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Snow Angel
My house may be small, but its Christmas lights are the best on the street. Perfectly coordinated each year, my holiday display can't be beaten. I reign supreme. At least I did. Until he moved in across the street. Brendan. Who does he think he is? Just because he's handsome and makes my parts tingly doesn't mean I'll let him beat me. This Christmas, he's going down.
Ariadne waits for the clock to tick over to December 1. She's poised over there, ready to spring into action with her curvy body and Christmas spirit. She goes all out for the holidays. This Christmas, I intend to go all out for her.
(MINK's note: Snow Angel is an instalove, steamy, and sweet romance with a HEA, perfect for reading with a kitty in your lap and a coffee sitting next to you.)
Ariadne waits for the clock to tick over to December 1. She's poised over there, ready to spring into action with her curvy body and Christmas spirit. She goes all out for the holidays. This Christmas, I intend to go all out for her.
(MINK's note: Snow Angel is an instalove, steamy, and sweet romance with a HEA, perfect for reading with a kitty in your lap and a coffee sitting next to you.)
160 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 5, 2019
423 people are currently reading
427 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 196 reviews
December 17, 2020
4 Satan Claus Stars ⭐
A shoutout for a story that managed to get me out of my pissy mood that's consumed me the last couple of days. Anyways this story was amusing, if you enjoy kooky romances, especially feuding neighbours. And this pair have taken Christmas lighting displays to whole new level purely to get a rise out of each other!
"Everything I did, she did more of. Each decoration I put up, she one-upped. Naturally, I kept adding more to tease my cute, if reclusive, neighbor."
Ariadne is a socially awkward girl who has a strange obsession with all things Christmas. Between her shy and nutty personality, she's made it extremely difficult for her neighbour to get to know her. And he desperately wants to even though she despises him. So what's a man to do to get noticed?
"Does she know how cute she looks when she’s all worked up? Pink cheeks, angry eyes, and a racing heart I can see in the pulse at her throat. She wants to rip me apart. I want to spread her."
Brendan isn't above sabotage, blackmail and the occasional manipulation to incite a reaction from Ariadne. However this year he's stepped it up, where even she can't say no to spending time with him. With his questionable antics, the endgame was always her.
"Don’t think this means we’re friends." She crosses her arms, the smile fading, but not completely.
"I wouldn’t dream of it." I expect us to be much more than friends.
Snow Angel was adorably sweet, cheesy, needs to be turned into a Hallmark movie, and a cat lady's dream....(this author has an unhealthy love for cats). But if you need a cute Xmas read to accompany your Wine or Hot Chocolate for you wholesome folk, this was bang on.
A shoutout for a story that managed to get me out of my pissy mood that's consumed me the last couple of days. Anyways this story was amusing, if you enjoy kooky romances, especially feuding neighbours. And this pair have taken Christmas lighting displays to whole new level purely to get a rise out of each other!
"Everything I did, she did more of. Each decoration I put up, she one-upped. Naturally, I kept adding more to tease my cute, if reclusive, neighbor."
Ariadne is a socially awkward girl who has a strange obsession with all things Christmas. Between her shy and nutty personality, she's made it extremely difficult for her neighbour to get to know her. And he desperately wants to even though she despises him. So what's a man to do to get noticed?
"Does she know how cute she looks when she’s all worked up? Pink cheeks, angry eyes, and a racing heart I can see in the pulse at her throat. She wants to rip me apart. I want to spread her."
Brendan isn't above sabotage, blackmail and the occasional manipulation to incite a reaction from Ariadne. However this year he's stepped it up, where even she can't say no to spending time with him. With his questionable antics, the endgame was always her.
"Don’t think this means we’re friends." She crosses her arms, the smile fading, but not completely.
"I wouldn’t dream of it." I expect us to be much more than friends.
Snow Angel was adorably sweet, cheesy, needs to be turned into a Hallmark movie, and a cat lady's dream....(this author has an unhealthy love for cats). But if you need a cute Xmas read to accompany your Wine or Hot Chocolate for you wholesome folk, this was bang on.
