Someone put a note under my door that says Dear Santa, Sarah needs a man I ain't no Santa but I'm happy to play along with whatever game is going on Especially if my neighbor's been a naughty girl this year She needs a place to stay for the holidays, so I invite her to stay with me at my cabin in the woods Now we're snowed in here for Christmas I'm entranced by her curves, but it's her eyes that melt my icy soul She's definitely a good girl - one I plan to keep The only thing I want for Christmas is to f*ck her all day long in front of the roaring fire Except I can't shake my guilt I'll do everything I can to make up for what I did to her Because there's no way I'm losing her now
*** A steamy STANDALONE contemporary full length romance with no cliffhanger, no cheating, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after.***
I’m not sure I can forgive the Zero’s meanness.. he didn’t tell Sarah (h) that he’s her landlord AND he evicted her a week before Christmas for some bullshit reason that his sister and her kids needed a place to stay and he didn’t want to put them in his house.
Blurb: I’m snowed in with my neighbor for Christmas
Someone put a note under my door that says "Dear Santa, Sarah needs a man" I ain’t no Santa but I’m happy to play along with whatever game is going on Especially if my neighbor’s been a naughty girl this year She needs a place to stay for the holidays, so I invite her to stay with me at my cabin in the woods Now we’re snowed in here for Christmas I’m entranced by her curves, but it’s her eyes that melt my icy soul She’s definitely a good girl - one I plan to keep The only thing I want for Christmas is to f*ck her all day long in front of the roaring fire Except I can’t shake my guilt I’ll do everything I can to make up for what I did to her Because there’s no way I’m losing her now
-H was a man whore but no details with OW -h not a virgin -H not alpha male -Book was just blah -H would go “I really like her, I think” then the next sentence say “I love her” but when she dumps him he’s ok with that, he doesn’t chase. -not enough one on one character time -spent more time apart than together
Angry read, straight-up. But I was going to finish it! No silly little book will best me! But, yup, had to drag myself though it. On the upside, now I get to vent! So here goes...
Sarah (h) was naïve and princess-y. It felt like she built him up so much as "perfect" and "fate" and so on, and over the space of just a few days, that there was no way he'd have been able to live up to it, no matter what had eventually happened between them. She's looking for the fairy tale-esque white knight, and they just don't exist in the real world. And then to be angry ranting about "why would he do this? why? why? why?" for several chapters. Um, sweetheart, he's been trying to talk to you for three days now. If you want to know why, maybe you should - just throwing it out here - give him a chance to talk? And actually listen? Finally, the stupid tires. You're living in an area where you regularly get snow by Christmas, and this year, literally have 3 ft of snow, with 6 ft drifts. You were comparing it to being 'halfway up the side of his car.' And you don't have snow tires on your car?? You are asking for an icy disaster on the road.
Graham (H) was also pretty dumb. Yes, it was a jackass move he pulled, right before the holidays. But it was within his legal rights. Was it a smart move, however? There are shelters, there are support services, for exactly these sorts of situations. His family could have stayed with him while looking for a new place. But no, he was just selfish and didn't want to be crowded. And if the husband had gotten out for whatever reason, wouldn't one of the VERY first places he'd have looked be at the brother's (H's) place? Literally, her only living family??? And then the scenes at the cabin. We go straight from "I'm going to take this slow" to jumping into bed in almost the next scene.
And from the title and summary - a bad boy Christmas romance? Graham really didn't feel like a bad boy. He and his sister kept referring to his man-whore ways, but we never really saw it. To me, he was more of a dumbass and cold, rather than a bad boy.
The whole scene with Brittany (H's sister) wanting to go back to her husband? Weird scene, and totally unnecessary. One line from her brother, and she breaks down in tears and changes her attitude. They could've had a heart-to-heart and still ended with him trying to figure out if he'll go after h, and done it all without her debating if she'll go back to her abusive ex. Again.
Now, romance novels in general can have some gender-role issues, but this one felt antiquated at best, sexist at worst. The first time we meet the sister, she tells the h that straight out, "You need a man." We don't have any sense of the sister's sense of humor yet, how condescending vs sarcastic that statement should sound, nothing. Didn't warm me to her at all. And then h says at the cabin, 'I am freezing, but I'll take advantage of having a man here and let him build the fire' or words to that effect. I'm sorry, but if I'm cold, I'll build my own damn fire and not wait for him to get out of bed, whenever that might be. I'd have thrown my book at that point, except I'm reading on my kindle app and I don't want to bust my phone. Lots of little lines like this from h, H, and side characters. I know the alpha H characters in other books can say things like this, but their h's also seem to have some spine to stand up to them. I just wasn't getting that dynamic from Graham and Sarah.
The writing needed some proofreading - lots of grammar and punctuation errors, and a good number of typos ("moves" not "movies", sort of thing). Distracting.
More bothersome to me, though, was how simple the writing seemed. Or simplistic? Amateurish? I hate ripping apart someone's writing like this, but this one really was rough to force my way through. Like reading high school writing. The same adjectives used over and over. Every movie they watched, for example, was "one of my absolute favorites". Every. Single. One. Same thought processes too - the whole time at the cabin, the chapters of them each dithering after they break up - just their minds on an endless loop. And these on-loop emotions were stated straight-out, too, a prime example of "telling, not showing." Never felt any of the pull for the characters, as a result - depth of a bottle cap, emotionally.
