Holiday Ever After audiobook

I fell in love with Jill Shalvis's writing after reading her Wildstone series, so I was basically ecstatic to read her holiday anthology Holiday Ever After: One Snowy Night/Holiday Wishes/Mistletoe in Paradise. Unfortunately, I have not read her Heartbreaker Bay series yet, but it didn't keep me from enjoying each and every one of these lovely novellas. Each one gave me all the Christmas feels and I loved the slightly spicy romances too! Mistletoe in Paradise is the novella that made me the most emotional, and while they each have an emotional aspect as her novels tend to do, that is the one that left me in tears. I feel like she left the best for last, sneaky woman she is, and while I enjoyed them all, Mistletoe in Paradise was my favorite of the 3. This is one of the few anthologies I have ever read, and I loved the wintery settings of One Snowy Night and Holiday Wishes. You don't really have to read this for Christmas, and I think it is a great winter read that you can pick up at any time! I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by Karen White & Erin Mallon and I was thrilled to have both of them! White narrated the first couple of books of the Wildstone series before it switched over to Mallon and it was great having her back. They both did an excellent job narrating these novellas, and I think this is such a great book to listen to on audio. Holiday Ever After is fine as a standalone even though it is technically part of a series, and it is written the way I would expect from Shalvis. If you enjoy her novels, you should definitely enjoy these novellas!I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Holiday Ever After by Jill Shalvis is an anthology of three novellas, One Snowy Night, Holiday Wishes, and Mistletoe in Paradise. Three romantic, steamy, and engrossing stories with a holiday setting. In One Snowy night, we meet Rory who needs a ride to Lake Tahoe from San Fransisco and Max is her only option. Max and Rory have been friends since High School where Rory had a crush on Max, but never felt worthy enough to let him know. Max has his big dog Carl with him, and Rory falls in love with Carl almost immediately. Their snowy trip to Lake Tahoe is full of detours and distractions, and that time allows Rory and Max to get closer. In Holiday Wishes, Lottie Hanfield runs her family’s Bed and Breakfast. Lottie’s first love Sean has planned a bachelor weekend for his brother’s upcoming wedding at her Bed and Breakfast. She’s reluctant, but since it’s only a weekend, she figures she can handle the close proximity to the man who broke her heart. But, when a storm blows through and extends the wedding party’s stay, Sean and Lottie can’t stop their old feelings from resurfacing. Mistletoe in Paradise takes place on a yacht in the Caribbean, and is my kind of holiday! Hannah and James had a secret love affair years ago, and they are not happy when they find themselves the only passengers on Hannah’s father’s yacht, sailing in the Caribbean. Will their forced proximity bring back any old feelings? These three novellas were all forced proximity tropes with each couple having a past together. Since each novella was short, the relationships heated up pretty quickly, but since each couple had a past together, it wasn’t unrealistic at all. Although they were all holiday-themed novella’s, they were not over the top, sappy holiday stories. Although short stories, I felt connections with all the characters right away and rooted for all three couples to find their happiness. Even with the short novella format, the author was able to formulate complex backgrounds and emotional stories for these characters. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Find this review and others at Carlene Inspired and on bookstagram.Three short, sweet, emotional stories that can, surprisingly, be read as standalones or after visiting Jill Shalvis' Heartbreak Bay and Wildstone series. They're quite quick reads, the romances move quick, but if you're a fan of second chance love you'll love the quick gratification you get from these. Plus, they're all based around the Christmas season, even the sunny island romance has holiday warmth. “One Snowy Night” by Jill Shalvis is book # 2.5 in the Heartbreaker series and features Max and Rory. These two have a past, but not quite a warm and fuzzy one. With a ton of history between them and a snowstorm keeping them from their respective family homes, the two finally address the elephant in the truck. This novella is emotionally intense and has just the right amount of smut. It's a happily ever after that feels good, but certainly makes you want to read the other novels in the series."Holiday Wishes" by Jill Shalvis is book #4.5 in the Heartbreaker Bay series featuring Sean and Lottie. These two are old flames, separated by distance in their youth and running into one another on what should be a weekend bachelor/bachelorette weekend. Only, like only Northern California can, it dumps insane weather on them and shuts the world around them down. Keeping Sean's brother from his wedding plans, Sean enlists Lottie to make his rustic, Christmas dreams come true and in the process, Sean makes Lottie's vacation dreams come true. This one is lust-filled, silly, and entirely cute. I really enjoyed this one the most, I could've read a full length novel of these two."Mistletoe In Paradise" by Jill Shavlis is book #5.5 in the Wildstone series and features longtime family friends Hannah and James. They haven't seen one another since a secret, fated fling and the loss of James' brother. This, potentially last, Christmas charter only makes Hannah think negatively, but her dad has other plans and plays matchmaker with Hannah and James. This one is very fast, but it's warm and fuzzy and made me want to read the Wildstone series. I'm sure longtime Wildstone fans will like the couples' refreshed connection.ARC provided.

