Rating: 4 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novella
Dr. Miles Lane has purchased a vet clinic from a retiring veterinarian and moved himself; his young daughter, Holly; and their Saint Bernard, Ivy, to the small town of Mistletoe Falls. He sees it as a new start to their lives and is excited about the possibilities. When Miles meets Oberon, the handyman he hired to renovate a craft room for Holly, there’s instant attraction between the two men. Neither Miles nor Oberon expect it, and they are a little slow to act on it.
Obie is more than happy to work on the renovations, and adores both Holly and her father. He’s even more surprised when his magic starts going haywire. Comparing it to what’s going on with his cousin Nyall, Obie realizes something more is at play. But he’s not willing to think about that until he knows more.
Being new in town, Miles and Holly don’t have their house decorated for the light parade, and so Obie and his cousins come to the rescue. And when Obie and Miles continue the decorating inside, the two men finally share a kiss that sparks so much more. The more time they spend together, the easier it is for Obie to accept that Miles is his mate. Miles might not know the truth about Obie and his cousins, but he’s absolutely on board with dating Obie. When a bunch of animals need their help, everyone jumps into help and raise money. Its just one more thing that solidifies things for Miles and Obie. With the magic in full force, Miles and Obie know they have found their forever.
The Christmas Sprites books have a somewhat concurrent timeline, and parts of Obie’s story are hinted at in Nyall. As with the first book, while this story is part of the larger Chosen One Universe, it doesn’t need to be read in conjunction with that. But this quartet of books does work best when read in order with each other. While there’s no overall through line, because of the somewhat concurrent timeline, as well as the plot point of the four cousins finding their mates, reading them in order enhances the overall experience.
Miles and Obie are clearly meant to be from the first meeting. Their attraction is instant, and their chemistry is good. There’s a real overall sweetness to this book that I really like, with no major angst or black moment. Just two men who find each other at the right time in their lives and are ready to jump in with both feet. With the addition of the magic of the holidays, and literal magic on Obie’s part, it serves as a nice backdrop to their romance.
I found I was able to get into this one easier than Nyall and perhaps that’s because despite the sparse world building, I was already primed for what to expect. There are definitely things missing from the world building still, and that’s always a sticking point for me. But the chemistry between the MCs served to push this story along nicely. Obie and Miles fit together so well, their attitudes and understanding complementing each other perfectly.
The holiday puns were still a bit too much for my style of humor, and I still would have liked to see some expanding of the world building. But overall, I enjoyed this romance, and liked the backdrop of the holidays and the town of Mistletoe Falls. There’s a nice small town feeling in this book without the side characters being too intrusive. Definitely pick this one up if you’re a fan of the author and/or not ready to let the holidays go.
