one is unrequited love. All tropes I really love in a romance! With the second chance romance or unrequited love, you know the couple already have a history so it’s plausible to fall in love in a short amount of time, which fits in perfectly with a novella. I had fun with all three! Here’s a short breakdown of each story:

One Snowy Night: Rory needs a ride home for the holidays and Max, her high school crush who never noticed her, offers to take her.  Max is attracted to Rory, but her actions cost him a scholarship. Things worked out for him, but still. However, when a massive storm strands them together they’re forced to talk about the past and clear things up. Spending time together brings the simmering attraction between them to the surface. Can one dark snowy night of passion turn into forever?  

Holiday Wishes: Sean and Lotti lost their virginity together back in high school after years of close friendship led to more. Lotti hoped when she moved away they could keep their romance going, but Sean broke her heart instead. Ten years later they meet while Sean and his brother, Finn, arrive at Lotti’s family inn for Finn’s pre-wedding celebrations. Knowing they had a once in a lifetime love, Sean is determined to make the most of his second chance and woo Lotti back, and it seems he has mother nature working with him when a freak storm damages roads stranding the whole wedding party. 

I really loved this second chance romance! Lotti was hesitant, and I couldn’t blame her, but Sean was sincere and focused!

Mistletoe in Paradise: James and Hannah’s families spent every Christmas together island hoping in the Caribbean. They had a friendship that developed into more, but tragedy and circumstances tore them apart. After years apart they’re both finally going to do Christmas on the boat again. Better still, their parents miss the boat and must meet them at a later port giving these two time together to work it all out. Another sweet second chance romance with the perfect HEA.

Three fun holiday-themed romance novellas, spicy and sweet. A guaranteed quick fix for your HEA cravings!

4 Stars

Book Description:

Three fan-favorite Jill Shalvis novellas are together for the first time in this holiday anthology!

One Snowy Night
It’s Christmas Eve and Rory Andrews is desperate to get home to her family. Problem is, her only ride to Lake Tahoe comes in the form of the annoyingly handsome Max Stranton, her long-time crush, and his big, goofy, lovable dog. A long road trip in a massive blizzard might be just what they need to face their past…and one steamy, snowy night is all it takes to bring Max and Rory together at last.

Holiday Wishes
When Sean O’Riley shows up for his older brother’s bachelor weekend, the last person he expects to see is Lotti Hartford, the woman he lost his virginity to a decade ago. As the weekend continues, Sean realizes he wants to leave his hook-up life behind, but can he convince Lotti to open her heart to him again?

Mistletoe in Paradise
Years after their secret fling ended, Hannah isn’t eager to see James during their families’ annual joint holiday-themed yacht adventure. But when they’re the only people who show up, James and Hannah are stuck together on the high seas for days. As the former lovers try to make the best of the Christmas snafu, they soon realize the best things in life can’t be planned, and sometimes love is sweeter the second time around.