Stuck in a snowstorm is bad. Stuck in a snowstorm with the ex-boyfriend you sort-of, kind-of betrayed is even worse. Add a mysterious critter prowling outside and the kooky antics of WPRV, the Most Haunted Radio Station in the USA, and it's a spooky Christmas like no other.
An interior decorator, hired to spruce up her movie star ex's cabin, is prevented from leaving by a devil monkey. The two ex's stay in the cabin for a weekend and mend all their differences, then the star's fiancee comes in...
After the fun of the last two entries in the Banshee Creek series, I was all in for the next Franco brother to get his romance in a spirited second chance snowed in for the holidays with rumors of a monster on the loose sort of way.
A Merry Monster Holiday is the third book in the Banshee Creek paranormal romance series and works best read in order so the worldbuilding and ongoing events and characters will make sense.
We return to the most haunted town in America for Lili and Sebastian's story. Lili and Bastian were in love and were supposed to go away to Hollywood together, but she chickened out and stayed behind while he went on and became a successful actor. Now, instead of movie set designs, she designs homes and the occasional local TV show set and she's just redesigned Bastian's lake cabin at the behest of his relations without his permission. Lil wants to get well out of Sebastian's way before he arrives, but a severe blizzard and rumors of a mythical Devil Monkey trap her and the newly arrived Sebastian. The old spark is still there, but will his Hollywood ex manage to scotch their chances?
Like the rest of the series, it was funny and steamy, but... rushed- so rushed toward the end. It introduced the characters, the setting and situation, and a decent conflict, but once his ex showed up it was off to the races. The quirky small-town antics, the Franco family, and even a solid development to the romance were largely absent. I liked this one, but wanted to like it more.
Sebastian and Lili have some fun dialogue, playful moments, and some steam. They both are trying to get over the hurt from past decisions to separate for different reasons. Lili wasn't ready to leave and Sebastian was more than ready. It was one of those situations that they wanted different things at the time. The second chance when they are in different places in their life and ready to focus on relationship rather than careers. I thought they were great together.
Caine and his band of paranormal researchers were hilarious and I loved when they crashed the scene with Sebastian's manipulative ex. And, it was sweet to get a little scene with ghostly Cole and the Devil Monkey to close out this latest installment.
So, it was good if somewhat rushed in the end. I can't wait to move on to Zach's story next and return to the hilarious antics that go on in and around Banshee Creek.
I am trying to figure out what everyone else saw in this book that I missed. I originally thought I might like this because I enjoy reading paranormal books, especially when they involve ghosts, but this book is not about ghosts, and is paranormal because of the haunting town where the story takes place and the absurd legend/monster who figures in it. Lily, a stager/decorator in a small town in Virginia, is stuck in a blizzard, at a remote cabin she was remodeling/redecorating, with her ex-boyfriend, Sebastian, who had eft her and gone off to become a well-known movie star. Though they parted a while ago, there is still a spark between them, which is growing as they stay together during the storm—until Sebastian’s ex-fiancée/movie star shows up unannounced, hoping to rekindle their romance and make a big splash in the tabloids to help their recently released movie become a big hit. Though she did not plan it, Lily and Sebastian move right back to where they were in their relationship before he left for the West Coast until his ex shows up. In the middle of this rekindling of their relationship, there is a local legend monster, a strange creature who supposedly appears to people in the area who shows up in the cabin area during the storm. As can be expected, there are also some paranormal searchers/followers out looking for this creature who show up at the cabin.
The story moved along well enough, with Lily and Sebastian holed up in the cabin during the blizzard, renewing their friendship and rekindling their relationship. There was not much suspense to the story, however. When Lily and Sebastian meet and are stranded in the cabin, you expect them to rekindle their romance, which they do, which made up a large part of the story. However, as always, you expect complications in this relationship, which there are, but they really happened too fast, without any lead up, and took the story in a strange, new twisted path. I found the first two thirds of the book an easy read, though rather boring and slow moving. Then, quite unexpectedly, the book moves in different direction, with a strange twist, as paranormal followers appear on the scene, looking for the legendary creature, and whisk Lily off to some foreign land, while Sebastian remains behind, broken hearted by her leaving and trying to stop his one-time fiancée from putting out the false story that she and Sebastian have reconciled (to push their movie to hit status). The plot was strange to me and I had to stop myself to figure out what was going on and who was doing what with whom at times. I think the author could have written a longer book, leading more carefully into some of the events that became important rather than rush right into things with little or no lead in. I also think the author tried to pull in a larger audience, with the title, as there was no ghost in this book, expect perhaps the ghost of the one-time romance between Lily and Sebastian. This is sort of a paranormal book and takes place in a paranormal setting and may appeal to someone who enjoys this sort of thing. Finally, I did not find it especially humorous and fail to see how anyone can label this a romantic comedy. I was light-hearted, but not really funny. I received this from Library Thing to read and review.
A Merry Monster Holiday is the third installment in the Banshee Creek series by Ani Gonzalez.
Virginia Devil Monkeys, in regard to the picturesque spookiness of Banshee Creek, are they real or just a product of copious amounts of spiked punch and drinking the towns Kool-Aid? (Is that the same thing?)
