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Wrapped in Red: Mistletoe Mantra / White Hot Holiday
'Tis the season for finding passion and rediscovering love…
Mistletoe Mantra by Nana Malone
Returning to her Virginia hometown where her fiancé dumped her—years earlier on Christmas Eve—is making Nomi Adams croon the holiday blues. She needs to find the reclusive photographer who can advance her magazine career. However, Lincoln Porter's on his own rescue mission this yuletide. Because during this season of love and renewal, Faith, Virginia, looks to be a place for second chances…
White Hot Holiday by Sherelle Green
A solo Caribbean vacation is college professor Sage Langley's perfect escape from Christmas and all its merriment. But she has unexpected and thrilling company at Grayson Ellington's luxurious vacation home: the sexy attorney himself! And her brother's best friend—who has desired and longed for Sage for years—has fantasies and plans for a red-hot romance to chase away her winter doldrums.
Mistletoe Mantra by Nana Malone
Returning to her Virginia hometown where her fiancé dumped her—years earlier on Christmas Eve—is making Nomi Adams croon the holiday blues. She needs to find the reclusive photographer who can advance her magazine career. However, Lincoln Porter's on his own rescue mission this yuletide. Because during this season of love and renewal, Faith, Virginia, looks to be a place for second chances…
White Hot Holiday by Sherelle Green
A solo Caribbean vacation is college professor Sage Langley's perfect escape from Christmas and all its merriment. But she has unexpected and thrilling company at Grayson Ellington's luxurious vacation home: the sexy attorney himself! And her brother's best friend—who has desired and longed for Sage for years—has fantasies and plans for a red-hot romance to chase away her winter doldrums.
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 2015
7 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
About the author
Nana Malone
170 books3,052 followersWall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling author, Nana Malone writes Sexy Feel-Good Romance and loves of all things romance and adventure.
That love started with a tattered romantic suspense she "borrowed" from her cousin. It was a sultry summer afternoon in Ghana, and Nana was a precocious thirteen. She's been in love with kick butt heroines ever since. With her overactive imagination, and channeling her inner Buffy, it was only a matter a time before she started creating her own characters.
That love started with a tattered romantic suspense she "borrowed" from her cousin. It was a sultry summer afternoon in Ghana, and Nana was a precocious thirteen. She's been in love with kick butt heroines ever since. With her overactive imagination, and channeling her inner Buffy, it was only a matter a time before she started creating her own characters.
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December 4, 2017
STORY ONE: MISTLETOE MANTRA by Nana Malone
Nomi is a 22-year-old journalist who is 'forced' to go back to her hometown after a five year absence to find a reclusive photographer and convince him to put some photos in her magazine's spread.
Lincoln is Nomi's best friend's twin brother. I guess he's had a crush on Nomi for years and years. Now she's coming back to Virginia and he sees a chance to tell her how he feels.
One guess as to whom the mysterious and reclusive photographer is. Yeah. Typical.
ANYWAY. Let's break this down.
I LIKE THE HEROINE
This heroine is refreshingly spirited and easily stands up to the people who need standing up to. We first get a taste of this when she runs into her old high school bully at a wedding.
"Melanie, I see you're still a bitch. Good to know things don't change."
Honestly, I just laughed out loud at this. This woman has ovaries.
She even stands up to her horrible parents.
I also love the remarks she makes to the hero – both out loud and in her head. Here's when she finds out that
"Fuck. I know. I should have told you."
"Should have? Are you serious right now? You could have told me a million times. You SLEPT with me. At any time you were busy licking all of your favorite places, you could have told me. But you chose not to."
LOL He is rather fond of licking her.
Here's a snippet later, when they face off at the office:
She crossed her arms over her chest and Linc's gaze hovered in the direction of her breasts for the breadth of a second. That's right, buddy, look at them and weep.
LOL
THE HERO: LINC
I didn't really understand why Lincoln didn't tell Nomi Like a lot of things in this novella, it wasn't explained to my satisfaction.
I didn't like him, I didn't dislike him: he was fine. *shrug* He wasn't delighting me but he wasn't pissing me off, either.
I thought he was black for the whole book until we got to chapter fifteen, and
Linc's voice was quiet, lulling. “This village, the women are amazing. It's made up entirely of women. They were fascinated to see a man, especially a group of white men coming to take pictures.”
So Linc is white? I had no idea, Malone doesn't really describe him at any point beyond repeating all the time that he has black curly hair and green eyes. I spent almost the entire book thinking he was a black man, now I will instead file this under Interracial Romance. Nomi is definitely black, Malone doesn't hold back on describing her.
He seems to really enjoy kissing and really enjoy performing oral sex on Nomi, so those things add extra points.
What else can I say about him? He keeps his mouth shut when she is telling him about some traumatic past experiences.
His hands tensed on the steering wheel. But he didn't trust himself to say the right thing.
I'm glad he keeps his mouth shut and just listens to her. Points.
CONFUSING, UNRESOLVED ISSUES
I know this is a novella and not a full-length novel, but there are a lot of things here that are not wrapped up to my satisfaction.
1.) Nomi's past. We are really confused about Nomi for most of the novel. Her parents treat her like trash, and it's not until Chapter Thirteen that we find out that besides dating Brad at age 17 (big mistake), she also had a at age fourteen in her old town. That semi-explains why her parents are such jerks. In my opinion, this should have been explained / brought up much earlier.
Also in this category: how Nomi interacts with men. What has she been doing in L.A.? Having relationships or not?
When she wakes up the morning after having sex with Linc,
Nomi's eyes popped open and she scrambled back in bed several inches. “Linc,” she gasped.
His grin was slow and sexy. “I'm glad you remember my name. I don't think I heard it enough last night.” He licked his bottom lip and then whispered, “Come here.”
“I – uh, what are you doing here?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Well, if you let me, I'd like to taste you again.”
A warm flush started in her chest, then crept over her body. “I mean, I thought you would have left.”
His brows snapped down. “Did you want me to leave?”
She shook her head quickly. “N-no. Of course not. I didn't know if you were staying, and after the last time, I sort of passed out.”
Linc shook his head even as he pulled her to his warm body. “Nowhere else I'd rather be this morning.”
She searched her brain, but all she could come up with was “Oh.”
“Relax, Nomi, and let me hold you.”
She didn't need to be told twice. As soon as she was encased in his strong hold, her body started to melt. “Sorry. I just didn't expect you to stay.”
“I gathered.”
How was she supposed to tell him that when she slept with someone the tacit agreement was that they were gone in the morning?
Fascinating. I'm not being sarcastic, this is actually fascinating. Has she been having one-night-stands in L.A.? How do you reach a tacit agreement with someone that they are not going to be there in the morning? Does she just assume men are going to be assholes? If this is true, why has she been – for five years – denying herself relationships or meaningful sex? Why would she think Linc would fall into this category – she's known him since childhood and he's her best friend's brother? Doesn't she think he might be a decent person?
None of these questions are answered. Her time spent in L.A. And her relationships or lack there of are never mentioned beyond this one scene.
2.) Amber, the female villain and rival to Nomi, pulls some horrible shit here but never gets punished. I really wanted to see her get punished. It aggravates me when romance novels introduce baddies but don't give them their comeuppance by the end of the novel. It feels like a loose end.
3.) Brad. He also doesn't get put in his place to my liking. He's the male villain.
4.) Melanie – the other female villain. She gets a little battered by Nomi, but still falls into this unresolved category IMO.
5.) I don't think the final, huge fight between Nomi and Linc is resolved well. He ends up begging and apologizing to HER. I think she should be begging and apologizing to HIM. Also, she needs to put her foot down with her bosses more in re: the pictures. Somehow this lands squarely on the 'Linc fucked up' category, but in my opinion, Nomi screwed up and she should be the one apologizing. I can see why Linc is scared of trusting her, especially after this. If I were Linc, I'd feel very hurt and betrayed.
HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN?
It's good. Linc is fond of kissing and he's fond of going down on Nomi. Malone has Nomi give Linc blowjobs, but she always does it off-page so we don't have to sit through it. Catering to her female audience here with on-page cunnilingus and off-page blowjobs. Linc uses a condom. All is well in the world.
However, I have complaints. *Everyone groans* Now, now. It just wouldn't be a Carmen-review without me complaining. For one thing, the scene where Nomi orgasms just from Linc caressing her (clothed) nipples was ridiculous. I don't need people coming to me in the comments and telling me that this is physically possible. I'm willing to believe this is technically physically possible, but it's SO rare and SO out of the realm of the ordinary that I just couldn't with it. Also, Malone chooses to just act as if it were normal. Linc exhibits no surprise or disbelief that she's orgasming just from him touching her through her bra. A man would, IME, because it is frankly surprising and different. It was weird, I wanted it to either be explored and talked about or just cut out.
Two. With a growl, he gathered both of her hands and placed them over her head. “Can you be a good girl and keep them here or will you be your usual stubborn and obstinate self?”
UGH. I hate when people say, “good girl.” Like to a dog. Especially in bed. Disgusting. Ugh. This really irritated me.
Also, Pressing on the button gently, as he sank deep, he whispered against her lips, “Come for me, Nomi.”
I'm against this coming-on-command thing. Against it. It doesn't work IRL. I guess it is a thing in BDSM, but if you are talking about two rather vanilla people this is just complete bullshit and does nothing but annoy me and irritate me IRL. It usually ruins whatever tension the man has worked hard to build up tbh. Very irritating and it grates on my nerves when men think they can attempt this shit.
Complaints are minor – overall the sex was good and satisfying and making me happy.
TL;DR – I wish I had been more attached to the MCs. Malone could have done a better job of putting these characters in my heart. I understand she is a little rushed, this being a novella and all, but I had too many questions and unresolved issues by the end. The book could have done with a little more explaining and exploration into the MCs' pasts. The sex was great. Cute little Christmas story. Heroine who wasn't afraid to stand up for herself. Both the hero and heroine are rich, which also makes this story a little difficult for me to relate to.
ROMANCE CATEGORIES
African-American Romance
Contemporary Romance
Holiday/Christmas Romance
Multicultural/Interracial Romance
Non-Virgin Heroine
STORY TWO: WHITE HOT HOLIDAY by Sherelle Green
*Carmen massages her temples* Okay. Let's talk about romance. Romance is NOT whatever this book / the media / movies try to make you think it is. Look at this:
Standing in the middle of the room holding a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries was a shirtless Grayson Ellington wearing a pair of silk boxers.
Oh, lawd. He'd oiled his body, giving him a glow that made her insides twirl in excitement. Each chiseled ab looked so tasty, she wished she could lick every crevice and leave a trail of kisses along the way.
Rose petals were sprinkled on the floor, and a massage table was in the corner of the room, stationed next to a table that seemed to contain a variety of oils. Even though it wasn't unusually cold at night, the rain had made it slightly chilly, so it was nice to have the fire going. The entire scene looked so romantic.
Okay. True romance is having a partner you can face the world with. Someone who always has your back. Someone who shares your problems. Someone who truly cares about you and listens to you. Someone who takes care of you.
The world tries to tell you shit like this is romantic and that it's important that your partner do stuff for you like bring you flowers, create some fantasy or some grand gesture that signifies that they love you. NO. Loving you is being there for you every day, being there for you when you need him, making sure you are safe and happy.
But it's great if a man does stuff like this, Carmen.
No, it isn't. Personally, stuff like this always makes me suspicious and nervous. I know I've hurt men in the past with this. I know men have put in time and effort to make grand romantic gestures to me only to find me mildly anxious and worried instead of bowled over or shrieking in gratitude or whatever the fuck my response is 'supposed' to be. Actions like this make me feel like he is running games. Like he has some end goal or some purpose and that he's trying to snow me. I guess, if we are really together for a long time – like two or three years – and you want to do a romantic gesture in this media-hype way for me, you can, and I won't panic. But try to pull it earlier than that and you're probably going to be deeply disappointed by my response or lack thereof.
I think romantic gestures are:
lengthy kissing sessions. KISSING!
Car maintenance.
Asking me how my day was and really being interested in the answer.
Listening to me with genuine interest when I have a problem or when I am excited and happy about something.
Being there for me and supporting me.
I can trust you.
I know I'm safe with you.
Who cares about diamonds? What the fuck am I going to do with a diamond? He gives her a diamond bracelet / necklace combo in this book because he remembers that in the past she was all like, “The engagement ring better not be the first diamond he bought for me!” when discussing her future husband. I mean, come on. I would trade ALL THIS – the diamonds, the massage parlor, the silk boxers, the rose petals, the chocolate-covered strawberries – for some commitment and fortitude from this guy. How about that?
She has been in love with him since she was 16 and he was 18. She throws herself at him at this age, kissing him, encouraging him to grope her, trying to get him to fuck her. He doesn't. Not only is she a minor but she is his best friend's little sister, and he promised him not to touch her – more on this later. They never get together. He eventually fucks her. But he never mans up and commits to her, causing her a lot of pain and heartache and fuckedupness in her relationships. Now he's 35 and he's finally coming around to do it right. This time, he's going to commit. This time, he is ready to settle down. This time, he wants her to be Wife.
And of course she's totally on board with this. When she should tell him to get lost. What the FUCK was he doing these past 17 years!? Fucking a whole bunch of women and sowing his wild oats, I guess? While she is just apparently throwing herself into work and going on some half-hearted dates.
At one point she'd literally gone years without sex. Even now, she couldn't recall the last time she'd had sex with a man.
Also, he's finally decided to stand up to her brother and date her.
Which brings me to this point, which always happens in romance novels – the hero wants the sister, but the brother makes him SWEAR never to touch her or some shit. In this case, two people who could have been EXTREMELY HAPPY together since ages 16/18 instead spend 17 years apart, and her being miserable all the while, the hero occasionally throwing her a bone (no pun intended) by kissing her once in a blue moon or fucking her once or twice but basically staying the heck out of her life. I'm sorry, it's none of your siblings' business whom you fuck or date or love. Just because someone is your sibling, doesn't mean you have a right to dictate their sex life or romantic life or who can be their romantic partner.
And Grayson just agrees to this. “Yeah, I'll never touch your sister, man. Forget that she's completely in love with me, practically crawling into my bed naked in order to get me to fuck her, and I have real feelings for her. Forget all that. Fuck our love, I'll never touch her because you've told me not to.” I mean, WTF? The brother is wrong to pull this shit, and Grayson is wrong for allowing him to pull this shit. It's ludicrous. Stand up.
Just feel like Grayson genuinely hurt Sage, and now he thinks romantic gestures can make it all better. It can't. I would feel more romantic if he scaled back on the 'Hollywood romance' and tried being an actual human being to her – proving to her that he can be stable, kind, and a pillar for her.
MONEY
Apparently these two are loaded. He's an attorney general, so maybe I can buy that, but she teaches ELL in foreign countries. “Oh, maybe she was born rich?” I thought, but then the book explains to me that she grew up poor, he father struggled with drugs and her mom worked three jobs. So... what gives? Where is the money for this frou-frou lifestyle coming from? How is she affording this shit?
HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN?
I guess it's fine, but I'm angry at the hero, so I can't fully enjoy it. It doesn't matter how much vulva-eating you do, if you are not going to be there for her in her day-to-day life, you're worthless to me.
