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Lost and Found #5.1

Mistletoe Mischief

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Mistletoe Mischief: A Lost and Found Series Novella-Roger

Love was in the holiday air…

Roger has watched several of his buddies fall to the love bug recently, but he didn’t think he would be one of them. The blind date he’s set up with for the Lost and Found Christmas eve party exceeds his expectations, though. Cassandra Jones is lush and lovely, more than any man could hope for, and seems totally unconcerned with his arm prosthetic and scars. Is it possible to fall in love within a night?
Plus-sized graphic designer Cassandra is stunned when she realizes the flattering words Roger says he really means. She’s never been on the receiving end of such attention, and it makes her realize how barren her life has been for so long. He destroys all of the natural defenses around her heart with his love… and his mistletoe mischief!

Plus, as a special treat, never before seen short-stories with some old favorites! See what happens to Gabe and Zeke and their families over Christmas!

117 pages, ebook

First published January 25, 2017

82 people are currently reading
189 people want to read

About the author

J.M. Madden

70 books930 followers
NY Times and USA Today Bestselling author J.M. Madden writes compelling romances between 'combat modified' military men and the women who love them. J.M. Madden loves any and all good love stories, most particularly her own. She has two beautiful children and a husband who always keeps her on her toes.

J.M. was a Deputy Sheriff in Ohio for nine years, until hubby moved the clan to Kentucky. When not chasing the family around, she's at the computer, reading and writing, perfecting her craft. She occasionally takes breaks to feed her animal horde and is trying to control her office-supply addiction, but both tasks are uphill battles. Happily, she is writing full-time and always has several projects in the works. She also dearly loves to hear from readers! So, drop her a line. She'll respond.

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5 stars
160 (46%)
4 stars
102 (29%)
3 stars
66 (19%)
2 stars
13 (3%)
1 star
2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
Profile Image for "Avonna.
1,462 reviews588 followers
February 10, 2017
Once again I am in tears over the men of Lost N Found! In only one short novella and two very short stories I had to grab the tissues three times. Oh, and they were heartfelt, happy tears!

MISTLTOE MISCHIEF (Lost and Found, #5.5) by J.M. Madden is worth every minute. I rarely give a novella more than 4 stars because they are just too short to either satisfy you emotionally or have a strong enough story to tell to stand on its own. These stories are those rare exceptions and worth a full 5 stars. Ms. Madden knows how to bring these wounded warriors to life and to match them to their perfect mates.

Roger just cannot believe the vision of a woman that he is set up with as a blind-date for the LNF Christmas Eve party. She doesn’t seem to be bothered by his scars and prosthetic arm. Cassandra is a plus-sized woman, who has pulled herself out of poverty to become a graphic designer, but still has body image problems and no luck with good men. At first, she has a hard time believing the flattering things Roger says to her. Instantly though it becomes apparent that they both can be what the other wants and needs if they are willing to believe.

The next story revisits Gabe and Julie and the continuing struggle for Gabe to be more present in the now and remember, but let go of his time with his SEAL team. Time seems to be helping with them.

The last story revisits Zeke, Ember and little Drew. Their first Christmas together and everything is moving along, but Zeke is still hesitant about his scarred face until his run in with another student from Drew’s school.

I love all of the LNF guys so much and all I want is happiness for them all, but that J.M. has to put them through their paces to get it. This is one of my favorite series and group of true heroes. I highly recommend all of these books!
Profile Image for CC.
1,781 reviews236 followers
February 18, 2017
4,5 stars - for a NOVELLA this is a GREAT rating!

Stayed up until 3am fininshing this one! After being disappointed by Duncan's book, I had medium expectations. Roger is not the most well known of the LNF guys, but he has been around. This is a super sweet, insta everything story. It is short, it is HOT, but also sweet. Cassandra's weight insecurities bugged me though and kept the score below 5 full stars. But this is a great short story.

Gabe and Julie's story was sweet but also a little sad. I had not realized he was struggling so, but I was thrilled to see him improve.