I love it when an author puts together an anthology of short stories! Especially when the holidays season is just beginning. It's a busy time year already and yet I can still squeeze in a good read. Also, it's a perfect stocking stuffer type of read. If you haven't read the Heartbreaker Bay series this is a wonderful introduction! Follow me on Instagram✿Twitter✿Facebook✿Pinterest✿TikTok

This is a collection of three novella length Christmas stories in one book.I really enjoy the writing style of this author so these were a true delight to read.The stories had a common theme of second chance romances. The couples all had a past history but due to some hurts and misunderstandings they went their separate ways.Being that it's Christmas time with joy being in the air it seems like the perfect time for a second chance at the possibility of love working out this time.Some of these couples meeting up again was by mere coincidence but the outcome had the couples talking out the past and putting it behind them.You can't always forget what happened in the past but you can forgive what happened.I recommend these sweet holiday romances.Pub Date 26 Oct 2021 I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.All opinions expressed are my own.

Happily Ever After, an Anthology of Jill Shalvis Novellas! One Snowy Night, Holiday Wishes, and Mistletoe in Paradise. I'm thoroughly enjoying these three second chance romances set during Christmas, but not necessarily all in a winter setting. Each with its own twists and turns as to why the first chance didn't happen and how the second chance comes about for them. Great characters who find themselves in situations that can change their lives and hearts forever and bring them a happily ever after.

Jill Shalvis delivers three novellas in this Christmas themed anthology. They are combined for the first time but have been preciously written as parts of others series by the author. All three have couples meeting up for a second time.One Snowy Night: Rory is catching a ride from San Fran to Lake Tahoe on Christmas Eve in the middle of a storm. They knew each other in high school. She crushed on him but she left home at 17. Max blames Rory for costing him his chance at college. This is a forced proximity trope and the only story where I felt I was missing some background that probably came from other books in its series.Holiday Wishes: Sean O'Riley shows up at an Inn in Napa with his brothers wedding party. He wants everything to go perfectly for the brother that has done so much for him. At the Inn is Lotti Hartford. They were each others firsts in HS before her family moved away and he ghosted her efforts at staying in touch. I enjoyed both of these MC's and could easily have read a full novel about them. A pet parrot adds some extra humor.Mistletoe in Paradise: Hannah and Jack's families spent the week of Christmas together on her stepdads commercial yacht while they were growing up. They haven't seen each other for years. She has come to deliver divorce papers to her stepdad and Jack has come to tell his parents he wants out of the family business. This is my favorite story as the characters seemed more developed and have actual growth in the few days together. There is flirting and tugs at heart strings.Each story contains steaminess which feels natural especially in the later two stories where they've been together before. Only in the first did everything feel very rushed. I will say that although all three are set at Christmastime they could have been at anytime of year. I'm new to Jill Shalvis and like her writing style and level of heat. I'm always glad to read new to me authors who already have books (and series) that I can binge through. Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Bring on the holiday novellas!One Snowy NightShort and sweet!Rory, Max, and Carl have one of those if-anything-can-go-wrong-it-will road trips, made all the more fun with the fact that the two humans have some crazy chemistry going on and the canine has some major love for both of them.Plus, he's really big (a Doberman) and has a tendency to 1) run off at the drop of a hat and 2) insert himself into any situation that looks like it might be fun to be in, both of which add to the overall humor of the story.Rory and Max have a bit of a past, which is really the only way a short romance novella like this has a chance of being believable. If you've read The Trouble with Mistletoe you'll start out ahead, already knowing who the characters are, but it's not really necessary. It takes place on Christmas Eve (mostly) and the characters are both on their way home for the holiday, but the event itself isn't a huge part of the story other than being the reason they're trying so hard to get home to be with their families. Really, the snow is a bigger event here than the calendar date, and of course the sparks between the two of them manage to overshadow both :)Rating: 4 stars / B+Holiday WishesSuch a sweet second chance novella!Holiday Wishes is a short novella, but it packs a punch. If you've read the other books in the series, nearly all of the series characters show up here (I think last year's Christmas novella is the only exception), which is awesome; if you haven't read them, it's still a really cute story and nice intro to the series.Sean's acting as best man for his older brother (Finn from book one, Sweet Little Lies ), and with Finn and Pru's example and the fact that most of their friends group is pairing up, he's already been thinking that his love 'em and leave 'em lifestyle is growing old. Then he runs into Lotti, the first girl he loved and left (it wasn't totally his fault--they were young and life wasn't doing anything to help them out at the time, but still...) Lotti wants nothing to do with him, but he's a paying customer and Mother Nature has other ideas, so...Things happen pretty quickly, because this is a short story, but the fact that the two of them have a history makes their relationship feel like less of a stretch. Rating: 4 stars / B+Mistletoe in ParadiseA cute second chance, holiday-themed novella!I didn't feel quite as connected to the characters as I usually do in a Jill Shalvis book--due to the shortened format, maybe? A bit more telling than showing with their pasts and present lives?--but it was still a fun holiday read. The epilogue was especially sweet.Rating: 3 1/2 stars / B-I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