December 21, 2020
It killes me, because I know some of my friends loved this one... But while the beginning was funny and adorable, after maybe 30% it became so clichéd I had to push myself through.
I don't mind insta-love or -lust, but I can't deal with repetitiveness and chewing through every little detail. It felt endless for those 160 pages. It's weird because I've read books over 300 pages that didn't feel as long as this one.
The total sweetness of the hero made me want to drink some water after all that syrup. I adored the heroine in the beginning, yet I couldn't handle her childishness in the second half.
Plus maybe it's just me and I'm all smutted out at the end of the year... but I felt absolutely no chemistry between them.
Or maybe it's just not my kind of author.
I don't mind insta-love or -lust, but I can't deal with repetitiveness and chewing through every little detail. It felt endless for those 160 pages. It's weird because I've read books over 300 pages that didn't feel as long as this one.
The total sweetness of the hero made me want to drink some water after all that syrup. I adored the heroine in the beginning, yet I couldn't handle her childishness in the second half.
Plus maybe it's just me and I'm all smutted out at the end of the year... but I felt absolutely no chemistry between them.
Or maybe it's just not my kind of author.
November 24, 2019
3.5 ⭐
This is a new author for me and i gotta say i enjoyed this book!!!!
Neighbors who have a little xmas competition who kinda dont say they are going against eachother lol. Ariadne is alittle upset that her neighbor Brendan (3 years) is trying to up her every year but she thinks she gots him beat but he is sneaky and has her somewhat beat. But he's only doing this because he truly likes her but everytime he tries to talk to her she runs away. Ariadne is sorta dealing with alot and my heart was their for her she has social anxiety so its sorta hard for her to be "normal" she says. She does at times push Brendan away and he doesn't get mad or anything he knows she going through stuff..
What i love about this couple they had good banter and sweet together!! Plus their cats are fuck buddies or lovers now lol. Plus he always put her first. But their other drama between them, Brendan's job as a hacker comes back to bite him in the ass..
No ow/om drama, no cheating, slight secondary charas, sexy time,Tiny drama, both virgins
Recommend- yes
Cover-⭐⭐⭐⭐
Slowish-insta
Push/pull from h
Mentions of anxiety
Safeish
No condom
Hea
Epilogue
This is a new author for me and i gotta say i enjoyed this book!!!!
Neighbors who have a little xmas competition who kinda dont say they are going against eachother lol. Ariadne is alittle upset that her neighbor Brendan (3 years) is trying to up her every year but she thinks she gots him beat but he is sneaky and has her somewhat beat. But he's only doing this because he truly likes her but everytime he tries to talk to her she runs away. Ariadne is sorta dealing with alot and my heart was their for her she has social anxiety so its sorta hard for her to be "normal" she says. She does at times push Brendan away and he doesn't get mad or anything he knows she going through stuff..
What i love about this couple they had good banter and sweet together!! Plus their cats are fuck buddies or lovers now lol. Plus he always put her first. But their other drama between them, Brendan's job as a hacker comes back to bite him in the ass..
No ow/om drama, no cheating, slight secondary charas, sexy time,Tiny drama, both virgins
Recommend- yes
Cover-⭐⭐⭐⭐
Slowish-insta
Push/pull from h
Mentions of anxiety
Safeish
No condom
Hea
Epilogue
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2019
OK have to say-- I'm sold on the way this author does these kinds of short contemporaries. There is a self-awareness to the crazysauce that I enjoy, and I appreciate the kind overtly socially awkward heroines that seem to be a feature of these books. Looking forward to more in the series & more from this author!
December 6, 2019
I can’t even begun to tell you what an awesomely hilarious read this story was. New author for me and one who I’ll be one clicking, she delivers a witty and laugh out loud read.
It’s war that’s what it is Ariadne declares as she spies out her window watching his house. And the he? Brendan her arch nemesis and the bane of her existence since he moved in. It’s not a competition that’s what she silently tells herself but damn this man and his Christmas decorations.
Ariadne lives alone, content in her little world. She rarely ventures out of her house. Christmas is her thing and decorating her home is a labour of love. But when her neighbor starts decorating his house also she takes it personally.