Zeke...oh Zeke...my favorite! AWESOME story! So very awesome! I LOVED Zeke being shown off as "Dad"!!!!!
Profile Image for Barbara➰.
1,661 reviews459 followers
January 31, 2017
I enjoyed this one. Roger was awesome. Cass got on my nerves a wee bit with her weight issues constantly thought about but she was still a strong heroine who brought herself out of poverty. But honestly, what made the book for me was the snippet of Ember and Zeke. I think they are my favorite couple of this series and this just made them even better.
Profile Image for Never Stop Reading or Dreaming.
898 reviews31 followers
July 12, 2017
Review:

What a wonderful Christmas story. First I just realized this is Ina series I love so I jumped all over it. But the story itself here was so sweet and caring with two people whom are both wounded finding each other and leaning how to move on together. These are the kind of books that melt my heart. Cass and roger have both been through so much in their lives. This was a wonderful story for both of them. A+
Profile Image for Jewlsbookblog.
2,209 reviews74 followers
March 23, 2017
Mistletoe Mischief was a belated Christmas surprise! Included with the novella are two holiday updates. One was for Gabe and Julie (Reclaiming The Seal) and the second was with Zeke and Ember (Embattled Minds). And let me just say, I had no qualms dropping money just for Zeke's snippet! (Seriously, I bought Mistletoe Mischief because Madden said the magic word: Zeke!)

Roger

Roger battles his insecurities about his prosthetic while Cass has some issues with her body image. They connect at first glance, and with the snowstorm helping, get to have sexy times and a few deep conversations to explore this new, slightly fragile relationship.

Roger and Cassandra's story is a quick read at only four chapters, but in a short space of time, Madden manages to create a charming holiday story! I thought Roger and Cassandra spent too much time dwelling on their insecurities, making it a little difficult to believe the quickness of their feelings. However, being a firm believer in love at first sight-I met my husband and was engaged in two months-I easily overlooked it and just enjoyed the feel good story!

Gabe

Caught up in moving to a new place and adapting to new jobs, Julie and Gabe are like ships passing in the night. In an adorably clueless kind of way, Gabe decides he's going all out for Christmas gifts on the occasion of their first Christmas together. While wandering the store, Gabe meets someone who causes him to have an epiphany about his emotional state.

I liked the cute simplicity to this snippet! It was sweet and charming with just enough emotion to appreciate the meaning behind the gifts.

Zeke
A year since he met Ember and her son Drew, Zeke has proposed and is looking forward to Christmas with his new family. Zeke is determined to take his new role as step dad head-on, but a few hiccups with the gifts leaves him slightly discouraged. With one simple comment from a pint sized friend, Zeke discovers his fears are completely unfounded.

Zeke is my absolute favorite character in the entire Lost and Found series! He's like the Beast of the series with his scarred physique, but his adorable stutter, and determined efforts to beat the odds, keeps him on my all time favorite heroes list! With this piece, Madden reminds me why I love this guy. She gives us the joys-or curses-of parenthood while assembling toys late in the night, holiday steam with Zeke and Ember, and an emotional moment in Zeke and Drew's relationship that brought a tear to my eye! Obviously, I loved this heartwarming glimpse into their first Christmas together!
Profile Image for Victoria.
1,188 reviews94 followers
February 26, 2017
The main story was just okay. I could have taken the instant connection if it wasn't coupled with an overload of sap. It was a bit too much for me

The star of this book was the short story included of Zeke and Ember, still my favorite two characters from this series! Love them together and little Drew too!
Profile Image for Lisa.
1,034 reviews59 followers
January 28, 2017
This should sum it up:

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Loved ❤️
1,551 reviews2 followers
January 30, 2017
The story had the potential to be enjoyable, but it was so short that it never fully developed. Though it was fun to visit the past characters, $2.99 for 95 pages was a little over the top. I would have paid more if there was more of a story.
Profile Image for Melanie Marnell.
4,219 reviews34 followers
February 24, 2020
Three quick stories to celebrate the holidays. They will make you smile and lighten your heart.

Roger and Cassandra meet on a blind date on Christmas Eve. The bond over life experiences and loss. She's feisty and sassy and goes after what she wants. He's stunned by this woman but is cautious, not wanting her pity or sympathy. He gets quite tge opposite.

Gabe has been a bit lost since leaving the SEALs but some sage advice from Duncan and a fortuitous encounter with a sales person while buying Julie's Christmas gifts put him back on track. They spend a joyous Christmas together.

