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Frost Brothers #2
Tasting Her Christmas Cookies
Winter is coming—and unfortunately it's bringing Christmas with it.
I loathe the holiday. I hate holiday parties, fragrant decorations, and hokey movies. If I had my way it would be winter all year round and never Christmas.
Nothing burns like the cold—except a hot oven.
That's right; against my better judgement I agreed to let The Great Christmas Bake-Off film in my tower.
And St. Nick help me but I even agreed to be a judge.
Holly
Christmas is like the perfect sugar cookie—it slowly melts in your mouth, sweetening every taste bud, making you wish it could last forever.
I love Christmas. I love the cheerful music, the fun sweaters, and the holiday lights. Most of all I love Christmas Cookies.
A begrudging bake-off judge, I refuse to let grouchy billionaire Owen Frost hate Christmas. The man is overworked, his employees are uninspired, and his life is seriously lacking in Yuletide cheer. I want to stuff his stocking with sugary goodness to put him in a very festive mood.
So I dressed up as a sexy elf and gave Owen a taste of something extra special. You should have seen his eyes roll back in his head when he bit into the perfect sugar cookie!
I can't let Owen Frost be a distraction. Things are insane enough without a sexy billionaire.
My baking subscription service is in the death throes.
My Christmas-ruining step sister is trying to sabotage me in the bake-off.
I'm being stalked by elves on the shelf come to life.
Ok that last one is a little weird, but welcome to my disaster of a life.
I need to win The Great Christmas Bake-Off to pay of my debts and launch my baking career. Sleeping with one of the judges is going to ruin my chance for a merry Christmas. Owen with his washboard abs and big Christmas package is a bad idea. It's best to keep that all wrapped under the tree.
But when he said in that deep, sexy voice, "Can I have another taste of your Christmas cookies?" Well, let's just say I'm unwrapping one particular Christmas present early!
Tasting Her Christmas Cookies is a standalone holiday romantic comedy. If you love Christmas desserts, like to laugh out loud at holiday innuendoes, and want Santa to put a tall, good-looking guy under your tree, then pick up this full-length, steamy romance novel! There are no cliffhangers but there is a very happy (Christmas!) ever after!
387 pages, ebook
First published November 19, 2019
About the author
Alina Jacobs
48 books689 followersIf you like steamy romantic comedies with a creative streak, then I'm your girl!
Architect by day, writer by night, I love matcha green tea, chocolate, and books! So many books…
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Architect by day, writer by night, I love matcha green tea, chocolate, and books! So many books…
Sign up for my mailing list to get special bonus content, free books, giveaways, and more!
http://alinajacobs.com/mailinglist.html
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
December 23, 2019
Over the top ridiculous. Without a doubt a guilty pleasure read.
However even this was borderline too much insanity for me. I’m teetering on a 2.5 rating and 3. I have no idea what to give it. Just crazy.
However even this was borderline too much insanity for me. I’m teetering on a 2.5 rating and 3. I have no idea what to give it. Just crazy.
January 9, 2021
Duplicate storyline
Almost exact same story as the first book in the series, the only difference is the name of the characters.
Everything, plot, subplots, characteristics of the characters is the same: Christmas grinch chosen to judge holiday bake off, cute baker who makes a cookie he likes and tries to remake, crazy ex and delusional hopeful vying for attention, mother who doesn’t like baker. baker also helps decorate the lobby as well as tries to help him with his business. Yeah, worked well the first time, but is extremely boring the second time around.
Almost exact same story as the first book in the series, the only difference is the name of the characters.
Everything, plot, subplots, characteristics of the characters is the same: Christmas grinch chosen to judge holiday bake off, cute baker who makes a cookie he likes and tries to remake, crazy ex and delusional hopeful vying for attention, mother who doesn’t like baker. baker also helps decorate the lobby as well as tries to help him with his business. Yeah, worked well the first time, but is extremely boring the second time around.