One Snowy Night 3*I wish I liked this one more, One Snowy Night should have been a story I loved-a second chance romance between childhood friends, taking place during Christmas? How could it go wrong? While I liked both Rory and Max individually, I never felt a real connection with them. I am glad they worked out their differences and cleared the air, but with most of the book focused on the past, it was hard for me to get invested in them as a couple. I would have liked just a little bit more of them together at the end.Holiday Wishes 4.5*4.5*Such a sweet, second chance romance! This was a really enjoyable read, Lottie and Sean will tug at your heartstrings, as they work through what caused their separation a decade ago. Sean knew he hurt Lottie and I loved that he went all out to show her how far he'd come from that 16yo boy who ran scared. His grand gesture was completely swoon worthy, how could anyone resist?!?Just a really, really sweet read.Mistletoe in Paradise 4*Mistletoe in Paradise was a quick, easy read. It's a sweet second chance romance that had me tearing up in a couple spots.I loved the history between Hannah and James. The fact that they were childhood friends and knew so much about each other, had always been there for each other, gave the story an emotional punch.It always amazes how an author can create such well developed characters in a novella, and Ms. Shalvis did just that with MiP. I found myself quite invested in Hannah and James, and their families. I wasn't expecting to become so invested in these characters, but I found myself rooting for their hea!

feel good, i love love. and christmas. thanks mom

I've read 2 of the 3 novellas in here and loved them! I am looking forward to reading Mistletoe in Paradise in here. I know I will love that one too because I always enjoy Jill Shalvis' writing.

4 stars. Three fun Holiday novellas full of love, sweetness and cheer!Here are my thoughts:*** One Snowy Night: 3.5 stars. This was a cute little novella packed with emotions. I really enjoyed Rory and Max's story. I just wish it was longer. It ended at 58% and I felt like I needed more to be secure in their HEA. I did really enjoy this book, but I wanted more. I'm glad I will get to see more from this couple in later books in the series. *** Holiday Wishes: 4 stars. This is a cute little novella! This is Sean and Lottie's story. Sean is the best man for his brother, Finn's wedding. He is responsible for planning the joint bachelor/bachelorette weekend at a B & B. He is taking his duties very seriously, but is shocked when they arrive at the inn to find Lotti is the owner. Lotti and Sean had a short relationship in high school and they were each others' firsts before Lotti moved away with her parents. Lottie has had a lot of bad relationship luck since high school and is a little bitter at Sean over the way things ended between them. But Sean has changed from the lonely, struggling kid, whose parents had just died. He now co-owns a bar and is a mature adult ready for a real relationship with the one he never should have let get away. Sean is willing to pull out all the stops in this second chance love story to get Lotti back!This was an enjoyable, sweet read! Sean and Lotti were great together and it was nice to see them both finally get the happiness they deserved. I also enjoyed catching up with the whole Heartbreaker Bay gang and seeing Pru and Finn tied the knot.Overall, this was a sweet, sexy, easy read and I really enjoyed it! I can't wait to read more from this fun series!*** Mistletoe in Paradise: 3.5 stars. This was a pretty good novella. Mistletoe in Paradise is part of the Wildstone series, but can be read as a standalone. This is James and Hannah's story. James and Hannah's families have been best friends and have vacationed together since they were young kids. The two have a long, complicated history with a dash of tragedy and heartache. This Christmas they find themselves together for the first time in a few years with their families on the family boat. Hannah and James have a lot to work out about their past misunderstandings and hurts. But they are able to come together, heal and admit their love for each other.I thought this was a good story, though it was definitely angsty. Still, I liked it. I really liked the tropical location and the friends to lovers vibe. I enjoyed that Hannah and James grew up together. They were very sweet once they got together. I was happy that they were able to move on from their pasts and be happy together. This was a good, quick, easy read and it had a cute ending.Overall, this was a sweet, Holiday themed read with some added drama. I enjoyed Hannah and James' story. I look forward to more from this series and Ms. Shalvis in the future.*** Overall, this was a fun set of novellas to get you in the Holiday spirit!*arc provided in exchange for an honest review*