I’ve really fallen in love with Ani’s work and seemingly ever expanding glimpse into the kooky inhabitants of the Most Haunted homelands they share.
It’s always heartening when a small-town turned Hollywood superstar gets back to his roots, inherently cutting the dead weight of the blonde bombshell of a leech he managed to acquire during his foray into the world of glitz, glam, and suntan.
Although, the last portion in the tale seemed to come straight out of left field consequently taking the story in a completely different direction, it didn’t throw me off much in my appreciation of this authors work.
The snow storm encapsulating geeky high school sweethearts Lily Holroyd and Sebastian Franco in his specially hidden in the woods cabin may be an over played stereotype in the genre of romance, but add in Devil Monkeys with a penchant for stealing engines and other electronics and it’s the perfect twist for a Banshee Creek love-fest.
Okay, seeing as I did not read the first two books and did not know what was going on. Basically, a girl is hired as an interior decorator to redo her ex boyfriends cabin in the woods. She is caught there in a blizzard and of course he also shows up unexpectedly. There is also some kind of "devil monkey" running around the neighborhood and ghosts that no one really believes in. Are they real or not?
I really liked this short read. I felt invested in the characters, and I was rooting for them. The only problem I had was the love scenes. While I by no means seek out explicit romance, I wanted more! It was very PG/fade to black, but I would have liked at least something.
The author is creative and this was a cute story. But it really lacked the meat to make it a good read. It’s a second chance story, and the author seemed to forget that they bring a whole other host of necessary detains than a typical romance. We know this couple broke up and she didn’t come to LA, but we don’t know why. We don’t. Understand how he fell for her again so quickly but dropped her so easily for not wanting to move across the country at 18 for his dreams. I get being youthful, but he completely loves on. It doesn’t just reference his dating of a vapid actress, his inner dialogue states that he was “madly in love” with her. She is the complete opposite of his high school sweetheart, so if that’s the kind of girl he was willing to completely change for and basically rule his life for 3 years, there are some serious questions as to how he actually loves the heroine in this story. Another issue, back to lacking meat, thee are no I love you’d exchanged. But a month later (after she has left home to become what he must have wanted her to be) they are in London and she references his loving her... So much skipped info that was necessary to make this a worthy read. Keep trying though, there was definite creativity in the storyline and I could see myself enjoying it.
A storm is on its way and Lily has to get out of the cabin she just finished redecorating quickly--it belongs to her ex and the redesign was a gift from his family and she just doesn't want to run into him--but then her car breaks down on the site and she's stuck waiting for him with the creepy supernatural radio station as her only companion. Sebastion just wants some time alone in his rustic cabin, away from Hollywood and his broken engagement. Finding His ex in his cabin, that looks nothing like his cabin, is not what he expects, but now they're stuck with each other for a few days.
This turns out to be a cute scenario: the Hollywood leading man and the girl who chose not to head out to Hollywood with him reunite and are forced to realize their hangups and the still lingering feelings that they never let go of.
I hadn't read the earlier books but enjoyed this one when I got into it. A town that trades on hauntings has a daft radio station that makes the most of any sightings. But I'm not really into ghost tales and I was glad this one didn't go that way. Instead we have sasquatch-like claims of devil monkeys running round the snowy woods, as a young woman finishes redecorating a cabin retreat for a Hollywood star who is on his way back to chill out for the Christmas holiday.
I like that the two have grown up since they last met and that the guy doesn't let his fame become who he is. There are also other fun characters, including a few who head off to Peru and more of the Hollywood set. The lively tale kept me interested; and it never took itself too seriously. Unlike the radio show.
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
This book is just too much fun! Lighthearted with an abundance of situational humor and just a touch of snark. The publisher's blurb is a teaser only, but I don't want to give synopsis which would spoil the reader's fun. But if it matters, there is a supposed mythological creature creating havoc, and the only visitation by a ghost is a cameo appearance at the very end. Thanks be for the Text-to-Speech. If you don't mind simple oddities, it is a great relief for those with temporary close visual problems. I had never paid attention to this feature until now. This audiobook was provided by the author or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of LibraryThing.
This is a fun romp with lots of rekindled romance and a minimum of holding onto grudges from the past. As usual in Banshee Creek, a paranormal element plays a pivotal role; this time it's the devil monkey, though there is a ghost as well. It's well written and funny and the characters are likable, so if it's light romance and comedy you like, run to buy the Banshee Creek series!
A cute Christmas romance. A fast read with likeable characters and a HEA ending. The story takes place in a cabin in the woods, a snowstorm and a "monster" haunting the woods outside. Fun ensues with a few frights thrown in for good measure.
I really enjoyed the overall story but a major gripe is that this was too short. Would have been so much better had it been longer and the relationship and characters allowed to flourish more.
This was a fun romance, but with very little of any actual paranormal elements. Still, I liked it because I'm not all that into the paranormal, and the romance was barely steamy, which I also liked.