ROMANCE CATEGORIES
African-American Romance
Contemporary Romance
Holiday/Christmas Romance
Non-Virgin Heroine
TL;DR – Two short Christmas romances. Mixed results. It's hard to fit what you need to fit into a romance novel when you have to write a novella. The authors try valiantly, but you can see the struggle.
Nomi is a 22-year-old journalist who is 'forced' to go back to her hometown after a five year absence to find a reclusive photographer and convince him to put some photos in her magazine's spread.
Lincoln is Nomi's best friend's twin brother. I guess he's had a crush on Nomi for years and years. Now she's coming back to Virginia and he sees a chance to tell her how he feels.
One guess as to whom the mysterious and reclusive photographer is. Yeah. Typical.
ANYWAY. Let's break this down.
I LIKE THE HEROINE
This heroine is refreshingly spirited and easily stands up to the people who need standing up to. We first get a taste of this when she runs into her old high school bully at a wedding.
"Melanie, I see you're still a bitch. Good to know things don't change."
Honestly, I just laughed out loud at this. This woman has ovaries.
She even stands up to her horrible parents.
I also love the remarks she makes to the hero – both out loud and in her head. Here's when she finds out that
"Fuck. I know. I should have told you."
"Should have? Are you serious right now? You could have told me a million times. You SLEPT with me. At any time you were busy licking all of your favorite places, you could have told me. But you chose not to."
LOL He is rather fond of licking her.
Here's a snippet later, when they face off at the office:
She crossed her arms over her chest and Linc's gaze hovered in the direction of her breasts for the breadth of a second. That's right, buddy, look at them and weep.
LOL
THE HERO: LINC
I didn't really understand why Lincoln didn't tell Nomi Like a lot of things in this novella, it wasn't explained to my satisfaction.
I didn't like him, I didn't dislike him: he was fine. *shrug* He wasn't delighting me but he wasn't pissing me off, either.
I thought he was black for the whole book until we got to chapter fifteen, and
Linc's voice was quiet, lulling. “This village, the women are amazing. It's made up entirely of women. They were fascinated to see a man, especially a group of white men coming to take pictures.”
So Linc is white? I had no idea, Malone doesn't really describe him at any point beyond repeating all the time that he has black curly hair and green eyes. I spent almost the entire book thinking he was a black man, now I will instead file this under Interracial Romance. Nomi is definitely black, Malone doesn't hold back on describing her.
He seems to really enjoy kissing and really enjoy performing oral sex on Nomi, so those things add extra points.
What else can I say about him? He keeps his mouth shut when she is telling him about some traumatic past experiences.
His hands tensed on the steering wheel. But he didn't trust himself to say the right thing.
I'm glad he keeps his mouth shut and just listens to her. Points.
CONFUSING, UNRESOLVED ISSUES
I know this is a novella and not a full-length novel, but there are a lot of things here that are not wrapped up to my satisfaction.
1.) Nomi's past. We are really confused about Nomi for most of the novel. Her parents treat her like trash, and it's not until Chapter Thirteen that we find out that besides dating Brad at age 17 (big mistake), she also had a at age fourteen in her old town. That semi-explains why her parents are such jerks. In my opinion, this should have been explained / brought up much earlier.
Also in this category: how Nomi interacts with men. What has she been doing in L.A.? Having relationships or not?
When she wakes up the morning after having sex with Linc,
Nomi's eyes popped open and she scrambled back in bed several inches. “Linc,” she gasped.
His grin was slow and sexy. “I'm glad you remember my name. I don't think I heard it enough last night.” He licked his bottom lip and then whispered, “Come here.”
“I – uh, what are you doing here?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Well, if you let me, I'd like to taste you again.”
A warm flush started in her chest, then crept over her body. “I mean, I thought you would have left.”
His brows snapped down. “Did you want me to leave?”
She shook her head quickly. “N-no. Of course not. I didn't know if you were staying, and after the last time, I sort of passed out.”
Linc shook his head even as he pulled her to his warm body. “Nowhere else I'd rather be this morning.”
She searched her brain, but all she could come up with was “Oh.”
“Relax, Nomi, and let me hold you.”
She didn't need to be told twice. As soon as she was encased in his strong hold, her body started to melt. “Sorry. I just didn't expect you to stay.”
“I gathered.”
How was she supposed to tell him that when she slept with someone the tacit agreement was that they were gone in the morning?
Fascinating. I'm not being sarcastic, this is actually fascinating. Has she been having one-night-stands in L.A.? How do you reach a tacit agreement with someone that they are not going to be there in the morning? Does she just assume men are going to be assholes? If this is true, why has she been – for five years – denying herself relationships or meaningful sex? Why would she think Linc would fall into this category – she's known him since childhood and he's her best friend's brother? Doesn't she think he might be a decent person?
None of these questions are answered. Her time spent in L.A. And her relationships or lack there of are never mentioned beyond this one scene.
2.) Amber, the female villain and rival to Nomi, pulls some horrible shit here but never gets punished. I really wanted to see her get punished. It aggravates me when romance novels introduce baddies but don't give them their comeuppance by the end of the novel. It feels like a loose end.
3.) Brad. He also doesn't get put in his place to my liking. He's the male villain.
4.) Melanie – the other female villain. She gets a little battered by Nomi, but still falls into this unresolved category IMO.
5.) I don't think the final, huge fight between Nomi and Linc is resolved well. He ends up begging and apologizing to HER. I think she should be begging and apologizing to HIM. Also, she needs to put her foot down with her bosses more in re: the pictures. Somehow this lands squarely on the 'Linc fucked up' category, but in my opinion, Nomi screwed up and she should be the one apologizing. I can see why Linc is scared of trusting her, especially after this. If I were Linc, I'd feel very hurt and betrayed.
HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN?
It's good. Linc is fond of kissing and he's fond of going down on Nomi. Malone has Nomi give Linc blowjobs, but she always does it off-page so we don't have to sit through it. Catering to her female audience here with on-page cunnilingus and off-page blowjobs. Linc uses a condom. All is well in the world.
However, I have complaints. *Everyone groans* Now, now. It just wouldn't be a Carmen-review without me complaining. For one thing, the scene where Nomi orgasms just from Linc caressing her (clothed) nipples was ridiculous. I don't need people coming to me in the comments and telling me that this is physically possible. I'm willing to believe this is technically physically possible, but it's SO rare and SO out of the realm of the ordinary that I just couldn't with it. Also, Malone chooses to just act as if it were normal. Linc exhibits no surprise or disbelief that she's orgasming just from him touching her through her bra. A man would, IME, because it is frankly surprising and different. It was weird, I wanted it to either be explored and talked about or just cut out.
Two. With a growl, he gathered both of her hands and placed them over her head. “Can you be a good girl and keep them here or will you be your usual stubborn and obstinate self?”
UGH. I hate when people say, “good girl.” Like to a dog. Especially in bed. Disgusting. Ugh. This really irritated me.
Also, Pressing on the button gently, as he sank deep, he whispered against her lips, “Come for me, Nomi.”
I'm against this coming-on-command thing. Against it. It doesn't work IRL. I guess it is a thing in BDSM, but if you are talking about two rather vanilla people this is just complete bullshit and does nothing but annoy me and irritate me IRL. It usually ruins whatever tension the man has worked hard to build up tbh. Very irritating and it grates on my nerves when men think they can attempt this shit.
Complaints are minor – overall the sex was good and satisfying and making me happy.
TL;DR – I wish I had been more attached to the MCs. Malone could have done a better job of putting these characters in my heart. I understand she is a little rushed, this being a novella and all, but I had too many questions and unresolved issues by the end. The book could have done with a little more explaining and exploration into the MCs' pasts. The sex was great. Cute little Christmas story. Heroine who wasn't afraid to stand up for herself. Both the hero and heroine are rich, which also makes this story a little difficult for me to relate to.
