Kissing Under The Mistletoe Marina Adair Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Kissing Under The Mistletoe Marina Adair Book ReviewKissing Under the Mistletoe by Marina Adair
Series: St. Helena Vineyard #1
Published by Montlake Romance on 2012
Genres: Fiction, Romance
Pages: 302
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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four-stars

Regan Martin stopped believing in Christmas miracles the day she discovered her fiancé was already married. The fallout cost her everything--her career, her home, and her impeccable reputation in the wine industry. But now she has a second chance with a dream job in the Napa Valley, and a cozy cottage for her and her daughter, whose one Christmas wish is for a forever home. But those hopes are threatened when Gabe DeLuca, the scorned wife's brother, tries to drive Regan out of town--even if he can't seem to drive the luscious beauty from his thoughts. When his attempts to get her to leave backfire, he sees that Regan may hold the key to tracking down his sister's stolen start-up capital. As Christmas nears, Gabe realizes Regan might even be his Christmas wish and hold the key to his heart.

If you are looking for a swoonworthy holiday read that will have you alternating between sobs and laughter every other page, you absolutely should pick up Kissing Under The Mistletoe by Marina Adair. It is an adorable contemporary romance set in the Napa Valley. The romance between the two lead characters is my favorite type — love hate and it pretty much sizzles right off of the page with every encounter between the two.

 

Regan Martin made a stupid mistake six years ago. She fell in love with a married man. She lost her house, her job, EVERYTHING and all of her connections in the wine industry. Since she’s been fired from every job in Oregon, she decides to move to St. Helena as she’s been offered a job marketing this female-run wine called Ryo. ONLY UH OH! Gabe DeLuca is her boss and his sister is the wife of the married man Regan fell for. The DeLucas are a protective clan and will stop at nothing to protect Abby’s happiness and that includes running single mother Regan out of town and preventing her from getting a job. What Gabe DeLuca never planned for was the immense attraction he feels for Regan.

I thought Regan was a compelling main character. She’s a fighter and will do anything to provide her daughter Holly with a happy childhood. Regan’s made mistakes but she owns them and doesn’t entirely play innocent. I found her to be admirable and not annoying in the slightest. She doesn’t whine when things don’t go her way, instead she works for what she wants. I was so invested in her, that often when bad things would happen to Regan I would tear up.

As for the male love interest, Gabe, I thought he was obnoxious for a decent portion of Kissing Under The Mistletoe. He’s very awful to Regan without considering her side of the story. Plus, he makes a few bad, callous decisions. However, when they finally start to act on their attraction, Gabe isn’t so bad.

If you’re looking for a chaste romance, look elsewhere. Kissing Under The Mistletoe is a sizzling romance that does contain sexual content. However, if you don’t mind that, then note the chemistry between the two leads – Gabe and Regan is undeniable. It does not feel stilted or forced between the two. Instead, I could see why they were into each other. I’d recommend Kissing Under The Mistletoe by Marina Adair to people looking for a spicy, emotional Christmas romance read.

Disclosure: Received for review

Other reviews of Kissing Under The Mistletoe by Marina Adair:

The Caffeinated Book Reviewer – “a well paced, entertaining romance with characters I enjoyed

Dahrk Portal – “an enjoyable read with humor along with the heartache!

Forever Book Lover – “I enjoyed every page and fell in love with the entire family

four-stars
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April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.
About April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

Comments

  1. Sounds like a great holiday read! I like hard working female characters and Regan sounds like one. Can’t wait to pick this one up!

  2. I’m going to add this to my list. I like that more romances are written with heroines that have a past. It makes them much more relatable as characters.

    • I like heroines with a past as well because no one is perfect and no one lives their lives as completely perfect, ya know? So I get where you are coming from with it making the characters more relatable, I totally agree.

  3. I have to admit that I’m bummed. I saw you had another Christmas read and thought “YAY!! I loved Mistletoe and Margaritas!” but this one? I think I’ll skip. I’m glad that Gabe redeems himself, but not sure I want to deal with his grouchy self!

    -Jac @ For Love and Books

  4. OMG OMG. This sounds like a perfect book. And I kind of want her boots. And her hat. I love this cover. I LOVE CHRISTMAS. And you, too. Thank you for this review. It seems like theeee perfect book to curl up with some hot cocoa and a snuggie while the snow comes down. (As if we’re going to see any freaking snow this year…. Mother Nature is a bitch.)

    • Ha ha, I am not a huge fan of the boots but I like the hat.

      AND HEY I don’t want snow because I don’t want to buy new tires hahaha.

      OH and that reminds me I need to dig out my snuggie and toss it in the wash.

  5. YES! I’ve been looking for some Christmas romance. I love it when the characters hate each other at first. Without having read it yet, I’m already understanding Gabe’s reaction to the woman who he thinks broke up his sister’s marriage. Haha. Okay, let me just get this now so I can read it. 🙂

  6. I like that this book made you laugh AND cry. It totally played on your emotions as a reader, and that’s always a positive sign for me.

  7. Whoa, buddy. You got me at your first paragraph when you said you sobbed and laughed. That’s my kind of book right there. I haven’t read any holiday-ish books this year, so I’m going to go ahead and read this soon. I need it in my life.

  8. Debbie's World of Books says

    I really enjoyed this one. Gabe was obnoxious and I wanted to kick him at times. I loved Holly and being a mother with a 5 yr old I teared up reading some parts of what Regan went through trying to provide for Holly.