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The Mistletoe Game
It’s Christmas Eve at La Petite Mort Club and the night is about to get interesting because it’s almost time to play The Mistletoe Game.
Adrian is prowling the Club when he notices the saddest woman he’d ever seen. She looks like her world has ended. He’s just the guy to cheer her up. He’s rich, attractive and charming.
Unfortunately, Ellie finds him annoying, arrogant, and too alpha. She’s done with alpha males who can’t keep it in their pants and wouldn’t know the meaning of the word faithful if they were reading it in the dictionary.
But when Ellie’s cheating ex calls her cold, the only way to prove him wrong is to play The Mistletoe Game with Adrian.
How bad can it be?
They’re in public. It’s a game. Probably, a few kisses under the mistletoe, except this is La Petite Mort Club and nothing is as innocent as just a kiss.
Adrian is prowling the Club when he notices the saddest woman he’d ever seen. She looks like her world has ended. He’s just the guy to cheer her up. He’s rich, attractive and charming.
Unfortunately, Ellie finds him annoying, arrogant, and too alpha. She’s done with alpha males who can’t keep it in their pants and wouldn’t know the meaning of the word faithful if they were reading it in the dictionary.
But when Ellie’s cheating ex calls her cold, the only way to prove him wrong is to play The Mistletoe Game with Adrian.
How bad can it be?
They’re in public. It’s a game. Probably, a few kisses under the mistletoe, except this is La Petite Mort Club and nothing is as innocent as just a kiss.
180 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 9, 2020
930 people are currently reading
814 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
did-not-finish
December 1, 2023DNF at 20%.
Consent is crap in this. She said no and he decided to manipulate her.
She's told "you can say no at anytime" when she's pressured into a sex game. She already did.
And it just keeps getting worse. Nope.
Consent is crap in this. She said no and he decided to manipulate her.
She's told "you can say no at anytime" when she's pressured into a sex game. She already did.
And it just keeps getting worse. Nope.
December 24, 2020
Like-Despise Relationship
Ellie may like Adrian in some ways - like how her body responds to him - but she despises him for simply being male. Her ex proves to be the catalyst that keeps him in her path. It's a great story with fantastic banter, plenty of chemistry, a good deal of playfulness, and yummy times in public and private. Ellie also wages a war with herself as she comes to terms with her latest failed relationship and how there's a common thread with past boyfriends. Her ex, Marc is a tool who could really do with a good old fashioned whoopin'.
Ellie may like Adrian in some ways - like how her body responds to him - but she despises him for simply being male. Her ex proves to be the catalyst that keeps him in her path. It's a great story with fantastic banter, plenty of chemistry, a good deal of playfulness, and yummy times in public and private. Ellie also wages a war with herself as she comes to terms with her latest failed relationship and how there's a common thread with past boyfriends. Her ex, Marc is a tool who could really do with a good old fashioned whoopin'.
January 6, 2021
Short'n'hot💖 Maybe it's even better when you're in a mood for reading about hot sexy arrogant through and through alpha stallion.
That is just a beginning of a story about Adrian and Ellie. One day I'm going to find more about them.
That is just a beginning of a story about Adrian and Ellie. One day I'm going to find more about them.
December 11, 2024
If you’re in the mood for a short and spicy holiday themed romance - this is for you!
Storyline is mediocre.
Storyline is mediocre.
December 11, 2022
I've enjoyed the author's full books and this was shaping up as a 3-star to 4-star read before it ended abruptly in the middle of a chapter.
It's not so much a cliff-hanger, it's more like a long sample. Ending a book that way without any warning in the blurb that it's a partial story drops the story by a full-star.
There are two other volumes in the series, and they published in 2020, so the story is probably complete. But while I enjoyed Adrian, Ellie was annoying. Definitely not appealing enough to warrant buying two more volumes.
It's not so much a cliff-hanger, it's more like a long sample. Ending a book that way without any warning in the blurb that it's a partial story drops the story by a full-star.
There are two other volumes in the series, and they published in 2020, so the story is probably complete. But while I enjoyed Adrian, Ellie was annoying. Definitely not appealing enough to warrant buying two more volumes.
December 26, 2020
The story premise was interesting to me, but it immediately got a lower rating when I got to the end of the book and found out it was a serial novel! Will not continue, especially since the focus seemed to be on sex and nothing else, even when there was great potential for character and relationship development!
December 13, 2022
what did i just read?
i hate hearing men talk about women.
only read this cuz it was free on ibooks 😀
i hate hearing men talk about women.
only read this cuz it was free on ibooks 😀
December 27, 2020
I did not know this was the first part of a trilogy so the ending left me wondering what will happen next. The story ends at around 75% and the rest is promotions and excerpts for other works by the author.
Ellie finally dumps her cheating boyfriend but he's not fading quietly into the night. She's waiting for him at a sex club when she gets a text from the woman causing him to be late with a graphic picture of why. Determined not to take him back or show him she cares at all, she agrees to participate in The Mistletoe Game. Adrian sees Ellie and wants to be with her. He agrees to participate in the game if the organizer rigs it so Ellie is his partner. The story goes on with Adrian in hot pursuit while Ellie continues to deny that anything will develop between them.
Ellie finally dumps her cheating boyfriend but he's not fading quietly into the night. She's waiting for him at a sex club when she gets a text from the woman causing him to be late with a graphic picture of why. Determined not to take him back or show him she cares at all, she agrees to participate in The Mistletoe Game. Adrian sees Ellie and wants to be with her. He agrees to participate in the game if the organizer rigs it so Ellie is his partner. The story goes on with Adrian in hot pursuit while Ellie continues to deny that anything will develop between them.
December 21, 2022
Needed Christmas and on audio. I haven't found much spicy Christmas audio so this was a nice surprise. Super quick read. It is in third person though. It does end rather abruptly though.
November 18, 2024
This left on a cliffhanger solely to get you to keep on through the series, which was meh.
November 15, 2021
Adrian and Ellie
CLIFFHANGER! So there are 3 books to this series and the books are connected. Had I’d known that book 1 was only a portion of the story, I would have passed. It stinks because the story could have been good but you will have to get all three so skip over the free 1st one and go with someone else.