ROMANCE CATEGORIES
African-American Romance
Contemporary Romance
Holiday/Christmas Romance
Multicultural/Interracial Romance
Non-Virgin Heroine
STORY TWO: WHITE HOT HOLIDAY by Sherelle Green
*Carmen massages her temples* Okay. Let's talk about romance. Romance is NOT whatever this book / the media / movies try to make you think it is. Look at this:
Standing in the middle of the room holding a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries was a shirtless Grayson Ellington wearing a pair of silk boxers.
Oh, lawd. He'd oiled his body, giving him a glow that made her insides twirl in excitement. Each chiseled ab looked so tasty, she wished she could lick every crevice and leave a trail of kisses along the way.
Rose petals were sprinkled on the floor, and a massage table was in the corner of the room, stationed next to a table that seemed to contain a variety of oils. Even though it wasn't unusually cold at night, the rain had made it slightly chilly, so it was nice to have the fire going. The entire scene looked so romantic.
Okay. True romance is having a partner you can face the world with. Someone who always has your back. Someone who shares your problems. Someone who truly cares about you and listens to you. Someone who takes care of you.
The world tries to tell you shit like this is romantic and that it's important that your partner do stuff for you like bring you flowers, create some fantasy or some grand gesture that signifies that they love you. NO. Loving you is being there for you every day, being there for you when you need him, making sure you are safe and happy.
But it's great if a man does stuff like this, Carmen.
No, it isn't. Personally, stuff like this always makes me suspicious and nervous. I know I've hurt men in the past with this. I know men have put in time and effort to make grand romantic gestures to me only to find me mildly anxious and worried instead of bowled over or shrieking in gratitude or whatever the fuck my response is 'supposed' to be. Actions like this make me feel like he is running games. Like he has some end goal or some purpose and that he's trying to snow me. I guess, if we are really together for a long time – like two or three years – and you want to do a romantic gesture in this media-hype way for me, you can, and I won't panic. But try to pull it earlier than that and you're probably going to be deeply disappointed by my response or lack thereof.
I think romantic gestures are:
lengthy kissing sessions. KISSING!
Car maintenance.
Asking me how my day was and really being interested in the answer.
Listening to me with genuine interest when I have a problem or when I am excited and happy about something.
Being there for me and supporting me.
I can trust you.
I know I'm safe with you.
Who cares about diamonds? What the fuck am I going to do with a diamond? He gives her a diamond bracelet / necklace combo in this book because he remembers that in the past she was all like, “The engagement ring better not be the first diamond he bought for me!” when discussing her future husband. I mean, come on. I would trade ALL THIS – the diamonds, the massage parlor, the silk boxers, the rose petals, the chocolate-covered strawberries – for some commitment and fortitude from this guy. How about that?
She has been in love with him since she was 16 and he was 18. She throws herself at him at this age, kissing him, encouraging him to grope her, trying to get him to fuck her. He doesn't. Not only is she a minor but she is his best friend's little sister, and he promised him not to touch her – more on this later. They never get together. He eventually fucks her. But he never mans up and commits to her, causing her a lot of pain and heartache and fuckedupness in her relationships. Now he's 35 and he's finally coming around to do it right. This time, he's going to commit. This time, he is ready to settle down. This time, he wants her to be Wife.
And of course she's totally on board with this. When she should tell him to get lost. What the FUCK was he doing these past 17 years!? Fucking a whole bunch of women and sowing his wild oats, I guess? While she is just apparently throwing herself into work and going on some half-hearted dates.
At one point she'd literally gone years without sex. Even now, she couldn't recall the last time she'd had sex with a man.
Also, he's finally decided to stand up to her brother and date her.
Which brings me to this point, which always happens in romance novels – the hero wants the sister, but the brother makes him SWEAR never to touch her or some shit. In this case, two people who could have been EXTREMELY HAPPY together since ages 16/18 instead spend 17 years apart, and her being miserable all the while, the hero occasionally throwing her a bone (no pun intended) by kissing her once in a blue moon or fucking her once or twice but basically staying the heck out of her life. I'm sorry, it's none of your siblings' business whom you fuck or date or love. Just because someone is your sibling, doesn't mean you have a right to dictate their sex life or romantic life or who can be their romantic partner.
And Grayson just agrees to this. “Yeah, I'll never touch your sister, man. Forget that she's completely in love with me, practically crawling into my bed naked in order to get me to fuck her, and I have real feelings for her. Forget all that. Fuck our love, I'll never touch her because you've told me not to.” I mean, WTF? The brother is wrong to pull this shit, and Grayson is wrong for allowing him to pull this shit. It's ludicrous. Stand up.
Just feel like Grayson genuinely hurt Sage, and now he thinks romantic gestures can make it all better. It can't. I would feel more romantic if he scaled back on the 'Hollywood romance' and tried being an actual human being to her – proving to her that he can be stable, kind, and a pillar for her.
MONEY
Apparently these two are loaded. He's an attorney general, so maybe I can buy that, but she teaches ELL in foreign countries. “Oh, maybe she was born rich?” I thought, but then the book explains to me that she grew up poor, he father struggled with drugs and her mom worked three jobs. So... what gives? Where is the money for this frou-frou lifestyle coming from? How is she affording this shit?
HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN?
I guess it's fine, but I'm angry at the hero, so I can't fully enjoy it. It doesn't matter how much vulva-eating you do, if you are not going to be there for her in her day-to-day life, you're worthless to me.
ROMANCE CATEGORIES
African-American Romance
Contemporary Romance
Holiday/Christmas Romance
Non-Virgin Heroine
TL;DR – Two short Christmas romances. Mixed results. It's hard to fit what you need to fit into a romance novel when you have to write a novella. The authors try valiantly, but you can see the struggle.
July 14, 2016
Dealing as they do with American Christmases, I was prepared for the usual amount of sappy idealizing about the holiday, like those inevitable Christmas albums that come out with the familiar carols bowdlerized by famous celebrities. While Christmas is the backdrop, it’s the characters themselves that merit attention.
In the first story, “Mistletoe Mantra”, I found myself irked by Nomi’s unprofessional attitude once she runs into the shy, nerdy boy-turned-hunk that is Lincoln Porter. He’s determined to keep her from finding out his secret and she succumbs just a little too easily to his seductive charms. I found myself more annoyed than turned on when she allowed herself to be wooed into his bed only a few days after meeting him. Granted, he is the brother of her lifelong friend so he’s hardly a stranger. But what happened to professionalism? And once she found out his secret she should have been more focused on her task not determined to get another romp in the hay.
Also, the sabotage that occurred to sour their budding relationship was never fully explained to him. She merely kept apologizing for it like it was entirely her fault when she had nothing to do with it. She stopped eventually but not soon enough for my taste.
The second story, “White Hot Holiday” is more to my liking. Rather than being a female swept off her feet, Sage is a go-getter, a confident sexual dynamo who has no problem seducing the man she’s had her eye on for years. For once, we see the playboy taken aback by the sexually assured woman. Even if she does seem to be holding out for his sexual healing instead of sampling the great variety of men out there, she knows what she wants and goes after it.
This pair of stories could have been better written. But as they stand they are merely adequate.
In the first story, “Mistletoe Mantra”, I found myself irked by Nomi’s unprofessional attitude once she runs into the shy, nerdy boy-turned-hunk that is Lincoln Porter. He’s determined to keep her from finding out his secret and she succumbs just a little too easily to his seductive charms. I found myself more annoyed than turned on when she allowed herself to be wooed into his bed only a few days after meeting him. Granted, he is the brother of her lifelong friend so he’s hardly a stranger. But what happened to professionalism? And once she found out his secret she should have been more focused on her task not determined to get another romp in the hay.