November 18, 2019
This was the first book from this author and it was a good read. Great rom-com. Owen and Holly were good together. Storyline was fun. Good amounts of romance and steam. It will keep you entertained.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 31, 2022
It was like book 1 repeated. But a guilty pleasure read for sure
December 19, 2019
3.5 ⭐️
Holly is a Christmas-loving baker who is dependent on winning The Great Christmas Bake-off competition in order to pay all of her debts and jumpstart her career. However, she meets billionaire and CEO of a tech company, Owen, who is also a judge for the competition. Despite their differences, they develop an undeniable attraction to each other, and despite the obstacles, will love and Christmas cheer prevail?
Tbh, this started off strong for me. I absolutely loved the writing style, the details about all of the desserts (which was literally like watching a show on Food Network), the Grinchy alpha-lead and the quirky, holiday-spirited heroine—it was festive and entertaining. But, after halfway in, the steam was a bit much and repetitive, the Christmas-related sex puns were corny (though some were hilarious), and ok, this was long. The characters could’ve been better developed and the book itself could’ve been shorter. 77 chapters?! Holy smokes. The alternating POVs worked, but some of it was repetitive, too. Overall, it was a light holiday read, and it seriously made me crave desserts big time!
Holly is a Christmas-loving baker who is dependent on winning The Great Christmas Bake-off competition in order to pay all of her debts and jumpstart her career. However, she meets billionaire and CEO of a tech company, Owen, who is also a judge for the competition. Despite their differences, they develop an undeniable attraction to each other, and despite the obstacles, will love and Christmas cheer prevail?
Tbh, this started off strong for me. I absolutely loved the writing style, the details about all of the desserts (which was literally like watching a show on Food Network), the Grinchy alpha-lead and the quirky, holiday-spirited heroine—it was festive and entertaining. But, after halfway in, the steam was a bit much and repetitive, the Christmas-related sex puns were corny (though some were hilarious), and ok, this was long. The characters could’ve been better developed and the book itself could’ve been shorter. 77 chapters?! Holy smokes. The alternating POVs worked, but some of it was repetitive, too. Overall, it was a light holiday read, and it seriously made me crave desserts big time!
December 29, 2021
DNF at 85%- I didn't like the first book much but decided to give the author another try. I just couldn't bring my self to finish this. It is almost exactly the same as the first book, but I found the main character more annoying. I would say that probably 90% of this book is the first book with minor changes such as character names.
January 7, 2022
Same exact book as the first. Same ridiculous psychos. Same ridiculous slap fights. Even the same dog in a way.
November 24, 2022
I rated this low for several reasons, the biggest of which being that I have already read this book! Seriously, this was the same exact story and plot as the first book in the series. Yea, some names and minute details were changed, but overall, this was the same story.
What did change wasn’t very good. The amount of smutty Christmas innuendos tripled. I get that it is a holiday romance, and more often than not, I love them, but nobody, fiction or otherwise, is humming “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” while they get busy. Also, the amount of clothes getting ripped and destroyed without a second thought throughout this book is ridiculous. It’s a constant thing, to the point that I was starting to wonder if the mc had anything left to wear. For someone that is supposedly broke and in mass amounts of debt, she took the clothes ripping situation pretty lightly.
Another thing that really irked me with this one is that the Frost sister, Belle, was almost painted in the same narcissistic, controlling light as their parents. It’s a running theme in both books that Belle raised and supported the Frost brothers through childhood and their college education because their parents wouldn’t. In the first book, she showed up toward the end of the book like a badass heroin coming to save the day. In this one, she was bossy and obnoxious, kicking the male mc (her brother) out of his own million dollar penthouse to house the baking contestants without even asking him, or even so much as letting him know. Telling him that he was judging the competition. Telling him he was throwing a Christmas party with mc having no choice in the matter. There was even a reference in one of the last chapters, to all the brothers flinching when she raised her arm, and another character saying “now that’s power!”. Honestly, it felt more like an indication of abuse than anything else. There was a lot to be disappointed at with this book, but the author portraying this character in this way when she was almost saint like in the first book, and had so much potential, was probably the biggest letdown of them all.