When Brendon first spotted his little neighbor he fell in that first glimpse but trying to get her attention is proving difficult. If decorative decorations are the answer he’ll go all out to bring her out.
From here we laugh. We smile, we nod and cheer in agreement. And the chemistry between our leads? OMG someone call the fire brigade because these two need to cool down.
You need to one click this read it is AWESOME!
It’s war that’s what it is Ariadne declares as she spies out her window watching his house. And the he? Brendan her arch nemesis and the bane of her existence since he moved in. It’s not a competition that’s what she silently tells herself but damn this man and his Christmas decorations.
Ariadne lives alone, content in her little world. She rarely ventures out of her house. Christmas is her thing and decorating her home is a labour of love. But when her neighbor starts decorating his house also she takes it personally.
When Brendon first spotted his little neighbor he fell in that first glimpse but trying to get her attention is proving difficult. If decorative decorations are the answer he’ll go all out to bring her out.
From here we laugh. We smile, we nod and cheer in agreement. And the chemistry between our leads? OMG someone call the fire brigade because these two need to cool down.
You need to one click this read it is AWESOME!
December 9, 2019
Spoilers ahead, 3.5*
I expected a cheesy cliched read but was surprised by a spy,a hacker and a hitman lol. This wasn't bad at all and I look forward to everyone getting their own stories especially the hitman. I admit the beginning with their rivalry was more fun but all in all I enjoyed it
Virgin h who never really left her house
H has wanted her for years the way he spoke I'm assuming he hasn't been with anyone during that time
Enemies to lovers
I expected a cheesy cliched read but was surprised by a spy,a hacker and a hitman lol. This wasn't bad at all and I look forward to everyone getting their own stories especially the hitman. I admit the beginning with their rivalry was more fun but all in all I enjoyed it
Virgin h who never really left her house
H has wanted her for years the way he spoke I'm assuming he hasn't been with anyone during that time
Enemies to lovers
July 19, 2020
Story: 3.4 🌟
Audio: 4 🌟
This book started out really great, but somehow lost its charm along the way. Still, it was a pretty fun read.
Audio: 4 🌟
This book started out really great, but somehow lost its charm along the way. Still, it was a pretty fun read.
December 18, 2020
First things first, everyone listen to Bob Barker and get your pets spayed or neutered. 🙀😺
Right off the bat, a dude with a cat is adorably sexy ... just saying. And Charlie sounds like my boy Angus, he too likes to use his fluffy orange tail as a pillow. 😻
Make me laugh or make me cry and I’m a happy girl. And Brendan is flipping funny!
Ariadne is Ouiser from Steel Magnolias. She just needs a balding St. Bernard. It’s refreshing for the girl to be the grump for once.
All’s fair in love and war. So sabotage and holding Christmas lights as ransom seems like such a small price.
Lol Mrs Claws ... she is too ridiculous.
This plot twist is a bit far fetched, talk about easily led astray. If the characters weren’t so cute and the plot didn’t flow so well that alone would lower my rating.
This is one bumbling clusterfuck but I would expect nothing less.
I’m relieved things worked out like they did. Especially no matter where they were, Laura still found a way to get in her back door.
Right off the bat, a dude with a cat is adorably sexy ... just saying. And Charlie sounds like my boy Angus, he too likes to use his fluffy orange tail as a pillow. 😻
Make me laugh or make me cry and I’m a happy girl. And Brendan is flipping funny!
Ariadne is Ouiser from Steel Magnolias. She just needs a balding St. Bernard. It’s refreshing for the girl to be the grump for once.
All’s fair in love and war. So sabotage and holding Christmas lights as ransom seems like such a small price.
Lol Mrs Claws ... she is too ridiculous.
This plot twist is a bit far fetched, talk about easily led astray. If the characters weren’t so cute and the plot didn’t flow so well that alone would lower my rating.
This is one bumbling clusterfuck but I would expect nothing less.
I’m relieved things worked out like they did. Especially no matter where they were, Laura still found a way to get in her back door.
September 8, 2022
When Brendon moves in across the street from Ariadne, he's smitten right away. He tries to talk to her but she ignores him. She loves Christmas, so he puts up Christmas lights to catch her attention, but she takes it as a challenge and they begin a decorating rivalry.
