An Unexpected Mate for Christmas

by Lisa Daniels

It’s nearly Christmas, and I already have everything.
Power. Wealth. A Royal bloodline.
I have no right to complain about my life.
Even if I tried, no one would listen.

Except for Noel.

Since the first time we met, he’s set my heart aflutter.
His easy smile, calm demeanor, and genuine concern are new to me.
His easy charm makes him far better than any alpha.

He’s the only person I’ve ever wanted.

I have no right to ask for that though.
I broke up with him two years ago.
Walking into paradise to find my mate, he was the first person I saw.
Still, I can’t have him. Not if I want to keep him safe.

He’s everything I’ve ever wanted, right down to his dragon shifter form.
Watching him find his mate, knowing he can’t be mine, is killing me.




Author's This is a steamy stand-alone with an HEA intended for 18+

156 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 24, 2025

About the author

Lisa Daniels is a (young) retired school teacher who resides in Miami. After five years of teaching, Lisa Daniels found that it wasn’t quite the world that she wanted to inhabit. After leaving her position, she moved to Miami. She hasn’t regretted it.

In her worlds, Lisa Daniels creates characters that go beyond the usual narrative. While they definitively include romance, Lisa Daniels strives to make the worlds more real with characters that are more than just cardboard cutouts of the genre. All of the main characters (and many of the secondary ones) have a rich history that span much longer than the stories themselves. This makes it easy to weave the stories together so that you can see characters you met in previous tales and see how they have managed since.

The Dragons of Letera is her first standalone series. Letera is a world teaming with romance, action, and stories – it is a world that Lisa Daniels loves to explore with her readers, one character at a time.

Taja's Dragon can only be found here: http://authorlisadaniels.gr8.com/

Find her on FB: https://www.facebook.com/authorlisada...

Reviews

[Chandra Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve ever wished you could shake fictional characters by the shoulders and scream, “Just choose love already!” — buckle up. An Unexpected Mate for Christmas by Lisa Daniels delivers the kind of emotional tension, second-chance longing, and holiday magic that leaves you clutching your chest and kicking your feet like it’s the season of miracles (because it is).

Sasha’s life looks perfect on paper — power, wealth, royal blood — but none of it fills the ache in her heart. Raised by parents who value status over love, she was taught to strive for crowns, not connection. And yet love found her anyway, in the soft smile of Noel — the boy she met years ago, the one who quietly claimed her heart and called her his mate. A boy who felt like home in a world obsessed with titles.

But loving him meant risking him, so she walked away.

Fast forward two years and Sasha is thrust into paradise, supposedly to claim a mate. And guess whose dragon-shifter self is the first person she sees? Yep. Noel — all grown, all gorgeous, and still everything she wants but believes she can’t have. Watching him search for his mate while she stands on the sidelines? Torture. Ache. Angst so sweet you taste it.

This story is everything I crave in a holiday shifter romance — soft second chances, royal pressure, fate pulling two souls back into orbit, and a love that refuses to die quietly. Sasha’s journey from self-sacrifice to self-worth is tender and triumphant. Noel? The kind of gentle, powerful love interest who makes you believe dragons are the superior species and also maybe the only species we should trust with our hearts.

Their reunion isn’t just romantic — it’s earned. Beautiful. Healing. And when fate refuses to let go this time, their HEA hits like a warm blanket, peppermint cocoa, and Christmas lights all wrapped together.

✨ Why you’ll adore this book:
💖 Second-chance romance that hurts so good
🐉 A dragon shifter hero worth swooning over
🎁 Holiday vibes + royal drama + destiny
🔥 Emotional longing and the payoff you crave
🌟 A heroine who learns she deserves love — and fights for it

By the end, I wasn’t just rooting for Sasha and Noel — I was cheering, misty-eyed, and ready to reread my favorite scenes all over again.

If you love festive romance with magical touches and soul-deep devotion, An Unexpected Mate for Christmas will warm your heart like a fire on a cold winter night.

Perfect for readers who believe love is worth fighting for — especially when dragons are involved.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Andra Shaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an avid reader, I went into An Unexpected Mate for Christmas, the third installment in the Royals of the Land Unseen series, expecting the usual Lisa Daniels experience: intriguing chapters, characters I can’t help but connect with, and romance that builds enough heat to keep me turning pages. Since these books can be read as standalones, I also expected this one to deliver a complete, satisfying story on its own.

Unfortunately, this installment didn’t land for me. Even at just thirteen chapters, I found myself struggling to stay engaged. The biggest issue was that the title sets an expectation the story doesn’t really meet. The plot feels muddled in places, and I had a hard time following the thread of what was happening and why it mattered.

The romance between Noel and Sasha also didn’t pull me in the way I wanted it to. Their connection felt unclear, and instead of that spark that makes you root for two people, whether it’s emotional intensity, chemistry, or even a little spice, the relationship read as flat and strangely mundane. I kept waiting for the story to shift into something more compelling, but it never quite got there.