Last but not least, this book and the one before it both have special mentions/thanks to a company for proofreading and editing the books. Unfortunately, it’s clear that the “proofreading” was just someone going through a Word document looking for misspellings, because the amount of errors throughout these books is ridiculous. So many instances of what looks like the wrong word being inserted due to an autocorrect incident. While not the biggest issue, it certainly is annoying.
I ordered this entire series to read over the holiday season, and I’m really hoping that they all aren’t going to be different renditions of the same book, like this one was. The next one is rated higher, so I guess we’ll see.
What did change wasn’t very good. The amount of smutty Christmas innuendos tripled. I get that it is a holiday romance, and more often than not, I love them, but nobody, fiction or otherwise, is humming “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” while they get busy. Also, the amount of clothes getting ripped and destroyed without a second thought throughout this book is ridiculous. It’s a constant thing, to the point that I was starting to wonder if the mc had anything left to wear. For someone that is supposedly broke and in mass amounts of debt, she took the clothes ripping situation pretty lightly.
Another thing that really irked me with this one is that the Frost sister, Belle, was almost painted in the same narcissistic, controlling light as their parents. It’s a running theme in both books that Belle raised and supported the Frost brothers through childhood and their college education because their parents wouldn’t. In the first book, she showed up toward the end of the book like a badass heroin coming to save the day. In this one, she was bossy and obnoxious, kicking the male mc (her brother) out of his own million dollar penthouse to house the baking contestants without even asking him, or even so much as letting him know. Telling him that he was judging the competition. Telling him he was throwing a Christmas party with mc having no choice in the matter. There was even a reference in one of the last chapters, to all the brothers flinching when she raised her arm, and another character saying “now that’s power!”. Honestly, it felt more like an indication of abuse than anything else. There was a lot to be disappointed at with this book, but the author portraying this character in this way when she was almost saint like in the first book, and had so much potential, was probably the biggest letdown of them all.
Last but not least, this book and the one before it both have special mentions/thanks to a company for proofreading and editing the books. Unfortunately, it’s clear that the “proofreading” was just someone going through a Word document looking for misspellings, because the amount of errors throughout these books is ridiculous. So many instances of what looks like the wrong word being inserted due to an autocorrect incident. While not the biggest issue, it certainly is annoying.
I ordered this entire series to read over the holiday season, and I’m really hoping that they all aren’t going to be different renditions of the same book, like this one was. The next one is rated higher, so I guess we’ll see.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2019
I just loved this book. This is a delightful holiday rom-com that will make you smile, laugh and melt your heart. I really enjoyed Owen and Holly's story. These opposites generate lots of sparks and clever banter as they clash together. The storyline is fun, cute, and filled with holiday charm. Drama, humor and plenty of emotions and steam will keep you entertained and immersed in this wonderful read. I am posting a independent, impartial review.
December 6, 2021
Super cute holiday rom-com!! Crazy stalker elves, company holiday party, a Christmas bake-off, and’s love make this a great story!!
December 8, 2021
Loving this Frost Brothers series. This time we have a Christmas loving baker, a Christmas hating billionaire, a billionaire stalking stepsister, and a crazy obsessed ex. Put that together and you get a funny holiday romcom with some flirty, funny, scenes.
December 14, 2021
I was looking for holiday romance and while there are “open door” and “closed door” romances, this was blow the door off explicit.
February 9, 2023
I thought this book was about me, lol. I was thinking come on get it together. But it was a light read that I needed. Funny, cute, just enough to keep me coming back to read whenever I had a chance.
November 18, 2019
To thoroughly enjoy a work of fiction, especially something like romantic comedy, you have to be willing to go along with the story, no matter how outlandish or how unlikely it would be in real life. I just couldn’t do that with this book.
A lot of my issues stem with the contests in which Holly and Owen find themselves. I thought the TechBiz competition was a bit inane. Yes, I understand corporate culture is important, but really? And why is a Christmas party valued more highly over the everyday markers of what makes a place a good place to work? I think it’s a great scheme for the judges to go to a lot of parties, eat a lot of free food and drink a lot of free booze.
