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Must Love Mistletoe (Holidays #1)

by Christie Ridgway (Goodreads Author)

3.63 · rating details · 335 ratings · 40 reviews

Bailey Sullivan can't stand Christmas, even though her family's business is a store specializing in the perfect holiday. But now her hometown's chief supplier of rooftop Rudolphs and treetop angels is in danger of going under--it's up to Bailey to save the shop.

She has it all planned: She'll arrive on December 1 and be gone by Christmas. Plus there's always spiked eggno

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Mass Market Paperbound, 358 pages

Published December 1st 2006 by Avon Books (first published November 28th 2006)

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Best Seasonal Romance {Christmas, Winter}

18th out of 167 books — 84 voters

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The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Best Fiction With Disfigured/Disabled Leads

224th out of 460 books — 570 voters

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Oct 20, 2008

Julie (Mom2lnb) rated it

Shelves: read-2007, contemporary-romance, holiday-stories

Reviewed for www.thcreviews.com

I somehow got the mistaken impression that Must Love Mistletoe would be a lighthearted, witty romantic comedy, but it seemed that the author couldn't decide whether the story was supposed to be a comedy or a drama. While there were some humorous scenes that made me smile, there were others that I think were meant to be humorous, but to me, came off seeming rather silly and childish. The book also dealt with several heavier topics such as marital strife ...moreReviewed for www.thcreviews.com

I somehow got the mistaken impression that Must Love Mistletoe would be a lighthearted, witty romantic comedy, but it seemed that the author couldn't decide whether the story was supposed to be a comedy or a drama. While there were some humorous scenes that made me smile, there were others that I think were meant to be humorous, but to me, came off seeming rather silly and childish. The book also dealt with several heavier topics such as marital strife and death, but not in the deeply emotional yet heartwarming manner that I prefer. I also felt that there were weakness in the plot. I just never fully bought into the idea of Finn and Bailey being separated for ten years without contact in our electronic age. I realize that Bailey was purposely trying to run away and avoid Finn, but since his grandmother lived next door to her mother, it seems like it would have been an easy thing for him to simply inquire after her whereabouts. Since it was obvious that he loved her very deeply, it just never entirely made sense to me that Finn wouldn't at least try to find Bailey to get some answers, but I suppose that he may have simply been too broken-hearted to try. I also like a strong happily-ever-after ending that leaves me feeling like the protagonists will be together for a long time after the last page is turned, but unfortunately, I did not feel like I got this in Must Love Mistletoe. While Finn's Christmas gift to Bailey was beautiful and romantic, the ending was surrounded by sad events and a great deal of ambiguity that left me with no clear picture of where these two might end up down the road.

While I have had personal life experiences that bear some similarity to those of Bailey, I had a difficult time relating to her. She was a popular girl in high school, while I never was. She hates Christmas, while I tend to enjoy it. She doesn't believe in true love any more than she believes in Santa Claus, while I have always been a hopeless romantic. Still, if all these things had been played in the lighthearted manner in which I had expected, I think Bailey would have been a more relateable character, but as she was written, I felt that she took herself and life way too seriously. I think her character would also have been better if she had shown a bit more vulnerability instead of being an island unto herself. While Bailey had been very deeply affected by her parent's divorce and her father's abandonment, I just couldn't fully understand her teenage cynicism about relationships, since her mother had been remarried presumably happily for at least a decade at that point, to a man who Bailey herself admitted was a good man. However, I realize that children and teenagers can be very impressionable, so I could have perhaps bought into the idea that Bailey would run away from her relationship with Finn the first time, but when she was prepared to do it again as a supposedly intelligent adult, I started to loose respect for her and just wanted to shake some sense into her. I also thought it was rather cruel for Bailey to have thrown away her wonderful friendship with Trin when she left the first time. For her to continue to allow her parents divorce and her father's ill-conceived advice affect her relationships more than twenty years later, to me showed a distinct lack of growth and maturity. In my opinion, it even showed weakness, because Bailey seemed unwilling to take a chance on anyone or anything simply for fear of it turning out badly. I'm sorry to say that I was just never able to fully grasp why Finn fell in love with her.