Lilly Holroyd lives in a small Virginia town that is obssessed with paranormal phenomena. Because the town is built on a geological fault, locals believe it attracts sasquatches and their own local monster, the devil monkey. (It's like Roswell, without aliens.) She's asked to redecorate a cabin owned by her ex-boyfriend as a Christmas present from his family. But she is snowed in there, along with the ex, a Hollywood star with a fiancé. Sparks will definitely fly, but for how long?
The paranormal elements were merely hinted at until the very end. It didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story. It was also a bit confusing.
This was my first Ani Gonzalez story, and I think I'll be reading more.
This book was super cute. I really liked how the author made it christmassy and paranormal at the same time. Of course, it wasn’t like super intense or anything. Just a light hearted romance with a slight paranormal undercurrent. It was pretty funny.
The town was the winning character in this story, it had a life of it’s own that I felt overshadowed the flesh and blood characters. From the paranormal fault line that attracted all kinds of creatures to the zany radio host giving spontaneous Virginia Devil Monkey sightings updates within the story, it was just adorable.
The only thing that were I was confused with was the ending. It kinda skipped around a bit with a lot of inferring. And while I can infer with the best of them, it lacked consistency in that aspect because it was pretty straightforward before that. I kinda skimmed the ending because of it.
I’d read another in this series, I think I’ll wait till the next holiday though as this series seems to be centered around specific holidays. It’s more fun that way.
I enjoyed the story. Still sorry that the paranormal elements aren't a bigger part of the story but like the characters and their chemistry. I will say though that the editing seems to get more lax with each entry in the series. I'm not sure if that is due to a race to get the next book released or what but it is unfortunate. There was one place where a number value changed from one sentence to the next. It wasn't even pages or chapters away, just the next sentence. This lack of care in editing has become so normal that people are accepting of it. There are series I have quit reading if it becomes bad enough. My thought is it will never change if we keep spending money on these books. I'm off my soapbox now and on to book 4.
Lilli and Sebastian were sweethearts 10 years ago. She stayed in their home town he left. She is decorating his cabin, hired by his mom and he is on his way. Sebastian gets there before Lilli leaves and now they are snowed in. I usually don't care for 10 years later second chance romance. I mean really why does it take that long to admit you are still in love and all those relationships in between ugh. But Ani made this one work. Throw in the "bump in the night" that's outside and this makes for a cozy paranormal romance. And of course throw in the ex which always brings angst, at least it was quickly cleared up.
The next Franco brother to fall, and for me, this one was better than Gabe's story. Sebastian has his quirks, but overall, I liked him and Lily both. I would have liked more background on why she was described as cowardly, and I don't mean because of Sebastian stating it because she bailed on him after high school. She was portrayed as fearful of taking risks, but no inkling on why. I also would like to know what happened with Ariel. If she was as strong-willed and manipulative as to trick him into helping her advance her career, I can't see her just walking away after the camera disappeared.
A snowed-in, rekindling-an-old-romance novel set in an unusual small town in Virginia. The backdrop of a paranormal-obsessed town is what makes this romance novel different. The local radio station plays spooky stories and music between updates on the snowstorm and funny announcements to and about certain kooky residents. In particular, there is the legend of the Virginia devil monkey, which the lead female character may have actually encountered early in the story! There is an intriguing ending concerning the paranormal elements of the story. I wish this book had gone further with this than it did. I hope other books would focus on this aspect of the story more.
Interesting premise right from the edge...with a totally unexpected ending. Well worth the short amount of time it takes to read. I would like to see this author expand these stories into more detailed, full-length novels...cos her writing style is excellent and well-done.
Once again Ani Gonzalez gives us a charming, funny, romantic story that cleverly combines the Halloween-proclivities of Banshee Creek with mainstream life -- in this case, Christmas holidays. If you're not already a fan of the Banshee Creek series, this one will win you. I have read many of Ani Gonzalez's novels and can't wait to read the next one.
I love the Banshee Creek Series. I’ve read them all and they are more a romance series, but if you read the next series Main Street Witches they all piece together. I enjoy how all the characters intertwine from book to book.
*****SPOILER ALERT***** Another Franco Brother bites the dust. Do Sebastian and Lili move back to Banshee Creek?
A Merry Monster Holiday is a delightfully quirky second chance romance. I laughed and giggled through the whole book. I might have enjoyed it even more if I’d read the others in the series (which I intend to do now) but I was still able to appreciate the characters and their various relationships to each other. A truly enjoyable story.
I enjoy this author's writings . She's very good in her descriptions of the characters, the surroundings, and the feelings. I actually got cold when reading the part of the story about the snowstorm! The devil monkey is a bit far-fetched, or is it?! Its a fun, fast read and I would recommend it.
What a writer so inventive so cheeky and an endearing way portraying an unscheduled reunion in seclusion. An array of colorful, vibrant and unique characters some human some not but it sure is a great comical romance in the coziest of ways. Acquire " A Merry Monster Holiday. " today so you yourself can enjoy it as much as I have. 😉😊 Kat
This was a fun story. Complete with Devil monkeys and other wild times. Even though I haven’t read the first two in the series, I didn’t feel like I missed anything. Good story, looking forward to reading other books in the series. The characters were fun and I’m sure they’ll make an appearance again!