The Mistletoe Effect

I don't really know what to say about this one, in part because it's far more difficult to sing a book's praises than to articulate criticism.

Perhaps the easiest way to express how I feel is: this book made me feel happy and festive. Given that it's currently Spooky Season, finding a saccharine Hallmark Christmas movie to watch is difficult, but this book make a lovely stand-in... and added a gay romance on top. There's no drama, no angst (aside from worrying love may be unrequited), and just enough plot and steam to keep it from being boring. Ergo, I adored this and sped through the pages as if they were a bucket of delightfully off-season Halloween candy. Except I don't have a tummy ache or any regrets, so it's ostensibly better in every way except taste. (It tastes like my phone screen. Do all Kindle for Android apps have this issue?)

The general concept of this book is mostly returning joy to a holiday season dimmed by past grief, exploring the characters, and having a bit of holiday-themed fun. Like I said: very Hallmark Movie, just with added sex scenes and the love interests aren't heterosexual. Since those movies are a guilty pleasure of mine - especially when I need to turn my brain off and just feel good for a while - I happened to love that vibe. It's fun, it's lighthearted... it's cute.

Now, I do mean I turned my brain off, so I'll give fair warning that if you want to enjoy this you should do the same. There are many plot elements early on which require an absurd level of trust between strangers, explained away with ‘it's (almost) Christmas' as the reason for being so kindhearted and naive. This also takes place in the kind of mythological, cozy small town where nobody feels obligated to lock doors and nearly all traces of bigotry have been eliminated within a couple decades or less. But, hey, the coziness is delightful and Cate Ashwood has a way with words which creates vivid mental imagery for all the festivities.

Interestingly, I was a little unimpressed with the smutty bits. The writing felt a tinge awkward at times (lots of “did this as that” and “did that before this” - often appearing several times in a row) and I couldn't quite tell if the aim was erotica or it was just a slight detour to offer reassurance that these guys have a sex life. There were also quite a few typos, growing more frequent in the sex scenes and the end of the book in general. However, the majority was well-written to create lasting mental images and was fairly easy to read with a decent flow.

This has also made me deeply nostalgic for the holiday light tours I used to attend as a child. There really isn't anything quite as magical as the beautiful lights and decorations bringing a small town to life for the season. Oh, but to have a ride on the Christmas trolley from this story!

Overall, I'm happy to say this is the first of my Read A Rainbow challenge books to not leave me feeling annoyed or disappointed.