Zeke, Ember and Drew spend their first Christmas together as a family. It's filled with high spirits and starting new traditions. Zeke gets a precious gift from an unexunexpected source that is soludly reinforced by his son.
4,822 reviews9 followers
December 26, 2018
Short and sweet

Short story to start which was instakind of love but good and the next two were very short catch ups in the lives of two couples from previous books. Ah the magic of Christmas. Often think these short catchups should be free as they are very short. However like this author so 99p no hardship.
Profile Image for April.
Author 12 books69 followers
December 28, 2021
Mistletoe Mischief starts out with Roger and Cassandra. A couple that has lost hope and belief in a possible future. Perfect timing by a coworker brings them together and their story is heart warming
Then there's the bonus stories of Gabe and Zeke and the loves of their lives!
Awesome quick stories that fit perfectly for me December Christmas Themed reading!
Profile Image for Cheryl.
862 reviews
February 4, 2017
Short quick read

Roger and Cass are both lost and lonely but when they found each other...Bam...they fit perfectly. They are both in awe of each other and surprised that the feelings went both ways. A truly delightful and heart wrenching story. Another great story by JM Madden
Profile Image for Abra.
594 reviews15 followers
December 13, 2019
I only gave this book two stars because the first story was so disappointing. It went too fast even for a novella, was way too sweet, and was without any real heart. The other two stories were much more enjoyable.
Profile Image for Madm007.
1,156 reviews6 followers
February 8, 2021
Roger and Cassandra

An uber fast insta-love, recognition between two insecure battle hardened souls. Roger, injured while fighting for his country and Cassandra, just trying to survive while growing up.
Bonus Epilogues for Zeke and Gabe.
Profile Image for Sarah Armstrong.
653 reviews19 followers
January 29, 2017
Loved

I love catching up with the lost & found family. Roger & Cassandra's story was shirt but super sweet. Can't wait for more.
Profile Image for Keri.
446 reviews3 followers
October 3, 2018
sweet christmas story great romance wonderful second chance story love this series wonderful happy ending
Profile Image for Janice.
3,062 reviews
February 9, 2017
we get Roger's story, a bit of Zeke's and Gabe's as well
Profile Image for Teresa.
1,388 reviews3 followers
February 23, 2017
J.M. Madden never disappoints with her Lost and Found guys. Each one is a fierce warrior and the ladies they find are equally so. I'm so very glad that Roger finally got his own story.

Roger Stottsberry has watched all of his friends find their soul mates and hope that someday he might find his own. When he's fixed up with Cassandra Jones at the Christmas party little do either of them realize that they will heal each other. He's very self conscious about his prosthetic arm with all its bells and whistles but it doesn't seem to bother Cassandra. But it Because of a fierce snowstorm they both end up staying the night with her, both realize that they may be something there to build a relationship on. Can they both go beyond their fears and discover that this may be the person for each other that they have searched for?

Cassandra Jones really didn't want to be someone's blind date for a Christmas party but when she sees Roger, she changes her mind immediately. She misses her little brother who was killed in a friendly fire incident and having grown up on the streets they only had each other. Roger follows her home due to the snow storm and the next morning they set out to find breakfast in an unlikely place a truck stop that's open. She's been hurt before by her addict mother and other men who take what they want but don't stay long enough to find out who Cass is. Plus size or not, she's exactly what Roger needs to heal himself and her.

There are also little small story after the party featuring Gabe and Zeke that will warm your heart and give you a hope that mistletoe really can find your soul mate.
Profile Image for Merle.
2,400 reviews1 follower
January 29, 2017
A holiday novella plus bonuses set in the Lost and Found Investigative world in Denver. Many of the "combat-modified" veterans on LNF's workforce have found their "forever" but not Roger. I like the fact that Madden includes an African-American vet in her stories, and he is a full member of the team. Our military is multi-cultural and we should remember that the blood they bleed is all the same.

Roger has a prosthetic in place of his arm, as well as scars over a large portion of his body. He is reticent about that and generally chooses to work the overnight shift and sleep during the day when the world is more populated. At the famous Christmas party, Roger has been fixed up with Cassandra, a graphic designer who is a big beautiful woman. She shies away from intimacy, having been hurt too many times by the wrong man. They are shy with each other, while simultaneously feeling a spark that neither has felt before.