Ariadne is an unusual character, and she is self conscious about it. She holds herself back and refuses to take risks. Brendon adores all of her eccentricities and supports her in trying new things without pushing her to be a different person.
Snow Angel is pretty silly, but it's also sweet and entertaining. I like that the author subtly connects a lot of her books, giving secondary and background characters their on story.
Ariadne is an unusual character, and she is self conscious about it. She holds herself back and refuses to take risks. Brendon adores all of her eccentricities and supports her in trying new things without pushing her to be a different person.
Snow Angel is pretty silly, but it's also sweet and entertaining. I like that the author subtly connects a lot of her books, giving secondary and background characters their on story.
November 17, 2020
Lighthearted holiday novella.
December 6, 2019
This was a really good, sweet and sexy read. Brendan and Ariadne were super cute together and I loved their two kitties. Ariadne is obsessed with looking normal and is kinda obsessed with decorating her house for Christmas. She also kind of hates her neighbour who is always trying to one up her in decorating his own house. She can’t be outdone so it has been a little bit of a war between them. I loved Brendan and his love for Ariadne, he just wanted his woman to notice him and give him a chance. There is a twist that I also enjoyed. Looking forward to reading more from Mink!
Safety and Spoilers
Completely safe. No ow/om drama but their is other drama. Both are virgins. No abuse.
Safety and Spoilers
Completely safe. No ow/om drama but their is other drama. Both are virgins. No abuse.
December 10, 2019
That's what I call a Christmas story.
It was absolutely amazing! Starting with our quirky heroine and finishing with a stray cat. There was drama, decorations, spies, hitman, miracles and everything that makes a great plot.
158 pages of pure perfection ❤️
It was absolutely amazing! Starting with our quirky heroine and finishing with a stray cat. There was drama, decorations, spies, hitman, miracles and everything that makes a great plot.
158 pages of pure perfection ❤️
January 1, 2020
4 Stars / 4 Steam Fans
Video review available in Week 52 Dec 22 – 28 weekly book reviews.
For other video book reviews check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk
Video review available in Week 52 Dec 22 – 28 weekly book reviews.
For other video book reviews check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk
January 24, 2020
Started out really promising with a hilarious opening but then just couldn't get into story.
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December 16, 2023
2 ⭐️ Stalker Christmas Romance, but with a neurodivergent FMC.
I didn't like this, pretty much at all. It's instalove and instalust, which I usually don't have a problem with... except this time the FMC is an agoraphobic v¡rgin with social anxiety. So, really, it made zero sense. The MMC sees her from his window -they're neighbours-, and decides that he just HAS to have her. No further reasoning. He's never even spoken to her, but he's already thinking of her as his. He breaks into her house to force a 'meet-cute'... so it's more of a 'meet-eww', because wtf.
He was sweet to her, but in a kind of condescending and paternalistic way, and she has portrayed to have the personality of a child. Like, I get that we neurospicy peeps sometimes need a little more TLC than others might, but there's no need to infantilise anyone. She's a whole a** adult woman, ffs -but she has no real say in anything. She just seems to go along with what everyone tells her to do, or goes where others tell her to go.
The FMC's best friend gave me awful, creepy vibes from the start, and I kind of hated her tbh. Idk, but this book felt weird, and wrong to me. I would not recommend it.
I will say that it is, in fact, very Christmassy... so I guess there's that.
I didn't like this, pretty much at all. It's instalove and instalust, which I usually don't have a problem with... except this time the FMC is an agoraphobic v¡rgin with social anxiety. So, really, it made zero sense. The MMC sees her from his window -they're neighbours-, and decides that he just HAS to have her. No further reasoning. He's never even spoken to her, but he's already thinking of her as his. He breaks into her house to force a 'meet-cute'... so it's more of a 'meet-eww', because wtf.
He was sweet to her, but in a kind of condescending and paternalistic way, and she has portrayed to have the personality of a child. Like, I get that we neurospicy peeps sometimes need a little more TLC than others might, but there's no need to infantilise anyone. She's a whole a** adult woman, ffs -but she has no real say in anything. She just seems to go along with what everyone tells her to do, or goes where others tell her to go.