I could also not bring myself to care much about the secondary romance between Bailey's mother, Tracy, and stepfather, Dan. After twenty years of marriage, I felt that they should have been able to weather empty-nest syndrome without resorting to what was in my opinion petty, childish bickering that could have been easily cleared up with a little more communication. It also didn't seem quite fair that a pair of secondary characters got the first major love scene in the book. In addition, Tracy's actions in taking a crowbar to her ex-husband's car, which I believe was meant to be empowering, I unfortunately found rather disturbing instead. As with Bailey, I felt that she should have grown more in the last twenty years than to be so affected by his presence as to take such drastic measures. Nearly every time there was a long scene or an entire chapter devoted to Tracy and/or Dan, I started zoning out and was eager to get back to Finn and Bailey's story. I was somewhat disappointed though with the love scenes between Finn and Bailey, because while they were full of hot, steamy sensuality, they generally seemed like little more than lust gone wild. I really like to feel that the characters are in love, and while I could sense this to some extent on Finn's part, Bailey was always so closed off, that it never truly seemed like her heart was in their lovemaking.

In spite of my negative comments up to this point, I actually did find several things to like about Must Love Mistletoe. First and foremost, I really liked the hero, Finn. Although the author didn't delve quite deep enough into his character to suit my taste, he was still very intriguing. The persona of a former bad boy who cared for Bailey enough to stay out of trouble and clean up his act in order to impress her was very appealing. In spite of his outer tough guy, there were several times that the author allowed a sensitive and vulnerable side to show through, creating an all-too-human and well-rounded character that was enjoyable to read. Also, any guy who loves and respects his grandmother as much as Finn did is a winner in my book. Finn's grandmother was a joy to read as well. Even though she didn't directly play a large part in the story, it was fun to imagine the kind of sweet little old lady she must have been to command Finn's respect. She seemed to be the only person besides Bailey who was able to keep him on the straight and narrow. I also liked Bailey's straight-talking, sassy best friend, Trin, who infused Bailey's life with a much needed dose of reality. I also thought she was a very forgiving person to so easily allow Bailey back into her life after Bailey had left without so much as a good-bye and hadn't even communicated with her in over a decade. The Perfect Christmas was a neat little store with a lovely ambiance, which if it really existed, would have had me agreeing with everyone else in town about it being a “landmark” and an “institution”. The store was really a character in it's own right and I found myself rather disappointed at the author's choice of an ending for it. In addition, I had never read a contemporary story set in suburban Southern California, so I was able to appreciate a uniqueness in the setting. Lastly, I really enjoyed Bailey Sullivan's Vintage Facts & Fun Calender, little trivial tidbits about Christmas that were at the beginning of each chapter. I found these to be pretty entertaining and educational.

Must Love Mistletoe started out fairly strong, hooking me in with the appealing idea of the story of two former sweethearts reunited after many years apart, but unfortunately it veered off in some strange and unexpected directions that I did not find entirely appealing. While it had a number of weaknesses and was not the best book I have ever read, neither did I find it to be a complete chore to finish as has been the case with some other stories. While I have not seen an official series designation, Must Love Mistletoe has another holiday-themed sequel titled, Not Another New Year's, in which secondary character and Finn's fellow ex-Secret Service agent, Tanner Hart becomes the hero. This was the first book I had read by Ms. Ridgway, and while she didn't completely wow me this time, she has a reasonably good writing style that leaves me open to the possibility of reading other books by her in the future.(less)

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Dec 02, 2011

Nina rated it

Shelves: contemporary, first-love-round-two, holiday, small-town, swoon, tortured-hero

I like this one, and this is actually a reread because I'm on a kick of reading Christmas stories during the holidays this year. So I actually read this one for the first time like two summers ago. And even reading it during a ridiculously humid summer I felt...festive. The tiny town strung with lights all centered around The Perfect Christmas, the local landmark of a Christmas store stationed in an old Victorian home. The store is usually run by Tracy and Dan, but they're on the outs so their S...moreI like this one, and this is actually a reread because I'm on a kick of reading Christmas stories during the holidays this year. So I actually read this one for the first time like two summers ago. And even reading it during a ridiculously humid summer I felt...festive. The tiny town strung with lights all centered around The Perfect Christmas, the local landmark of a Christmas store stationed in an old Victorian home. The store is usually run by Tracy and Dan, but they're on the outs so their Scrooge-like daughter comes home from big bad LA where she is a cynical woman who shuns attachments and manages money hungry divorce attorneys.

Now, she's back home. Where she hasn't been since she left at 18.
Where she left her first love. The bad boy she once tamed.
The bad boys whose back.

Sounds delicious, am I right? Well, it is. Finn is something else. But the thing about the story is that yes, it is one of my favorite set ups of first loves reuniting, and yes it's all about Christmas, which can be adorable and Santa-filled, but here it's something more. And it sneaks up on you. There in the connection between Bailey and Finn, and even Tracey and Dan with Christmas happening alongside their romances you find that base feeling that comes with the holidays, that search for connection and the desire to have faith in something and believe in it with conviction, which creates a really sort of heartbreaking love between these two.

