Shepard Lund:Age: 26Looks: Tall, blond, and skinnyFavorite Food: MeatloafStatus: Single, but secretly in love with his best friendIvy Lancombe: Age: 25Looks: Short, chestnut brown, and buxomFavorite Food: Blackberry PieStatus: Single, but secretly in love with her best friend Shep and Ivy are the biggest dating disasters of Bells Pass. They’ve spent years ignoring their feelings for each other, … spent years ignoring their feelings for each other, but this Christmas, the townspeople of Bells Pass, Michigan have a plan. It won’t be easy, but they’ll work together to teach Ivy and Shep to stop ignoring their hearts’ desires and explore their love. It will take an old spinster, an infamous diner, a mysterious man, and a hefty dose of Christmas wishing to get them under the mistletoe. Once there, they’ll let a dash of good old Christmas magic do the rest.
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Meatloaf and Mistletoe is the first book I’ve read by Katie Mettner, and I look forward to more. With mistletoe in the title and a glance at the other cozy stories by this author, I knew I’d found a feel good Christmas story. Meatloaf and Mistletoe didn’t disappoint. The story is set in Belles Pass, a charming, small town in Michigan and the perfect location for a Christmas romance to unfold.
But what lured me in and kept me reading was the realistic characters. Ivy and Shep weren’t the typical boy meets girl. Instead, they were life-long, best friends, both in love––with each other––and fighting their attraction to keep their friendship. Mettner skillfully reveals Ivy and Shep’s discovery of undeniable love as she weaves their heartfelt story, allowing readers to experience the romance as it unfolds. I highly recommend Meatloaf and Mistletoe to anyone looking for a feel good love story.
Friends to Lovers is my most favorite romance trope, and Meatloaf and Mistletoe by Katie Mettner is a great representation of this type of romance. I absolutely loved how the town came together to support Shep and Ivy, not just in their love story, but more importantly with their work and dreams. Mettner writes a magical town that makes me want to move to and be a part of it.
Meatloaf and Mistletoe takes place near Christmas and Mettner includes just the right amount of decorating and celebrating. There will be times when I read a Christmas tale and it almost seems like an afterthought or more of a marketing ploy.
When it comes to the physical relationship there was a lot of kissing and exploring, but the one big sex scene was behind closed doors. This isn’t a clean romance, but it’s what I would consider more of a sweet romance. If you were looking for lots of hot and heavy bedroom scenes, you won’t find them here.
The one part that did make me skim so I could get on with the story… and you may completely enjoy it though… was all the professing of love. While it was wonderful that they had finally shared their true feelings with each other after 20 years, it was a lot… for me. Would this stop me from reading more by Mettner, no it wouldn’t because her characters and the town are so well written. But since this is a review I did want to include it.
Shep is fun, and sexy yet he doesn’t believe it so it makes him even more so. His loving spirit and fun humor keep the story flowing perfectly. His love for Ivy is undeniable. Ivy compliments Shep perfectly and her love for him knows no bounds. She’s smart, caring and someone you’d love to be friends with in real life. The secondary characters are unique and fun! I hope to see more of them soon!
I loved this friends to lovers story. I was entranced with their story from the beginning. It’s a perfect romance to read while cozied up with a thick blanket by the fireplace. I highly recommend this slow burning friends to lovers story that is so smoking you’ll think you’re sitting around a fire pit in the fall.