My larger issue is with the bake-off. The challenges seemed interesting and the food (well, we mostly saw Holly’s and almost nothing of the other contestants, unless it wasn’t good) seemed creative and delicious. However, despite the contestants living together, we only really meet Fiona. The others are basically ghosts. I would think at least one of them would have an issue with Holly taking over the kitchen to do her subscription boxes, or her being more involved in Christmas decorating than they are, or her getting drunk on a challenge, or even her sleeping with a judge. But Holly seems blissfully unaware of anything and anyone that doesn’t revolve around her. While Holly is professional when it comes to baking, she doesn’t come across as being professional otherwise.
People are also strangely indulgent of Holly and Owen being together. A couple of people say, “That isn’t a good idea” but no one seems to alert them to any consequences. From what I understand of many shows like this, contestants are kept apart from everyone else, especially the judges. And there are probably rules about hiring one contestant (hello, showing favoritism!) before the contest is even over. I don’t care that Owen’s a billionaire; he and/or Holly should have been booted from the show. Final frustrations: how does Holly just happen to have a Regency -type dress around? And would she really be allowed to post contest-related stuff on social media without it being vetted by the show?
Finally, the secondary characters were one-note and did little more than serve their purpose and prop up the main characters. Some of the humour was forced—women in elf costumes, for example. And I had to reread the one chapter a few times to even understand why Morticia was always around.
This book would appeal to millennials and social media addicts, and I am neither. I really wanted to give this book a higher rating because I found the writing style was engaging. But when I asked myself, “Would you recommend this book to your rom-com loving friends?”, the answer was no.
A lot of my issues stem with the contests in which Holly and Owen find themselves. I thought the TechBiz competition was a bit inane. Yes, I understand corporate culture is important, but really? And why is a Christmas party valued more highly over the everyday markers of what makes a place a good place to work? I think it’s a great scheme for the judges to go to a lot of parties, eat a lot of free food and drink a lot of free booze.
My larger issue is with the bake-off. The challenges seemed interesting and the food (well, we mostly saw Holly’s and almost nothing of the other contestants, unless it wasn’t good) seemed creative and delicious. However, despite the contestants living together, we only really meet Fiona. The others are basically ghosts. I would think at least one of them would have an issue with Holly taking over the kitchen to do her subscription boxes, or her being more involved in Christmas decorating than they are, or her getting drunk on a challenge, or even her sleeping with a judge. But Holly seems blissfully unaware of anything and anyone that doesn’t revolve around her. While Holly is professional when it comes to baking, she doesn’t come across as being professional otherwise.
People are also strangely indulgent of Holly and Owen being together. A couple of people say, “That isn’t a good idea” but no one seems to alert them to any consequences. From what I understand of many shows like this, contestants are kept apart from everyone else, especially the judges. And there are probably rules about hiring one contestant (hello, showing favoritism!) before the contest is even over. I don’t care that Owen’s a billionaire; he and/or Holly should have been booted from the show. Final frustrations: how does Holly just happen to have a Regency -type dress around? And would she really be allowed to post contest-related stuff on social media without it being vetted by the show?
Finally, the secondary characters were one-note and did little more than serve their purpose and prop up the main characters. Some of the humour was forced—women in elf costumes, for example. And I had to reread the one chapter a few times to even understand why Morticia was always around.
This book would appeal to millennials and social media addicts, and I am neither. I really wanted to give this book a higher rating because I found the writing style was engaging. But when I asked myself, “Would you recommend this book to your rom-com loving friends?”, the answer was no.
November 21, 2019
Wow this story is full of drama.
We have a Christmas bake off, in billionaire Owen Frosts building. Owen hates all things Christmas. With interfering parents, a one date stalker named Sloane, Holly the cheerful baker and her stepsister Owens life is turned up side down. His business is in competition with another tech firm that plays the Instagram sites for their own personal ad campaign. Business partners nipping at his heels oh yes now he has a puppy Holly named Rudolph. Add the fact his sister not only moved him out of his three story penthouse to accommodate the contestants she voluntarily him to be a judge at the competition. He hates sweets.