Did Bailey drive me nuts sometimes? Yes. I just didn't understand how she could have based such huge life choices on her flaky dad's flaky advice. I never can get people who throw in the towel for fear of getting too close. But that's just me. Did I believe that Bailey, as her character was drawn, was capable of doing that at 18? Yes, so that's what counts. But Finn? Oh, in the end I just needed that man to be happy. And my one big issue with the book was I wish the end was one page longer. Great that Bailey comes to her senses, but I wish I could have heard Finn's reaction to finally getting everything he wanted. (less)

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Apr 18, 2011

Tanith rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: contemp, owned-ebook, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 30, 2011

Kimberly rated it

I really enjoyed this book... Yes it is a light holiday read but I enjoyed it.

Bailey is coerced into coming home to run the family business The Perfect Christmas even though she hates the holidays. She runs into her first and true love Finn who was recently hurt in his line of work and comes back to town to take care of his ailing Grandmother. Bailey ran out on Finn when she graduated and Finn never knew why and now he wants to know, and he also finds he wants Bailey. Bailey was raise...moreI really enjoyed this book... Yes it is a light holiday read but I enjoyed it.

Bailey is coerced into coming home to run the family business The Perfect Christmas even though she hates the holidays. She runs into her first and true love Finn who was recently hurt in his line of work and comes back to town to take care of his ailing Grandmother. Bailey ran out on Finn when she graduated and Finn never knew why and now he wants to know, and he also finds he wants Bailey. Bailey was raised with the motto "get out before it gets ugly" and she did at 18. Will she run again? Will she love? Can Bailey and Finn find the holiday magic?

Finn is an enjoyable character. He is the "bad boy" with the heart of gold and it's filled with love for Bailey. Bailey has issues but isn't over the top. I really liked this book. The one problem I had is I waited for certain lines/scenes to happen that never did (see below if you want spoilers). That being said there are a lot of scenes that made me laugh and a lot that made me sad for the characters. Want a light holiday read then read this book!!!

***spoiler alert - don't read if you don' like spoilers***
*When the store burns I wanted Bailey to lose it more. I wanted to finally feel what we realized in chapters back that Bailey but she hadn't figured out (she loved the store) and wanted her to explain to Finn something like "This is why I leave. If I don't leave first then what I love leaves me", etc.
*I wanted it to end with Finn saying he would never allow their love to "get ugly" since that was such a big line through out the book.
*We were left with out a epilogue... so what happens? Bailey runs into his arms and admits she loves him but what happens next? There is another book in the series "Not Another New Year" so I hope we get some answers in that one
**** there are so many more little things I would have added but that being said I enjoyed this book and I am glad I waited until the holiday season to read it and I look forward to reading the next one ****(less)

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Dec 21, 2011

Kimberly(Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer) rated it

· review of another edition

The novel centers on Bailey Sullivan who left her hometown of Coronado the second she graduated. Despite the fact that she had plans with her neighbor’s bad-boy grandson Finn. Bailey and Finn spent every summer together, had a steamy teen romance and talked about plans after graduation. Bailey decided to to run before things got ugly.

Bailey is a bright, hard working lawyer who drops everything to come home for the month of December. Her Mom and stepfather have separated and someone ne...more

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Nov 26, 2011

Donna rated it

· review of another edition

A good romance for the holidays. This is Holiday Duet book 1.

Bailey Sullivan can't stand Christmas, even though her family's business is a store specializing in the perfect holiday. But now her hometown's chief supplier of rooftop Rudolphs and treetop angels is in danger of going under--and it's up to Bailey to save the shop.

She has it all planned: She'll arrive on December 1 and be gone by Christmas. Plus there's always spiked eggnog to ease the pain. But "Humbug"...more

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Dec 18, 2011

Samantha rated it

Shelves: contemporary-romance, setting-california, hero-is-some-sort-of-cop, hero-has-scars

Not much to say about this one. It's a cute second chance at romance story with a Christmas vibe. I liked that Ridgway didn't over-do the fact that the story takes place around the holiday season. It felt natural and not gimmicky. My only problem with the book is that I got really frustrated with both Bailey and Finn. Their bitterness towards everything started to get a little wearing halfway through the book.