The FMC's best friend gave me awful, creepy vibes from the start, and I kind of hated her tbh. Idk, but this book felt weird, and wrong to me. I would not recommend it.
I will say that it is, in fact, very Christmassy... so I guess there's that.
December 30, 2019
Sweet Christmasy vibe to s new instaloveish series
Was this one cheesy? Totally. But is it cute and worth a read? Also, totally.
This is very Christmas-y, involves some cats, lots of decorations and there are some humorous parts.
The author has done well to plot this little series out it seems with an overarching connections between characters.
No major or irritating errors.
Instalove ish.
No condom
Virgin h
H’s history isn’t discussed
No OW drama, yay!
Recommended for those wanting a happy feel good instalove ish read.
Going to get book two now!
Was this one cheesy? Totally. But is it cute and worth a read? Also, totally.
This is very Christmas-y, involves some cats, lots of decorations and there are some humorous parts.
The author has done well to plot this little series out it seems with an overarching connections between characters.
No major or irritating errors.
Instalove ish.
No condom
Virgin h
H’s history isn’t discussed
No OW drama, yay!
Recommended for those wanting a happy feel good instalove ish read.
Going to get book two now!
December 4, 2022
3.5⭐️ Smutty Christmas rom-com novella 🎄
Ariadne had the best Christmas lights on her street, until him. Whenever she does something new, he’ll do it too but bigger. Brendan doesn’t care about the lights - he just wants a certain blondes attention.
These two had me cracking up.
Ariadne had the best Christmas lights on her street, until him. Whenever she does something new, he’ll do it too but bigger. Brendan doesn’t care about the lights - he just wants a certain blondes attention.
These two had me cracking up.
December 5, 2019
Great holiday read!
Loved this first book!
Sweet,steamy,mysterious,romantic,funny,witty and a little suspense! I can’t wait for more stories! The set up for the light display challenge was so great!
Loved this first book!
Sweet,steamy,mysterious,romantic,funny,witty and a little suspense! I can’t wait for more stories! The set up for the light display challenge was so great!
December 6, 2019
“I’ve only been sure about one thing in my life. And that’s you."
Very good job on what I'm assuming is a first book. I really enjoyed it. Funny, quirky with an H that's head over heels for the h.
-virgin h, and I believe the H is a virgin too? No details given about his past.
-dual POV
-no cheating/abuse
-no OW OM drama
-epilogues about 6 months out and 4 years
Bravo on this one. I definitely recommend.
Very good job on what I'm assuming is a first book. I really enjoyed it. Funny, quirky with an H that's head over heels for the h.
-virgin h, and I believe the H is a virgin too? No details given about his past.
-dual POV
-no cheating/abuse
-no OW OM drama
-epilogues about 6 months out and 4 years
Bravo on this one. I definitely recommend.
February 25, 2021
Brendan has been watching Ariande since he moved in across the street. When Brendan watched Adriande decorating her house for Christmas, he got into the holiday spirit believing he would form a friend with Ariande, only to find a rival instead.
This year Brendan has a plan in place to finally get Ariande to see him as the man who is going to win her heart, but Ariande is all about Christmas and it is going to take some clever maneuvering to get Ariande to see what is in front of her.
This was a lot of fun. I liked the rivalry and Ariande is a bit clueless when it comes to Brendan. Overall entertaining holiday read.
This year Brendan has a plan in place to finally get Ariande to see him as the man who is going to win her heart, but Ariande is all about Christmas and it is going to take some clever maneuvering to get Ariande to see what is in front of her.
This was a lot of fun. I liked the rivalry and Ariande is a bit clueless when it comes to Brendan. Overall entertaining holiday read.
December 5, 2019
This was a new to me author. I really enjoyed this Christmas book. Loved the adorable H/h and their cats. Just the right amount of Alpha in Brendan and just the right amount of quirkiness in Ariadne.
I read an advanced copy of this book.
I read an advanced copy of this book.
