A fantastic holidays novel by M. Ullrich
It’s been a while since Ms. Ulrich had published a novel (or it felt like it for me) and since she’s one of my favourite Bold Strokes Books authors, I jumped at the opportunity to read this one.
Holiday Wishes & Mistletoe Kisses follows four couples in four different holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. I thought this was going to be a collection of separate short stories but the arcs of each couple interconnect throughout the book and it increases the build-up for the last story. There’s an epilogue that catches up a year later with the four happy couples.
Thanksgiving: Billie and Leah. This is the first time Billie introduces a girlfriend to her parents and she wonders if inviting Leah to her family’s Thanksgiving meal is a wise move. Her family isn’t thrilled by Billie’s gender-bending wardrobe and her sexual orientation but Leah is easy to like… ?
Christmas Eve: Liv and Theo. An established married couple, these women are experiencing problems in paradise as Liv isn’t enthusiastic about Theo’s wishes to have a child. Expect a busy Christmas celebration, a bit of family drama, and mother-in-law meddling.
New Year’s Eve: April and Gemma. Two strangers looking for a casual hookup to end the year on a high realise that they might start the new year with more than they wished for. Experience a crazy party with couples drama and a hot hookup.
New Year’s Day: Jesse and Eloise. Eloise is back in town after ending her relationship with Jesse a few months back and leaving for Baltimore. Do these ladies have a second chance together? This story is built up from the start of the book and its resolution is oh so satisfying.
I really liked this book, M. Ullrich writes the butch/femme dynamic really well and all the intimate scenes are very different and varied in their level of heat (including a super hot strap on sex scene). The stories are also very diverse from established couples to no-strings, age-gap, and second chances. There’s something for everyone and, of course, it’s full of holiday wishes and celebrations. 5 stars.
ARC provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