Despite my annoyance Ridgway has a light and funny writing style that kept ...more

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Dec 26, 2008

Jessica rated it

book wasn't too bad. it was enjoyable. it's about the woman who temporarily moves in with her mother till christmas to help out because her mother is going through something. she finds out that her old love returns as well and interesting things happen there. the only thing i didn't care for too much was how she made two of the men kind of demanding when it came to sex. the only times i have heard guys talk like that is in movies and the guy is usually a bad guy but there were no bad charac...more

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Dec 23, 2010

Gaby rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, romance, read-2010, chick-lit, favorites, christmas

Posted at http://oh-my-books.blogspot.com/2010/12/...

Bailey is a 20 something lawyer who hates Christmas. Which is funny, because her family runs a Christmas store. But when her parents fight, it's her who has to take care of the store. She can deal with it, until Finn, her ex-boyfriend, is staying with his family in the house next door.

It's not like she isn't still in love with him, right? After all, she was the one who left him, ten years ago. But the spark is definitely al...morePosted at http://oh-my-books.blogspot.com/2010/12/...

Bailey is a 20 something lawyer who hates Christmas. Which is funny, because her family runs a Christmas store. But when her parents fight, it's her who has to take care of the store. She can deal with it, until Finn, her ex-boyfriend, is staying with his family in the house next door.

It's not like she isn't still in love with him, right? After all, she was the one who left him, ten years ago. But the spark is definitely alive, because when she sees him, he isn't just her ex bad boyfriend but a super sexy secret agent.

Finn isn't the bad boy he used to be. He's grown up, working and taking care of his grandmother. He wasn't expecting to meet Bailey at her house....and he definitely doesn't want anything to do with her. She broke his heart ten years ago.

But their reunion is unavoidable. They still like each other, and they are like magnets. Bailey doesn't want to hurt him (and her) again, but she can't stop being curious about this new Finn, and Finn can't stop wanting her.

Must Love Mistletoe is a great romance. At first I thought is was going to be light and easy, but I was surprised to find realistic characters dealing with their drama. Bailey is afraid of caring about someone, including her family. And Finn, still with a broken heart, is dealing with his almost dying trauma and taking care of his sick grandmother.

But not because of these details it's a sad story. It's just realistic. And the author manages to combine this issues with funny jokes and jovial personalities that makes you laugh and wanting to read more.

I loved the feeling of this book. It was definitely Christmas, but not exasperated. The romance was cute and a little naughty, and I felt as if the characters were not just falling in love but also growing up.

The end was sweet but not so "oh, we are the perfect family because it's Christmas!", which I liked. Bailey's and Finn's story not just romance, but is including family and personal issues.

Overall, I loved this book. It's cute, funny, naughty and heartwarming...perfect for this season!(less)

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Dec 26, 2008

Laura rated it

Shelves: christmas, romance-contemporary, loaned-given

Going crazy reading Christmas books for the holiday, I picked this one up on Christmas Day. It was a good Christmas present. I really enjoyed this book.
Bailey came home for the holidays to help her parents run their Christmas-themed store while they sorted out their problems. She'd been running away from home for ten years because she wouldn't let herself get attached to anyone or anything.
I found both Bailey and Finn to be likable characters with real problems--maybe to an unbe...more

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Oct 17, 2009

oliviasbooks rated it

Shelves: swapped-or-given-away, romance, read-2008, christmas-winter

Nice story but ... there is almost none left if you take away all the sex. I was looking forward to a romantic Christmas story (Miss Scrooge meets childhood sweetheart on Christmas) and was pretty contented after reading the first chapter. However from the second chapter onwards it was a string of flash-backs to former sex encounters of hero and heroine in their teens mixed with new ones (across the hedge, in the car, in the penthouse, in the store ... I don't remember anymore). The characters a...more

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Jan 25, 2008

Tammy rated it

Shelves: contemporary-romance, keepers, reunion-romance-theme, holidays

I am a sucker for a good reunion romance, so when "Must Love Mistletoe" was recommended to me I had high expections. I was not disappointed.

Bailey Sullivan is the original Christmas Scrooge having spent several years working behind the scenes at "The Perfect Christmas", a business owned and operated by her family.

Bailey is forced to leave behind her life in LA and return home for the holidays to save the family business from going under after her pa...more

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Feb 18, 2009

Sonja rated it

Great story—I thought I’d be picking up a sugary-sweet low-on-drama Christmas read, but I was surprised to find developed back-stories, realistic dramas, and hard-hitting emotions. In fact, my only complaint about the book is that there are some pieces of drama and back-story I felt like didn’t completely get resolved. Overall though, I loved it. Cute and funny, but also touching and dramatic. Great read!

