Maya used to love Christmas— but after a series of unfortunate events, she’s now a Christmas cynic. But the snow-capped town of Hollygrove is about to flip everything Maya thinks she knows about Christmas and love— on its head. Maya is jobless, penniless, and nursing a broken heart. Just before Christmas, she receives a mysterious letter from a long-lost relative, bequeathing her an enchanting Victorian mansion in the quaint town of Hollygrove. It seems like the Christmas miracle Maya needs— until she discovers the catch. To inherit the mansion, Maya must accomplish three seemingly impossible tasks during December, each overseen by the town's charming lawyer and Christmas enthusiast, Brad Turner. As time goes on, Maya’s icy exterior begins to thaw, and she finds herself drawn to Brad, a man who is beyond expectation in every way. But just before Christmas, Maya’s ex-boyfriend shows up unexpectedly— as does a mysterious stranger with a hidden agenda. As Maya fights to discover what she truly wants from life, from love, and for her future, she discovers an inner strength she’d never known herself to have, one that allows her the second chance she deserves. Dive into Mistletoe and Mischief, a Christmas story that celebrates love, second chances, and plenty of delightful Christmas treats— just in time for the holiday season.
Katie writes women's fiction and clean, wholesome contemporary romance. She looks to everyday, real-life family issues to weave stories of heartfelt emotions, love and loss, and everything in between.
Come transport yourself to Martha's Vineyard: an island of vivid blue ocean, white sand, and a lively community of locals, who celebrate everything from the bright New England summers to the cold, yet cozy, snowcapped winters.
Katie Winters delivers a masterpiece in Mistletoe & Mischief, book 3 in her A Frosty Season series. Like book 2 it's a standalone novel with a different setting and different characters, but it retains the magic of the holidays. New York food critic Maya has been laid off by her magazine employer and dumped by her boyfriend, who "met someone" and kicked her out of their apartment, leaving her jobless, homeless, and without an outlet for her critiques except her embryonic blog, which has few subscribers. Then she receives a letter from her aunt's lawyer. Maya believed she was an orphan and had never heard of an aunt, but the lawyer says her Aunt Veronica is alive yet sick, and she wants Maya to have her inheritance before her death. The full worth is $50 million, if she fulfills certain assignments. First, Maya must put on that year's Christmas Festival, after which she'll get the key to the family's mansion and instructions about the next task. Maya can't see how she'll pull off the festival; she has hated Christmas since her mother died on that day, and she's so disorganized she put the wrong date on invitations to her own birthday party! Fortunately, the lawyer's friend Brad shows up during their talk and offers his help; as a native, he knows what goes into the festival. Brad and Maya meet frequently to plan the festival, and their work relationship becomes a friendship. When the festival is a success, the lawyer hands Maya the key to the mansion, which looks like a haunted house and makes Maya afraid to spend the night in the huge, empty house. Brad volunteers to stay with her, and their friendship turns romantic. The second task involves finding an heirloom necklace. Because the house has been unoccupied for over a year, Brad and Maya need to search through numerous boxes and shelves. They search to no avail. Brad's fellow teacher Rainey, who yells at her students and spends more time scrolling on her phone than teaching (she can't be fired due to a teacher shortage in the area), nurses a crush on Brad and comes on to him aggressively. He doesn't want her attention but is too polite to say so. At the festival, she appears with her longtime friend Olivia, who looks strangely familiar to Maya. They give Maya dark looks and Olivia presses Brad and Maya about letting her take pictures of the historic mansion, brandishing a fancy camera. Maya is noncommittal, but Olivia shows up and won't take no for an answer. Brad suspects she wants something, but Maya convinces him Olivia's harmless--until the media confronts her at the mansion with questions. Maya's adult daughter sends her a link to an article in which Olivia complains about being ostracized by her family, says she was cheated out of half her inheritance, and is photographed wearing the necklace Brad and Maya couldn't find. Maya realizes that Olivia looks familiar because she looks like Maya. She's the unidentified baby in an old photo Maya found while looking for the necklace! It doesn't matter to Maya that Olivia may have stolen the necklace; it doesn't matter that Olivia wants $25 million as her "fair share". She just wants to have a sister. The complications keep coming. Brad meets Nick at a dive bar and hears that he's in town to surprise his girlfriend, who he assumes is Olivia, only to learn that he's talking about Maya! Heartbroken, Brad decides his romance with Maya is over and he'll have to move on. Maya IS surprised by Nick, who invites her to dinner, claiming that his relationship with the other woman didn't work out and he now knows she's the one for him. Maya is tempted to give him another chance, but when she sees him berating the waiter in the " OK" Italian restaurant where they agreed to meet, she remembers his worst qualities and realizes he followed her after reading about her inheritance. He wanted her money, not her! She has the hostess give him a rejection note and watches his shocked expression from outside. Brad, meanwhile, is released from unwanted advances from Rainey, who thinks getting revenge on Maya has hurt him and she has won the one-sided battle for his affection. She simply stands at a distance, looking triumphant, while he wallows pathetically. Aunt Veronica, who's been at death's door according to nursing home staff, makes a sudden recovery and tells Maya that her mother, an English immigrant, was selfish and cruel; she took Maya's mother out of school when she got pregnant at 16 and didn't let her return until she lost the baby weight. Her mother (Veronica's sister) wasn't allowed to hold or name her baby, who was adopted as an infant and named Olivia by her new family. In forgiving her long-lost sister and bringing her to the mansion, Maya has broken the family's curse and brought them into a new era. The many potential villains (Rainey, Nick, Olivia) add to the suspense of the plot, but nobody is really hurt, except Brad's feelings--and that situation ends happily with Maya's return to him! Highly recommended!
