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The Night Before Christmas
Tequila and time loops are a helluva way to spend Christmas…
Traveling to my hometown wasn’t part of the plan—not after losing my mom and swearing to never look back. But as an undercover FBI agent, I don’t choose my assignments.
All I have to do is blend in at the local cineplex, get the job done, and leave. Easier said than done when the theater’s darkly charming manager keeps distracting me with his whiskey-fire eyes and mysterious smile.
My first day? A disaster. I got attacked by Christmas gnomes, burned the popcorn, and got caught staring at the manager's… let’s just say it wasn’t my finest moment. If I’m not careful, our undeniable chemistry is going to land me on the naughty list.
That’s how I ended up at Train Wreck Tavern, drowning my embarrassment in margaritas with a saucy old lady claiming to be *Mrs. Claus*. I thought she was joking until one bite of her magical cookie landed me in a nightmare—or maybe a second chance?
Now I’m stuck in a Christmas time loop, reliving the same day. The worst part? I’m pretty sure the handsome theater manager has his own secrets.
Between cracking the case, avoiding holiday disasters—and heartache—I have to break the spell… or endure Christmas forever.
Traveling to my hometown wasn’t part of the plan—not after losing my mom and swearing to never look back. But as an undercover FBI agent, I don’t choose my assignments.
All I have to do is blend in at the local cineplex, get the job done, and leave. Easier said than done when the theater’s darkly charming manager keeps distracting me with his whiskey-fire eyes and mysterious smile.
My first day? A disaster. I got attacked by Christmas gnomes, burned the popcorn, and got caught staring at the manager's… let’s just say it wasn’t my finest moment. If I’m not careful, our undeniable chemistry is going to land me on the naughty list.
That’s how I ended up at Train Wreck Tavern, drowning my embarrassment in margaritas with a saucy old lady claiming to be *Mrs. Claus*. I thought she was joking until one bite of her magical cookie landed me in a nightmare—or maybe a second chance?
Now I’m stuck in a Christmas time loop, reliving the same day. The worst part? I’m pretty sure the handsome theater manager has his own secrets.
Between cracking the case, avoiding holiday disasters—and heartache—I have to break the spell… or endure Christmas forever.
314 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2024
3 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Erin Hemenway
3 books3 followersAuthor of adult fantasy, adventure, & romance.
✨Magic + 📚 Books + 🫶 Found family. PNW Adventures.
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✨Magic + 📚 Books + 🫶 Found family. PNW Adventures.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/erin_he...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erin.go.write
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@erin.go.write
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Erin.Go.Write/
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 12, 2024
I see that I’m not the only one living in a sort of limbo between spooky season and the holidays this year. I’m fully embracing it with my reads, starting my holiday reading a little earlier. My first holiday romance? The Night Before Christmas! (Yes, the poem has been stuck in my head ever since I started the book.)
The story stars Zoë Bly, an FBI agent who returns to her hometown for an undercover mission at the local cineplex. She’s perfect for the job because she’s a local and no one will suspect her, but her first day on the job—which is coincidentally Christmas Eve—is a disaster, and so Zoë ends up sad and alone at a tavern. In comes a woman presenting herself as Mary Christmas with some magical cookies, and suddenly Zoë is forced to repeat her horrible Christmas Eve day over and over until she finds a way to break the loop. But at least between all the chaos, there is a smexy theater manager that she grows closer to with each loop, and friends from her past that still have a lot of love for her.
I loved the book and had so much fun reading it. I don’t know what it is about Christmas and time loops, but every time that I come across one, either on TV or in books, I’m hooked. I mean, who hasn’t said at least once in their lives that they wished it could be Christmas forever? And then these stories always change your mind because even the magic of Christmas stops being magical when you live the same day. Zoë has it even worse from the start, because the first days of the loop are a nightmare, and any relationship she’s forging or rekindling gets reset every time she’s forced to repeat the day.
The Night Before Christmas is a fun read. The author’s style is fantastic and delivers some great sassy lines and Zoë is a fun protagonist to follow. I couldn’t help but feel her frustration every time something went wrong. And there’s also a case to solve, which I always have fun with, so I obviously put my detective hat on and tried identifying the infamous cyber pirate among the people working at the theater.
Here’s what you can expect!
🎄 Christmas time loop
🎥 workplace romance
🪄 fairy godmother and magical cookies
🔍 undercover FBI agent
Rating: 4.5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. Opinions are my own.
The story stars Zoë Bly, an FBI agent who returns to her hometown for an undercover mission at the local cineplex. She’s perfect for the job because she’s a local and no one will suspect her, but her first day on the job—which is coincidentally Christmas Eve—is a disaster, and so Zoë ends up sad and alone at a tavern. In comes a woman presenting herself as Mary Christmas with some magical cookies, and suddenly Zoë is forced to repeat her horrible Christmas Eve day over and over until she finds a way to break the loop. But at least between all the chaos, there is a smexy theater manager that she grows closer to with each loop, and friends from her past that still have a lot of love for her.