December 10, 2019
A good story but I don't know why the hero waited all this time before courting the heroine.
December 15, 2019
This book was so cute! I really enjoyed how devoted he was and the lengths he went to win her love. I enjoyed especially that they weren’t perfect people. The epilogue was so good! Totally safe book.
December 10, 2020
Snow Angel by MINK ⭐⭐⭐ ½
HERO - Brendan. Hacker-for-hire who targets world leaders and governments, though on paper is a computer programmer with an MIT degree. He’s built like a Mack truck and has dark hair.
HEROINE - Ariadne Morton. Travel writer for several well-known magazines. Small, on the short side, but has a butt and thick thighs. Long blonde hair and green eyes.
OVERALL THOUGHTS - It’s a really enjoyable read, but also had some over the top elements I didn’t care for as well as some poor development in some areas. However, the romance between Brendan and Ariadne was really cute.
What I Liked
Brendan. He’s a homebody hacker who’s been trying to get the attention of the reclusive Ariadne for years. He unwittingly stumbles upon her competitive nature when he puts out a few Christmas lights one year, sparking a full-on passive aggressive war. When he realizes that approaching her directly won’t work (she either runs or hides), he arranges for some of her lights to have an “accident” forcing her to visit the local hardware store for replacements. Too bad he’s already purchased all of them. He’s willing to share, though, in exchange for her time.
Ariadne. She’s a socially awkward recluse with a hard-on for Christmas. She’s also got a competitive nature, but only with her neighbor from across the street, Brendan a.k.a Satan Claus. She’s been avoiding him for years, but a “chance” meeting at a hardware store forces her to face him head-on.
Their romance. It reminds me of the Dr. Seuss quote, “We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.” They’re so cute together. They have traits in common, but each also has strengths where the other is weak. Ariadne, I feel, especially benefited from that.
The Christmas vibes. Because this story revolves around the passive-aggressive decoration war between the H/h, the result is that the Christmas vibes never take a back seat to other unnecessary drama. Also, I do love that Brendan’s only reason for decorating was to get Ariadne’s attention. It was his only way to flirt with her and get under her skin. Almost like he was wearing her down…
The Signature Cats. This was MINK’s first book, so the cat’s weren’t a signature when this book came out, but whatever. I love cats and I love that she includes them in every book, sometimes as a non-human side character, and sometimes in the background. This time we have Charlie, a fluffy orange fur ball, who’s human is Brendan, and Mrs. Claws, a little black kitty who chooses Ariadne.
The humor. While I didn’t laugh out loud, there’s a subtle, quirky humor throughout the story that I absolutely love about MINK’s writing. Because I’m reviewing this a year after it’s release, I can also say that I miss this about her writing, too, because the majority of her releases since the middle of this year have been more serious in tone, and lacking in the charm her earlier works exuded.
What I Disliked
Lack of basic information. There’s almost no physical description of the hero, nor do we learn the character’s ages. There’s also a lack of background history...how/why did the hero become a hacker? Does he not have a family? What happened to the heroine’s mother, her father? Holes like those ensured the depth of the characters and story were somewhat shallow, but enjoyable nonetheless as long as you take it at face value. Besides those things, I also don’t like that we never learn .
Slight inconsistencies. An example would be the end of a Brendan chapter, when he says he hears a horn honk outside and sees the Pet Place delivery van outside. He sees Ariadne bounce down her front steps, excited. The next chapter, in Ariadne’s POV, opens and the only reason she notices the van is because she was already peeking out the window. She doesn’t “bounce down her front steps”. Instead, she opens the door and the delivery man is already standing there. The fact that these two things happen back-to-back made the mistake glaringly obvious. Also, at the end of his chapter, he was walking out his front door to her house. During her chapter, however, the delivery man had enough time to start setting up the cat houses before Brendan shows up. Also, I have to say I’m really annoyed the delivery man was described in way more detail than the book’s hero.
Laura. She’s Ariadne’s neighbor from the woods, her only friend, and a self-admitted spy. Also, possibly a figment of her imagination. She appeared out of nowhere one night two years ago, asking for a cup of sugar. I didn't like her as a character at all because she's really poorly developed.