Charlotte came back to Nantucket for a quiet, stress-free Christmas. (Narrator: That was never going to happen.) In Mistletoe & Mischief, Katie Winters serves up a small-town holiday romance packed with emotional wreckage, reluctant second chances, and enough festive charm to make you forget you’re actually being emotionally attacked.
Charlotte isn’t running from her past, per se—she’s just very aggressively avoiding it. She has zero plans to get tangled up in old heartbreak, but Nantucket? It has other ideas. Enter Daniel, the man she once loved, left behind, and has been pretending she doesn’t still think about. He’s still here, still unreasonably attractive, and still the exact person she isn’t emotionally prepared to deal with. But between forced proximity, nosy islanders who refuse to let sleeping love stories lie, and a Christmas season that seems very committed to forcing them together, ignoring their history isn’t really an option anymore. The question is—is this a holiday detour or a second chance she didn’t see coming?
At 4.5 stars, Mistletoe & Mischief delivers exactly what I want from a Christmas romance: messy emotions, big feelings, and a love story that won’t stay buried. The tension? Perfectly unbearable. The romance? The slow-burn variety, with enough yearning to power an entire string of Christmas lights. While this is book three in A Frosty Season series, it absolutely works as a standalone—though once you meet this town, good luck leaving. If your ideal holiday story involves reluctant reconnections, family drama, and a Christmas that refuses to let you escape your feelings, get comfortable. You’re in for a ride.
When Maya gets a letter from a lawyer telling her that she van inherit ax50 room mansion in the small town her mother's birth, it comes at an opportune time. She has just most her job writing as a food critic in New York City. When she meets with the lawyer, Maya learns that she has to oversee a Christmas festival for the entire town to get her inheritance. Totally at a loss as to how to pull an event like this off, she is thrilled when a local teacher volunteers his help. What begins as a preview to a chick flick soon takes on deeper tones as Maya begins to unfold the mystery of her own past,of which she knew nothing before this inheritance. No spoilers here, but I loved reading it, and I believe other readers will enjoy delving into Ms Winters' excellent story. Thanks for an exceptionally goodread!
Loved this story about Maya , a food blogger and what she does after her significant other breaks up with her. She gets a letter from a lawyer about an aunt veronica that she had never heard of in Hollygrove. After her breakup, her daughter Phoebe tells her to go see what it is all about. when she gets there her aunt is in a nursing facility and is ill at this time and can't be seen.There is a stipulation that Maya has to pull off the Christmas festival that her aunt usually heads up. The thing is Maya hasn't done Christmas since her mother died on Christmas. Thadeus's friend Brad decides that he will help her with the festival. Off they go. Go on their journey and see how things go. I don't do spoilers so this is all you get. A VERY GOOD READ
A fun Christmas read. Maya finds out she is the recipient of an inheritance from an Aunt Veronica, she knew nothing about. Fresh on the heels of a break up with boyfriend Nick, Maya decides to investigate. Upon arriving In Hollygrove, she is tasked with planning the Christmas festival. This is a tough assignment for the food blogger who hates Christmas. Past history is hard to overcome As Maya works to unravel the mystery of her family, school teacher Brad offers to help with the festival.
So many family dynamics arose as Maya begins to go through the house and find family diaries. Can past history be overcome? Will Maya find the family she has been looking for?
Thank you to the author for this ARC. This review is my honest opinion
Christmas magic can happen and has for Maya. She has found her family.
