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Christmas in Harrogate #1
Sleigh Bells and Slaughter
Slaughter, you say? Well, you’d be ready to rampage, too, if you had to listen to “Jingle Bell Rock” for the eleven thousandth time.
Christmas is bad enough without all the music, frantic shopping sprees, and holiday parties. So many parties… with people you couldn’t stand in high school and definitely can’t stand now.
Top of the list? Patty Harrison. She made my teen years miserable and, now that we’re adults, she’s trying to get me banned from the Christmas market.
Even so, I’m not going to commit literal murder.
But when Parry is found dead in the fiery inferno of my shed, I’m not going to pretend to be sad either.
Just because I look like Wednesday Addams’s cooler, more dangerous older sister, everyone assumes I did it—including Captain Luke Reynolds, the firefighter tasked with solving the mystery of the arson and murder.
He’s everything terrible about Christmas, all in one tall, huge, muscular package.
No, not like that! I have more self-respect than to drool over a man who’s convinced I’m a murderer. Too bad my only alibi is my cat, Salem, and he’s not talking.
As someone who detests Christmas and counts down the days until Halloween, I’m not inviting Luke over for milk and cookies to appeal to his protective nature and beg for help.
Nope, I’m oiling up my brass knuckles, clearing my name, then retreating to my witchy cottage to wait out the yuletide season.
But what if I end up right in the real killer’s lair?
All the better!
Christmas needs a little spooky, and what better way than solving a murder?
This is a stand-alone, hilarious holiday-romance mystery featuring a book bestie with a spooky flair, a hotshot firefighter who wants to put a little steam underneath your tree, small town drama, and a murder!
Christmas is bad enough without all the music, frantic shopping sprees, and holiday parties. So many parties… with people you couldn’t stand in high school and definitely can’t stand now.
Top of the list? Patty Harrison. She made my teen years miserable and, now that we’re adults, she’s trying to get me banned from the Christmas market.
Even so, I’m not going to commit literal murder.
But when Parry is found dead in the fiery inferno of my shed, I’m not going to pretend to be sad either.
Just because I look like Wednesday Addams’s cooler, more dangerous older sister, everyone assumes I did it—including Captain Luke Reynolds, the firefighter tasked with solving the mystery of the arson and murder.
He’s everything terrible about Christmas, all in one tall, huge, muscular package.
No, not like that! I have more self-respect than to drool over a man who’s convinced I’m a murderer. Too bad my only alibi is my cat, Salem, and he’s not talking.
As someone who detests Christmas and counts down the days until Halloween, I’m not inviting Luke over for milk and cookies to appeal to his protective nature and beg for help.
Nope, I’m oiling up my brass knuckles, clearing my name, then retreating to my witchy cottage to wait out the yuletide season.
But what if I end up right in the real killer’s lair?
All the better!
Christmas needs a little spooky, and what better way than solving a murder?
This is a stand-alone, hilarious holiday-romance mystery featuring a book bestie with a spooky flair, a hotshot firefighter who wants to put a little steam underneath your tree, small town drama, and a murder!
221 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 5, 2023
1065 people are currently reading
1170 people want to read
About the author
Alina Jacobs
87 books1,628 followersIf you like steamy romantic comedies with a creative streak, then I'm your girl!
Architect by day, writer by night, I love matcha green tea, chocolate, and books! So many books…
Sign up for my mailing list to get special bonus content, free books, giveaways, and more!
http://alinajacobs.com/mailinglist.html
Architect by day, writer by night, I love matcha green tea, chocolate, and books! So many books…
Sign up for my mailing list to get special bonus content, free books, giveaways, and more!
http://alinajacobs.com/mailinglist.html
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 323 reviews
December 9, 2023
Idk man. This was one of the strangest cozy mysteries I’ve ever read. There was a lot going on.
October 3, 2024
This was a quick, mindless, palate-cleanser read. I kind of liked it, but I wouldn’t say it was good though.
It’s a Christmassy murder mystery between a goth girl who is a murder suspect and a fire fighter.
It’s very insta-lovely, the romance doesn’t make sense at all, the plot is rushed, and it feels like there are missing sequences. Almost like the book wasn’t fully finished or read through a second time. It read like a first draft.
I probably wouldn’t recommend it to another person. However, it was the first romance that I found that blended witchy and spooky things with Christmas time, so that’s why I read it. I was in a very specific mood apparently.
If you want a good Christmas romance, “Good Elf Gone Bad” by this same author was super funny and entertaining.
It’s a Christmassy murder mystery between a goth girl who is a murder suspect and a fire fighter.