CLIFFHANGER! So there are 3 books to this series and the books are connected. Had I’d known that book 1 was only a portion of the story, I would have passed. It stinks because the story could have been good but you will have to get all three so skip over the free 1st one and go with someone else.
December 22, 2020
When Adrian & Ellie Are Both Stood Up At La Petite Mort Club On Christmas Eve, Stubbornness, Steamy Chemistry, And Circumstances Lead Them To Spending Some Unexpected Time Together!
This is the first book of three in the Hot Holidays series. It is from the La Petite Mort Club world. La Petite Mort Club is a private club catering to those with similar interests in kink and offering a safe place to meet up and indulge. This series is very loosely connected to two books in that series. Book two in the La Petite Mort Club series – The Voyeur Series Books 1-4 – is Patrick and Annie’s brother’s best friend story. Book four in the La Petite Mort Club series – A Merry Masquerade for Christmas – is Craig and Liz’s story in which their marriage seems destined to failure.
Adrian, probably about twenty-nine, left the Marines roughly eight months ago after a decade of service. He loves his new civilian life working in cyber security and making a lot more money than he could have in the military. His old friend Mitch had talked him into leaving and introduced him to La Petite Mort Club. His boss at the PI firm at which he works, Patrick Westman, is also a member at the club. He is about to spend his first Christmas at home in years, but is meeting Mitch at the club before heading to his folks’ house in the suburbs for the holidays. He is the third of seven children and the only boy, so he knows how to talk to women. He might be an alpha and enjoy riling people up, but he also knows how to be a gentleman. There are certain things he won’t stand for – like men mistreating women and watching a woman cry.
Ellie, twenty-six, keeps picking the wrong men. She has a weakness for arrogant and confident alphas, but she realizes she needs to make some changes. She is a forensic accountant, so facts and logic should make the solution simple. Since all her boyfriends have been alphas and every single one was has been a cheat, she needs to find a nice boring accountant type if she wants a different outcome. She had been with Marc for over two years, supporting his lazy ways and buying his excuses. He blames everything on her and it is only too easy to believe him – the argument that she drove every single boyfriend to cheat on her did have some merit, even if she didn’t want to believe it. If only Marc didn’t live with her, the break-up would be a little smoother. She hopes to find him gone by the time she returns from visiting her family over Christmas.
It is Christmas Eve at La Petite Mort Club and Desiree has organized the Mistletoe Game to get a little excitement in the air on an otherwise quiet night at the club. That Ethan is watching has her nervous – he has been out of sorts of late. She hopes to make the game a success in his eyes, but is a few people short. She works the crowd diligently and with a little arm-twisting, she secures Adrian – who only agrees to play if he is paired with sad woman at the bar.
Adrian is stood up by Mitch and finds himself alone at the club when he notices a woman in tears at the bar. He wants nothing more than to make her smile, but when a smile lights up her face, transforming her into the an incredible beauty, he admittedly wants more. Ellie sits alone and heartbroken when she is stood up by Marc. His friend Bruce had secured them guest passes and she had finally agreed to meet him there, but now it is the last place she wants to be. She keeps brushing off a handsome alpha who doesn’t seem to get the message. But when she is arm-pulled into participating in what appears to be a harmless game, she finds herself paired up with said alpha in a game that turns out to be not quite as innocent as she first believed.
When Adrian and Ellie are both stood up at La Petite Mort Club on Christmas Eve, stubbornness, steamy chemistry, and circumstances lead them to spending much of the next twenty-four hours together. Adrian is a strange mixture of hot-head and gentleman. When circumstances call for it, he can turn on his impressive good manners. But when alone with Ellie, he has trouble with controlling what comes out of his mouth. Ellie has a history of letting her alphas take advantage of her, so when her relationship blows up on Christmas Eve she decides it is her turn to be in charge. This makes for an entertaining exchange between her and Adrian, who is rather adorable when he submits. But again, he cannot help himself and they struggle for power. Their drama is a bit over the top. He is persistent, while she is prickly and tries push him away at each turn. They spend much of their time at odds.
At this point in the series, it is unclear if the books that follow will be about this couple or not. This book ends in a way that it could go either way, though those wanting an HEA will be required to use their imagination if Adrian and Ellie’s story does not continue. It would be a shame not to get to read their HEA! *Spoiler* While their chemistry is great, the fact that Ellie is determined to give up on alphas remains a real obstacle to any relationship. They both know she is using him that night, and that she has no intention of taking things further. And although Adrian clearly wants more, there is no indication that he wants a relationship or that he won’t cheat like all her prior boyfriends. Revelations in the story make the possibility of this couple frequenting La Petite Mort Club rather complicated, so it might just be left to the imagination. There is, however, the introduction of a new club – presumably not a BDSM club – which might possibly be featured in a next installment. There are also a few potential couples introduced that the series could shift to. Colin and Mary. Gus and Alison. Trevor and Tina. Or Paige and somebody … Robbie? Ideally, though, Adrian and Ellie get their own HEA.
Adrian and Ellie’s steamy Christmas Eve romance pairs an ex-Marine alpha and a burned-out accountant who is not going to allow herself to be a doormat anymore. It is nicely written. There are only a few errors in my ARC copy. There are also a few spots at which it is a little hard to follow who the speaker is. The plot is fairly simply. The characters are complex and very headstrong. The story is written in third person. The POV alternates between Adrian and Ellie. I rate this book 3.5 stars.
I received an advance copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the first book of three in the Hot Holidays series. It is from the La Petite Mort Club world. La Petite Mort Club is a private club catering to those with similar interests in kink and offering a safe place to meet up and indulge. This series is very loosely connected to two books in that series. Book two in the La Petite Mort Club series – The Voyeur Series Books 1-4 – is Patrick and Annie’s brother’s best friend story. Book four in the La Petite Mort Club series – A Merry Masquerade for Christmas – is Craig and Liz’s story in which their marriage seems destined to failure.
