All Things Holly Jolly TBR

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 As it does every year, the Christmas season is approaching far quicker than I thought. Before I am lost in a frenzy of Black Friday sales, cookie baking, ribbon, and tissue paper I should let y'all know what is on the docket for the holiday season! All of the books you will see are ones I have either won in giveaways (thanks, Goodreads) or picked up on Stuff Your Kindle Day. Needless to say, none of these books are from the bestseller list, but that does not mean they can't be fabulous books! I'm excited to bring some possibly underrated books into the light for you to discover. Now - let's get to it! 

 

#1 Sugar & Sliced (Maple Lane Cozy Mysteries #0.5) - C.A. Phipps 

This book is brought to you by Stuff Your Kindle Day. Sugar & Sliced is a prequel to the book Apple Pie & Arsenic. I have not read any of the Maple Lane Cozy Mysteries, but I am excited to get some backstory on the series that I will hopefully want to continue. This book is a novella so it should be read in a breeze! Sugar & Sliced is categorized as a "cozy mystery" which I have never dove into. I did pick up lots of this subgenre on Stuff Your Kindle Day, so fingers crossed I like them! I need a change of pace after the slew of horrific and creepy books I read in October. The premise of the book seems a little cheesy for my taste, but I am going to try my best to go in with an open mind. Each book of the series comes with a recipe to try - how freaking cute! 

Goodreads link here

Amazon link here



#2 Christmas Honeymoon (Sweet Paradise Resort Christmas series)  - Hope August


If any of you have ever participated in a Stuff Your Kindle event, you know it's crazy. There are SO MANY books it's easy to get overwhelmed. I did very little research on many books I bought because they're literally free. After the frenzy, I took inventory of the damage. There were quite a few books I have a feeling I'll never set eyes on. "Alexa, how do you delete impulse buys off your Kindle?" There were even more books that after reading the synopsis with a clear mind did not seem to my pace at all. This is one of them. Regardless of that fact, I am a woman who tries to push herself out of the box. The main thing that isn't my jam is that this is categorized as a "clean romance". Now, with that said I do not think a story has to have sex in it to be good - far from it. Using describers like "clean", "wholesome", and "kisses-only" leads me to believe that this book is going to make the fact the MCs aren't screwing LIKE A REALLY BIG DEAL. Also, books that put themselves in that category tend to get cheesy as hell. Regardless of this factor, I'm holding out hope that Christmas Honeymoon (For One) will be a winner. The other parts of the synopsis are very intriguing. This book is a novella so it should be a quick holiday read. 

Goodreads link here
Amazon link here




#3 The Season of Second Chances - a Christmas collection
The Christmas Collector - Kristina McMorris
Gifted - T. Greenwood


The Season of Second Chances is a collection I was lucky enough to win from Goodreads. There are two stories in this collection, based on the total page length I am assuming both of them are novellas. Reading all of these novellas is helping me bump up my 2023 reading challenge! Since there are two separate stories with even separate authors I will try to keep them separate in both this post and my review! 
The Christmas Collector seems like such a heartwarming story about uncovering long-lost family memories. I personally love character dynamics between younger and older characters, both in movies and print. I'm oh so excited to see what this story has to offer! 
Gifted brings in a similar aspect that has me even more excited for the collection as a whole. What a heartwarming concept about two people finding a support system in each other. Christmas is a happy-go-lucky time for many, but for many, it is not. Having people there, no matter their age, to support you through times of doubt and misfortune is essential to making it through. 

Goodreads link here
Amazon link here



#4 Mistletoe Malarkey (Shayla Murphy #1)  - Stella Bixby 


Can someone say Hallmark Movie with an Agatha Christy twist? Mistletoe Malarky is another cozy mystery on the list. I'm not sure about the mystery aspect of this book, but the settings and other plot elements made this too hard to resist. I just want to cuddle up with this book next to the fire holding some hot coca (and peppermint schnapps) and read to my heart's content. Will it happen? Probably not. A girl can dream. 

Goodreads link here
Amazon link here



#5 Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead - Jenny Hollander 


Alright, ladies and gents, I (hope) am saving the best for last! Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead is my most anticipated book on this list, and that is for a few reasons. 
   - look at that cover *heart eyes*
   - the title is eerily conspicuous 
   - a Christmas thriller sounds like such a great time
Now, back to it - this book does not hit the shelves until January 2024. How did I get my paws on it? Thanks for asking. I won this book in yet another Goodreads giveaway. I'm serious guys, if you're not entering the Goodreads giveaways you NEED to! I have now won 12 books. Yup, 12 books that are completely free, and some (like this one) that you get early access to. I don't know about y'all but I get book FOMO bad. I haven't read Fourth Wing yet and I feel like I'm sitting on the bench while everyone else is on the swings. Anyways, getting to read a book before other people can and review it is a pretty cool thing Goodreads (and of course the authors and publishers) offer that not a lot of people take full advantage of! 
Ok - side quest over. This book is a Christmas THRILLER. While I think the whole "cozy mystery" thing is probably more stereotypical Christmas your girl needs all things creepy, bloody, and suspenseful. This is all of that and a ball of wax. Is there a chance I put this book before the rest of them, absolutely. However, I did that with my spooky TBR with Notes on an Execution and regretted it greatly. So, I am going to try my best to stay strong. 

Goodreads link here
Amazon link here (Preorder)

Alright, that wraps up my jam-packed list for this holiday season. I have only read one other novella this year so I am excited to be reading some in December. The 3-4 hundred page books get a little much after a while. I am also proud of myself for not spending a penny to put together this whole readlist. Don't come for me - I 100% think authors deserve money for what they write and put so much effort into. Reading can be an EXPENSIVE hobby though. Especially if you average 2-3 books a month (or more). I utilize my pubic library when I can, but actually being able to own and keep the books is so nice. I'm very thankful for the authors who either put their books on Stuff Your Kindle Day or participated in a giveaway! 

Since I ranted and raved about the Goodreads giveaways enough I will link that with my socials. I hope you all have a fabulous holiday season and get all the books on your wishlist! 
If you like what you read here feel free to follow me on Instagram or Goodreads to keep up with what I'm reading right now! 


❤ Les




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