The holidays are upon us and while that might mean a whirlwind of engagements, holiday parties, festive gatherings, and more, for some of us that also means finding books with a holiday theme. And there is no denying that there are plenty of Christmas romances to choose from every year.
Every year, I attempt to read at least five Christmas-themed romances to try to get into the holiday spirit. And while there are plenty of really good books to choose from, there are also some duds out there.
This year, instead of just sharing some of my favorite holiday reads, I had to share the ones that are on my naughty list. These are the Christmas romances that left me wanting to hand out some coal instead of pretty gifts wrapped in paper and bows.
3 Christmas themed romances that are getting coal instead of sparkly gifts this holiday season
Good Elf Gone Wrong by Alina Jacobs
I wanted to love Good Elf Gone Wrong and I am pretty sad that I didn't. This book had a Christmas-loving woman who even had a dog named Pugnog who was cheated on by her fiance the night before their Christmas wedding. And who did he cheat on her with? Her sister of course. While that should have set us up for a really good story, it didn't.
The problem I had with this book is that our leading lady is such a pushover that I don't for one second believe she is a brilliant businesswoman able to single-handedly run the entire family tech business (which is what the author wants you to believe). Not only is she planning her sister's wedding to her ex, but she allows her family to bully her relentlessly. She never stands up for herself. And the leading man of this disaster is awful. Like there is nothing about him that seems redeemable.
This book has received a lot of four and five-star reviews and I understand that everyone has their own taste, but this one left me angry. I wanted to like it and in the end, I basically hate read it to the very end so that I didn't end up DNFing a book I planned to review.
Wrapped Up with the Three Scrooges by Layla Hartley
Wrapped Up with the Three Scrooges is a reverse harem (why choose) Christmas romance that starts with a boyfriend cheating on Thanksgiving day and taking everything from the woman he cheated on, including her job. But even with everything going wrong, her sense of Christmas spirit remains relatively strong. So is it any wonder that she ends up working for a gift-wrapping business just in time for Christmas?
I don't think this book is terrible. In fact, I did end up giving it three out of five stars. I think the issue I have is that the insta-love didn't even make sense. Like these three men are described as scrooges, but don't even really live up to that title, except for maybe one of them. And at the same time, our little "Christmas Spirit" is out here changing everything within a few days of being hired. This wasn't a fantasy romance, but the way these four fell in love and their relationship developed it may as well have been.
Also as someone who reads a lot of why choose romances with spice, I guess I expected more from that aspect of the story as well. It wasn't a bad read, but it was definitely not one that I would want to pick up again next Christmas. If you are looking for light and fluffy that needs some suspension of disbelief, then this is the way to go.
Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey
Having read Tessa Bailey before, I expected to enjoy this Christmas romance, especially since the premise of the book appealed. We are talking rock star romance at the start of the holiday season, with a bit of scandal and drama thrown in, as well as some comedy thrown in. But that is not at all what we got. Or at least, for the most part.
Honestly, getting through the first part of the book felt like a chore. And I hate that. I hate feeling like what I am reading is work and not enjoyment. That is not to say that this book couldn't end up being good for someone, but I have to admit that I had to DNF this one. I made it to the 50% mark and couldn't keep going.
I ultimately couldn't connect with the characters, didn't enjoy what I was reading, and really couldn't find the Christmas magic or the rom-com promise of it all. And since I didn't finish this one, I didn't want to give any type of star rating, but with the way things were going, I feel like it might have been a two at best for me.