So with the stalker Sloane buttering up Owens parents, Hollys stepsister Amber jumping into his arms and sabotaging Holly at every turn, Holly just wants to win the contest pay her bills and live a Christmas filled life. But Owens mom confronts Holly on the street, then Sloane every one is jealous of the attention that Owen seems to be paying Holly all of a sudden. Owen doesn't like sweets but Holly made cookies during one show that he loved and the other judges thought were to plain. So instead of asking her for more he nearly burns his tower down. This story is long, so i will shorten my review. If you like hot billionaires who begin as a scrooge and end up the naughty santa, jealous vindictive women, huge families, parties, exploding ovens, gothy bffs, naughty costumes, laughs and hot sex and steamy kisses and a HFN ending that will take you 8 to 10 hours to read then here you go.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
We have a Christmas bake off, in billionaire Owen Frosts building. Owen hates all things Christmas. With interfering parents, a one date stalker named Sloane, Holly the cheerful baker and her stepsister Owens life is turned up side down. His business is in competition with another tech firm that plays the Instagram sites for their own personal ad campaign. Business partners nipping at his heels oh yes now he has a puppy Holly named Rudolph. Add the fact his sister not only moved him out of his three story penthouse to accommodate the contestants she voluntarily him to be a judge at the competition. He hates sweets.
So with the stalker Sloane buttering up Owens parents, Hollys stepsister Amber jumping into his arms and sabotaging Holly at every turn, Holly just wants to win the contest pay her bills and live a Christmas filled life. But Owens mom confronts Holly on the street, then Sloane every one is jealous of the attention that Owen seems to be paying Holly all of a sudden. Owen doesn't like sweets but Holly made cookies during one show that he loved and the other judges thought were to plain. So instead of asking her for more he nearly burns his tower down. This story is long, so i will shorten my review. If you like hot billionaires who begin as a scrooge and end up the naughty santa, jealous vindictive women, huge families, parties, exploding ovens, gothy bffs, naughty costumes, laughs and hot sex and steamy kisses and a HFN ending that will take you 8 to 10 hours to read then here you go.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 8, 2019
This could have been good but the innuendos were too much. How did Owen just suddenly fall in love with Holly? I couldn’t get a handle on Holly’s personality. She was all over the place and not in a good way. Will probably never return to this author. Not a good book.
November 21, 2019
Tasting Her Christmas Cookies: A Holiday Romantic Comedy By: Alina JacobsOnce She Lets Him START "Tasting Her Christmas Cookies," He's Addicted ON HER!
She's entering a Christmas Bake-OFF,
In a desperate attempt to save Her Grandmother's Christmas Memories!
That's where She meets HIM...
A Billionaire sponsor'n the Competition & judg'n the Contestants!
They have a Rocky START,
As He finds Her in His PentHouse Tak'n OVER & displac'n Him!
But when a Bak'n round comes to "Tasting Her Christmas Cookies,"
He can't get Enough & NEEDS Another TASTE!
Then, "Tasting Her Christmas Cookies" leads to getting closer...
And "Tasting Her Christmas Cookies" IN yet another capacity!
But can She parlay "Tasting Her Christmas Cookies" into the Perfect HEA!?!
I rarely give Coveted 5 STAR ratings; they're saved for Books/Items that Outshine, Outclass, & Outperform their competition... They've gotta give me something MORE! Alina Jacobs' Writing does just THAT quite often, as it's Tak'n MY Breath Away More & MORE with Each book in this Series, & thus, TRULY Winning HER Distinction as a 5 STAR Author for Her Catalogue of Work, Especially for "Tasting Her Christmas Cookies." Kudos, Ms. Jacobs, for your Stellar work!!
I was granted, via B00|{$P®0UT & Cherrylily, an ARC of Alina Jacobs' "Tasting Her Christmas Cookies: A Holiday Romantic Comedy." I recommend this book to others based upon its own merits. All opinions expressed within this review are uniquely my own & freely given!
Until next time... Happy Reading!
1🌟:Hate IT! Didn't finish; usually only given if/when some contents truly objectionable (i.e. main characters does something awful & gets away w/it!)
2🌟:Don't like IT! Rating means I felt the writing was poor, editing was bad, I don't care for characters, or book had some major flaw.