Adrian, probably about twenty-nine, left the Marines roughly eight months ago after a decade of service. He loves his new civilian life working in cyber security and making a lot more money than he could have in the military. His old friend Mitch had talked him into leaving and introduced him to La Petite Mort Club. His boss at the PI firm at which he works, Patrick Westman, is also a member at the club. He is about to spend his first Christmas at home in years, but is meeting Mitch at the club before heading to his folks’ house in the suburbs for the holidays. He is the third of seven children and the only boy, so he knows how to talk to women. He might be an alpha and enjoy riling people up, but he also knows how to be a gentleman. There are certain things he won’t stand for – like men mistreating women and watching a woman cry.
Ellie, twenty-six, keeps picking the wrong men. She has a weakness for arrogant and confident alphas, but she realizes she needs to make some changes. She is a forensic accountant, so facts and logic should make the solution simple. Since all her boyfriends have been alphas and every single one was has been a cheat, she needs to find a nice boring accountant type if she wants a different outcome. She had been with Marc for over two years, supporting his lazy ways and buying his excuses. He blames everything on her and it is only too easy to believe him – the argument that she drove every single boyfriend to cheat on her did have some merit, even if she didn’t want to believe it. If only Marc didn’t live with her, the break-up would be a little smoother. She hopes to find him gone by the time she returns from visiting her family over Christmas.
It is Christmas Eve at La Petite Mort Club and Desiree has organized the Mistletoe Game to get a little excitement in the air on an otherwise quiet night at the club. That Ethan is watching has her nervous – he has been out of sorts of late. She hopes to make the game a success in his eyes, but is a few people short. She works the crowd diligently and with a little arm-twisting, she secures Adrian – who only agrees to play if he is paired with sad woman at the bar.
Adrian is stood up by Mitch and finds himself alone at the club when he notices a woman in tears at the bar. He wants nothing more than to make her smile, but when a smile lights up her face, transforming her into the an incredible beauty, he admittedly wants more. Ellie sits alone and heartbroken when she is stood up by Marc. His friend Bruce had secured them guest passes and she had finally agreed to meet him there, but now it is the last place she wants to be. She keeps brushing off a handsome alpha who doesn’t seem to get the message. But when she is arm-pulled into participating in what appears to be a harmless game, she finds herself paired up with said alpha in a game that turns out to be not quite as innocent as she first believed.
When Adrian and Ellie are both stood up at La Petite Mort Club on Christmas Eve, stubbornness, steamy chemistry, and circumstances lead them to spending much of the next twenty-four hours together. Adrian is a strange mixture of hot-head and gentleman. When circumstances call for it, he can turn on his impressive good manners. But when alone with Ellie, he has trouble with controlling what comes out of his mouth. Ellie has a history of letting her alphas take advantage of her, so when her relationship blows up on Christmas Eve she decides it is her turn to be in charge. This makes for an entertaining exchange between her and Adrian, who is rather adorable when he submits. But again, he cannot help himself and they struggle for power. Their drama is a bit over the top. He is persistent, while she is prickly and tries push him away at each turn. They spend much of their time at odds.
At this point in the series, it is unclear if the books that follow will be about this couple or not. This book ends in a way that it could go either way, though those wanting an HEA will be required to use their imagination if Adrian and Ellie’s story does not continue. It would be a shame not to get to read their HEA! *Spoiler* While their chemistry is great, the fact that Ellie is determined to give up on alphas remains a real obstacle to any relationship. They both know she is using him that night, and that she has no intention of taking things further. And although Adrian clearly wants more, there is no indication that he wants a relationship or that he won’t cheat like all her prior boyfriends. Revelations in the story make the possibility of this couple frequenting La Petite Mort Club rather complicated, so it might just be left to the imagination. There is, however, the introduction of a new club – presumably not a BDSM club – which might possibly be featured in a next installment. There are also a few potential couples introduced that the series could shift to. Colin and Mary. Gus and Alison. Trevor and Tina. Or Paige and somebody … Robbie? Ideally, though, Adrian and Ellie get their own HEA.
Adrian and Ellie’s steamy Christmas Eve romance pairs an ex-Marine alpha and a burned-out accountant who is not going to allow herself to be a doormat anymore. It is nicely written. There are only a few errors in my ARC copy. There are also a few spots at which it is a little hard to follow who the speaker is. The plot is fairly simply. The characters are complex and very headstrong. The story is written in third person. The POV alternates between Adrian and Ellie. I rate this book 3.5 stars.
I received an advance copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 23, 2020
This book is a cliff hanger
I hate these kind of books. Probably not going to read the rest because you have to buy three books to find out the ending . Fudge that! It was so good till that happened.
I hate these kind of books. Probably not going to read the rest because you have to buy three books to find out the ending . Fudge that! It was so good till that happened.
January 5, 2021
I have such mixed feelings about this. I was really enjoying it, especially Adrian, until I got to the ending and found I’d have to buy two more books with only about 150 pages each. Just give me the whole story. I won’t be buying the other books. I never would have read it had I known.
Want to read
December 10, 2024🎁FREE on Amazon & on Apple Books today (12/17/2020)!🎁
December 19, 2020
Oooooh, what an absolutely wonderful, sizzling, unique & FUN story Ms. Day has crafted with her latest offering: 'The Mistletoe Game'.
I looooved it. Seriously, I loooooved it!
Dominant Alphas are my kryptonite. I melt, I thrill, I so enjoy the chills & shivers a stern, hard, intense, exacting Dom gives me as I'm reading their story. And among the tropes that feature such male leads, I consider Ms. Day to be among the best writers. She never disappoints, her characters are perfectly detailed, the reader feels they see & know the person; her plots are wonderfully original takes on life; but most of all her writing is beautifully smooth & she has the deft ability to pull a reader into her story effortlessly. Her superb writing skills grant the reader the ability to experience everything the characters do: we feel the touches & emotions; we see what the characters see: the people, the surroundings, the expressions; we hear the laughter, the tears, the deep tones of the Hero & the sweet voice of the heroine.
And the reader achieves that desired & hoped for magical immersion into a book which takes them far from reality for a few wonderful hours.
And in Adrian, Ms. Day has created a wonderful male lead. He is handsome, large, powerful; a former Marine & currently working for a private security firm; he's confident & cocky but not arrogant; he's intensely sexy & s*xual but only with willing partners. And yet, as I read his & Ellie's story, the overriding unique & (to me) wonderful facet of his personality was his default sense of humor.
Growing up as the only male among 7 children, Adrian became an expert in reading the tones, actions & feelings of females. But he also delights in 'poking the bear' with insightful jests & jibes that hold no cruelty, his eyes almost always sparkle with laughter as well as lust & he is naturally a laidback & happy Dominant. But he also knows how to use his laser focus ability to get what he wants, & right now what he wants is the beautiful, slightly insecure, lush woman named Ellie.
Ellie is also a wonderful & complex character. She's a confident intelligent woman except when it comes to relationships with men. She is naturally drawn to Alpha males but her past is littered with the craters of all those men who ended up leaving her. Every. Single. One. And this record has both embittered her attitude about men & made her unsure of her s*xual allure to the point she breaks up with her current jerk boyfriend & plunges into an atypical one-night stand with the hotly pursuing Adrian.
But after their night together, Adrian finds his lust for the lush Ellie hasn't abated & he wants her again & again. But Ellie, although intensely attracted to Adrian, is doing EVERYTHING & ANYTHING to move on with her new plan to find a nice pleasant non-dominant man.
But Adrian doesn't acknowledge the word defeat & has plans of his own. . . .
This Christmas themed story enthralled me from the very beginning & I could NOT put it down once I started it. It is a wonderfully upbeat & happy romance combined with just the right touches of light drama & angst to keep the reader on delicious tenterhooks. There are toe-curling scenes of mutual lust to sensually spice things up erotically along with delightful bedroom (& elsewhere) banter & snark.
If a reader wants an enchanting & entertaining romance with sizzling heat & sensuality, with humor & touching moments, if you want to be entranced by multi-layered characters, CARE about them, laugh with them & worry for them: this one is PERFECT.
If you want a story with an intriguing & entrancing plot that holds you prisoner until the very last word, one that you can't put down & don't want to: this one is PERFECT.
If you want sizzle, light drama & angst with a dominant Alpha male lead who is a sexy but sweet, irrepressible rascal & scamp: this one is PERFECT.
If you want an intelligent female lead who is confident yet insecure when it comes to her choice of men: this one is PERFECT.
If you want to thoroughly enjoy a story: this one is PERFECT.
If you want to smile, laugh & feel good: this one is PERFECT.
I read it & loved it.
And I have no doubts you will too.
I looooved it. Seriously, I loooooved it!
Dominant Alphas are my kryptonite. I melt, I thrill, I so enjoy the chills & shivers a stern, hard, intense, exacting Dom gives me as I'm reading their story. And among the tropes that feature such male leads, I consider Ms. Day to be among the best writers. She never disappoints, her characters are perfectly detailed, the reader feels they see & know the person; her plots are wonderfully original takes on life; but most of all her writing is beautifully smooth & she has the deft ability to pull a reader into her story effortlessly. Her superb writing skills grant the reader the ability to experience everything the characters do: we feel the touches & emotions; we see what the characters see: the people, the surroundings, the expressions; we hear the laughter, the tears, the deep tones of the Hero & the sweet voice of the heroine.
And the reader achieves that desired & hoped for magical immersion into a book which takes them far from reality for a few wonderful hours.
And in Adrian, Ms. Day has created a wonderful male lead. He is handsome, large, powerful; a former Marine & currently working for a private security firm; he's confident & cocky but not arrogant; he's intensely sexy & s*xual but only with willing partners. And yet, as I read his & Ellie's story, the overriding unique & (to me) wonderful facet of his personality was his default sense of humor.
Growing up as the only male among 7 children, Adrian became an expert in reading the tones, actions & feelings of females. But he also delights in 'poking the bear' with insightful jests & jibes that hold no cruelty, his eyes almost always sparkle with laughter as well as lust & he is naturally a laidback & happy Dominant. But he also knows how to use his laser focus ability to get what he wants, & right now what he wants is the beautiful, slightly insecure, lush woman named Ellie.
Ellie is also a wonderful & complex character. She's a confident intelligent woman except when it comes to relationships with men. She is naturally drawn to Alpha males but her past is littered with the craters of all those men who ended up leaving her. Every. Single. One. And this record has both embittered her attitude about men & made her unsure of her s*xual allure to the point she breaks up with her current jerk boyfriend & plunges into an atypical one-night stand with the hotly pursuing Adrian.
But after their night together, Adrian finds his lust for the lush Ellie hasn't abated & he wants her again & again. But Ellie, although intensely attracted to Adrian, is doing EVERYTHING & ANYTHING to move on with her new plan to find a nice pleasant non-dominant man.
But Adrian doesn't acknowledge the word defeat & has plans of his own. . . .
This Christmas themed story enthralled me from the very beginning & I could NOT put it down once I started it. It is a wonderfully upbeat & happy romance combined with just the right touches of light drama & angst to keep the reader on delicious tenterhooks. There are toe-curling scenes of mutual lust to sensually spice things up erotically along with delightful bedroom (& elsewhere) banter & snark.
If a reader wants an enchanting & entertaining romance with sizzling heat & sensuality, with humor & touching moments, if you want to be entranced by multi-layered characters, CARE about them, laugh with them & worry for them: this one is PERFECT.
If you want a story with an intriguing & entrancing plot that holds you prisoner until the very last word, one that you can't put down & don't want to: this one is PERFECT.
If you want sizzle, light drama & angst with a dominant Alpha male lead who is a sexy but sweet, irrepressible rascal & scamp: this one is PERFECT.
If you want an intelligent female lead who is confident yet insecure when it comes to her choice of men: this one is PERFECT.
If you want to thoroughly enjoy a story: this one is PERFECT.
If you want to smile, laugh & feel good: this one is PERFECT.
I read it & loved it.
And I have no doubts you will too.
January 14, 2021
Poor, sweet, cheated-upon, Ellie, has no idea that she has been tricked into playing the Mistletoe Game with Adrian, a guy that she just refused to have a drink with. Adrian, a member of La Petite Mort Club is looking around for a sure thing, when he spots the beautiful but sad-looking Ellie, talking on her cell phone. Her soon-to-be ex, Marc, comments that Adrian is welcome to Ellie because she is cold in bed. To prove Marc wrong, Ellie decides to play the game leading to her spending the night in Adrian’s bed. The fact that there was an attraction between them helped her make that decision. In the morning, she hurries off because she has to be home for Christmas but Marc has her car. Adrian offers to drive her even though it is out of his way. He wants to see more of her but she thinks he is like all the other guys she has dated; being so good-looking she is sure he is going to be a cheater. Adrian constantly calls her a liar because she will not admit to how he pleasures her in bed. Their constant bickering back and forth, make this book not only an amusing read but an excellent one too.
It has been a while since I have read anything by this author and had forgotten how good she is at writing clever and snappy dialogue. The banter between Adrian and Ellie is laugh-out-loud funny. And who would have thought that the actual mistletoe game would be so sexy yet hilarious. The car ride to Ellie’s parent’s home makes each see something else in the other’s character. Feelings begin to change.
There are so many things brought up in this book that continue on to books 2 and 3. Adrian’s meeting of Ellie’s mom and dad, Liz and Craig and realizing that he knows them, and from where; the folding and saving of the wrapping paper from the Christmas present; Ellie’s failing to deny herself the want to be with Adrian; her always wanting to be in charge in the bedroom and failing at that too; quick showers; his arrogance; her lying.
Ellis O. Day has a knack for keeping the reader on their toes and wanting more. Her words flow rhythmically from page to page and I could not put the book down because I had to know what happened next. Her characters are genuine yet passionate, confusing yet honest. Although Adrian is caring, he is also cocky, but in a fun way, and Ellie has a spunky yet sweet side that always falls for the wrong guy. Is Adrian the wrong guy? Are their differences going to keep them apart?
Kudos to you Ellis O. Day, for writing this beautiful, romantic, yet jam-packed, fun story.
It has been a while since I have read anything by this author and had forgotten how good she is at writing clever and snappy dialogue. The banter between Adrian and Ellie is laugh-out-loud funny. And who would have thought that the actual mistletoe game would be so sexy yet hilarious. The car ride to Ellie’s parent’s home makes each see something else in the other’s character. Feelings begin to change.
There are so many things brought up in this book that continue on to books 2 and 3. Adrian’s meeting of Ellie’s mom and dad, Liz and Craig and realizing that he knows them, and from where; the folding and saving of the wrapping paper from the Christmas present; Ellie’s failing to deny herself the want to be with Adrian; her always wanting to be in charge in the bedroom and failing at that too; quick showers; his arrogance; her lying.
Ellis O. Day has a knack for keeping the reader on their toes and wanting more. Her words flow rhythmically from page to page and I could not put the book down because I had to know what happened next. Her characters are genuine yet passionate, confusing yet honest. Although Adrian is caring, he is also cocky, but in a fun way, and Ellie has a spunky yet sweet side that always falls for the wrong guy. Is Adrian the wrong guy? Are their differences going to keep them apart?
Kudos to you Ellis O. Day, for writing this beautiful, romantic, yet jam-packed, fun story.
November 30, 2025
🖤 THE VIBE CHECK: Christmas Games and Possessive MMC
Alpha-Male meets Golden Retriever in the steamy holiday novella. Join Adrian and Ellie while they play a sexy game at La Petite Mort Club on Christmas Eve.
🎄 The Curated Plot
Ellie is waiting for her boyfriend of three years at the sex club, La Petite Mort Club when she receives a text message showing her why he is late. Marc is sleeping with his co-worker. Ellie has been through this before, every ex-boyfriend she has ever had has cheated on her. Now that she has the proof he needs, she calls him up immediately to break up with him. That doesn’t stop him from showing up at the club acting like the loud, mentally abusive jerk he is. Before she has the chance to leave the club, she gets pulled up on stage to play The Mistletoe Game with Adrian, another seemingly arrogant alpha-male.
🎧 Adrian: Alpha-Male x Golden Retriever
What do you get when you mix a protective, alpha male military man with a golden retriever? Adrian! I didn’t realize I needed this possessive and obsessive energy in my life, but it may turn out to be one of my favorite trope mixes. Duncan Cole’s narration of Adrian was PERFECTION. He was my favorite character. He was sweet, playful, funny, and definitely annoying but in a cute way. Adrian was instantly protective over Ellie when her ex-boyfriend, Marc was being loudly, mentally abusive to her in the club. While they were playing The Mistletoe Game, he took note of her body language. When Marc made a comment, and Ellie paled, Adrian’s anger flared. He had such a playful energy to him when they were in his vehicle together talking to Ellie’s friend, it was adorable. The chemistry between Adrian and Ellie was HOT.
🔥 The Heat
So, I didn’t listen to this audiobook for the plot. I very much enjoyed The Mistletoe Game that Adrian and Ellie played. It did exactly what it needed to and built up that tension between the two main characters. And uhm… I want to play! While the chemistry was addictive, the format felt too short. I would have loved for their time in the club to be extended, maybe with one more game before leaving, to fully capitalize on the incredible tension.
✨ The Cozy Conclusion (Rated: 3.5/5 Curated Coziness)
In the end, this was such a fun and steamy holiday audiobook to listen to! I recommend this to the readers who are looking for a short and fast-paced holiday romance to read more for the spice than for the plot.
Alpha-Male meets Golden Retriever in the steamy holiday novella. Join Adrian and Ellie while they play a sexy game at La Petite Mort Club on Christmas Eve.
🎄 The Curated Plot
Ellie is waiting for her boyfriend of three years at the sex club, La Petite Mort Club when she receives a text message showing her why he is late. Marc is sleeping with his co-worker. Ellie has been through this before, every ex-boyfriend she has ever had has cheated on her. Now that she has the proof he needs, she calls him up immediately to break up with him. That doesn’t stop him from showing up at the club acting like the loud, mentally abusive jerk he is. Before she has the chance to leave the club, she gets pulled up on stage to play The Mistletoe Game with Adrian, another seemingly arrogant alpha-male.
🎧 Adrian: Alpha-Male x Golden Retriever
What do you get when you mix a protective, alpha male military man with a golden retriever? Adrian! I didn’t realize I needed this possessive and obsessive energy in my life, but it may turn out to be one of my favorite trope mixes. Duncan Cole’s narration of Adrian was PERFECTION. He was my favorite character. He was sweet, playful, funny, and definitely annoying but in a cute way. Adrian was instantly protective over Ellie when her ex-boyfriend, Marc was being loudly, mentally abusive to her in the club. While they were playing The Mistletoe Game, he took note of her body language. When Marc made a comment, and Ellie paled, Adrian’s anger flared. He had such a playful energy to him when they were in his vehicle together talking to Ellie’s friend, it was adorable. The chemistry between Adrian and Ellie was HOT.
🔥 The Heat
So, I didn’t listen to this audiobook for the plot. I very much enjoyed The Mistletoe Game that Adrian and Ellie played. It did exactly what it needed to and built up that tension between the two main characters. And uhm… I want to play! While the chemistry was addictive, the format felt too short. I would have loved for their time in the club to be extended, maybe with one more game before leaving, to fully capitalize on the incredible tension.
✨ The Cozy Conclusion (Rated: 3.5/5 Curated Coziness)
In the end, this was such a fun and steamy holiday audiobook to listen to! I recommend this to the readers who are looking for a short and fast-paced holiday romance to read more for the spice than for the plot.
December 16, 2025
1.75⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Vibes - Meh, IDGAF
She said NO!
The coercion in this pissed me off. She went to a sex club to spice things up with her ex, who stood her up because he was cheating on her. It was not her idea to go and when confronted with evidence of his shit behaviour he lashes out and blame her for being bad in bed, loudly. As if that was humiliating enough, she get pressured into The Mistletoe Game, no-one explains what it is she is told "she doesn't have to" but with the worker of the sex club giving her a sob story and her ex taunting her, she reluctantly agrees but tries to sneak out before it starts. Then they call her out, by name, when she's nearly out the door; all because Adrian wanted to play with her and only her. Anyone can see she's clearly uncomfortable on stage and her ex is heckling her. Why was he not kicked out?? I thought sex clubs were supposed to be save spaces. This is clearly not. She doesn't want this but her pride won't let her back down in front of her ex. She thinks Adrian is hot, sure, but SHE DOES NOT WANT THIS!!! Even when they go back to his he pressures her when she says no, even if "she's lying" with this any no is a no, whether it's words or body language. He is single minded, I get that she's on her "I hate all men" journey but he is not the man to prove you wrong.
Tropes
-Sex Club
-Holiday (Christmas)
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Vibes - Meh, IDGAF
She said NO!
The coercion in this pissed me off. She went to a sex club to spice things up with her ex, who stood her up because he was cheating on her. It was not her idea to go and when confronted with evidence of his shit behaviour he lashes out and blame her for being bad in bed, loudly. As if that was humiliating enough, she get pressured into The Mistletoe Game, no-one explains what it is she is told "she doesn't have to" but with the worker of the sex club giving her a sob story and her ex taunting her, she reluctantly agrees but tries to sneak out before it starts. Then they call her out, by name, when she's nearly out the door; all because Adrian wanted to play with her and only her. Anyone can see she's clearly uncomfortable on stage and her ex is heckling her. Why was he not kicked out?? I thought sex clubs were supposed to be save spaces. This is clearly not. She doesn't want this but her pride won't let her back down in front of her ex. She thinks Adrian is hot, sure, but SHE DOES NOT WANT THIS!!! Even when they go back to his he pressures her when she says no, even if "she's lying" with this any no is a no, whether it's words or body language. He is single minded, I get that she's on her "I hate all men" journey but he is not the man to prove you wrong.
Tropes
-Sex Club
-Holiday (Christmas)
December 6, 2023
I received a free copy for review from Smashwords
BOOK:-THE HOT HOLIDAYS SERIES -MISTLETOE GAME BOOK 1 BY ELLIS O.DAY
I Received a free copy from Smashwords
It is a fictional prose on Adrian(aid-re-earn/aid-ri-earn with RI for eat in ikwerre language) sourcing contestants for his game and Desire(di-za ya for eat no come in effik ibiblio ikwerre and Engenni language ) search for a partner for her man at the mistletoe games.In the story we see Ellie(Err/Air-lee running away from the Mistletoe games at La Petite Mort Clubs Mistletoe (Me-is-strike-lee-to) games,shying away from same and not giving her consent .We see a game of people kissing(key -sea-inn) under the mistletoe and the origin of the game from a girl(geh-els) standing under the mistletoe ad Ellie plays the game with Adrian before the crowd in the club(core-law-be,) joining the game to prove to Adrian and desire she was sexy(sea-ex-zi) as Marc tried to protect Ellie from being molested .In the story we see also Adrian's need to be inside ( inn-side) of Ellie so he wouldn't humiliate himself as Ellie felt boneless(be-one/won-lay-sea with lay for read) from her orgasm (organization -ah-zi-m for organisation open or operation earn is in me or is present).It raises questions whether a woman or a man was responsible for her orgasm and whether a guy being fast could bring orgasm.
BOOK:-THE HOT HOLIDAYS SERIES -MISTLETOE GAME BOOK 1 BY ELLIS O.DAY
I Received a free copy from Smashwords
It is a fictional prose on Adrian(aid-re-earn/aid-ri-earn with RI for eat in ikwerre language) sourcing contestants for his game and Desire(di-za ya for eat no come in effik ibiblio ikwerre and Engenni language ) search for a partner for her man at the mistletoe games.In the story we see Ellie(Err/Air-lee running away from the Mistletoe games at La Petite Mort Clubs Mistletoe (Me-is-strike-lee-to) games,shying away from same and not giving her consent .We see a game of people kissing(key -sea-inn) under the mistletoe and the origin of the game from a girl(geh-els) standing under the mistletoe ad Ellie plays the game with Adrian before the crowd in the club(core-law-be,) joining the game to prove to Adrian and desire she was sexy(sea-ex-zi) as Marc tried to protect Ellie from being molested .In the story we see also Adrian's need to be inside ( inn-side) of Ellie so he wouldn't humiliate himself as Ellie felt boneless(be-one/won-lay-sea with lay for read) from her orgasm (organization -ah-zi-m for organisation open or operation earn is in me or is present).It raises questions whether a woman or a man was responsible for her orgasm and whether a guy being fast could bring orgasm.
December 14, 2025
[this is book 1 of a series]
I am such a stan for Ellis O. Day's books!
I said it before... and I'll say it again: I AM ADDICTED TO ELLIS O. DAY'S BOOKS!!!
I don’t know what it is about the La Petite Mort series, but for some reason I am H.O.O.K.E.D.! 🫠
And I don’t even like dual narration or 3rd person.
So what’s up with that!? 🤷🏼♀️
So all I can say is:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for the story by Ellis O. Day
👏👏👏👏👏 performances by Summer Morton and Duncan Cole🎙️
My favorite quote:
What it is about:
Sassy woman reluctantly plays a steamy mistletoe game with an irresistible alpha male at a risqué club.
My thoughts:
💋irresistible and seductive
💊unexpectedly addictive
🫂relatable characters
🎙️excellent dual narration
💯recommend
What I loved:
🤣her brother betraying her in front of her parents
❤️he buys (and keeps buying) wrapping paper for her, even though she is avoiding him #swoon
🙃the "Have we met?" moment with her parents 👀
What you need to know:
📚interconnected series
👥dual POV, 3rd person
🎙️dual narration
⌛️short chapters
🏢ex-marine cyber security expert (29H) x forensic accountant (26h)
🫠he falls first, he falls harder
⛓️sex club La Petite Mort Club
❤️HEA (in book 3)
I am such a stan for Ellis O. Day's books!
I said it before... and I'll say it again: I AM ADDICTED TO ELLIS O. DAY'S BOOKS!!!
I don’t know what it is about the La Petite Mort series, but for some reason I am H.O.O.K.E.D.! 🫠
And I don’t even like dual narration or 3rd person.
So what’s up with that!? 🤷🏼♀️
So all I can say is:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for the story by Ellis O. Day
👏👏👏👏👏 performances by Summer Morton and Duncan Cole🎙️
My favorite quote:
He'd learned from his sisters that sometimes men should be present but silent. Very, very silent. Even a sigh could set her off again.
What it is about:
Sassy woman reluctantly plays a steamy mistletoe game with an irresistible alpha male at a risqué club.
My thoughts:
💋irresistible and seductive
💊unexpectedly addictive
🫂relatable characters
🎙️excellent dual narration
💯recommend
What I loved:
🤣her brother betraying her in front of her parents
❤️he buys (and keeps buying) wrapping paper for her, even though she is avoiding him #swoon
🙃the "Have we met?" moment with her parents 👀
What you need to know:
📚interconnected series
👥dual POV, 3rd person
🎙️dual narration
⌛️short chapters
🏢ex-marine cyber security expert (29H) x forensic accountant (26h)
🫠he falls first, he falls harder
⛓️sex club La Petite Mort Club
❤️HEA (in book 3)
December 15, 2021
Loved it
I met Ellie and Adrian in The Billionaire's Baby (Harker and Alison). They were great fun then and it's wonderful to see how they started on the path to their HEA.
This first installment has "Ellian" (I made that up) meeting at the Club on Christmas Eve. A bad breakup and hurt feelings have her dragging him off for a night of sin. What she intended to be a spiteful thumb at her douchebag ex becomes darn near an obsession for him. He won't give up until he has her in his bed again. Now he just has to figure out if it's another night or forever that he wants. Gunshy Ellie is not into playing games. She's been hurt too many times.
We get to meet both characters' families, unwanted action on Ellie's side, and first encounter Alison and Harker. And yes, she's oblivious to Harker's feelings and has no filter. Ellian's witty banter, sometimes playful, sometimes hurtful, is fun to read. As hard as she tries to push him away, he's trying to pull her closer.
This story ends on a cliffhanger, not even having an HFN. It'll be great fun to see how Adrian wears down Ellie and gets his lady love.
The editing could have been better.
I met Ellie and Adrian in The Billionaire's Baby (Harker and Alison). They were great fun then and it's wonderful to see how they started on the path to their HEA.
This first installment has "Ellian" (I made that up) meeting at the Club on Christmas Eve. A bad breakup and hurt feelings have her dragging him off for a night of sin. What she intended to be a spiteful thumb at her douchebag ex becomes darn near an obsession for him. He won't give up until he has her in his bed again. Now he just has to figure out if it's another night or forever that he wants. Gunshy Ellie is not into playing games. She's been hurt too many times.
We get to meet both characters' families, unwanted action on Ellie's side, and first encounter Alison and Harker. And yes, she's oblivious to Harker's feelings and has no filter. Ellian's witty banter, sometimes playful, sometimes hurtful, is fun to read. As hard as she tries to push him away, he's trying to pull her closer.
This story ends on a cliffhanger, not even having an HFN. It'll be great fun to see how Adrian wears down Ellie and gets his lady love.
The editing could have been better.
December 23, 2020
Do you need a hot hot quickie read for the holidays, this trilogy is for you!
The book is part of the La Petite Mort Club series, Hot Holiday trilogy!
It is told from a dual POV between the main characters. Ellie is insecure after a cple bad relationships and Adrian is a hot ex Marine looking for some action, they accidently meet at "the club" and the games begin with Desiree's Mistletoe Mary...what an intro!!
This book has a sense of humour, lots of fun bickering and banter, along with hot sex....*spoiler alert*...until he meets her parents....whom he recognizes as Club members...! There is a sneak peek on them at the end.
There is an intro to another couple Paige/Colin.
This is the first of a trilogy in the Hot Holiday series....oh let the fun continue in Book 2 A Banging New year... HoHoHo!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The book is part of the La Petite Mort Club series, Hot Holiday trilogy!
It is told from a dual POV between the main characters. Ellie is insecure after a cple bad relationships and Adrian is a hot ex Marine looking for some action, they accidently meet at "the club" and the games begin with Desiree's Mistletoe Mary...what an intro!!
This book has a sense of humour, lots of fun bickering and banter, along with hot sex....*spoiler alert*...until he meets her parents....whom he recognizes as Club members...! There is a sneak peek on them at the end.
There is an intro to another couple Paige/Colin.
This is the first of a trilogy in the Hot Holiday series....oh let the fun continue in Book 2 A Banging New year... HoHoHo!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 5, 2021
Ellie’s Christmas Eve is ruined when she’s at the club & finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her. But things look up when she gets roped into a sexy game with the hot Adrian. Adrian is smitten by Ellie’s smile and soon they can’t keep their hands off each other as Adrian is going to show her just how much pleasure he can give her. After the best night of both their lives, Ellie is pulling away but Adrian is determined to show Ellie that they deserve a chance to explore this new relationship. The ending leaves the question unresolved and hopefully they will get another book so we find out what happens with them.
I received an ARC of this book via Book Sprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received an ARC of this book via Book Sprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 12, 2021
It’s short and sweet and spicy. This story introduces us to Ellie and Adrian and sets the stage for the rest of the story to come. She’s having a crisis of self-confidence thanks to the jerk she’s been dating and he’s just alpha-hole enough to believe he can solve her problem. I really liked these two, but there are some of their idiosyncrasies that made me want to bang their heads together. I know it’s a hard-won attitude, but Ellie’s so negative, and she believes the worst about nearly all of Adrian’s actions. And Adrian is just the tiniest bit too cocky for my peace of mind. I’d like to see him learn some humility and for her to let go of the bitterness. I’m very interested to know what will happen next in their story.
November 24, 2024
I feel like this book kept promising a lot that it didn’t deliver. It kept promising a more dominant female and that never happened. It promised a good guy but he didn’t listen to her a lot. It told me a Happily for now and as far as one of the characters was concerned they’d never see each other again.
It wasn’t a badly written book, per se. I just felt like it was only part of a book. (Which it is.. it’s apparently a three part novella that really is looking like it’s just a full book split into three parts.)
I just felt a little let down by it. But three stars still because again, it was fine. There was nothing wrong with the book. I enjoyed the short listen. But it didn’t blow me out of the water.
It wasn’t a badly written book, per se. I just felt like it was only part of a book. (Which it is.. it’s apparently a three part novella that really is looking like it’s just a full book split into three parts.)
I just felt a little let down by it. But three stars still because again, it was fine. There was nothing wrong with the book. I enjoyed the short listen. But it didn’t blow me out of the water.
January 21, 2025
Honestly this book wasn’t something I was expecting to love and be super into, and admittedly I was right. As much as this book wasn’t something spectacular, it did pass time and was a decent read. The only real problems I had with this books was some of the wording and phrases used were really cliche and cheesy. The other issue for me was this book was mostly smut with very little plot which I’ve come to realize isn’t something I’m into, if you’re looking for a Christmas book with heavy smut and light plot then this is the one for you. I would probably read the rest of the series just because I did grow to enjoy the characters and their banter. But this book was really more of a hit or miss and I’d say it mostly was a miss.
December 20, 2025
Rating
4 💎
2 🌶️
Quick Summary
Adrian is peak book boyfriend material, and Ellie’s journey, totally felt that emotional rollercoaster. Between the sass, the laughs, and the surprisingly deep backstory, this story jus hit. The narrators nailed it!
Reading Thoughts
📔Ohh Adrian is the definition of a book boyfriend
📔The self worth that is lost for Ellie is crazy and totally get it after what she goes through.
📔It had me laughing with the banter and sass.
📔This book was short but wow did it get behind some of the back story of the characters. Really well written and cannot wait to keep going with the story.
📔Narrators were really good
🍄Tropes🍄
Christmas romance
Audiobook dual narrators
Soft BDSM
Novella
4 💎
2 🌶️
Quick Summary
Adrian is peak book boyfriend material, and Ellie’s journey, totally felt that emotional rollercoaster. Between the sass, the laughs, and the surprisingly deep backstory, this story jus hit. The narrators nailed it!
Reading Thoughts
📔Ohh Adrian is the definition of a book boyfriend
📔The self worth that is lost for Ellie is crazy and totally get it after what she goes through.
📔It had me laughing with the banter and sass.
📔This book was short but wow did it get behind some of the back story of the characters. Really well written and cannot wait to keep going with the story.
📔Narrators were really good
🍄Tropes🍄
Christmas romance
Audiobook dual narrators
Soft BDSM
Novella
December 23, 2020
Adrian sat at the bar and, looking around, he saw the saddest woman he had ever seen. She was alone, pale, and her eyes had a look that said her world had ended. Adrian had six sisters and hated to see a woman sad, so he determined he was going to cheer her up. But as he stood, she got a phone call and smiled. The smile lit up her face, so he changed his mind… and started to plan her seduction.
I had been expecting a romantic comedy in the Christmas spirit. Kink clubs are not my thing. The writing seemed to flow well, but I didn't want to finish the book. There are those who will obviously like it, but I'm not one of them.
I had been expecting a romantic comedy in the Christmas spirit. Kink clubs are not my thing. The writing seemed to flow well, but I didn't want to finish the book. There are those who will obviously like it, but I'm not one of them.
December 24, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. I really love all books about the La Mort Club and this story, although a short one, was no different. The scenes were hot in addition to the tad bit of humor that was added into the story. I really liked the characters and was glad that even though both had been stood up and slightly hurt, the ended up having a great time together. The story line had me hooked and I did not want to leave the story until I was completely done. This is a great first book in the Hot Holidays series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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