Also, the sabotage that occurred to sour their budding relationship was never fully explained to him. She merely kept apologizing for it like it was entirely her fault when she had nothing to do with it. She stopped eventually but not soon enough for my taste.
The second story, “White Hot Holiday” is more to my liking. Rather than being a female swept off her feet, Sage is a go-getter, a confident sexual dynamo who has no problem seducing the man she’s had her eye on for years. For once, we see the playboy taken aback by the sexually assured woman. Even if she does seem to be holding out for his sexual healing instead of sampling the great variety of men out there, she knows what she wants and goes after it.
This pair of stories could have been better written. But as they stand they are merely adequate.
October 11, 2015
Received from Netgalley.
This book is actually two novellas about Christmas, both contemporary romances. I don't really have a lot to say about them. I found them fine, but not really all that appealing to me on an emotional level. I'll go one at a time.
Tis the season for finding passion and rediscovering love…
wrapped
Mistletoe Mantra by Nana Malone
Returning to her Virginia hometown where her fiancé dumped her—years earlier on Christmas Eve—is making Nomi Adams croon the holiday blues. She needs to find the reclusive photographer who can advance her magazine career. However, Lincoln Porter's on his own rescue mission this yuletide. Because during this season of love and renewal, Faith, Virginia, looks to be a place for second chances…
So to begin, the premise seemed a little forced to me. I just didn't buy that the editor would put so much pressure on Nomi to find the photos. But okay, I can deal with that. Moving on, I thought that their romance was fine, but not particularly engaging. Things progressed in a normal manner. I did like Nomi and Lincoln, but I found the final difficulty between them artificial and manufactured rather than natural.
White Hot Holiday by Sherelle Green
A solo Caribbean vacation is college professor Sage Langley's perfect escape from Christmas and all its merriment. But she has unexpected and thrilling company at Grayson Ellington's luxurious vacation home: the sexy attorney himself! And her brother's best friend—who has desired and longed for Sage for years—has fantasies and plans for a red-hot romance to chase away her winter doldrums.
This story was more fun for me. The set up was more believable. I liked Sage and Grayson, and while there wasn't a lot of drama to the romance, it was fun read and light and quick.
This book is actually two novellas about Christmas, both contemporary romances. I don't really have a lot to say about them. I found them fine, but not really all that appealing to me on an emotional level. I'll go one at a time.
Tis the season for finding passion and rediscovering love…
wrapped
Mistletoe Mantra by Nana Malone
Returning to her Virginia hometown where her fiancé dumped her—years earlier on Christmas Eve—is making Nomi Adams croon the holiday blues. She needs to find the reclusive photographer who can advance her magazine career. However, Lincoln Porter's on his own rescue mission this yuletide. Because during this season of love and renewal, Faith, Virginia, looks to be a place for second chances…
So to begin, the premise seemed a little forced to me. I just didn't buy that the editor would put so much pressure on Nomi to find the photos. But okay, I can deal with that. Moving on, I thought that their romance was fine, but not particularly engaging. Things progressed in a normal manner. I did like Nomi and Lincoln, but I found the final difficulty between them artificial and manufactured rather than natural.
White Hot Holiday by Sherelle Green
A solo Caribbean vacation is college professor Sage Langley's perfect escape from Christmas and all its merriment. But she has unexpected and thrilling company at Grayson Ellington's luxurious vacation home: the sexy attorney himself! And her brother's best friend—who has desired and longed for Sage for years—has fantasies and plans for a red-hot romance to chase away her winter doldrums.
This story was more fun for me. The set up was more believable. I liked Sage and Grayson, and while there wasn't a lot of drama to the romance, it was fun read and light and quick.
November 1, 2015
What a great second chance at love story! Linc has been head over heels for his twin sister's best friend forever and is the one that helped her leave town and him when her young heart was broken by her then boyfriend. Years later her job brings her to her hometown at Christmas time which also happens to be the time of the year she hates the most in her little home town because the whole town goes all out for Christmas and it is also the time of the year that her heart was broken. When she sees Linc again after all of these years, she can't believe her eyes! Nomi can't seem to see the little boy anymore and is totally taken with the grown man he has become. While she is on the hunt for an elusive photographer for her magazine, Linc knows he needs to keep her close to prevent her from learning the truth. Their closeness brings all kinds of fun and even a bet. Loved it and wished it was longer. Would love to read more and would definitely love to read Jilly's story!
October 7, 2015
Mistletoe Mantra: When Nomi has to return home to Faith, VA to find Nolan Polk, she doesn't expect to fall in love. She has bad memories of her home town and promised to never return back. Lincoln, the twin of her best friend Jilly picks her up at the train station when she finally makes it home, he tells her he'll help her find this Polk guy. Little does she know, Lincoln and Nolan are one in the same. Will he be able to keep his secret from her? The more the two hang out, the more they start to fall for each other, but when Nomi learns his secret, will it ruin everything they have? After all, she was only there for work then planned to head back to LA, but now that feelings are involved what will happen to the two of them? Amazing story and a must read!
February 6, 2016
I really enjoyed this two for one book. This was a first read for me of Nana Malone, and it won't be the last. If you looking for a holiday read no matter the time frame this is a great one to relax and enjoy.
October 25, 2015
Both novellas were cute and followed the holiday romance formula that I love so much. A full review will be posted upon the book's release.
December 31, 2015
review to come
December 7, 2016
Mistletoe Mantra and White Hot Holiday by Nana Malone and Sherelle Green respectively are two very engaging stories. As I finished reading both stories I wished for more.
December 18, 2019
A funny, sweet, sexy adventure! Mistletoe Mantra was intriguing and captivating...I love the character of Nomi Adams, she was strong and determined and sure of herself! She and Lincoln Porter was perfect together...highly recommend
October 22, 2019
“Hopeless romantic” storyline love those the most because real feelings get dealt with and true love is found...loved it💋
May 31, 2022
A really good story
March 20, 2017
Mistletoe Mantra : I love Nana Malone books. This book's story line was good. I really liked the hot & steamy scenes. I liked the chemistry in this story. I liked Nomi's character. I felt sorry for Nomi. I liked Linc's character. I liked the ending.
White Hot Holiday: This is the 2nd book I read by Sherelle Green. This book's story was good. I liked the hot & steamy scenes. I liked Sage's character. I felt sorry for Sage. I liked Grayson's character. I liked what Grayson did for Sage. The ending was okay.
White Hot Holiday: This is the 2nd book I read by Sherelle Green. This book's story was good. I liked the hot & steamy scenes. I liked Sage's character. I felt sorry for Sage. I liked Grayson's character. I liked what Grayson did for Sage. The ending was okay.
October 13, 2015
This review is for Mistletoe Mantra.
Nomi’s job is taking her back home…a place where 5 years ago she vowed to never return. When the coworker who is competing with her for a Senior Editor position jumps at the chance to go, she must suck it up and head to Faith, VA. Hopefully she’ll be able to do the job at hand, find the brilliant, but reclusive, photographer, Nolan Polk, and get out of town before Christmas and before her family finds out she is there. With it being so close to the holidays, there are no rental cars anywhere, so Nomi calls on her best friend, Jilly, to pick her up from the train station. Jilly is swamped and can’t get away from work so she hands it off to her twin brother, Linc.
Linc was always the shy, skinny, awkward, quiet type, the one who stayed out of the spotlight but was always there for Jilly and Nomi. The one who also has been secretly in love with Nomi pretty much since he first saw her. He jumps at the chance to help out and offers to be Nomi’s personal chauffeur and to help however he can in locating Mr. Polk. Of course, Linc has his own reasons for wanting to help, other than the obvious of wanting to be around her, he needed to know exactly why she needed to find Nolan Polk, what she wanted from this, if he could trust her; he had everything riding on this since he and Nolan Polk are one in the same…he’d already been burnt once and wasn’t about to let it happen again.