Maya was really down. Her boyfriend she had lived with for five years just dumped her..she had lost her job shortly before and was at loose ends. But a miracle happened a lawyer contacted her and she had an aunt she had never met and this aunt was leaving her an inheritance. But there were several catches to getting the mansion and the money. She had to pull off a christmas festival and find the family jewels that were missing. Maya was as excited about the goodies as she was about uncovering not only an aunt but a sister. And a new boyfriend.
This third book in A Frosty Season series has a very interesting plot. Be prepared for lots of surprises and engaging twists in the story line. Maya, the main character, has endured a lot of heartache and is in a very dark place after losing her job and home. Surprisingly, she inherits a Victorian mansion in the little town of Hollygrove where she meets lawyer Brad, who helps her fulfill the tasks she must complete to inherit the house. This is really a beautiful tale of a small town with caring people and the Christmas spirit. It's a perfect heartwarming story.
What a story! Maya is a food reporter who hates Christmas since her parents died on that day years ago. She finds out about a mysterious inheritance that becomes perfect timing when her boyfriend breaks up with her. She finds herself in a quaint town, putting on a Christmas festival, meeting a new man, and opening herself up to new relationships - both romantic and other. Over the course of the story, there is some drama of course - but happiness and Christmas spirit abound. Can't wait to find out more about the next story - The Albright Hotel - as I think similar characters will be in in.
I see that I take family for granted. I can’t imagine my life without them and Maya struggled with the empty feelings and unwantedness. Knowing that Maya don’t fit in and she was not allowed into the only family she knew is unsettling and sad to read about. Finding family was soul affirming. I did not like to know how bad the newly found family was. What a kick after all the waiting. But finding a fresh start and expanding family in spite of the history is inspiring. Thanks for writing this book.
It’s so good to read a story filled with hope and love and the writing of wrongs from long ago. My wife wasn’t the happiness happiest before I met my husband. We have been married now for almost 53 years and love each other more than ever. I feel so lucky that I’ve had him so long and hope we have 20 more years to live together. Your story filled me with so much joy and tears tears of joy. I could read it all again this actually is my second reading of it this series.
After being left by her boyfriend, Maya sets out to Hollygrove in search of her inheritance and the family she never knew. Through her explorations, she found Brad, a sweet, supportive and kind man who treats her like she should have been. Can the ugly discoveries about her family makes Maya more determined to create the loving family she never had? Wonderful story on the ultimate search for acceptance and love. ❤️
Mistletoe & Mischief is book 3 in the Frosty Season series by Katie Winters. 4.5 stars
Maya receives a letter right before the holidays that will change her life in ways she never saw coming..while the attorney Brad must she she follows through…drama, believing in the Christmas spirit, surprises, heartache, romance and more…
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy (ARC) of this book from the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
What an astonishing read! Katie Winters as gifted us with a crazy good suspenseful romance…and you just can’t get enough. With a dark storyline; characters that keep you guessing; plot twists and turns that have you flipping the pages as quickly as possible; plus a HEA that leaves you happy all over—this book is so darn good! This one definitely belongs in your library, so grab your copy today! (I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and loved it!) ❤️❤️
This is the third Christmas story I've read by this author. It was enjoyable, entertaining and very special. Finding meaning, love and lost family in some very unexpected ways. New beginnings and hope for their future lives brings joy and best of all closure for some of the past pain, emptiness and sorrow for several individuals. And isn't that the magic and beauty of Christmas? 5 Glittering stars!
Love this story! It shows that love and forgiveness can overcome hate, unhappiness, and lies. The world needs more love like this. We live in a country where the leader and his friends are trying to destroy our love and divide people into us and them, rich and poor. We must not let that happen. Love must overcome.
I’ve read the first two books in this series and enjoyed them a lot. They moved along well and the story progressed quickly. This book was still very good, but it drug a bit in the middle and got a bit repetitive. It finished well, but I almost stopped reading it after the 13th chapter. Glad I finished it but would have liked to see it move along quicker.
A beautiful ending to a Christmas book, however, it brings to life the difficulties parted to others through hatefulness, manipulation, and family! It is through living, forgiveness and knowing what is important, that we walk away from this book feeling hopeful and happy!
This book was filled with much interesting things to think about. With learning how families can have so many different personalities and yet in the good things happen.
A festival to bring everyone in a small town where everyone known everyone. A great niece with the help of the people of the community comes together to make the Christmas festival one to remember.
This is another heartwarming holiday story form Kate WInters! This series introduces the readers to new friends , families, and loving Christmas traditions. I'd love to visit these quaint towns during the holidays.
Two sisters who don’t know about each other. Their Aunt Veronica brings them together through an unlikely inheritance. Love for one of the sisters also.