It’s very insta-lovely, the romance doesn’t make sense at all, the plot is rushed, and it feels like there are missing sequences. Almost like the book wasn’t fully finished or read through a second time. It read like a first draft.
I probably wouldn’t recommend it to another person. However, it was the first romance that I found that blended witchy and spooky things with Christmas time, so that’s why I read it. I was in a very specific mood apparently.
If you want a good Christmas romance, “Good Elf Gone Bad” by this same author was super funny and entertaining.
December 14, 2023
1.5 stars rounded up. The writing was abysmal but the story was cute.
December 30, 2023
This was absolutely atrocious but I had so much fun reading it for that reason. Buckle up because I have some THOUGHTS.
I enjoyed Lilith's character for the most part because I'm always here for a Wednesday Addams vibe - I love a good witchy/goth character that's just moody as hell. I just don't think she was consistent, and she changed so easily to fit the romance (. Luke's character was just irritating. Think less "golden retriever" and more "pushy pervert." I also mixed up SO many of the side characters because they're all the same. We're also supposed to hold on to the "popular high school clique" trope really hard even though everyone thinks Patty is a bitch and everyone weirdly likes or at least tolerates Lilith?
The Christmas vibes are really all thanks to the main setting of "Christmas Market" but don't really do too much (definitely not getting a Hallmark movie out of this, and not just because Lilith likes Halloween more).
The writing is ABYSMAL lol - written like the fan fiction I tried to write in middle school. Fanfiction can absolutely be written well, but the Fremione fics I was trying to write in middle school? Just like this book, awful . Think story told by little kids playing with Barbie dolls that think they have a vague idea of what sex is - "and there was this murder, and then they KISSED, and then they found this clue, but then they KISSED, and then they totally had sex, and got married and lived happily ever after." The only thing that saved this is the random one liners that had me ROLLING. I mean, we went from lines like that were just fuckin weird and threw me off guard to lines like that got a good giggle. Even so, sometimes we get shit like “It’s called thunder snow,” I said. “Uncommon but possible.” in response to someone saying thunder doesn't normally happen while it's snowing. Unnecessary. Superfluous. Stupid.
Plot was also ALLL over the damn place. There were as many plot holes as there were shitty plot twists - this needed to be storyboarded so bad to check for consistency with details. The mystery was already pretty bad but at least enjoyable, but then the romance was added. At first I was okay with its oddness, because as Luke points out, "It doesn’t have to be that complicated. I like you. I think you’re cool. I want to date you and definitely want to fuck you." I mean, casual relationships happen all the time, right? WRONG There are two "sex" scenes that take up a half page and one and a half pages, respectively. Nothing good really happens, there's no actual build up because they're seriously rushed, and yet somehow Lilith has like 4-5 orgasms between the two scenes. Then all of a sudden, . There was zero actual romantic development for it to be like that. It was all so out of place.
All of this going to say, I enjoyed the hell out of myself reading this because it was so bad. Maybe it's unfair for me to read more of Jacobs' stuff in the future knowing it won't get above a 3 star, but I think I have to because I had the time of my life with this one. I honestly don't know whether to recommend or not but if you've made it this far you may as well give it a shot lol.
I enjoyed Lilith's character for the most part because I'm always here for a Wednesday Addams vibe - I love a good witchy/goth character that's just moody as hell. I just don't think she was consistent, and she changed so easily to fit the romance (. Luke's character was just irritating. Think less "golden retriever" and more "pushy pervert." I also mixed up SO many of the side characters because they're all the same. We're also supposed to hold on to the "popular high school clique" trope really hard even though everyone thinks Patty is a bitch and everyone weirdly likes or at least tolerates Lilith?
The Christmas vibes are really all thanks to the main setting of "Christmas Market" but don't really do too much (definitely not getting a Hallmark movie out of this, and not just because Lilith likes Halloween more).
The writing is ABYSMAL lol - written like the fan fiction I tried to write in middle school. Fanfiction can absolutely be written well, but the Fremione fics I was trying to write in middle school? Just like this book, awful . Think story told by little kids playing with Barbie dolls that think they have a vague idea of what sex is - "and there was this murder, and then they KISSED, and then they found this clue, but then they KISSED, and then they totally had sex, and got married and lived happily ever after." The only thing that saved this is the random one liners that had me ROLLING. I mean, we went from lines like that were just fuckin weird and threw me off guard to lines like that got a good giggle. Even so, sometimes we get shit like “It’s called thunder snow,” I said. “Uncommon but possible.” in response to someone saying thunder doesn't normally happen while it's snowing. Unnecessary. Superfluous. Stupid.
