ARC Review: Mistletoe Games by Jaci Burton

Recommended Read!

“…there’s no one that does holiday stories better than Jaci Burton!”
~ Under the Covers

Getting into the holiday spirit for me starts with a good holiday read!  And there’s no one that does holiday stories better than Jaci Burton!  Keep in mind, though, that if you follow the Play by Play series you’ll want to check and see if you’ve read these already as they were published in years back.  The great thing is that you can now own them in paperback form for the first time!  A great addition to your collection.

HOLIDAY GAMES (#6.5)

As usual with any book in the Play by Play series, you will be filled with a sense of family and rightness. HOLIDAY GAMES was a slice of life in the Riley family, and it was a deliciously sweet visit with some of my absolutely favorite characters.

This story centers around the holidays and especially Gavin and Liz, who are trying to get pregnant. You know what my favorite part is? Liz is still Liz. Unapologetic and determined to get what she wants. She’s not turned into a mushy submissive woman that does everything her man says. She gives as good as she gets. She demands things herself. And she takes. She is my absolutely favorite female so far in this series. We are also seeing Ty and Jenna’s wedding planning excitement! Another one of my fave couples.

HOLIDAY GAMES is still and extremely sweet, family centered story but don’t let it fool you… it packs a lot of HEAT!

If you have a love for these characters, you’re going to love this story. Although it does stand well on its own, I would recommend you read it as part of the series.

HOLIDAY ON ICE (#8.5)

Holiday stories from Jaci Burton are about my most favorite thing to read during this time of year. No matter whether she does it in the Play by Play series or a separate thing altogether, she always manages to capture the exact feeling I want to get when I read a holiday story. Jaci Burton truly is the perfect author to read any holiday season!

So here’s Drew and Stella. We go back to hockey players, which I have a thing for, so I was very happy. Trick has had an on again off again sexual relationship with Stella for a while. He’s busy with his hockey career, she’s busy with her career as a dancer. And while she’s sworn off relationships because of her past failed attempt, he may be ready to put in the work to give their almost perfect chemistry a permanent go.

Although I feel that this might be Ms. Burton’s tried and true formula (and I may be looking forward to a little different dynamic), celebrity sports player meets powerful career oriented woman who doesn’t want a relationship and then proceeds to convince her otherwise, I still enjoyed this story a lot!

This little novella packs a lot of sexy with a dash of sweet in it. It’s a fast read, without a crazy amount of conflict, but just with a couple that are getting a second REAL chance. I’m a fan of those. Especially with a novella, I always find it easier to believe when there’s history between the couple. In HOLIDAY ON ICE you can tell from the get go they are perfect for each other. They get along great, they seem very relaxed around each other, and they have great sexual chemistry. You can’t help but want to be hanging out around them!

This novella now leaves me wanting to know more about Stella’s sister and who she may end up with.

HOT HOLIDAY NIGHTS (#10.5)

If there is one thing I always look forward as the holidays approach is the guaranteed Jaci Burton holiday themed short story. There is something special and magical about how she perfectly blends the spirit of the holidays with the heart of her stories. HOT HOLIDAY NIGHTS is a bit different than some of the others she’s done in that it’s not a sport I would’ve expected to see from her (surfing!) and it’s not characters I’m overly familiar with.

Color me surprised because this is the first threesome in the series! The sizzling chemistry between Alex and Victoria, and then Victoria and Ben was enough to warm up any winter’s night. Add in to that the fact that Alex and Ben have been best friends for years but they are both at very different stages in their lives and are also different ages, I think it brings the perfect balance and complement to the story.

It was nice and refreshing seeing an older heroine who makes no apologies for what she wants and likes and isn’t afraid to take it, even if that involves a hot surfer dude who is younger than her and not caring how others might see that and how she might fit in with his younger crowd. But it was also nice to see the completely different dynamics between her and Ben as I found they had a better connection and more things in common.

Either way, this was a great and quick read and it only leaves me excited about seeing more from this series. After 10 books, it’s still going strong as one of my go to series!

[about-author author=”Jaci Burton”]

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