3🌟: I like IT, BUT! There are minor issues... Rating means there's editing issues, needs character development, is too unrealistic, or has issues– I do not consider it an overall bad rating.
4🌟:I like IT a lot. Great, Solid Story w/ few if any inconsistencies or errors. This is a HIGH Rating, & I rarely give OUT a Higher Rating.
5🌟: I LOVE IT! It's Spectacular, & I'll read IT Over & Over Again. Few books Receive this rating from me. HowEver, those that DO become Classics.
November 18, 2019
A light-hearted witty novel. This is a fun, witty, entertaining story that I didn't want to put down. It is a setting that would be close to many people's heart, as 'Bake-off' TV series is popular in many countries. The characters of Holly and Owen are well developed, described and provide us with pages after pages of character-appropriate, witty, action-packed dialogue. Not to mention that their connection is hot, hot and steamy hot. So is their language for that matter. It was a great idea to release the book now, as it has Christmas, Christmas and more Christmas at the forefront of all the actions. If you need inspiration on how to decorate or what to cook either for dinner or dessert, this is, without a doubt, the book for you. I was astonished at the description of the bake-off events and baking schedules, as creating 3000 cookies in a few hours seemed quite an accomplishment. This was the first book I read from this author and was not familiar with all the other characters who played important roles in previous episodes. Therefore occasionally I found all the names and relationships a little confusing. In spite of all the competition, jealousy and family feud tensions, this is a nice romance between two very different people who will against all odds get their HEA.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 12, 2021
This story cracked me up! I really enjoyed it a lot. There is A LOT of detail about the baking and what's being baked and how etc. that I just wasn't into (but someone else may love!) but there are also lots of details about Holly and Owen. It was entertaining and enjoyable even with the over the top reactions from so many of the characters. The characters were interesting and likable for the most part. Sloan and Amber (as well as Diane - Owen's mom) all need some serious evaluation by a psychiatrist or someone similar. I loved that Owen and Holly really hit it off, even though they hadn't talked about the future together. They definitely needed to communicate more, especially toward the end of the bake-off when they started to let their own doubts cloud their judgement and actions. Owen and Holly were both fun characters. I loved how Holly always seemed to be able to get Owen to do things that no one else thought possible. Owen was wonderful with all the ways that he tried to make Holly happy but also tried not to hover too much as well. I loved their happy ever after. I recommend reading this book. I also recommend listening to the book. The narrators did a great job. Brian Pallino as Owen was pretty drool-worthy.
December 31, 2021
I wanted to read Tasting Her Christmas Cookies right after I finished Eating Her Christmas Cookies, but that was back in January and I thought that I should wait until it was officially Christmas season again before I picked up the rest of the series. I downloaded it at the end of November, but I wasn’t in the mood to read it until just now. I lowkey also thought I better get my butt in gear and read it before it would be too late and I’d have to wait another year. All that aside, I really enjoyed Tasting Her Christmas Cookies, I love a Grumpy... or in this Grinch/Sunshine trope and I just ate up how much Holly loved Christmas and how Owen really didn’t. It was fun, I loved all The Great Christmas Bake-Off bits, I loved the teasing between Owen and Holly and I was even a touch amused at the steamy Christmas talk though that did made me shake my head at times but all with a smile on my face. Tasting Her Christmas Cookies was full of the shenanigans and good times I’ve come to expect from an Alina Jacobs book and I can’t say for sure I’ll read the third book next, but one thing that isn’t in doubt is that I really loved reading this book!