I loved the book and had so much fun reading it. I don’t know what it is about Christmas and time loops, but every time that I come across one, either on TV or in books, I’m hooked. I mean, who hasn’t said at least once in their lives that they wished it could be Christmas forever? And then these stories always change your mind because even the magic of Christmas stops being magical when you live the same day. Zoë has it even worse from the start, because the first days of the loop are a nightmare, and any relationship she’s forging or rekindling gets reset every time she’s forced to repeat the day.
The Night Before Christmas is a fun read. The author’s style is fantastic and delivers some great sassy lines and Zoë is a fun protagonist to follow. I couldn’t help but feel her frustration every time something went wrong. And there’s also a case to solve, which I always have fun with, so I obviously put my detective hat on and tried identifying the infamous cyber pirate among the people working at the theater.
Here’s what you can expect!
🎄 Christmas time loop
🎥 workplace romance
🪄 fairy godmother and magical cookies
🔍 undercover FBI agent
Rating: 4.5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. Opinions are my own.
November 26, 2024
It's the most wonderful time of the year, and this book did a fantastic job at putting me in the holiday spirit!
The Night Before Christmas stars an FBI agent who travels back to her hometown on an assignment for the holidays. Here she meets a hot cineplex manager with secrets...and gets stuck in a Christmas time loop!
This book was such a fun ride! There's something about Christmas time loops that I find so delightful and this was no exception! The author has a humorous voice that perfectly fits a rom-com, and even though the protagonist was having a hellish time, I was having a jolly good one while reading.
Overall, this is a book that will appeal to fans of Christina Lauren's In a Holidaze, with no shortage of fun and a nice resolution both for the romance and for the other character relationships.
Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy for review. Opinions are my own.
The Night Before Christmas stars an FBI agent who travels back to her hometown on an assignment for the holidays. Here she meets a hot cineplex manager with secrets...and gets stuck in a Christmas time loop!
This book was such a fun ride! There's something about Christmas time loops that I find so delightful and this was no exception! The author has a humorous voice that perfectly fits a rom-com, and even though the protagonist was having a hellish time, I was having a jolly good one while reading.
Overall, this is a book that will appeal to fans of Christina Lauren's In a Holidaze, with no shortage of fun and a nice resolution both for the romance and for the other character relationships.
Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy for review. Opinions are my own.
November 8, 2024
a hilarious romcom perfect for those looking for a fun & quirky holiday romance 🎄💕 We follow Zoe, a FBI agent who is trapped in a magical Christmas time loop 🤪 imagine the movie 50 First Dates or Groundhog Day… but make it Christmas! 🎅
What you can expect:
🎄time loop
🎄holiday romance
🎄workplace romcom
🎄found family
🎄magic cookie spell
🎄hidden identity
Zoe is on a Xmas mission as an undercover theatre employee trying to catch a sneaky hacker. Enters Malachi, the handsome & tall manager of the movie theatre 👀 I absolutely love Zoe, she is smart & witty and I couldn’t help but laugh alongside her. After a disastrous first day, she ends up meeting Mrs. Claus the night before Christmas, and starts reviving the very same day over and over again.🎄✨ I love the beautiful message that the story brings, after all, how many different ways could you live one day? Zoe will only be able to break the spell if she believes in the magic of Christmas and that love & family are the most important ❤️🥰
What you can expect:
🎄time loop
🎄holiday romance
🎄workplace romcom
🎄found family
🎄magic cookie spell
🎄hidden identity
Zoe is on a Xmas mission as an undercover theatre employee trying to catch a sneaky hacker. Enters Malachi, the handsome & tall manager of the movie theatre 👀 I absolutely love Zoe, she is smart & witty and I couldn’t help but laugh alongside her. After a disastrous first day, she ends up meeting Mrs. Claus the night before Christmas, and starts reviving the very same day over and over again.🎄✨ I love the beautiful message that the story brings, after all, how many different ways could you live one day? Zoe will only be able to break the spell if she believes in the magic of Christmas and that love & family are the most important ❤️🥰
December 4, 2024
This book was written for me! I loved working Christmas Eve retail and this story took me back to all the chaos and fun of that experience, with romance at Christmas and retail drama. Not just candy, this book also made me misty eyed with Hallmark Christmas heart warming tears. Thank you for the wonderful Christmas read!
December 15, 2024
The Nightmare Before Christmas by Erin Hemenway brought all the nostalgia I was hoping for. Jack’s journey to take over Christmas was just as magical and chaotic as ever, and the story perfectly captured the spooky, whimsical vibe I love. A fun, quick read for fans of the movie. Four stars!