Neutral But Noteworthy
The author’s decision to drag this out for years. He lived across the street from Ariadne for three years before rolling out the plan in this story. Granted, he makes the occasional attempt to speak to her during that time, but is met with her either hiding from him or running in the other direction. That’s a LONG time to harbor a crush on someone you only catch glimpses of now and then, have never spoken to, and repeatedly get the cold-shoulder from. Also, while Ariadne is generally reclusive, she does leave the house semi-regularly, it sounded like. Since he was low-key stalking her, why not have him approach her during one of those outings?
Ariadne’s not very bright. Not only does she not know how to recognize a wink, but she also allows a woman to force friendship on her by stealing a key to her house and showing up whenever she wants. Ariadne knows nothing about her - not where she lives, not what she does for a living...she’s not even 100% sure the woman is real because of how stealthily she comes and goes, always through the back door. By the time she learns the woman , she’s so comfortable in their weird, one-sided friendship that she barely questions it. Their relationship is honestly quite creepy, if I think about it. The fact that Ariadne, a person who hides away from the world, would so easily let someone into her safe space (her house) without vetting them is not only disturbing, but also quite stupid.
The Brotherhood. We get our first mention of the Brotherhood, an assassin agency, in this book. Brendan’s current (and final, it’s suggested) hack job is for them. The agency pops up in multiple MINK books in the future, though none of those works are directly tied to this one.
Heath. This blue-eyed Brotherhood assassin is the hero of his own story, Hitman’s Prey. He mentions his neighbor with a clumsy streak which confirms that he’s already living next door to his heroine, Lena.
The last chapter was a bit much. So after Heath tells Brendan (and Ariadne, by extension) that they . So he and Ariadne move . Insert exasperated sigh here.
SAFETY
HERO - Brendan. Hacker-for-hire who targets world leaders and governments, though on paper is a computer programmer with an MIT degree. He’s built like a Mack truck and has dark hair.
HEROINE - Ariadne Morton. Travel writer for several well-known magazines. Small, on the short side, but has a butt and thick thighs. Long blonde hair and green eyes.
OVERALL THOUGHTS - It’s a really enjoyable read, but also had some over the top elements I didn’t care for as well as some poor development in some areas. However, the romance between Brendan and Ariadne was really cute.
What I Liked
Brendan. He’s a homebody hacker who’s been trying to get the attention of the reclusive Ariadne for years. He unwittingly stumbles upon her competitive nature when he puts out a few Christmas lights one year, sparking a full-on passive aggressive war. When he realizes that approaching her directly won’t work (she either runs or hides), he arranges for some of her lights to have an “accident” forcing her to visit the local hardware store for replacements. Too bad he’s already purchased all of them. He’s willing to share, though, in exchange for her time.
Ariadne. She’s a socially awkward recluse with a hard-on for Christmas. She’s also got a competitive nature, but only with her neighbor from across the street, Brendan a.k.a Satan Claus. She’s been avoiding him for years, but a “chance” meeting at a hardware store forces her to face him head-on.
Their romance. It reminds me of the Dr. Seuss quote, “We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.” They’re so cute together. They have traits in common, but each also has strengths where the other is weak. Ariadne, I feel, especially benefited from that.
The Christmas vibes. Because this story revolves around the passive-aggressive decoration war between the H/h, the result is that the Christmas vibes never take a back seat to other unnecessary drama. Also, I do love that Brendan’s only reason for decorating was to get Ariadne’s attention. It was his only way to flirt with her and get under her skin. Almost like he was wearing her down…
The Signature Cats. This was MINK’s first book, so the cat’s weren’t a signature when this book came out, but whatever. I love cats and I love that she includes them in every book, sometimes as a non-human side character, and sometimes in the background. This time we have Charlie, a fluffy orange fur ball, who’s human is Brendan, and Mrs. Claws, a little black kitty who chooses Ariadne.
The humor. While I didn’t laugh out loud, there’s a subtle, quirky humor throughout the story that I absolutely love about MINK’s writing. Because I’m reviewing this a year after it’s release, I can also say that I miss this about her writing, too, because the majority of her releases since the middle of this year have been more serious in tone, and lacking in the charm her earlier works exuded.