And for the sexual tension? Nonexistent. Least steamy snowy-cabin romance I've read yet.
The only thing I thought was cute was the mix-up with the niece about delivering the letter to Santa. That was actually a cute premise. Now if it hadn't come from Monica telling Sarah "You need a man" in that 1950s condescending sort of way...
Sarah's seven-year-old niece Lindsey loves her Aunt, when she overhears a conversation that worries her about her Aunt- she knows where to go for help.
Sarah, embarrassed, but wanting to high five her niece, wrote a letter to Santa, asking for a few things for herself and also to bring a man for her Aunt! Sweet as that is, Lindsey thought that Santa lived next store, dropping that letter through the neighbor's mail slot, brings her very attractive neighbor Graham to her door letter in hand.. Curious and leaving with her number!
Is Lindsey a match matcher? Will Santa grant her wish?
What a sweet heat, unique Holiday romance! A light angst, emotional pull, heart hugging read, this Christmas tale was a one sitting page swiper as I followed along with the fumbling Sarah and Graham the snow and forehead-smacking scenes they put themselves through to get to the HEA they both deserve! A fun read that warmed my heart and gets my Holiday Spirit up a couple more notches!
The storyline is well written, so much so that I was totally smitten with the main characters Sarah and Graham. He’s her landlord, but doesn’t know it. They’ve sworn off long term relationships, but when they are drawn to each other, they can’t resist the chemistry. It’s all thanks to Sarah’s young niece thinking that Graham is Santa and puts a letter in his mail box asking for a man for her aunt. When Graham’s brother in law gets himself arrested for domestic abuse, Graham will do everything he can to protect his sister and her kids so evicts Sarah to have them stay live in the home she’d been renting. He can’t quite bring himself to tell the heart broken Sarah that he is the dastardly landlord that had her moving out of her home the week before Christmas and it is this lie by omission that sends him on a.mission to get her to forgive him. The story runs the gamut of emotions with the endearing story, funny at times, gut wrenching with the domestic abuse and steamy with the chemistry between Sarah and Graham. It’s well worthy of 5 stars!
Sarah has not really given a man a fair chance when it comes to dating, after ending up with a broken heart in college she is afraid to put herself back out there. Graham usually does the one night stand kind of relationships. He is also Sarah's next door neighbor. He also has a secret that could hurt his chances with Sarah when he starts to have more feelings for her than expected.
Sarah and Graham have both suffered from broken hearts and it's made them wary of love. When Sarah gets evicted she she ends up staying at Graham's cabin with him. Their chemistry is over the top, but secrets emerge and the drama starts. A good read that was well written with an engaging storyline. I read an arc copy and voluntarily chose to review.
This story was well written and caught my interest from the beginning, the storyline kept me intrigued, there was lies, breakups and make ups and I wanted to know what would happen next. The intense chemistry between Graham and Sarah was awesome and intoxicating, I couldn't put it down.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily leave my own opinion
I enjoyed Graham and Sarah's story. Love the chemistry between them. Overall great story and great writing. The holiday theme makes is a great read to get you in to the holiday mood. It was sweet and heartwarming. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book.
This is the 1st book I read by Lulu Pratt. I was enjoying this story until I got to chapter 11. Graham turned me off when he evicted Sarah before Christmas 🎄. I understand he wants to help his sister but that wasn't the way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I give this book 1.5 Stars and it only gets a point five extra because the story could've been an okay read. The problem is there are some things that really stuck out that didn't feel right.
Here are some example, at the 3% mark the main character says to herself "As a single woman, my life would have been very boring without a child in it." Umm that's pretty insensitive for a whole bunch of reasons. Then her sister starts to lecture and tells her that "she needs a man." Now the sister isn't a bad person and I feel like this lecture doesn't paint her character in a good light to begin with and kind of does her a disservice.
And then you get this little gem at the 81% mark, "A man should never be shut down for trying to impress a woman." Is the author serious? I just almost couldn't finish it at that point. But I soldiered on and in the end all I can say is meh.
Enjoyable Christmas story from 2POV. A simple premise for plot with expected misunderstandings drive the story. The characters are embedded in real life situations while being in touch with their emotional side. The HEA epilogue makes it a satisfying read.
Graham & Sarah work well together, but the first 3/4 of the story is drawn out and a bit repetitive. Furthermore, the story takes place where blizzards are not uncommon, so, then, why, when the cabin is NOT high in the Rockies, and not on a miles long deserted road were they snowed in for days? I know of nowhere in the “snowbelt” of the United States where the residents wouldn’t have access to a snow plowing service. I am a native of Maine, and this makes for a hugh sticking point for me.
I absolutely loved Dear Santa: A Bad Boy Christmas Romance. It's a story about Graham who dresses up as Santa for a night out with his friends. When his neighbor and tenant Sarah's niece Lindsay sees him she writes a letter asking Santa to find her aunt Sarah a man and proceeded to put the letter in his mail slot. When Graham finds the letter he takes it over to Sarah and asks her out.
