Photo credits: Monicore (pixabay) Edited by Vaishali Title: Jingle Bell Beard Series: Kringle Family Christmas #3 Author: Julie Kriss Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Year of Publication: 2021 Format: EBOOK copy Genre/Themes: Contemporary romance, Adult Fiction, Sports Romancs, Hockey, Second chance romance, Christmas novella Review... I've read Julie Kriss's Bad Billionaire. I've also read her Spite Club , and while they were reasonably good picks that respectively entertained in different ways, the former better than the latter, I Jingle Bell Beard plays to a different storyline and theme altogether. Definitely themed towards December reading. Jingle Bell Beard is a small town, fake relationship, grumpy/sunshine, second chances cocktail of a winter romance. One I both enjoyed and easily recommend for some swift season-based reading. It was short, it was sweet, it was familial and it was unexpectedly funny. It was also a smidge steamy, only a smidge I stress. I have to admit that the bedroom scenes were unexpectedly underwhelming. With oodles of sexual tension, primed and pent up by a brief high school relationship, it was indeed a missed opportunity to include intimacy scenes that felt like a necessity more than an indulgence. The author could have used the opportunity to strengthen the bond of history and missed opportunities between them through a physical connection. I did however enjoy the existing backstory between Matt and Jasmine. It was so sweet. Especially chapter 10 where we we get a real insight through Jasmine as to how it all began; him the quiet, brooding antisocial hockey player and her the likeable, sociable cheerleader who was once bold enough to ask him to ask her on a date after waiting and watching him from afar. I have a major soft spot for reserved and socially challenged but confident love interests just because I find them to be the most relatable. Jasmine broke up with Matt (who was then her high school boyfriend) a week before that merry time of year. It was seventeen years ago. Matt was a social outcast, destined to be in the big leagues and Jasmine let the fear of losing him and being left behind force her into breaking up with him. They both went their separate ways, him to a high-octane career playing his favourite sport, and her divorced and in pursuit of rebuilding her broken PR career. After a string of career catastrophes, this is Jasmine's opportunity to give her professional life the green light and revive a career she loves. It's either sink or swim, but lucky for her, and only just freshly offered the PR position for the Kringle Inn and farm, she's been tasked with bringing the business back to business. And that Includes utilising an old (but highly memorable) contact to her favour as her immediate course of action to draw in said big business. He's got the name and the game, but these days he's more bench sitter than ice fiend, with a thirty-four-year body that carries the weight of every game he's ever played. Jasmine's set to work to rope in her ex boyfriend and hope that notoriously absent Matt Kringle will come home to help his family's business. Without much hesitation, Matt comes home for the first time in a long time, and his role is to now follow Jasmine's lead and do as she says to increase the Kringle family's farm and business' campaign for visibility. He may share the surname of a very jolly figure of a well celebrated white season but nobody would call Matt Kringle anything but a merry soul. He wears a scowl like a permanent part of his person, he's a major grump and smiles as often as he gives an inch. But for Jasmine, he'll play nice. Only for Jasmine will he play nice. And thus begins a short walk down still-burning-feelings avenue and memories unmade that sees them both amenable to picking up (yet dubious of) where they left off. While not a significant storyline by any means and developments that might have felt more convenient than well defined, this is one I definitely recommend. Very fun, very sweet, unexpectedly funny in parts, not without some (also funny) family squabbles. Just a light, sweet and solid novella for your holiday reading. I gave this book 3.5/4 stars - Content Warning/Listing: Considerable profanity, mentions the death of a parent. Previous divorce. Infidelity during a previous marriage. An on page bedroom scene. ___________________________ M Y R A T I N G S Y S T E M: ★ - 1 star: I did not like the book ★★ - 2 stars: The book was okay ★★★ - 3 stars: It was a good, solid read ★★★★ - 4 stars: A great book ★★★★★ - 5: A phenomenal read ___________________________ I love interacting with fellow readers, reviewers, bloggers and writers. Hearing about reader opinion is the fuel to my reader appetite, so get in touch and comment below! SHARE ON FACEBOOK Leave a comment and let's talk about |
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February 2024
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