What I Disliked
Lack of basic information. There’s almost no physical description of the hero, nor do we learn the character’s ages. There’s also a lack of background history...how/why did the hero become a hacker? Does he not have a family? What happened to the heroine’s mother, her father? Holes like those ensured the depth of the characters and story were somewhat shallow, but enjoyable nonetheless as long as you take it at face value. Besides those things, I also don’t like that we never learn .
Slight inconsistencies. An example would be the end of a Brendan chapter, when he says he hears a horn honk outside and sees the Pet Place delivery van outside. He sees Ariadne bounce down her front steps, excited. The next chapter, in Ariadne’s POV, opens and the only reason she notices the van is because she was already peeking out the window. She doesn’t “bounce down her front steps”. Instead, she opens the door and the delivery man is already standing there. The fact that these two things happen back-to-back made the mistake glaringly obvious. Also, at the end of his chapter, he was walking out his front door to her house. During her chapter, however, the delivery man had enough time to start setting up the cat houses before Brendan shows up. Also, I have to say I’m really annoyed the delivery man was described in way more detail than the book’s hero.
Laura. She’s Ariadne’s neighbor from the woods, her only friend, and a self-admitted spy. Also, possibly a figment of her imagination. She appeared out of nowhere one night two years ago, asking for a cup of sugar. I didn't like her as a character at all because she's really poorly developed.
Neutral But Noteworthy
The author’s decision to drag this out for years. He lived across the street from Ariadne for three years before rolling out the plan in this story. Granted, he makes the occasional attempt to speak to her during that time, but is met with her either hiding from him or running in the other direction. That’s a LONG time to harbor a crush on someone you only catch glimpses of now and then, have never spoken to, and repeatedly get the cold-shoulder from. Also, while Ariadne is generally reclusive, she does leave the house semi-regularly, it sounded like. Since he was low-key stalking her, why not have him approach her during one of those outings?
Ariadne’s not very bright. Not only does she not know how to recognize a wink, but she also allows a woman to force friendship on her by stealing a key to her house and showing up whenever she wants. Ariadne knows nothing about her - not where she lives, not what she does for a living...she’s not even 100% sure the woman is real because of how stealthily she comes and goes, always through the back door. By the time she learns the woman , she’s so comfortable in their weird, one-sided friendship that she barely questions it. Their relationship is honestly quite creepy, if I think about it. The fact that Ariadne, a person who hides away from the world, would so easily let someone into her safe space (her house) without vetting them is not only disturbing, but also quite stupid.
The Brotherhood. We get our first mention of the Brotherhood, an assassin agency, in this book. Brendan’s current (and final, it’s suggested) hack job is for them. The agency pops up in multiple MINK books in the future, though none of those works are directly tied to this one.
Heath. This blue-eyed Brotherhood assassin is the hero of his own story, Hitman’s Prey. He mentions his neighbor with a clumsy streak which confirms that he’s already living next door to his heroine, Lena.
The last chapter was a bit much. So after Heath tells Brendan (and Ariadne, by extension) that they . So he and Ariadne move . Insert exasperated sigh here.
SAFETY
December 30, 2019
Probably closer to 3.5 but I’m rounding up. This was a fun story. It was a little longer than I’m accustomed to from the Read Me Romance podcast, but that’s not a bad thing. Super quirky, but lovable, heroine. Sexy and protective hero. Adorable cats. A bit of suspense. I really enjoyed this story!
December 13, 2020
This book was so perfect and sweet. It was also a bit scandalous and I had no idea about that😳 I’d highly recommend this especially for the winter season !!
Want to read
July 8, 2021🎁 FREE on Amazon today (7/8/2021)! 🎁
December 19, 2025
Ariadne and Brendan
This was cute. Brendan really wanted to get her attention and finally be together. I liked their story. It was mildly steamy and fun.
This was cute. Brendan really wanted to get her attention and finally be together. I liked their story. It was mildly steamy and fun.
January 11, 2021
Loved my first hacker Christmas story.
November 26, 2019
Really cute and sweet.
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