They go out and actually like one another and decide to go out again. Then Graham's sister calls him and let's him know that she's in danger due to her abusive husband. He does what he feels necessary for his sister and her children and evicts Sarah so his sister can move in to her home. Sarah is so upset and angry at her landlord for evicting her at Christmas and tells Graham what a horrible person her landlord is not realizing that he is her landlord.
Graham tries to make it better by allowing Sarah to move into his cabin for free until she finds something better. Then things really heat up. Can they keep this going with this lie hanging above their heads and how soon will it come out about Graham being her landlord? Definitely a must read story. One that will heat up your holiday reads. Thank you Lulu Pratt for writing such strong characters.
I really liked the different plot. Even though, I knew when it blew up she was going to ask the questions she did. I guess men really can be that stupid! Who knew! Lol! Definitely a book you should read!
I really enjoyed this book from Lulu Pratt. Sarah is a woman that guarded her heart due to past pain and Graham did the same. They just went about it in different ways. Thanks to a Santa letter these two neighbors meet and start to date. But then things go downhill. Full of chemistry, snow days, betrayl, heartbreak and true understanding and forgiveness. And of course a great HEA! Great read. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book. Hero, Graham = 5/5 Heroine, Sarah = 5/5 Chemistry = 5/5 Sex = 5/5 Plot = 3/5 Mystery = 1/5 Action = 1/5 Darkness = 1/5 Humor = 1/5 POV = dual Would I recommend this book = yes Would I re-read this book = yes Would I read future books by this author = yes
Merged review:
I really enjoyed this book from Lulu Pratt. Sarah is a woman that guarded her heart due to past pain and Graham did the same. They just went about it in different ways. Thanks to a Santa letter these two neighbors meet and start to date. But then things go downhill. Full of chemistry, snow days, betrayl, heartbreak and true understanding and forgiveness. And of course a great HEA! Great read. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book. Hero, Graham = 5/5 Heroine, Sarah = 5/5 Chemistry = 5/5 Sex = 5/5 Plot = 3/5 Mystery = 1/5 Action = 1/5 Darkness = 1/5 Humor = 1/5 POV = dual Would I recommend this book = yes Would I re-read this book = yes Would I read future books by this author = yes
Loved this book. Loved the storyline and all the characters. Loved the connection between each of the characters. Fell in love with Graham from the beginning. Thought he and Sarah were really well suited to each other. Loved the way both the families came together in the end. I'm glad Graham never gave up on Sarah and with help they got their HEA.
I am voluntarily reviewing an Advanced Reader Copy of this book that I received for free.
Sarah, a school office assistant on winter break, gets drawn into interacting with her neighbor after her niece writes a letter to Santa and drops it in his mail slot after seeing him leave his house in a Santa suit. Graham, a construction worker and landlord, comes home after celebrating with some friends to find this letter. As they get to know each other and start to overcome past trust issues, a huge turn of events may just be their downfall. Dear Santa was an engaging tempting treat to start off my Holiday season of reading.
Holiday Angst and Happiness
Merged review:
I am voluntarily reviewing an Advanced Reader Copy of this book that I received for free.
Sarah, a school office assistant on winter break, gets drawn into interacting with her neighbor after her niece writes a letter to Santa and drops it in his mail slot after seeing him leave his house in a Santa suit. Graham, a construction worker and landlord, comes home after celebrating with some friends to find this letter. As they get to know each other and start to overcome past trust issues, a huge turn of events may just be their downfall. Dear Santa was an engaging tempting treat to start off my Holiday season of reading.
Dear Santa by Lulu Pratt is a well written Christmas Holiday romance. Sarah and Graham's story is idyllic and romantic with the snowed in setting in a remote cabin. Everything is perfect, that 'it's too good to be true' kind of thing. There's a lot of heart and drama in this holiday romance. These characters drew me in and had me rooting for them to find their way to their happy ending. This book is my first Lulu Pratt novel and I enjoyed her writing style as well as the engaging storyline and characters that evoked many emotions, but ultimately created a warm fuzzy feeling in the end with the one year later HEA.
I won the book from her contest. All I can say is wow!! This book can really make you believe in wishes can come true. Tho they may have had a ruff patch they ended with a wonderful happy ending. This book was worth staying up all night to read
In all honesty, the blurb had me a bit confused and not so excited to read this book. Never judge a book by its blurb/cover they say and I like to follow that notion. I’m glad I did since this book turned out to be one of my favorite holiday books. I love an instant attraction but I appreciate a a slow burn. The chemistry between the MC’s is beautiful and honest. A well written and thought out plot! Highly recommended. I received this book for a voluntary, completely honest and non incentivized review.
Merged review:
In all honesty, the blurb had me a bit confused and not so excited to read this book. Never judge a book by its blurb/cover they say and I like to follow that notion. I’m glad I did since this book turned out to be one of my favorite holiday books. I love an instant attraction but I appreciate a a slow burn. The chemistry between the MC’s is beautiful and honest. A well written and thought out plot! Highly recommended. I received this book for a voluntary, completely honest and non incentivized review.