Problem Number One – Getting There Old childhood friends each fly separately to join their families on what’s been an annual holiday themed yacht adventure. Secret ex-lovers, Hannah and James are determined to make the best of things… snarl, it leaves them stuck together for four days, making Hannah’s already problematic trip a whole lot harder to face. Especially because she comes bearing more than just gifts…
Problem Number Three — Falling In Love (again)
As the former lovers try to make the best of the Christmas snafu, they soon realize that the best things in life can’t be planned and sometimes love is sweeter the second time around.
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This was a short but sweet second chance romance bringing Hannah and James together. They both showed up for the holiday yacht trip for different reasons. Even though feelings are strained they find common ground but will all forces pulling them apart actually bring them together. I love these two together and this one brought such joy.
Such a fabulous book!! It’s a quick, entertaining story with a couple you will love. James is still trying to deal with a tragedy in his past that also affected Hannah who are getting a second chance. They just have to deal with their issues from the past before they get their HEA. They are a couple that both deserve all the happiness in the world. There’s humor, heart break, & healing. A must read!!
Take me to paradise every year! This quick and steamy holiday story is what second chances were made for. I loved the flashbacks, so the reader is able to bond with the characters and truly appreciate their pasts. This feel-good romance will be one I add to my yearly holiday book-binge list!
Christmas holiday novella. Fast read. Sweet love story between reconnected childhood friends. The theme of the story – work/life balance. Make time for those you love. Life is never guaranteed.
Jill always writes her stories with heart & humor. A couple that didn’t declare their love for each other for many years but finally wake up to see the truth.
As I’ve mentioned before with this series, all of the stories are standalone and you don’t have to read any of the others to read this one. It’s a sweet holiday story that, actually, doesn’t even take place in Wildstone since they’re out on a boat the whole book.
I’m always pulled into this author’s stories pretty quickly, and this was no exception. Although it’s shorter than most of Jill Shalvis’ usual stories since it’s a novella, there’s still plenty of chemistry. Yet, I found myself being pulled out of the story over and over. Most of it has to do with the timeline. I don’t want to say there are any discrepancies with the timeline, I didn’t notice any. Yet, the depth the characters were/are into their careers at certain points in their reminiscences, and the amount of time they spent together before incident that estranged them, didn’t make sense to me. Doesn’t mean anything was off. It was just something that my very literal and type-A brain couldn’t reconcile.
I still enjoyed this story immensely. I only wish it wasn’t a novella and we could have dug deeper into both character’s pasts. As it was, I was emotionally invested with the little I was given.
Audio Review:
Overall – 5
Story – 5
Performance -5
Sweet with Heat!
Mistletoe in Paradise is the first audiobook I’ve listened to performed by Erin Mallon and I loved it. I’m pretty picky about female narrators as I seem to prefer to listen to a male voice but I really enjoyed Erin’s performance.
This story is a sweet one with just enough heat to keep things interesting. It’s been a while since I’ve read a Jill Shalvis story and listening to this reminded me of why I love her writing so much. It’s a great friends-to-lovers and second chance story. Although it’s part of the Wildstone series, it stands alone just fine. I haven’t yet read any of the other books in this series and I never felt lost while listening to this.
I also loved how much Hannah cared for her step-father and wanted to protect him.
A complimentary copy of this audiobook was provided to me by the publisher but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author and/or narrator.
Enjoyable Christmas novella. Not as much chemistry between the hero and heroine as her in romances, but it was still a fun and enjoyable read.
What a wonderful second chance romance! Hannah and James have another chance to be friends and lovers at Christmas-time. These characters were fun to hang out with. Wish it could have been longer.
A cute second chance, holiday-themed novella!
I didn’t feel quite as connected to the characters as I usually do in a Jill Shalvis book–due to the shortened format, maybe? A bit more telling than showing with their pasts and present lives?–but it was still a fun holiday read. The epilogue was especially sweet.
Rating: 3 1/2 stars / B-
Hannah and James’ families have been friends for years. Vacationing together, traveling, etc. And once upon a time, Hannah and James were as close as people could be. But things changed and they lost touch. Which apparently drove Hannah’s step father nuts.
Hannah is a workaholic who is doing this visit to her step father for reasons involving her mother. Hannah’s job really doesn’t want her gone and so Hannah is still pretty tied to her work while in Paradise. At least until Hannah and James are stranded together to work out their differences, entirely orchestrated by Hannah’s stepfather.
This was a sweet, exes to lovers, novella set in the Wildstone series. This was a quick read, that I was able to read in one sitting. Which truthfully, is usually how I read Jill Shalvis books.
Hannah, James and Jason were thrown together every summer on her StepDad’s boat when their parents came together for a joint summer vacation. They became fast friends, saving each other weeks of boredom stuck at sea. Hannah and James migrated toward each other and kids friendship blossomed into young love. When at a cross roads in their lives they split from each other and went their separate ways. Now her StepDad has requested her presence aboard the boat as his only Christmas wish, and knowing her mother has divorce papers to serve him, decides to do it herself to save his feelings.
What Hannah didn’t count on was matchmaking by her father, that found her face to face with James and her past. Walking away from him was one of the hardest things she’s even done and she doesn’t know if she could do it again.
James was surprised to see Hannah aboard the ship but not surprised. She would do anything for her dad. He didn’t know if he could spend time with her without thinking about the past though. He had his own agenda on board, talk to his parents. It was past time he told them the truth.
Will Hannah and James rekindle a heat filled past, or find they still are heading in separate directions? A great light holiday themed read to cozy up to on a cold winter night.