And for a book promising Christmas in the title, the holiday atmosphere is surprisingly light. If you’re looking for cozy seasonal vibes woven throughout, festive moments, emotional warmth, that unmistakable holiday backdrop, this one doesn’t really deliver until the very end.

Overall, I’d call it an okay read, especially if you’re already committed to the series or the author. Just don’t go in expecting a strong holiday romance or the kind of page-turning energy Lisa Daniels often brings.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[DianaRaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

AN UNPLANNED MATE FOR CHRISTMAS is the third installment in Lisa Daniels' Holiday Royals of the Land Unseen series. Each installment has an intriguing and exciting plot with interesting characters and good world-building. As usual, this author developed characters who are well-written, complex, and complicated, yet appear to fit together nicely.  Each story runs concurrently within the series timeline.

Noel has known Sasha was his true mate since childhood, but her parents stood in the way. They have their own plans for Sasha, none of which are in Sasha's best interest. Now, both have been selected as part of a group to find their mate. Glad to be together again, Sasha is still not affirming Noel as her mate. She's also using a lot of magic to investigate Holly, a witch and non-willing participant in the mate hunt. All this magic use in this magucal place is making her ill, possibly killing her, but she can't seem to stop no matter how many times Noel tells her to.

This is not just a magical holiday romance. It's a look into loneliness and rediscovering who you really are and where you may be going. Get ready for more of this world of entitled shifters as they seek their potential mates.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ramona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This enjoyable "Holiday Royals" story is about Sasha who's raised by horrible parents to claim the attention of a prince, but when that failed, her parents rejected her, she learned to live by her own means and Noel the boy she met years ago during a funeral and said she was his mate. Sasha hopes to meet him again. Then her parents show up telling her she's been selected to go the island for a chance to get a mate. She meets Noel again who's a dragon shifter. What ensues is an entertaining story with very engaging characters to root for their HEA. The romance story of our couple was well written and kept me turning the pages in this copy I'd received and volunteer to read and review.

[Elisa Castro · Rating 4 out of 5]

finally

An Unexpected Mate for Christmas is book three in the series Holiday Royals of the Land Unseen by author Lisa Daniels. So this one might just test your withdrawal, sure tested mine.
Have you even wanted to shake a character and scream at them. Well this one will add to that feeling. Don’t get me wrong Sasha is a lovely character but goodness gracious I want to hit her on the back of her head and say wake the hell up.
All this angst is enough to drive a sane person mad. The emotional turmoil and the deep seated longing is just the tip of the iceberg.
Hopefully in the end they get it right. (wink - wink)
Enjoy!!

[Ashley Carr, LSoR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sasha‘s parents are horrible people that care about status above all else. She’s a royal blood therefore she must marry a royal. Sasha meet Noel at a funeral of all places and he tells her she is his mate. She must walk away from him or risk losing him. Fast forward years later, her parents come back into the picture and whisk her off to an island where she must find her mate. The first person Sasha sees is Noel the dragon shifter, but he is all grown up now and searching for his mates also. Is she going to be relegated to the sidelines while Noel finds his mate?

[Debdutch · Rating 5 out of 5]

“An Unexpected Mate for Christmas” by Lisa Daniels

-A heartfelt holiday romance blending second-chance love, destiny, and dragon shifter magic. I received a free copy and am voluntarily sharing my honest thoughts.

Sasha is a resilient heroine shaped by hardship, while Noel is a devoted hero worth waiting for. Their emotional separation and reunion add depth, longing, and genuine payoff.

An engaging festive read with royal drama, warmth, and a well-earned happy ending.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sasha and Noel have known they were fated mates since they were young. Sasha has royal blood, so she must marry a royal, and Noel is a dragon shifter. This is a paranormal, holiday, shifter romance with a forbidden twist storyline and a happily ever after. An Unexpected Mate for Christmas is book three and a great addition to the Holiday Royals of the Land Unseen series. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sasha and Noel’s story has them coming together and her breaking up with him to keep him safe. Years later she goes into paradise she sees him and hurts cuz she’s thinks she can’t have him and has to watch him find another. But they get their hea.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[LizJ. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Unexpected Mate for Christmas Book 3 of Holiday Royals of the Land Unseen by Lisa Daniels as always has written a compelling paranormal romance with a Christmas twist. Her characters are complex, interesting and well written with a lovely HEA. I’m loving this series! Highly recommended!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Foodiegirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was an all-around great read with amazing characters that shine in this storyline. It's well-developed and detailed, with a great flow throughout the book. It's an easy read based on a second-chance romance for these characters. I enjoyed Lisa Daniel's book and everything about this series.

[Debbie Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I'm really glad that Noel and Sasha will able to be together as mates. Sasha's parents were terrible. I liked how the stories are intertwined.

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author has given us a wonderful story that pulls us into the lives of Noel and Sasha. The intriguing story keeps us turning the pages with secrets, magic, curses, connection and danger.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arc review I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. This was a cute story I really enjoyed the characters.