They make it a very Merry Christmas together before realizing that they are comfortable together, and knowing about each other doesn't scare them. There is a nice happy ending for them. Madden then looks in on Gabe (Reclaiming Her SEAL) and Julie. They are still struggling with their adjustments to the new part of the country where they live now. We also see Christmas with Zeke, Ember, and Drew, making a family Christmas. Little Drew holds the key to making it a perfect Christmas day for Zeke, without knowing it.

Another point to make about this series" Madden never shies away from telling us about the effects that combat injuries have on her characters. Their injuries are emotional as well as physical and they suffer from nightmares, insomnia, pain from their injuries and relationship strains. You root for them all the time.
2,832 reviews8 followers
April 23, 2020
A fun collection of Christma novellas! I loved the characters -- both old and new!
Profile Image for Lisa Gibbs.
802 reviews2 followers
December 8, 2019
Investigator Roger Stottsberry was at the Frog Dog for LNF's company party. As he looked around him, it seemed love was in the air. He sat next to his blind date, Cassandra Jones. She was plus size and gorgeous but both of them had insecurities. He was scarred and had a prosthetic arm. She didn't trust men easily. By all accounts they were having a good time until the weather broke up the party. They parted ways but not in the way that either of them wanted. Roger was gunshy and a bit awkward, socially. He followed Cassandra home and the rest is a sweet story of love and a bit of mistletoe magic thrown in.

There were also two more stories or rather snippets of stories from Julie and Gabe and Ember and Zeke. Both stories were quick glimpses into their home life over the holiday.

All three of these stories were Kleenex worthy. I loved getting a glimpse into their lives and learning more about Roger who was on the fringes of other stories. What a treat for dedicated readers like me.
Profile Image for Karen.
1,253 reviews51 followers
February 4, 2017
I recieved this book as an ARC and this is my honest opinion and is what I told the author. It made me laugh and cry (happy tears but I cried none the less) It was sent to me on a day I really needed a good pick me up read and that is what this book was for me. Even though Christmas is ove I never mind reading good Holiday stories after the fact as I'm normally too busy with work to actually get to read the good holiday ones. Getting one after the holidays means I can enjoy it without feeling rushed to read.
This is not a stand alone book as it is actually cut scenes from Embattled Ever After that I'm so glad the author decided they needed their own book as I would have hated that Roger never got his moment he deserves it.
For all of Ms Madden's loyal readers get ready for a big treat and make sure you have tissues ready you will need them.
We need a 10 star rating for this one
Profile Image for Brenda.
54 reviews3 followers
January 31, 2017
If you are a fan of J.M. Madden, then you will be familiar with the characters of this novella. We've met them in previous books and now have the opportunity to view another small part of their lives. This is not a stand alone read. You should have at least read Embattled Christmas before reading this one. That said, this is a great, fun read and I enjoyed seeing some old favorites and finding out how they are getting along. Ms. Madden writes a wonderful story and keeps us engaged in the lives of the characters we have come to love. This is a short read, with three separate stories. Pick up yours today and step back into the Lost and Found world of wounded, but healing, vets that give me, and I hope all of you, hope. Thank's J.M. for this wonderful insight to some of our favorites!
Profile Image for Miriam Rivera.
509 reviews
February 9, 2017
Roger!!

We met Roger in Johns story and he was the great friend that is always there to lend a hand. We've seen him here and there in all the previous books and I'm glad he finally gets his story. This story was small but it certainly packed a punch. Short but with the intensity and chemistry of every book in this series. It was also wonderful to revisit with Zeke and the other LNF members.
133 reviews2 followers
February 10, 2017
Another hit

This is another hit from the Lost and Found world. I enjoyed Roger's story very much and it was great to revisit Drew and Gabe. I'd definitely recommend this series if you haven't started it yet.
Profile Image for Kame.
802 reviews38 followers
January 27, 2017
What an absolute delightful novella.

This novella follows three couples from JM Madden's Lost and Found series after the company Christmas party (shown in Duncan's book #EmbattledEverAfter and the Christmas novella #EmbattledChristmas).

It is filled with all the parts of a JM Madden book I have grown to love - characters I want to never leave, heartfelt emotions, and a few steamy scenes.

Since the novella starts at the party it is best that the reader be familiar with the series, there is very little backstory. Fans of the series will love this book.

A quick enjoyable read, that has motivated me to reread the series.

I purchased this novella for my Kindle the moment I realized it was available - and prompty stayed up until I was done.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews

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