Christmas

Sweet Magik (Klaus Brothers #2) By: Penny Watson

Sweet Magik

Sweet Magik (Klaus Brothers #2) By: Penny Watson

Plot:

Oskar Klaus’ job is killing him. Not even his favorite hobbies (extreme snowboarding and browsing old bookstores) are enough to snap him out of his funk. It’s not easy living in the shadow of four successful older brothers and a father named Santa. Little does he know that a kiss on New Year’s Eve is about to turn his life upside-down.

Kiana Grant’s Manhattan life is a world away from her childhood in Oahu. She traded sunsets and surfing for a respectable career in library science, but Oskar Klaus is a temptation that’s hard to resist. Before she knows it, she’s in the midst of an outrageous adventure in the North Pole, dealing with mischievous elves, wicked demons, and a devastating attraction to Santa’s youngest son.

There’s just one problem…a bitter elf hell-bent on revenge threatens the future of everyone in the North Pole, even Santa himself…

Review:

Not as much Christmas in this one. It takes place after New Years and while there are Christmas elements since Santa is still there and it’s at the North Pole it’s not as big a deal. There also wasn’t much about finding the next Santa in this one.

Overall the stories main focus was on Oskar and Kiana (Great name) and their relationship, with an evil elf thrown in for good measure.

I really liked the side romance between Iago and Lys (Not sure if I got those names right, sorry). I actually liked their romance more than Oskar and Kiana. There was something about Oskar that didn’t really do it for me, can’t put my finger on it though. Maybe it was the spanking? Honestly I ended up skipping fair amounts of the sex scenes because I just wasn’t feeling it. Kiana was resistant to him and then she’s like lets take a shower together. Eh. Oh well.

Still want to know what’s going to happen in the world over all so I’ll finish up the series next year. From what I’ve found online it looks like a new one was released this year so I’ll have to check that out too, maybe next year the final one will be released.

3.5/5

Sweet Inspiration (Klaus Brothers #1) By: Penny Watson

Sweet Inspiration

Sweet Inspiration (Klaus Brothers #1) By: Penny Watson

Plot:

What if the legend of Santa Claus is in fact, true? What if Santa has five big strapping sons who help him run his empire? Five single, sexy sons looking for romance…

Nicholas Klaus is a master pastry chef, a strict disciplinarian, and the eldest son of the legendary Santa Claus. One look at café owner Lucy Brewster sends him into an unexpected tailspin of lusty desires. When Lucy is injured, Nicholas makes a decision that catapults both of their lives into turmoil ….

Lucy Brewster, the free-spirited proprietor of Sweet Inspiration, has a flair for concocting sugary confections but no time for adventure. She gets more than she bargained for when she awakens in the North Pole…rambunctious elves, a fitness-obsessed Santa, and the man of her dreams. Does she have what it takes to become the next Mrs. Klaus?

Review:

Now this was what I was looking for! There can be no mistake that this is a Christmas book, Santa is in it for crying out loud, and I was not left wanting by the romance.

Nicholas and Lucy do not beat around the bush and don’t try to resist their attraction or even put off having sex. This book is very much an adult Christmas story.

Really like the world that was created and I’m looking forward to reading more about the Klaus brothers. I am concerned, though, because there are five brothers but only three books listed on Goodreads. The most recent one came out last year so maybe there’s one every Christmas? Not sure, we’ll see.

4.5/5

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Grinch

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Director:

Ron Howard

Starring:

Jim Carey

Taylor Momsen

Plot:

A creature is intent on stealing Christmas.

Review:

Great IMDB plot synopsis. This is a nice, now classic, Christmas movie. Great message about the season and still applies. A really sweet song and Jim Carey at his most age appropriate. This is part of my yearly Christmas rotation and my daughter liked this version better than the cartoon.

5/5

Starry Night By: Debbie Macomber

Starry Night

Starry Night By: Debbie Macomber

Plot:

’Tis the season for romance, second chances, and Christmas cheer with this new novel from Debbie Macomber.

Carrie Slayton, a big-city society-page columnist, longs to write more serious news stories. So her editor hands her a challenge: She can cover any topic she wants, but only if she first scores the paper an interview with Finn Dalton, the notoriously reclusive author.

Living in the remote Alaskan wilderness, Finn has written a mega-bestselling memoir about surviving in the wild. But he stubbornly declines to speak to anyone in the press, and no one even knows exactly where he lives.

Digging deep into Finn’s past, Carrie develops a theory on his whereabouts. It is the holidays, but her career is at stake, so she forsakes her family celebrations and flies out to snowy Alaska. When she finally finds Finn, she discovers a man both more charismatic and more stubborn than she even expected. And soon she is torn between pursuing the story of a lifetime and following her heart.
Review:

Maybe sweet romances are just not for me? Are they supposed to be like Christian Fiction? I thought it was more a fade to black around the naughty bits? I just don’t know.

Apart from not understanding why the characters weren’t jumping each other’s bones if they were so infatuated with each other, the story was alright. Just alright.

Finn was a manly man surviving in the wilds of Alaska who found it easy not to jump into bed with someone who is very attractive and more than willing. Carrie was a real journalist stuck in the society pages who fell in love with the first manly man she met that wasn’t covered in oil.

The story was fine it just left me wanting and unsatisfied, surprisingly not the way the characters were feeling after marathon make out sessions.

I’ll be taking a break from Debbie Macomber until next year. If anyone can recommend me some of her Christmas books that are good that would be awesome!

3/5

 

Merry Matrimony (2015)

Merry Matrimony

Merry Matrimony (2015)

Director:

John Bradshaw

Starring:

Jessica Lowndes

Christopher Russell

Plot:

Brie, an advertising executive, lands her dream assignment organizing the perfect Christmas wedding for a fashion magazine. If she succeeds, she will make partner at her firm. The only catch is that she unknowingly has been paired up with a certain high powered fashion photographer who just happens to be her estranged ex-boyfriend. Stars Jessica Lowndes and Christopher Russell.

Review:

This movie was worlds better than the last one I watched, which isn’t saying much, but it does put it on tier with the rest of the Hallmark Christmas movies out there.

Lots of romance and definitely Christmasy, it was very cute. Brie loved Eddie, Eddie went to Paris for an amazing career opportunity, they lost touch. Seven years pass and neither has gotten over the other and their thrown back into each other’s lives. I never really get those stories, if you love someone as much as you’re saying then why’d you let them get away? Why did you not at least email?

Oh well. It was sweet.

3/5