Nomi is blown away by the man Linc has become, the sex-on-a-stick man that is. They spend a few days together and the sparks fly. The electricity between the two is something Nomi’s never felt. They both open up and let some of their guard down and end up having a great time and the chemistry takes over and there is no denying the need they have for one another.
Things are going great and then come to a crashing halt. Lies, deception, and betrayal can tear a person down and make them question everything. Can they find it in themselves to believe in and trust each other, admit and trust what they feel?
This is a good, quick read. Perfect to snuggle up with some cocoa and a blanket and get lost in the written word. A great story of second chances. It was great to see them reconnect on a friend level first and proceed from there. Oh boy, and when they did proceed, wow! Great steamy, fist curling in the sheets, steamy scenes!
Nomi’s job is taking her back home…a place where 5 years ago she vowed to never return. When the coworker who is competing with her for a Senior Editor position jumps at the chance to go, she must suck it up and head to Faith, VA. Hopefully she’ll be able to do the job at hand, find the brilliant, but reclusive, photographer, Nolan Polk, and get out of town before Christmas and before her family finds out she is there. With it being so close to the holidays, there are no rental cars anywhere, so Nomi calls on her best friend, Jilly, to pick her up from the train station. Jilly is swamped and can’t get away from work so she hands it off to her twin brother, Linc.
Linc was always the shy, skinny, awkward, quiet type, the one who stayed out of the spotlight but was always there for Jilly and Nomi. The one who also has been secretly in love with Nomi pretty much since he first saw her. He jumps at the chance to help out and offers to be Nomi’s personal chauffeur and to help however he can in locating Mr. Polk. Of course, Linc has his own reasons for wanting to help, other than the obvious of wanting to be around her, he needed to know exactly why she needed to find Nolan Polk, what she wanted from this, if he could trust her; he had everything riding on this since he and Nolan Polk are one in the same…he’d already been burnt once and wasn’t about to let it happen again.
Nomi is blown away by the man Linc has become, the sex-on-a-stick man that is. They spend a few days together and the sparks fly. The electricity between the two is something Nomi’s never felt. They both open up and let some of their guard down and end up having a great time and the chemistry takes over and there is no denying the need they have for one another.
Things are going great and then come to a crashing halt. Lies, deception, and betrayal can tear a person down and make them question everything. Can they find it in themselves to believe in and trust each other, admit and trust what they feel?
This is a good, quick read. Perfect to snuggle up with some cocoa and a blanket and get lost in the written word. A great story of second chances. It was great to see them reconnect on a friend level first and proceed from there. Oh boy, and when they did proceed, wow! Great steamy, fist curling in the sheets, steamy scenes!
November 10, 2015
CONCEPT
The concept of the story this the season for rediscovering love.
STORY
Mistletoe Mantra by Nana Malone
Returning to her Virginia hometown where her fiancé dumped her—years earlier on Christmas Eve—is making Nomi Adams croon the holiday blues. She needs to find the reclusive photographer who can advance her magazine career. However, Lincoln Porter's on his own rescue mission this yuletide. Because during this season of love and renewal, Faith, Virginia, looks to be a place for second chances…
White Hot Holiday by Sherelle Green
A solo Caribbean vacation is college professor Sage Langley's perfect escape from Christmas and all its merriment. But she has unexpected and thrilling company at Grayson Ellington's luxurious vacation home: the sexy attorney himself! And her brother's best friend—who has desired and longed for Sage for years—has fantasies and plans for a red-hot romance to chase away her winter doldrums
CHARACTERS
Ms. Malone did a good job with character development. Nomi Adams vowed never to return home but she needed to locate the reclusive photographer in hopes of furthering her career. She doesn’t realize that the place she left because of heartbreak would be the same place she would find love with her best friend’s brother, Lincoln Porter.
In White Hot Holiday, Ms. Green introduces Sage Langley and Grayson Ellington. This duo share a past but events transpired that they did not pursue their attraction until this holiday season. Grayson has decided now is the time to reveal his feelings for Sage and is determined to fill her holiday with happy memories.
DIALOGUE
The dialogue was fine for both these stories.
STRUCTURE
The structure of the stories flowed and was engaging.
OVERALL
Wrapped in Red is a good holiday read and readers will enjoy the stories. This was my first book by Nana Malone and I look forward to reading more of her work. I have been a fan of Sherelle Green’s Elite series and enjoyed her contribution to the Wrapped in Read book.
The concept of the story this the season for rediscovering love.
STORY
Mistletoe Mantra by Nana Malone
Returning to her Virginia hometown where her fiancé dumped her—years earlier on Christmas Eve—is making Nomi Adams croon the holiday blues. She needs to find the reclusive photographer who can advance her magazine career. However, Lincoln Porter's on his own rescue mission this yuletide. Because during this season of love and renewal, Faith, Virginia, looks to be a place for second chances…
White Hot Holiday by Sherelle Green
A solo Caribbean vacation is college professor Sage Langley's perfect escape from Christmas and all its merriment. But she has unexpected and thrilling company at Grayson Ellington's luxurious vacation home: the sexy attorney himself! And her brother's best friend—who has desired and longed for Sage for years—has fantasies and plans for a red-hot romance to chase away her winter doldrums
CHARACTERS
Ms. Malone did a good job with character development. Nomi Adams vowed never to return home but she needed to locate the reclusive photographer in hopes of furthering her career. She doesn’t realize that the place she left because of heartbreak would be the same place she would find love with her best friend’s brother, Lincoln Porter.
In White Hot Holiday, Ms. Green introduces Sage Langley and Grayson Ellington. This duo share a past but events transpired that they did not pursue their attraction until this holiday season. Grayson has decided now is the time to reveal his feelings for Sage and is determined to fill her holiday with happy memories.
DIALOGUE
The dialogue was fine for both these stories.
STRUCTURE
The structure of the stories flowed and was engaging.
OVERALL
Wrapped in Red is a good holiday read and readers will enjoy the stories. This was my first book by Nana Malone and I look forward to reading more of her work. I have been a fan of Sherelle Green’s Elite series and enjoyed her contribution to the Wrapped in Read book.
October 24, 2015
Two warm and delightful Christmas novellas in one book, both with a focus on old friends, finding love over Christmas time, the support of a family, and second, if not third chances to get it right.
I enjoyed both of the stories, they are sweet, yet steamy with passion. They highlight the importance of being friends first, then lovers, and how family is important, always.
In the first story, Mistletoe Mantra, Lincoln has been in love with Nomi for years, and now when they finally have a chance, there's a job order Nomi has, that tries to come in between them. I liked the setting, I thought the characters were very charismatic, and easy to like. They were honest and straightforward, and went after what they wanted, what they loved, and felt passionate about. I was little surprised about Nomi's parents. Their actions in the past were a little odd, and the expectations they had from a teenager, were difficult for me to understand. But other than that, the story has just enough complexity and was interesting to follow, and the feelings between Lincoln and Nomi were believable and palpable.
In the second story, White Hot Holiday, Sage and Grayson have had some romantic history between them since they were teenagers. Family events and drama, Sage moving overseas, and life in general, has gotten in between them several times. Now both at the same time in the same place, and alone, they have time to talk about the past, spend some time together, and clear the air, and declare their feelings for each other.
This is a sweet, short, and a scorching hot tale, where two people who are meant to be together, finally find themselves at the right time in the right place in life, to pursue the relationship, and work towards a future together.
Lovely and entertaining Christmas novellas that are coming out next week, all Wrapped In Red and in one cover
~ Four Spoons
I enjoyed both of the stories, they are sweet, yet steamy with passion. They highlight the importance of being friends first, then lovers, and how family is important, always.