Plot was also ALLL over the damn place. There were as many plot holes as there were shitty plot twists - this needed to be storyboarded so bad to check for consistency with details. The mystery was already pretty bad but at least enjoyable, but then the romance was added. At first I was okay with its oddness, because as Luke points out, "It doesn’t have to be that complicated. I like you. I think you’re cool. I want to date you and definitely want to fuck you." I mean, casual relationships happen all the time, right? WRONG There are two "sex" scenes that take up a half page and one and a half pages, respectively. Nothing good really happens, there's no actual build up because they're seriously rushed, and yet somehow Lilith has like 4-5 orgasms between the two scenes. Then all of a sudden, . There was zero actual romantic development for it to be like that. It was all so out of place.
All of this going to say, I enjoyed the hell out of myself reading this because it was so bad. Maybe it's unfair for me to read more of Jacobs' stuff in the future knowing it won't get above a 3 star, but I think I have to because I had the time of my life with this one. I honestly don't know whether to recommend or not but if you've made it this far you may as well give it a shot lol.
December 15, 2023
I had really high hopes going into this book. I absolutely loved the FMC. She is witchy, outspoken, unique and true to herself. I just knew I was going to love this book.
Then comes Luke. Luke, Luke, Luke. The first few chapters, he was tolerable. Then he just became egotistically unbearable. I have never in my life read a book where the “hero” love interest was so toxic, manipulative, emotionally abusive, and just a pure narcissist. And somehow, I’m supposed to like him and hope they have a happily ever after? Absolutely not. I spent the 2nd half of the book skimming to avoid any and everything he did and said, just so I could figure out who the killer was and how this shit show ended. The mere fact that there’s women in this review section praising him, is not only disgusting - but terrifying.
Oh, and there’s smut. Was it good smut? I don’t even know because it wasn’t even worth it to read because I was seething at that point.
Had the book been solely about Lilith, the murder, and her solving it herself. It would’ve easily been a 3.5/4 star. But having to stomach through the likes of Luke the entire time. 1 star…and that’s just because of Salem. The cat. At the end, I didn’t even like Lilith anymore because she was so easily manipulated by Luke.
Awful. I wish I could get my 3 hours back.
Then comes Luke. Luke, Luke, Luke. The first few chapters, he was tolerable. Then he just became egotistically unbearable. I have never in my life read a book where the “hero” love interest was so toxic, manipulative, emotionally abusive, and just a pure narcissist. And somehow, I’m supposed to like him and hope they have a happily ever after? Absolutely not. I spent the 2nd half of the book skimming to avoid any and everything he did and said, just so I could figure out who the killer was and how this shit show ended. The mere fact that there’s women in this review section praising him, is not only disgusting - but terrifying.
Oh, and there’s smut. Was it good smut? I don’t even know because it wasn’t even worth it to read because I was seething at that point.
Had the book been solely about Lilith, the murder, and her solving it herself. It would’ve easily been a 3.5/4 star. But having to stomach through the likes of Luke the entire time. 1 star…and that’s just because of Salem. The cat. At the end, I didn’t even like Lilith anymore because she was so easily manipulated by Luke.
Awful. I wish I could get my 3 hours back.
December 23, 2025
⭐️.75/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
right.. more thoughts later maybe
edit: bumped it down to 1.75/5 plus:
..the most unserious book I’ve read in 2025, and that’s coming from someone who read ‘elf’d” in july 🥀.
i know this is a short story but our characters (re: luke) moved way too fast that any chemistry they initially had dissipated. luke was weirdly obsessive and assertive over lilith, who was portrayed as this no nonsense, prideful goth, but out of nowhere all of her charisma/bite toward luke disappeared and she became so submissive and compliant?? sorry, it was cringeworthy.
the mystery was interesting, the suspicions of multiple characters was great too.. the execution (& writing) however was lackluster, very anticlimactic, and equally unsatisfying.
right.. more thoughts later maybe
edit: bumped it down to 1.75/5 plus:
..the most unserious book I’ve read in 2025, and that’s coming from someone who read ‘elf’d” in july 🥀.
i know this is a short story but our characters (re: luke) moved way too fast that any chemistry they initially had dissipated. luke was weirdly obsessive and assertive over lilith, who was portrayed as this no nonsense, prideful goth, but out of nowhere all of her charisma/bite toward luke disappeared and she became so submissive and compliant?? sorry, it was cringeworthy.
the mystery was interesting, the suspicions of multiple characters was great too.. the execution (& writing) however was lackluster, very anticlimactic, and equally unsatisfying.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2024
I'm sorry but what did I just read. the only reason I didnt dnf this is cuz its so short.