~ Sonja, 5 Stars
~ Sonja, 5 Stars
December 17, 2021
Jack's and Owen's parents are insufferable! Omg I can't even stand to read about them. I get they are antagonists but ugh I reading about them is horrible. It's like nails on a chalkboard! But anyways, this story was adorable. Holly is so sweet and I love how festive she is. If I had free reign, I'd probably be a lot like her. I love her holiday spirit and how she ignores the crazy. Amber, her step sister, and Sloane are just psycho! Like a take a freaking hint! They drove me crazy through out the story. I know that's was their purpose, but between those two, and Owen's parents, I almost put the book away. It was that bad that I didn't want to read anymore. I pressed on though. Holly and Owen are everything. I was frustrated with how Sloane and amber kept stalking him. Making him feel like he was crazy and was brining it on himself. Ugh those two women were just awful. I'm so glad, that despite the ups and downs, Holly and Owen were able to push through be together. This one didn't end as abrupt as the first one did, but it still ended really quickly. The novella helped. I just want to see them all years in the future
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2022
Great Series, But Technical Problems
I’m a fan of the series, which is part of a larger series. The larger series includes the Holbrook brothers, the Svensson brothers, and the Weddings in the City/Bridezillas collections. The problems arise in some of the technical details between the series. For instance, in this book, reference is made to Gracie, who appears in Bridezillas series. She is referred to
as the wedding cake professional from Weddings in the City, who sits as
a judge in the Christmas baking competition. However, in the Bridezillas series, she is the wedding photographer, and Sophie is the wedding cake baker. So, no consistency in roles from series to series. In the Svensson series, there is a new prequel involving Belle Frost and Greg Svennson. Their first meeting is detailed a couple years after Belle returns to NYC. However, Belle and Greg first meet in the first book of the Frost brothers series, when she has initially returned to NYC, well before the meeting between Belle and Greg in “The Hate Date.” Has the author intentionally muddied the details, or has she forgotten them, who knows?
I’m a fan of the series, which is part of a larger series. The larger series includes the Holbrook brothers, the Svensson brothers, and the Weddings in the City/Bridezillas collections. The problems arise in some of the technical details between the series. For instance, in this book, reference is made to Gracie, who appears in Bridezillas series. She is referred to
as the wedding cake professional from Weddings in the City, who sits as
a judge in the Christmas baking competition. However, in the Bridezillas series, she is the wedding photographer, and Sophie is the wedding cake baker. So, no consistency in roles from series to series. In the Svensson series, there is a new prequel involving Belle Frost and Greg Svennson. Their first meeting is detailed a couple years after Belle returns to NYC. However, Belle and Greg first meet in the first book of the Frost brothers series, when she has initially returned to NYC, well before the meeting between Belle and Greg in “The Hate Date.” Has the author intentionally muddied the details, or has she forgotten them, who knows?
December 19, 2022
Holly is an amazing baker 👩🍳 and she loves everything Christmas! (girl same) With a failed business and a mound of student loan debt she needs to find a solution to help. That is when a Christmas Bake-Off is in town and she is a contestant. The prize money will really help her with her situation.
She comes into contact with one of the judges, Mr. Scrooge, The Grinch himself, Owen Frost ❄️ Owen is a grouchy billionaire of the Frost family. He definitely doesn’t like anything revolving around Christmas. He’s a Christmas grouch who wants the holidays over with. Especially since he is one of the judges of the bake off competition. His employees fear him and are scared of him. That is until Holly shows up and tries to melt that icy exterior with her holiday cheer and eccentric personality!
Check out this spicy Christmas rom-com that will leave you in a giggling mood 🤭 and blushing state. Alina is the queen of sexual holiday innuendos that left me rolling 😆
🎄grumpy/sunshine
🎄holiday
🎄boss/employee ish
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 3.5/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Series or stand alone: stand alone but intertwined with other characters in the series 📕
December 26, 2019
Cheesy, lighthearted fun
I was looking for something light to read while doing Christmas tasks and Amazon surfaced this. At first, I thought it was too cringey to keep reading. But eventually I found the characters so compelling that I surprised myself by finishing it. It would have been such a better book without all the 'eating my cookies' references. Only a 12 year-old would find that funny, especially when it's repeated in virtually every chapter. It made the lead characters seem like dimwits. Despite that, Alina put together a fun read with enough luscious baking details to shame the hosts of 'The Great British Baking Show.' Cooking is the place where Holly showed depth and his feelings for her were the only thing that made Mr. Frost seem like an actual human. But even with no depth or interior lives for the characters, somehow the book was passably entertaining.