In the first story, Mistletoe Mantra, Lincoln has been in love with Nomi for years, and now when they finally have a chance, there's a job order Nomi has, that tries to come in between them. I liked the setting, I thought the characters were very charismatic, and easy to like. They were honest and straightforward, and went after what they wanted, what they loved, and felt passionate about. I was little surprised about Nomi's parents. Their actions in the past were a little odd, and the expectations they had from a teenager, were difficult for me to understand. But other than that, the story has just enough complexity and was interesting to follow, and the feelings between Lincoln and Nomi were believable and palpable.
In the second story, White Hot Holiday, Sage and Grayson have had some romantic history between them since they were teenagers. Family events and drama, Sage moving overseas, and life in general, has gotten in between them several times. Now both at the same time in the same place, and alone, they have time to talk about the past, spend some time together, and clear the air, and declare their feelings for each other.
This is a sweet, short, and a scorching hot tale, where two people who are meant to be together, finally find themselves at the right time in the right place in life, to pursue the relationship, and work towards a future together.
Lovely and entertaining Christmas novellas that are coming out next week, all Wrapped In Red and in one cover
~ Four Spoons
November 1, 2015
Mistletoe Mantra was a quick second chance romance. I enjoyed it, but I felt like the premise read a little too much like a formula. Girl has bad experience with boy, runs away with help of guy crushing on her, becomes successful, must return home...etc etc. It was a cute read, and put together well, it was just very predictable, as I turned the page I was like this is the part where they get together, this is the part something goes wrong, the reader could see everything coming.
Nomi struck me as being so bitter about the past that she couldn't see the present, or the future. She was so afraid to even return home, refused to speak to her family, it seemed like the only people she was willing to put herself out there for were Jilly and Linc, her best friend and her twin brother.
Linc has been in love with Nomi since high school, he helped her escape her embarrassing break up with her boyfriend and skip town, only to lose touch with her. He moves on with life and becomes successful, only to be betrayed by the woman he thought he loved. Now he's scared it will happen again, only this time with Nomi. He has to decide if Nomi's love is worth the risk, or if he should keep himself lock up tight.
Overall a nice story, just don't expect any surprises.
Nomi struck me as being so bitter about the past that she couldn't see the present, or the future. She was so afraid to even return home, refused to speak to her family, it seemed like the only people she was willing to put herself out there for were Jilly and Linc, her best friend and her twin brother.
Linc has been in love with Nomi since high school, he helped her escape her embarrassing break up with her boyfriend and skip town, only to lose touch with her. He moves on with life and becomes successful, only to be betrayed by the woman he thought he loved. Now he's scared it will happen again, only this time with Nomi. He has to decide if Nomi's love is worth the risk, or if he should keep himself lock up tight.
Overall a nice story, just don't expect any surprises.
November 1, 2015
Review for Mistletoe Mantra
This book is in a book called Wrapped in Red. I only read this one, but I would love to read Hot White Holiday by Sherelle Green. This book was different. It was not the normal boy meets girl, and they have issues to make it back to one another. This time the girl goes home after being away for 5 years. There was no idea that romance would be in the picture.
Nomi was 17 when she left home the last time after having her heart broken by Brad. Now she is back successful. Nomi is back for her job at a magazine to find Nolan Polk, who is living in her hometown. She can not seem to find any information on him, but about his photos. Nomi catches up with her best friend, Jilly, and her twin brother, Lincoln. Lincoln picked her up at the train station and helps her to find Nolan.
I love that this is based around Christmas time. It made me to look forward to Christmas with my family. I loved this book!
☆☆☆☆☆
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.
Would I recommend this book? Yes! Author? Yes!
Would I read more from this author? Yes!
Happy Reading!
Melissa
This book is in a book called Wrapped in Red. I only read this one, but I would love to read Hot White Holiday by Sherelle Green. This book was different. It was not the normal boy meets girl, and they have issues to make it back to one another. This time the girl goes home after being away for 5 years. There was no idea that romance would be in the picture.
Nomi was 17 when she left home the last time after having her heart broken by Brad. Now she is back successful. Nomi is back for her job at a magazine to find Nolan Polk, who is living in her hometown. She can not seem to find any information on him, but about his photos. Nomi catches up with her best friend, Jilly, and her twin brother, Lincoln. Lincoln picked her up at the train station and helps her to find Nolan.
I love that this is based around Christmas time. It made me to look forward to Christmas with my family. I loved this book!
☆☆☆☆☆
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.
Would I recommend this book? Yes! Author? Yes!
Would I read more from this author? Yes!
Happy Reading!
Melissa
December 31, 2015
Originally published at Reading Reality
Mistletoe Mantra is a terrific little holiday story that puts together some tried-and-oh-so-true romance themes and wraps them up in a red Christmas bow. This is story where, as Nana says in her guest post below, nice guys do not finish last. Not only that, but this particular nice guy has been hiding a big streak of naughty from his best friend for years and year. Because while Nomi Adams has never figured out it, she has always been Lincoln Porter’s “little redheaded girl”. Just like Charlie Brown, Linc has loved Nomi from the day she walked into his life, and he has loved her from the shadows, while she and his sister (and Nomi’s best friend) grew up and got even more beautiful right before his eyes. What Nomi discovers when she returns home after years away, is that Lincoln has had his own moment of transformation, and that the shy little boy she remembers has been replaced by a very hot and incredibly thoughtful man with some big secrets of his own. Including a secret that Nomi has come home to expose.
Mistletoe Mantra is a terrific little holiday story that puts together some tried-and-oh-so-true romance themes and wraps them up in a red Christmas bow. This is story where, as Nana says in her guest post below, nice guys do not finish last. Not only that, but this particular nice guy has been hiding a big streak of naughty from his best friend for years and year. Because while Nomi Adams has never figured out it, she has always been Lincoln Porter’s “little redheaded girl”. Just like Charlie Brown, Linc has loved Nomi from the day she walked into his life, and he has loved her from the shadows, while she and his sister (and Nomi’s best friend) grew up and got even more beautiful right before his eyes. What Nomi discovers when she returns home after years away, is that Lincoln has had his own moment of transformation, and that the shy little boy she remembers has been replaced by a very hot and incredibly thoughtful man with some big secrets of his own. Including a secret that Nomi has come home to expose.
October 24, 2015
This was a good story but could have really benefited from a good editing. There were lots of misspelled words, incorrect words used, etc. Something that I saw at least twice was when the Character Nomi had her name spoken to her (and it said Nomi) she would say something like, I go by Nomi....excuse me....those are spelled the same way. If the pronunciation is different, spell it differently to show the difference to us. It threw me off every time.
The story concept itself was really nice. Loved the characters, their dialogue, and the way the story was written in a multi POV. Nomi and Linc we so easy to love. Would love to see a book with Jilly so we can see her get her HEA (as long as we have Nomi and Linc in it as well)
I first read Nana when she wrote Game, Set, Match and loved it. (actually, I listened to it because I have it as an audio book)
So...Would I recommend this book? Yes
Would I read more from this author? Yes - I have liked both things that I have read so far.
Sassy Beta Reading & Review
www.facebook.com/sassybetareading
The story concept itself was really nice. Loved the characters, their dialogue, and the way the story was written in a multi POV. Nomi and Linc we so easy to love. Would love to see a book with Jilly so we can see her get her HEA (as long as we have Nomi and Linc in it as well)
I first read Nana when she wrote Game, Set, Match and loved it. (actually, I listened to it because I have it as an audio book)
So...Would I recommend this book? Yes
Would I read more from this author? Yes - I have liked both things that I have read so far.
Sassy Beta Reading & Review
www.facebook.com/sassybetareading
October 21, 2015
Mistletoe Mantra (ARC) ****
Pretty good, fast paced story about a couple with past hurts and when their insecurities are tested, have to decide if they’re going to keep running or take a chance on love.