December 25, 2025
Time was wasted on this
December 7, 2025
This book had such a good plot idea but it was not executed properly. In fact, this is some of the worst writing I’ve read in my life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2024
There is no nice way to say it. This book is trash. But it’s trash that I enjoyed. Writing isn’t great, storyline is goofy and it is real real cheesy. But if you have a day to just spend lounging it’s not all that bad.
December 24, 2024
A Christmas Mystery
When Lilith's storage shed catches fire during the annual Christmas Market and a body is found by handsome firefighter Luke, the hunt for the killer is on.
Christmas obsessed Luke falls for the goth Halloween obsessed Lilith as they team up to solve the crime.
This was such a cute book! I love a little murder mystery and with the added holiday theme, I was immediately hooked. I loved that Lilith was a gothic, Halloween obsessed woman, dancing to the beat of her own drum. Reading as Luke wore her down and got her into the Christmas spirit was so cute and I absolutely loved the ending! A must read charming Christmas murder mystery.
When Lilith's storage shed catches fire during the annual Christmas Market and a body is found by handsome firefighter Luke, the hunt for the killer is on.
Christmas obsessed Luke falls for the goth Halloween obsessed Lilith as they team up to solve the crime.
This was such a cute book! I love a little murder mystery and with the added holiday theme, I was immediately hooked. I loved that Lilith was a gothic, Halloween obsessed woman, dancing to the beat of her own drum. Reading as Luke wore her down and got her into the Christmas spirit was so cute and I absolutely loved the ending! A must read charming Christmas murder mystery.
December 2, 2025
This was so cheesy but in the cutest way. But definitely the perfect start to the Christmas season.
December 29, 2025
*Cringe*
November 25, 2025
I really enjoyed this. I was looking for something light and fluffy heading into the holidays and this did not disappoint. I would read more from this author.
December 15, 2024
Edited Dec. 15, 2024
This is still the authors best Christmas book. Murder, mystery, and Mayhem! Even though I've read it, I still laughed at all the shenanigans. And still find it to be one of the best Christmas books. I can't wait to dive into book 2 in this series.
As much as I hated this authors other Christmas book, good elf gone wrong, I ADORED this one!!!!!!! This one was funny, adorable, and had murder. What more did I want from a christmas book? I laughed so hard at the shenanigans of the police department, Lilith, Morticia, and the rest of the time. Also, Salem and Smokey had the best scenes!!! They are so smart and made the book so much better. Luke and Lilith are complete opposites, and I love it!! Freaking amazing Christmas book.
This is still the authors best Christmas book. Murder, mystery, and Mayhem! Even though I've read it, I still laughed at all the shenanigans. And still find it to be one of the best Christmas books. I can't wait to dive into book 2 in this series.
As much as I hated this authors other Christmas book, good elf gone wrong, I ADORED this one!!!!!!! This one was funny, adorable, and had murder. What more did I want from a christmas book? I laughed so hard at the shenanigans of the police department, Lilith, Morticia, and the rest of the time. Also, Salem and Smokey had the best scenes!!! They are so smart and made the book so much better. Luke and Lilith are complete opposites, and I love it!! Freaking amazing Christmas book.
January 6, 2024
DNF at 70%. I actually kinda wanted to figure out who the murderer is, but I just couldn’t with these characters. Our female lead is Not Like Other Girls (she’s goth & she is NOT going to let you forget it). Our male lead is kinda psycho (he pulls a knife on the female lead the first time they have sex so he can cut thru her clothing - this is not a dark romance, so it’s just wild to me that we’re supposed to accept this as regular sexy shenanigans). They have zero chemistry and Luke falls in love out of nowhere.
November 11, 2024
This started off really funny and entertaining but just became a huge mess.
December 3, 2025
Sleigh bells and Slaughter was an absolute blast to read. Lilith is a gothic Halloween obsessed, chaotic, and completely unhinged (my kind of girl 😉) and I adored every second of her madness. Luke, the grumpy firefighter who gets stuck investigating a murder, is her total opposite, which makes their dynamic even funnier. Watching him try to do his serious, rule following job while Lilith is basically a walking disaster? I was cackling.
Their banter is sharp, petty, and so full of tension that you can practically feel the spark every time they argue. Lilith and Luke shouldn’t work on paper, but somehow the chaos and chemistry between them make perfect sense. And the murder mystery sprinkled with holiday vibes? Perfect combo.