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Dec 31, 2009

Holly rated it

Shelves: z-december-2009, z-read-in-2009

I'm so angry with myself for not reading this sooner. I absolutely adored it. It was so good, in fact, that I stayed up until 6 a.m. to finish it.

Normally heroines like Bailey - who are jaded and cynical about men based on things that happened in their childhood - would annoy me, but she didn't. I think Ridgway did an excellent job of writing her as a balanced character. Yes, she was afraid of commitment and getting her heart broken, but that didn't stop her from caring. Sometimes in...more

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Jan 23, 2012

Mia rated it

Shelves: e-book, fiction, kindle, romance

OMG the characters in this are amazing! A tale of teenager sweethearts with one being the bad boy and the other the good girl who grew apart and than find each other. With lots that has happened in between. And a Christmas hating good girl who claims to not have a soul but secretly does. Worth reading again and again.

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Dec 02, 2011

Taryn Elliott rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: tears, steamy

This was my first Christine Ridgeway and will definitely not be my last. Loved the female scrooge aspect and my one-eyed Secret Service agent that was gruff and delicious. Loved the small town aspect and the 'landmark' A Perfect Christmas store.
There was so much that I enjoyed about this book. I'm very glad I finally gave Mz. Ridgeway a try. There was a lot of magic in this story and I can't wait for the next in the series for New Year's Eve.

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Mar 11, 2010

Morgan rated it

Shelves: 2010, romance-p-q-r, read-more-than-once

An odd time of year to read a Christmas love story, but as a feel good HEA, this one works beautifully. Fun, funny, heartwrenching and touching, this book covers it all. I love the characters and wanted Finn for myself. I'll keep this one to read at Christmas again and again.

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Nov 16, 2011

Charlene rated it

Sometimes a light romance novel is a great escape. Why is it that the formula for romance novels always has the characters running from relationships?

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Jul 19, 2011

Ngaio rated it

Shelves: read-in-2011, chick-lit, romance, in-a-series, contemporary

Great, quick read, liked how it included a subplot with important side characters. Deeper issues than i thought but still a light read.

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Dec 03, 2011

Kathy rated it

It was okay. Predictable and too long for what I thought would be a quick read. Nook version had 638 pages!

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Dec 16, 2011

Laura rated it

· review of another edition

Fell in love with the town and the characters....few surprises, which I like, definitely a great Christmas love story!!! :)

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Dec 05, 2009

Brenda (b) rated it

Shelves: contemporary, romance, 1-print-books, 2-2009-read

I enjoyed the book and felt touched by Bailey and Finn's stories, but this is another of those stories that I didn't think had a solid HEA. Personally, I like things to be a bit more spelled out at the end of the book. When I was done with this one, I wanted to know what happened to the store, if Bailey was able to become closer to her family, where she and Finn finally decided to call home and I would have liked to have been shown them working through their issues together. I liked the part of ...more

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Nov 29, 2011

Missy Bennett rated it

This was a very good book. I could not put it down.

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May 27, 2011

Cindi rated it

Shelves: christmas, series

Good story but the ending seemed rushed to me.

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Dec 12, 2008

Annie rated it

Shelves: fluff-romance-books

it's like watching one of the Lifetime Christmas movies!

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Dec 25, 2011

Arlene rated it

A perfect holiday read!

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Nov 27, 2011

Jacquie rated it

Very good! I loved Tracey's story almost as much as Finn's, very enjoyable

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Dec 17, 2011

Judie rated it

Loved it...funny, touching and way sexy!

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Jan 21, 2009

Kathy Dugan added it

I am a sucker for holiday books so this one snagged me at the bookstore. The story was ok but not too believable and there were parts I skipped over. Not my best Christmas read of the year.

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Dec 03, 2009

Shawna rated it

Recommends it for: Fans of hot, fluffy contemporary romance with reunited lovers and/or holiday theme

Shelves: christie-ridgway, contemporary-romance, holiday-reading, reunions-are-sweeter-second-chances, 2009-reads, cop-bodyguard-govop-merc-military, hero-abused-scarred-tortured-angst, hero-alpha‎, hero-bad-boy-playboy, i-read-no-longer-own-sold-swapped, why-do-good-girls-like-bad-boys, humorous-at-times-or-fluffy-fun, enemies-to-lovers-opposites-attract, hh-blind-eyesight-impaired, hh-physical-mental-disability-ill, 4-stars

4 stars – Contemporary Romance

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Must Love Mistletoe (Holidays #1)

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