Nomi is proud of being the career-driven woman she's always wanted to become, but returning to Faith, VA for Christmas is not what she ever wants to do. Knowing that if she doesn't return & find the reclusive photographer, Nolan Polk, then her competitive co-worker may find him and get the promotion that Nomi herself wants, she makes plans to go but leave before Christmas.
Linc has a few secrets, he’s the twin to Nomi’s best friend, Jilly and has always been crazy about Nomi. He was used & dumped in his last serious relationship so now doesn’t trust women. He’s no longer shy though and quickly makes sure Nomi knows he’s interested in her.
They begin to build on their friendship but Linc’s secret is soon revealed to Nomi who is upset but forgiving as he opens up to her only to later feel betrayed again by a woman.
Pretty good, fast paced story about a couple with past hurts and when their insecurities are tested, have to decide if they’re going to keep running or take a chance on love.
Nomi is proud of being the career-driven woman she's always wanted to become, but returning to Faith, VA for Christmas is not what she ever wants to do. Knowing that if she doesn't return & find the reclusive photographer, Nolan Polk, then her competitive co-worker may find him and get the promotion that Nomi herself wants, she makes plans to go but leave before Christmas.
Linc has a few secrets, he’s the twin to Nomi’s best friend, Jilly and has always been crazy about Nomi. He was used & dumped in his last serious relationship so now doesn’t trust women. He’s no longer shy though and quickly makes sure Nomi knows he’s interested in her.
They begin to build on their friendship but Linc’s secret is soon revealed to Nomi who is upset but forgiving as he opens up to her only to later feel betrayed again by a woman.
November 2, 2015
Mistletoe Mantra
This was a quick fun read dealing with two characters who have made some bad decisions. Nomi said she would never return to her hometown when she left 5 years before. Having to return to locate a photographer she wants a photo from is not making her feel warm and fuzzy. Linc has loved Nomi since they were kids, with her coming home to look for the photographer he is hoping for a second chance to get her to fall for him and protect his secret. This was a good story, it keeps your interest and had developed characters. I liked that it was filled with the interactions between the two characters as they got to know each other again. A kiss under the mistletoe is just the thing to work the Christmas magic and spark the gift of love. I hope to see these two again and maybe a story for Linc's sister.
This was a quick fun read dealing with two characters who have made some bad decisions. Nomi said she would never return to her hometown when she left 5 years before. Having to return to locate a photographer she wants a photo from is not making her feel warm and fuzzy. Linc has loved Nomi since they were kids, with her coming home to look for the photographer he is hoping for a second chance to get her to fall for him and protect his secret. This was a good story, it keeps your interest and had developed characters. I liked that it was filled with the interactions between the two characters as they got to know each other again. A kiss under the mistletoe is just the thing to work the Christmas magic and spark the gift of love. I hope to see these two again and maybe a story for Linc's sister.
October 19, 2015
This review is for Mistletoe Mantra only as I haven't read White Hot Holiday. I received ARC version for honest review.
This was a beautifully written novella for the upcoming holiday season. I thought Nomi and Lincoln/Nolan together make a sweet young couple. Both have been burned by, what they thought was, love before. In Nomi's case she ran from her hometown and Lincoln ran back home. Only to come together in that same hometown to find love with each other. In addition, Nomi got a chance to start repairing the distance between her and her parents. What I would have like to have been address was how Lincoln handled the email he received from Melinda (his ex and agent). Nevertheless a sweet novella.
This was a beautifully written novella for the upcoming holiday season. I thought Nomi and Lincoln/Nolan together make a sweet young couple. Both have been burned by, what they thought was, love before. In Nomi's case she ran from her hometown and Lincoln ran back home. Only to come together in that same hometown to find love with each other. In addition, Nomi got a chance to start repairing the distance between her and her parents. What I would have like to have been address was how Lincoln handled the email he received from Melinda (his ex and agent). Nevertheless a sweet novella.
April 2, 2022
Nana’s book upset me the most, because she withheld (seemingly on purpose) that Linc was a white man until the very end. The reason that this upset me is because she describes Naomi (Nomi) in great detail, but only mentions Linc’s eyes until the very end - when she has Linc to casually describe walking into a village in Angola and the locals being curious about a group of white men. I didn’t appreciate this. Sherrelle’s book was very rushed. I usually enjoy most of her books, but I felt like we couldn’t get to know the couple, because there were so few pages and depth. I’d absolutely skip this one if I had the chance again.
October 27, 2015
Mistletoe Mantra: Cute, sweet and HOT! The relationship between the ambitious journalist and the brother-turned-hottie seemed destined from the second they set eyes on each other again. If I was Nomi I don't know if I would have waited as long as she did to jump Lincoln LOL I loved the interaction with Nomi and Lincoln, but I felt that Nomi's relationship with her mom and dad brought the story down a little. Besides that part of the story the rest of it was great, from the small town atmosphere to the budding romance to an "awwwwww"-inspiring ending. Definitely worth the read!
November 1, 2015
Wrapped in Red/ Mistletoe Mantra by Nana Malone
***I was given an ARC for an honest review for which I was not paid ***
This is Lincoln and Nomi's story. The couple are both likeable people who have known each other since they were teenagers. They both have had failed relationships which leaves them both with trust issues.
I liked this story because 90% of it was the interaction between the couple them getting to know each other and falling in love. It was a very romantic read and I really enjoyed it.
***I was given an ARC for an honest review for which I was not paid ***
This is Lincoln and Nomi's story. The couple are both likeable people who have known each other since they were teenagers. They both have had failed relationships which leaves them both with trust issues.
I liked this story because 90% of it was the interaction between the couple them getting to know each other and falling in love. It was a very romantic read and I really enjoyed it.
December 11, 2015
I really enjoyed both of these stories. The first one, "Mistletoe Mantra" was enjoyable and kept my interest. Nomi and Linc were both very likeable characters and I was pleased to see their past friendship grow into something more. It was a little fast paced and I do wish some aspects of the story hadn't been glossed over so quickly, but it was a fun read. The second one, "White Hot Holiday" was very sweet; a perfect holiday read. Sage and Grayson were likeable as well and they had a lot of romantic moments.
October 11, 2015
In Mistletoe Mantra, Nomi Adams is reluctant to come home where her fiancé dumped her on Christmas Eve. Her job sends her there to find an elusive photographer and she finds so much more.
White Hot Holiday finds college professor Sage Langley escaping Christmas by taking a holiday away from family and friends. Little does she know childhood friend Grayson Ellington plans on joining her.
Both stories were about love and renewal.
White Hot Holiday finds college professor Sage Langley escaping Christmas by taking a holiday away from family and friends. Little does she know childhood friend Grayson Ellington plans on joining her.
Both stories were about love and renewal.
December 16, 2015
This book gave me two power packed stories that I was able to read in one day. Best of all they provided me with a lovely Christmasy feeling coupled with the ahhh I get after reading a great romance novel.
What I liked most about both stories is that the heroines had to deal with their past and were friends with the heroes which amped up the romance and brought a bit of intrigue to the stories.
What I liked most about both stories is that the heroines had to deal with their past and were friends with the heroes which amped up the romance and brought a bit of intrigue to the stories.
January 12, 2016
Mistletoe Mantra - Nana Malone -Linc & Nomi have a very short time to make a connection to last. This winter holiday season this will all come together for them around a lie from omission.
White Hot Holiday - Sherelle Green -Sage & Grayson both have a Caribbean winter holiday in mind this year. Maybe this holiday season will be the one that makes it worth it all.
White Hot Holiday - Sherelle Green -Sage & Grayson both have a Caribbean winter holiday in mind this year. Maybe this holiday season will be the one that makes it worth it all.
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