This book gave me laughs, swoons, and just the right amount of mayhem.
Their banter is sharp, petty, and so full of tension that you can practically feel the spark every time they argue. Lilith and Luke shouldn’t work on paper, but somehow the chaos and chemistry between them make perfect sense. And the murder mystery sprinkled with holiday vibes? Perfect combo.
This book gave me laughs, swoons, and just the right amount of mayhem.
November 22, 2024
Firefighter/Wednesday Adams with a cat, mystery in small town, rom com, he falls fast and hard, Christmas season, and of course with Alina Jacobs' books you get hot hot HOT spice!
I read and listened to this book. I love the audio. The narrators are amazing. I love the audio as I think you connect to the characters faster because you hear more through their voices, if that makes sense. Highly recommend the audio.
This is not the first book in the series, but it can be read as a stand-alone. Everything you need to know will be given to you, you will have just met the characters before when they were secondary characters.
I read and listened to this book. I love the audio. The narrators are amazing. I love the audio as I think you connect to the characters faster because you hear more through their voices, if that makes sense. Highly recommend the audio.
This is not the first book in the series, but it can be read as a stand-alone. Everything you need to know will be given to you, you will have just met the characters before when they were secondary characters.
December 12, 2025
My little black heart really wanted to love this book. I read about 3/4 of the way through and skimmed the last of it. First, I am not rating this because of the edits, but this books has some major errors. Chapters state "Luke" as the POV but it's actually Lilith. A chapter had "Lilith Chapter X" at the first sentence for the start of the chapter. There's major grammar and spelling errors along with word errors. So please, have someone re-read and edit this for you before you print anymore copies!
The story line started out a strong. A fire, a dead body, the goth girl is the suspect. The strong firefighter who started out like Body from Fire Country and turned into some weird horny teenage boy. There was no chemistry between the two, it wasn't a cozy mystery. Was this fantasy? Because her cat seems to have magical powers like finding things she's missing and being able to run the cash register?
The set up was weird, her stall, a shed, then her stall again? Everything was on fire, then she was able to still use the stall? I couldn't figure that out at all it made no sense. The whole book was a disaster. I'm only giving it 2 stars because of Salem and Smokey. Write a fantasy book about them, I bet it would be a hit.
The story line started out a strong. A fire, a dead body, the goth girl is the suspect. The strong firefighter who started out like Body from Fire Country and turned into some weird horny teenage boy. There was no chemistry between the two, it wasn't a cozy mystery. Was this fantasy? Because her cat seems to have magical powers like finding things she's missing and being able to run the cash register?
The set up was weird, her stall, a shed, then her stall again? Everything was on fire, then she was able to still use the stall? I couldn't figure that out at all it made no sense. The whole book was a disaster. I'm only giving it 2 stars because of Salem and Smokey. Write a fantasy book about them, I bet it would be a hit.
December 9, 2023
This book was a lot of fun! A non-stop sleigh ride of action, laughs, and love. Be forewarned, it is really hard to tear yourself away once you start reading Lilith and Luke’s adventure. It hits the ground running and never slows down!
December 10, 2024
I think this was a perfect read for the goth girlies! So many moments where I laughed and truly enjoyed it. Also, loved so many of the gothic names, Salem, Morticia, Wednesday 🖤. It had some good spicy scenes in it too 🤭
November 26, 2025
Absolutely loved this book. Lilith is such a fun character. Love how she takes Halloween and turns it into Christmas. Luke is absolutely perfect for her. Their attempts at solving the murder are fun and they tens to get into more trouble with each attempt. Such a fun story.
December 28, 2025
3.75, rounded up. Was this the most well written book I read this year? Definitely not. Was it a cute, fun, cozy holiday mystery? Absolutely. The mystery part was pretty decent for a short story but the romance aspect was very rushed and just not well developed.
December 27, 2023
4 stars solely for the vibe and cause it was funny as fuck 🤣🤣
November 13, 2024
Such a great small read. Audio was great!!!
December 18, 2024
1 ⭐️ the most corniest cheesiest story I’ve ever read. Why didn’t I DNF! 🥹😫
December 21, 2024
Cozy holiday mystery with some Wednesday vibes.
December 24, 2025
Not as good or funny as I was hoping. It was ok.
December 23, 2025
This was a good time and I really enjoyed certain aspects of it. But! I felt like information was missing, I was confused more than once. Several characters behaved so over the top, and occasionally out of character. And I'm totally for a steamy scene (even though that's not what I associate with cozy mystery) but his behavior was more fitting in a dark romance. It was so weird.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 323 reviews