Review: Mistletoe Mishap by Tracy Krimmer

Mistletoe Mishap
by Tracy Krimmer

My Rating: 3 stars

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: MF

Blurb:
What was meant to be a fling turns into a love they both thought they’d never have or deserved….

Alexis Paige did not make a habit of drunkenly booking travel for herself on the internet. But after the worst breakup ever, she’s going wherever the wind, and her widowed dad, urges her to go. Now Alexis is on a plane to Colorado and Mistletoe Manor. The guy seated next to her is easy on the eyes, and oddly charming, but he’s also obnoxious. She’s relieved she never has to see Grayson Wells again. She’s had enough of indecipherable men.

Until she walks into Mistletoe Manor. Grayson’s aunt runs the rustic bed and breakfast, and it’s his annual holiday spot. He knows the town well and wants to show Alexis all it has to offer. She’s leery, especially of a guy like Grayson who’s a little too smooth, but she can’t find a reason to say no. One kiss under the famed mistletoe and it’s almost too easy to say yes. She tells herself that Grayson is a fling, but it hurts to say goodbye only a few short weeks later. Darn that mistletoe…

Back at home, Alexis finds everything shifting—career, her childhood home on the market, and oh yeah, her dad’s marital status. She’s thrilled her father has found love, but it’s too much at once, especially when she’s still missing her mom and feeling like her romantic life is doomed. When her dad announces the nuptials will take place at Mistletoe Manor, she fears the trip will just make her sad over what might have been. But when Grayson turns up and puts it all on the line, will Alexis give in to love or will she regret that mistletoe kiss?

My Review

I received a free copy of this book from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.

Mistletoe Mishap has a fun concept. Main character Alexis drunkenly books a trip to Mistletoe Manor after a horrible breakup where her soon to be husband left her at the altar and then things got even worse when she also loses her job. She sure can use the vacation and I was happy to see her go ahead with it and go with the flow for a change. While Alexis didn’t handle her breakup well, I could hardly blame her with the way her ex left her. And getting away from it all seems like the perfect solution and then she runs into Grayson in the plane and later at Mistletoe Manor.

I’ve read a few books by this author and I always find her books pleasantly written. Her writing style and pacing is well done. It’s easy to read through this book. I like how realistic her characters are, although I don’t always like or relate to them, which was also the case in this book sadly. The set-up in this book was a fun one and I also liked the Christmas theme for part of the book.

I liked seeing how main character Alexis handled things, but for some reason I never fully warmed up to her. There were moments where I really liked it, like when she decided to go ahead with the vacation or later when she realizes she made a mistake and tries to fix it. But there are also scenes where I didn’t understood her behavior at all and others were I thought she was downright rude to others.

I could understand why she was wary to enter a new relationship and commitment, but at times I also thought it was very unfair to Grayson how she put her hangups onto him, while he never didn’t do anything wrong. But ofcourse he was the one who had to fix it. I’ve had too many books close in a row where the guy has to grovel and fix the romance and I think I just need a change of genre or theme, so not really this book’s fault. Grayson was great and I liked him, although I would’ve liked if we saw even more of him as at times I felt like I didn’t know him as well as I wanted or could fully understood why these two fell for each other. I thought Grayson’s behavior toward the end felt a bit out of character and it felt like it was there to create drama, but they still could’ve talked things through instead of having it blow up like it did.

I liked the romance between Grayson and Alexis and how this chance encounter grows into genuinely love. I did however would’ve loved to read more of their scenes together after they first meet. The sex scenes are fade to black and most scenes once they meet up are skipped over, so I feel like we got very few details besides their initial two meetings and I wanted to feel more of their romance and see why they fell for each other. I wanted to see how they acted together and read some of those simply fun and romantic scenes.

I liked how the book dealt with changes and letting go. How to deal with difficult things and figuring out what you want in life. I liked how strong the relationship was between Alexis and her father, it was obvious these two were close. And Alexis best friend Tonya was great too and I liked how she was there for Alexis, but also wasn’t afraid to tell her when she did something stupid or acted rude.

With the title and cover strongly focusing on the Christmas vibe I was actually surprised how few scenes of the book actually take place around Christmas. Mostly the vacation Alexis takes and her time at Mistletoe Manor where her romance with Grayson starts, but before that and after that are large parts set in other times. Which is fine with me, it just was a bit of a surprise as I had figured there would be more focus on Christmas. The scenes around Christmas do have a nice Christmassy feel.

To summarize: Mistletoe Manor is a fun romantic book partly set around Christmas. I like the author’s writing style, the pacing is done well and I liked the fun set-up for the story. I never fully warmed up to main character Alexis though. There were times I liked her, times I couldn’t figure out why she acted a certain way and other times when I couldn’t stand her. I like how she handled things and how she learns from her mistakes, but I also thought she could be a bit rude at times or didn’t consider how she made others feel. Grayson was a good love interest for her and I liked him, although I would’ve liked to learn more about him. I also had some trouble fully feeling the romance at times as after their first two meetings a lot of their time together is skipped. I would’ve liked to see a few of those play out and just see them be together without any major events or drama happening. Alexis has a strong bond with her father and I also liked her friendship with Tonya. I liked the Chrismassy vibe of part of the book, but was surprised how that was only a part of the book and most of the book doesn’t take place around Christmas. If you’re looking for a fun Christmas themed read with a fun set-up you might enjoy this one.

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– B&N
– Kobo

You can also read my review on Goodreads, Bookbub and Amazon.