December 31, 2024
I was lucky enough to get this book in my Book Box christmas Advent calendar. The front cover is beautiful, and I was immediately intrigued and quickly turned to read the blurb, well that definitely sucked me in and I was frustrated with myself that I wanted to wait until christmas eve to read it. You have to right? Considering the name of the book?
Well I definitely started it on christmas eve, but a migraine and then the blur between christmas day and new years struck. We went on a road trip and i was able to smash this book out on the drive.
I love that this was my final complete read for 2024.
Trigger warning of mention of death, grief, a small mention of attempted SA.
The beginning started off a little slow, taking a little while to get through day one. But during this first day I absolutely fell in love with three of the main characters. The MMC Malachi crept his way into my top ten book boyfriends and I would eagerly await when he was back in the story. The two FMC's Zoë and Halia. Now Zoë is the main FMC, but I also class Halia and an FMC, because he has quite a huge part to play in the plot of the story. She is 100% a girls girl and she reminds me of my own bestie. Everyone needs a Halia in their life.
Although the story started off a little slow, the pace certainly picked up and I couldn't put it down. I am always trying to solve the mystery before I got there and while I had an inkling, it definitely had me guessing.
I was here for the friends to lovers storyline and the way Erin portrayed the way the FMC handled a traumatic time in her life, and the grief that followed.
The ending was perfect and I wouldn't change it for anything.
One piece of advice I have for anyone. Is don't eat cookies from mrs Claus 😂
Well I definitely started it on christmas eve, but a migraine and then the blur between christmas day and new years struck. We went on a road trip and i was able to smash this book out on the drive.
I love that this was my final complete read for 2024.
Trigger warning of mention of death, grief, a small mention of attempted SA.
The beginning started off a little slow, taking a little while to get through day one. But during this first day I absolutely fell in love with three of the main characters. The MMC Malachi crept his way into my top ten book boyfriends and I would eagerly await when he was back in the story. The two FMC's Zoë and Halia. Now Zoë is the main FMC, but I also class Halia and an FMC, because he has quite a huge part to play in the plot of the story. She is 100% a girls girl and she reminds me of my own bestie. Everyone needs a Halia in their life.
Although the story started off a little slow, the pace certainly picked up and I couldn't put it down. I am always trying to solve the mystery before I got there and while I had an inkling, it definitely had me guessing.
I was here for the friends to lovers storyline and the way Erin portrayed the way the FMC handled a traumatic time in her life, and the grief that followed.
The ending was perfect and I wouldn't change it for anything.
One piece of advice I have for anyone. Is don't eat cookies from mrs Claus 😂
December 9, 2024
4.25 because while we can send astronauts to the moon, goodreads can't let us do quarter/half stars.
Anyway! I picked up this book at an author signing. It's not normally within my reading wheelhouse, but I heard, somewhere, that there was a little bit of romance that I, as a middle age woman, loves that sh- stuff.
I'd heard the author read the first chapter, but reading it myself was a different experience. I wasn't sure if I was going to love it, honestly wondering if it was going to be just kind of a cutesy (sorrrrrrry) holiday book, however, the story morphed into an awesome adventure I ended up really enjoying. There were a ton of elements that made up this book - magic, mystery, meta moments, that cute guy I mentioned - whatever, it's my jam.
I tend to shut off any reasonable and critical thinking when reading an dive into the story so I had no idea what was going to happen so it was a ride. And a ride I hope continues (word on the cross street of 2nd and Division say there's going to be a sequel?)
I'm looking forward to any future works from her.
Anyway! I picked up this book at an author signing. It's not normally within my reading wheelhouse, but I heard, somewhere, that there was a little bit of romance that I, as a middle age woman, loves that sh- stuff.
I'd heard the author read the first chapter, but reading it myself was a different experience. I wasn't sure if I was going to love it, honestly wondering if it was going to be just kind of a cutesy (sorrrrrrry) holiday book, however, the story morphed into an awesome adventure I ended up really enjoying. There were a ton of elements that made up this book - magic, mystery, meta moments, that cute guy I mentioned - whatever, it's my jam.
I tend to shut off any reasonable and critical thinking when reading an dive into the story so I had no idea what was going to happen so it was a ride. And a ride I hope continues (word on the cross street of 2nd and Division say there's going to be a sequel?)
I'm looking forward to any future works from her.
January 11, 2025
DNF’d. Got 54 pages in and gave up. Drama for the sake of drama. Writing style is very choppy and juvenile. Sadly the blurb made it seem like a great book, but just not well executed in my opinion. Too much crammed into too few words, to the point that i’m confused about what is happening pretty much every single page. This would do better as a longer book that is more spaced out with more detail.
January 1, 2026
I don't mind a Christmas story every now and then, but this one definitely had its own twist to it.
I loved the different take on the traditional night before christmas story. I enjoyed that they incorporated a crime story into the christmas story
I loved the different take on the traditional night before christmas story. I enjoyed that they incorporated a crime story into the christmas story
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews