Falling for Jack Frost

by Molly Likovich

Can someone with a heart made of ice ever learn to love?

It is Christmas Eve and museum overnight security guard Mary Ellory Lark is not feeling the holiday spirit. For years her father has warned her of a prophecy that ties her to the mythical Jack Frost, but she doesn't believe in all that.

Until he shows up.

Jack Frost drags Mary away into his land of eternal winter to make her his wife. Mary fights against him at first, not wanting to give in to his darkness, but she can't keep denying the passion the King of Winter ignites in her. But can an immortal being like Jack Frost ever truly fall in love?

This book contains content that may not be suitable for all readers. Please visit the author's website for a full list of content warnings.

Genres: Christmas, Holiday, Dark Romance, Novella, Retellings, Fantasy

120 pages, Paperback

First published December 8, 2022

About the author

Molly Likovich is the author of gothic romances, poetry, and the occasional play. When she's not writing she can be found lurking around the local graveyard.

Reviews

[Maisie Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly's Falling for Jack Frost will have you up to snow good.

[m · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little bit f*cked up, a lot a bit fun!! Mary is sold to Jack Frost before she’s born and on her 21st birthday he comes to collect.

Jack is very upfront that he isn’t human and shouldn’t be held to those standards/morals. That said, in his own way he’s so sweet and caring and obviously wants Mary to be happy - a total wife guy. Mary thrives under his attention but also calls him out on his BS a lot. I really loved their chemistry.

Favourite moment: When she calls her safe word - DEVASTATING!

Also favourite moment: Every time Jack was careful with Mary’s glasses.

Read the CWs!! Most notably is the dubious consent or occasional entire lack thereof. It’s fantasy but take care of yourself x

Thanks to Molly Likovich for the ARC - all opinions are my own.

[River Meade · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you liked riding the headless horseman, prepare yourself for miss Likovich’s next brilliant and sexy work! Absolutely could not put it down. Falling for Jack Frost is a fun, sexy romp that makes winter oh so very warm. Absolutely loved it!

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like your villains to stay unapologetically villainous, this is a book for you. Jack was all about fae morals that included owning Mary because of her father. She was not impressed… until he dicked her down a few times. The book was mostly erotica but had some plot that mostly dealt with a push and pull between the main characters.

Spice: 5/5

Triggers: dubcon, noncon, kidnapping, captivity, involuntary marriage, mentions of past emotional abuse

[Kaz Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

“There is nothing wrong with a little chaos.”

I was completely hooked with that line. As far as disability representation goes, ADHD is rarely talked about in media, especially in women. One of my favorite parts of this novel was the accurate depiction of ADHD and correctly labeling it as a learning disability. Sometimes it’s not a superpower, sometimes it sucks.

Now on to why you’re really reading this review: Jack! I know we all had massive crushes on Rise of the Guardians!Jack, but I pictured him much more like MCU!Loki, just with white-blond hair. The smirking, the mischief, deceit, and dominance all Loki vibes.

Mary, however, was somewhat unlikable at first. It wasn’t until the last chapter that I realized why: the daddy issues hit too close to home. Mary and Jack have an argument where he calls her out on what she says she wants. She wants what he’s giving her, she just thinks she shouldn’t want it. I can relate.

Also, the sex. It’s very much a porn with plot kinda book, but the plot is enjoyable. There are trigger warnings for things like CNC, but given that we’re in Mary’s POV, I didn’t find it triggering at all.

I’m still concerned about the icicle dick, though.

[ocasio04 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this is one sitting okay? ONE SITTING! That’s just how good it was!!

This novella follows Mary Ellory Lark who is sold to Jack Frost by her father before she was even born and on her 21st birthday he shows up to pick her up.

We can see how Jack from the beginning lets Mary know that he is not human and that he’s not a legend like everyone thinks he is, he’s a bit sarcastic and bossy, but still he adores Mary and wants to make her happy. Then we see Mary who is a sassy and a little brat heroine, who despite having been sold, learns to love Jack and even calls him out when she has to.

This novella took me by surprise, I haven’t read anything about Jack Frost and this didn’t disappoint me at all, I loved everything from beginning to end, especially when Mary returns to her world. I loved all the characters and the spicy scenes were absolutely AMAZING! 🤌🏻

Read if you like:
-reverse grumpy x sunshine (kinda)
-forced marriage
-morally grey love interest
-use of safe word
-voyeurism
-praise

This is dark romance so you should keep that in mind, and look up trigger warnings before reading this novella because there are quite a few!! 🫣

Thanks to the author for allowing me to read an ARC of this holiday novella!

Rating: 4.5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

[Gracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was truly amazing!

I was gripped at every word from start to finish. Nothing like a bit of winter spice for the Yuletide/Christmas season.

[Marcia Ruiz-Olguín · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm in love with the main character, at her anger and at her need to feel love. The way she is unforgiving to her abuser and yet has space for love and passion and desire.

[Molly Likovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biased because I wrote it💘

Mary: a bratty girl who doesn’t want to let anyone get close while simultaneously desperately wants to be cherished and taken care of.

Jack: an infamous liar & trickster magical being who openly wants to fall in love.

The irony of the king of winter being the sunshine in the grumpy/sunshine pairing.

Enjoy this short, sweet wintery tale.

[Marcia Ruiz-Olguín · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Falling for Jack Frost” hast to be one of my favorite books of the year. The banter between the characters is fun and enticing, the sex scenes were an absolute ginger spiced delight ❄️
Grab a cup of chocolate and play Tchaikovsky or the playlist that has been provided and get immersed into a delicious winter

[Andilion · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a super fun winter read with some good world building coming from a novella too. And of course the special ice body part was an unexpected treat : )

[tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have come to the realization that Jack Frost retellings have been added to my list of favorite retellings. I loved Molly Likovich’s Riding the Headless Horseman, and this is no different. I loved the story and the characters. You all know I love reading dub con, so the spice was another check on my list of things I loved about this story (which also means you should be responsible and check the TWs!). I enjoy reading those stories where the FMC is given to the “villain” by her father as payment for something because you get all kinds of tension and hate spice and the forced proximity is SO much fun to read.
The only issue I had was that the writing felt a little weird/off at times? I’m not sure how to explain it but there were just a couple times that it didn’t seem to flow as well as the rest of the story. It didn’t happen a ton which is why I’m still giving this a 4/4.5, but it was just enough for me to notice.
Overall, like I said, I loved this and I definitely recommend it if you’re in the mood for a quick, spicy winter story!


–arc review–

[Lavinia²⁷ · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf 49%

We all saw this coming, right?

✅️ Jack Frost FanFic
✅️ Fae / goblin
✅️ Kidnapped h
✅️ Forced marriage
✅️ Hate to love (kinda)

★•~———————

This is Mary's story, a 21yo museum guard that was promised before birth to the King of Ice AKA Jack Frost.

When the night comes, Jack kidnaps her to bring her to his kingdom. And against her will, they get married.

After that, it is just sex.

The hole book, Mary doesn't stop yelling at him that she hates him. He just say that he doesn't care, and proceeds to finger fu*k her 😀👏

Yes, that's what he does!

And no, we're not gonna talk about the ice d*ck, that's similar to a forearm at length and thickness.

The only possible way that I got this far, it is because of the writing, surprisingly well done.

[Forlly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a perfect novella for those who love a fmc with a large mouth and a mmc with a sadistic personality. I love a good forced marriage with a touch of kidnapping and Falling for Jack Frost DELIVERED!
If you are okay with the triggers, this will be a very good and kinky christmas novella. It also explores finish mythology in a fun way. Also, the Ice Play was superb xD

[Suzanrose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great spicy holiday romance from Molly Likovich!!! LOVED this.

[Isa]

Todo muy raro ajajjaa

[Chloe'sCozyLibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was adorable

[Mikaela Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

As somebody who had a crush on Jack Frost from Rise of the Guardians, I was deeply satisfied w this read. It’s my fave of Molly’s and was the perfect spicy holiday read for the end of the year!

[Read Along With Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Notes: I received a copy of this book as an advanced reader, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. Please read all CWs before reading.

What I Liked:
❄️Let’s get this out of the way…iceplay. 🧊 🔥

❄️Even though Jack Frost basically kidnaps her (although not really) he still seems to care about her needs. While he’s rough, he’s also surprisingly gentle. I swooned a little every time he removed her glasses for her.

❄️There’s a scene about 80% in that I did not expect in this book, but also enjoyed VERY much 😏

What I Didn’t Like:
❄️Mary puts up a fight but still falls rather quickly. Listen, I can’t blame the girl but I would have liked to see her resist a little more.

Final Thoughts:
❄️ If you love Hallmark movies…this ain’t it. But if you like spicy books with a theme that are quick and easy to read than I 100% recommend this book!

[richard johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly found out it is about kidnapping and forced marriage. That is incredibly triggering to people. Honestly don't know who think this was a good idea to write this book.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

a great short, SPICY read of a character we don't see much about in books

[Nazareth UwU Ávila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me da vergüenza publicar que leí este fanfic de Jack Frost, pero al menos no es tan problemático cómo pensé que sería, y bueno, eso es todo.

[Edie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had a great time reading this! The banter was the best part (the humor sarcasm), and pacing as well - it really worked for me. I also loved the main characters and the smut lol There are also some good lines when the characters professed their feelings to one another. I just love their dynamic as well: grumpy and sunshine, fated mates in an arranged marriage.

However, I was surprised that this book actually had an editor AND a proofreader. Like how did they miss a lot of things? Then again, maybe it was intentional 👀 Like how the word, "again", was overused, even on occasions when it wasn't written that a character had done something the first time to warrant them doing it one more time ("again").

Exhibit A: When Mary said that Jack, "traces his knuckles down my jaw again." The action wasn't done recently. Maybe like a chapter or a decent amount of pages ago, but certainly not in the same scene.

Exhibit B: When Jack, uhm, pinches Mary. Like, if I can't recall when he did it the first time, the I don't think it is proper to use the word "again". (Looking back at my notes right now as I'm writing this review, I can now confidently say that it was the first time that he pinched her when she referred to his action as something that happened recently before. He did some other things, which, god forbid, the author thought warranted the accompaniment of the word "again", but not the pinching part.)

Now, I'm sounding like the author saying "again" again and again 😆

Another thing the editor/proofreader missed is when Mary said that she wrapped her legs around Jack's waist and her arms, "around my neck"; how Jack "cups my face in [sic] his and pulls me close (...) when it should have been "cups my face in his HANDS" like how can he cup her face with his own face lmfao because that's what was implied with just that one missing word; and how it was said that Jack, " gently pulls out of me (...), only to "slowly slides out of me (...)". Now that should've been an AGAIN! 😂

There were also times in the book when I was whiplashed by what was going on, like when did he sit? How can he do that when he didn't flip her over? How can he do that to her front when she was flat on her stomach? 😂 I clearly won't go into details and obviously, the author didn't have to write each and every movement a character makes like. "he stood up, he walked to her, he breathed in, he breathed out", but at least give some context lmfao. One moment he was standing and the next she was mentioning how they were sitting in silence like since when? 😂

Obviously, those errors did not cloud my mood when I was reading. I still loved the story. I understand that nothing is perfect and technically, books, even traditionally published once, even tend to have some mistakes and errors that weren't caught may even the most professional editing team.

Proof was what author Bethany Atazedeh excitedly and happily showed in her stories on IG one day of a traditionally published book having a grammatical error. She refused to share the title the book - although it was so obvious that it was Fabled Adrienne Young based not the cover jacket, the blurb that she caught on camera, and how the name of the characters were shown in her shot of a page from the book - and claimed that she didn't share the mistake to shame the book, but to show how even traditionally published books can still be imperfect. She was all too giddy with elation and complacency to discover that one typographical error (the word was supposed to be "as" and what was printed was "has", big deal), and that even books picked up by traditional publishers can still be as unpolished as one that was independently published.

But like I said, not that I care that much for such errors when I had the time of my life reading the book. I loved the author's writing style and she knows great timing. Molly Likovich writes the best banter imho and I truly liked her paranormal romance novels. The world building was there, a soft fantasy that reveals more as you venture through the story. It feels grounded and solid despite not being explained. That's another thing I enjoyed about the book. It shows more than it tells and the only expositions were about how Mary had been tied to Jack Frost.

There were hints here and there of the folklore and how it was segued into the character dialogue, but I don't particularly mind. The focus of the story was Jack and Mary's relationship and how it came to fruition. I even liked how Mary with an ADHD was written. It was vividly expressed in her character, her actions, her thoughts.

Jack Frost stayed true to his character all throughout the book and the consistency was so satisfying to read. His unusual anatomy also made me flabbergasted and laugh to the heavens, and thank Molly Likovich for that.

All in all a good holiday read, just what I needed with not a lot of drama, and lots of smut and swoon-worthy dialogue. Just maybe next time, make sure to edit and proofread more thoroughly so as to not let that much escape from notice. I mean, a few is alright but one too many is... yeah. Molly Likovich writes so well and I've read two of her other novels - Be Terrible and Riding the Headless Horseman - and both gave me that satisfying feeling of reading romance to feel the serotonin and bask in the joy brought upon by two people being each other's person, just like this one did. I will definitely read more of her works, would recommend the ones that I found interest me and I know would interest other people, and support her in her author journey 🥰

❄️ May all your Christmases be white ❄️

[Shannon Rugg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this take on the legend of Jack Frost; it was very much different than what I expected! That being said, this felt a bit chaotic to me. There was some disconnect between scenes and it made the book feel jumpy. There were also some details that were not super clear; Jack Frost doesn’t cum, but there was really only one scene where it was clear he orgasmed; so does he, or doesn’t he?! Things just kind of got missed within the story and at times it had me asking more questions than truly enjoying what was going on.

I did love the premise of this book; Mary was born into existence specifically for Jack. She ends up in the Winter Forest with him after she turns 21, and I loved that she got to see a different side of Jack. I also loved that Molly stayed true to the legends we all know about Jack Frost and who he is throughout the book!

This one is spicy!! There was enough spice to keep you hot, but it did not take away from the story! There is a group scene that seemed to come out of nowhere, and seemed to be added to level up the spice; but, the scenes between Jack and Mary were hot!! He is possessive and protective and all the things we want in our hero! This was a fun little holiday novel and I definitely enjoyed that it was based around Jack Frost and not Santa like we typically see!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me just start this off by saying how cool it is that Molly takes the time to build worlds and stories based off of folklore from various regions and cultures of the world for her novellas. I noticed it in ‘Riding the Headless Horseman’ but it really shone through in this book! It really adds a layer of complexity to the smut that I think many overlook due to it being categorized as erotica.

This quick and dirty Jack Frost novella hit the grown running. We see Wynter kidnapped from her work on her 21st birthday, fulfilling the prophecy her father had told her growing up about Jack Frost coming to collect his betrothed. There is instant banter and sexual tension between the two that builds with her indignation towards their fated relationship.

Absolutely check the trigger warnings before reading this one. I struggled with the theme of nonconsenual-consent, even with their mating/mental bond showing it was ‘consensual’ between them.

Ultimately I took a star off on this review because there was a lot of great world building and build up in the beginning that fell flat towards the end. It came off very rushed, even for a novella.

I received an advanced reader copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.

[Jay G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...

*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review*

Mary Ellory Lark has been told she is destined to be Jack Frost's bride since the day she was born. When he shows up on Christmas Eve to whisk her away and make her his wife, she is furious. But she can't deny the passion she feels for him.

I think everything Molly writes is so fun, and I will never not love her books. Mary was a slow to grow character for me. She was hard to like at the beginning, but by the end I was a bit more fond of her. I mean it is understandable how and why she felt the way she did, so it's valid for her to be bitter about her situation. Be aware of the content warnings at the beginning of this book, there are a lot of scenes where the consent of Mary is a bit questionable, so take care of yourself if that is a trigger for you.

[Lizzy T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands, lips, icicle d*cks, oh my!
I fell hard for Jack. I would happily, but not too happily, go off with him, never to return to the human world again. He has something no human man could possibly…pleasure you with. Gives a whole new meaning to ice play. Imagine being made immortal, allowed to do whatever you want day after after day, while be “taken care of” by your husband and perhaps a few extra sets of hands and lips. Falling for a Jack Frost will be sure to keep you warm this winter.

[Brigid Finn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was darker than I expected, but in a good way. Jack Frost was a captivating, delightful, and interesting hero. Mary was a bit pitiable, but I was taken with her right away anyway. She is 21, and she reads as a 21-year-old.

The world building was wonderful- I was immediately engaged with the wintry world that we're thrust into along with Mary. I would love more stories written in this world.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three Magical Words

I hate you! I like you...I love you 😍. This book is such a fast fun read and has everything to make your icy ❤️ melt. You get a great story filled with passion, angst, and steam! I enjoyed all the realizations Mary had in this short story and Jack controlling it all with ease. It was hot 🔥 🥵 and something I would like to read more of! I really enjoy Molly's style of writing and will read more of her in the future!

[Erica G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to read this book during my first snowfall of the season. It just added to the magic of this book! I love the dynamic between Mary and Jack! The spicy scenes were so well written!! Now that they are both on the same page, I'd love to read more about our King and new Queen. They will make one hell of a power couple and I want to see them as rulers and protecting their people! And enjoying many many more spicy scenes 😉
Great book! Definitely recommend this winter read!