Mistletoe in Paradise is a novella in the Wildstone Series and it doesn’t disappoint with feel good holiday cheer! Hannah and James are childhood sweethearts that haven’t seen each other in years but have never forgotten each other. Their families have always taken a cruise together over the holidays but this year only Hannah’s step-dad (the captain of the boat) is able to make it with Hannah and James. Nothing like a quick easy read around the holidays. Of course there is a lot of hurt to overcome but the cruise and beautiful backgrounds provide an opportunity to heal old wounds and start again.
What a great holiday! A group of friends on a yacht experiencing fun, sun & friendship. You know what they say about best laid plans! Everyone, except James & Hannah who used to be more than friends, are delayed. Trapped on the boat, they were forced to confront their feelings & make peace with the past.
I usually have a problem with novellas due to their short nature. It takes time to develop a relationship with the characters so that you are invested in their relationship. I really enjoyed these characters & their interactions. As James & Hannah dealt with the problems they’d been ignoring, they each had to deal with their personal issues. During the cruise they were on their own journey to understand & deal with their memories & their feelings.
I loved this second chance romance by Jill Shalvis! It’s a quick read but Jill still gives you a heartfelt, sweet story.
Hannah and James were childhood friends and were lovers for a short time before a tragedy broke them apart. When they reunite on her step-dad’s boat for Christmas, there’s no denying the feelings are still there for the both of them. Can time heal the wounds from the past? Can they help each other through the issues that have kept them apart?
Mistletoe in Paradise was a great edition to the Wildstone series and I love that they can all be read as standalones!
You can always count on Jill Shalvis novel or novellas to provide a nice escape. Her characters draw you in with their honesty, relateability and realism. Jill’s stories never disappoint. Her writing is reliable, they are all page turners and that leave you satisfied, ending ties up all loose ends. Her stories can all be read as a stand alone or as a part of a series.
Hannah seems to be a serious, ridged, workaholic while James is the carefree, no strings, adventurer out for fun. These two have known each other forever through their families without realizing just how much they love each other. They know each other only superficially- it is exciting to watch their understanding of each other on a deep, personal level, develop through the story. Hannah works hard but she is so dedicated because her job saves lives. James actually has fun while working and in his limited spare time assists his family with their business. They both needed the second chance that they are given when they arrive in paradise to meet their families only to find out everyone else has been delayed. Hanna and James had a complicated past with a joint loss that at the time they couldn’t make it through. The time apart gave them a chance to mature, while the loss, though still painful, was not the gaping wound that it was when it first happened. Their chemistry is undeniable and their connection is still so strong even after all of this time. The family, on both sides, did them wrong when they were young, but in the end they are able to reunite, work through their past and move into the future that they should have had.
As always, Ms. Shalvis has written characters you can’t help but fall in love with. And she teaches us that no matter how well you know someone, you don’t know them completely until you know what they’re thinking; and you can’t know what each other are thinking unless you open yourself up to the other person and truly communicate with each other. I truly enjoyed meeting and getting to know Hannah and James and setting them get their happily-ever-after.
I have been a fan of Jill Shalvis ever since I read her Heartbreaker series. Since then, I jump at every opportunity to read her books. Therefore, when the offer to read and review Mistletoe in Paradise appeared in my email, my response was an automatic yes. A point to note, despite this being a part of the Wildstone series, it can stand on its own.
Set on a boat, sailing the Caribbean Sea, Mistletoe in Paradise provided me with a sweet, second chance, friends to lover’s romance. In this story the reader met Hannah, her step-father Harry and James.
Now Hannah and James have been friends since childhood and as the years went by their feelings for each other developed beyond friendship. However, losing someone close to them both coupled with their thirst for different things in life led to them drifting apart. A few years later, Hannah is a workaholic with no social life and no time for relationships. She lives for her work, and so she was far from amused when her mother’s actions placed her in a position of delivering bad news to Harry, while spending time with him on his boat for the holidays. To make the situation worse, James would also be on the trip, not what she had signed up for.
I had a wonderful time with this novella. I laughed, and I teared up watching James and Hannah trying to deny their feelings and realising that it was an exercise in futility. Time and distance in no way dimmed the spark which existed between them.
I admired Hannah for her dedication to her job, but she needed to find some balance. I loved the fact that they communicated with each other and in the process managed to resolve the issues that initially tore them apart. The question is though despite coming to terms with their past, will their relationship survive the current situation given their different lifestyles?
Fans of the author will enjoy Mistletoe in Paradise, and for readers who enjoy short and sweet romances, then you need to get yourselves a copy.
There is nothing I love more than holiday romances from my favorite authors. Jill Shalvis did not disappoint with Mistletoe in Paradise. It’s filled with love, hope, and sadness. Readers get to meet two characters who are in need of a little bit of magic. Workaholic Hannah learns to live in the moment. Her job, as rewarding as it is, is slowly taking over her life. She’s letting life go because she’s afraid she’ll never be enough. James has to get the courage to step out from his brother’s shadow and embark on his own dreams. Together they’ll find a balance that’ll give them hope for a future. I adored this book. The characters were loveable and the setting was gorgeous. I mean, who wouldn’t be stuck in paradise?? Perfect little romance to get the holiday mood.
Another fantastic read by Jill Shalvis. Mistletoe in Paradise is a perfect read for the holidays. Hannah and James are two friends that we’re secret ex-lovers. As they reunite for the holidays will they find the holiday spirit within each other and realize they can be more again? This book was so amazing and I can’t wait to read more.