I was looking for something light to read while doing Christmas tasks and Amazon surfaced this. At first, I thought it was too cringey to keep reading. But eventually I found the characters so compelling that I surprised myself by finishing it. It would have been such a better book without all the 'eating my cookies' references. Only a 12 year-old would find that funny, especially when it's repeated in virtually every chapter. It made the lead characters seem like dimwits. Despite that, Alina put together a fun read with enough luscious baking details to shame the hosts of 'The Great British Baking Show.' Cooking is the place where Holly showed depth and his feelings for her were the only thing that made Mr. Frost seem like an actual human. But even with no depth or interior lives for the characters, somehow the book was passably entertaining.
November 17, 2019
Who knew there were that many Christmas-themed innuendos that could be made? I didn’t. But I sure as heck laughed my butt off over them. Owen and Holly’s story shares several elements with that of his brother Jack and Chloe. Some of that is because both of them are set against a backdrop of The Great Christmas Bake-Off and they share a lot of the same cast of crazy family members, friends, and frenemies. All similarities in the plot lines aside, the book made me laugh so hard I had trouble breathing. And when a book is able to keep me entertained, I’ll pretty much excuse any faults. I loved Owen and Holly. Either one on their own is a study in seething family dysfunction. Together, they’re as cute as the polar bear cubs in the Christmas Coca Cola commercials. I can’t wait to read more.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book through Booksprout.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book through Booksprout.
December 1, 2019
Ok. If you’re going to write a romantic comedy (rom-com) perhaps you should warn your reader that the sex is more like soft porn. I mean, turn on the A/C and grab a glass of ice water…
Alina Jacobs Christmas rom-com starts out full of secual innuendo, but the relationship between Holly and Owen could cause the baker’s cookies to catch fire. Throw in a Christmas dessert bake-off, an evil step-sister, a Husky named Rudolph, and you’ve got a rom-com worth reading on a snowy afternoon. This supporting cast allows the reader to follow the action outside of Owen’s penthouse bedroom.There are other books in this series with Holly and Owen - I’ll wait for summer when I have a reason to crank up the A/C.
Alina Jacobs Christmas rom-com starts out full of secual innuendo, but the relationship between Holly and Owen could cause the baker’s cookies to catch fire. Throw in a Christmas dessert bake-off, an evil step-sister, a Husky named Rudolph, and you’ve got a rom-com worth reading on a snowy afternoon. This supporting cast allows the reader to follow the action outside of Owen’s penthouse bedroom.There are other books in this series with Holly and Owen - I’ll wait for summer when I have a reason to crank up the A/C.
February 1, 2022
crazy stalkers
This series seems to have two themes…great baking and crazy stalkers. At least this time, there was no huge drama between the two main characters. The stalkers, however, became way too tedious. Hopefully, the remaining books in the serious are light on stalkers and heavier on actual romance.
Also, the Frost parents are just plain horrible…they are lunatics. It would be great to see the significant other in one of these books actually have at least one supportive, living parent.
I know this review seems to be totally dissing this book; however, I enjoyed it I’ve read almost all of these series that are so intertwined. I wish I had read them in order so that the significant others actually came together at the right time period.
This series seems to have two themes…great baking and crazy stalkers. At least this time, there was no huge drama between the two main characters. The stalkers, however, became way too tedious. Hopefully, the remaining books in the serious are light on stalkers and heavier on actual romance.
Also, the Frost parents are just plain horrible…they are lunatics. It would be great to see the significant other in one of these books actually have at least one supportive, living parent.
I know this review seems to be totally dissing this book; however, I enjoyed it I’ve read almost all of these series that are so intertwined. I wish I had read them in order so that the significant others actually came together at the right time period.
December 30, 2020
Jacob's is one of my all time favorite authors. She is able to mix the sweet and steamy of romance to perfection and then adds humor to make it even better! This is Holly and Owen's story where a Christmas fanatic meets a rich and handsome Christmas scrooge. unfortunately instead of the three Christmas spirits following him he has three crazy women to contend with and that's just the beginning. Holly has her share of woes but her Christmas cheer will not be dampened. An incredible holiday themed romance with plenty of Christmas and winter puns to make to laugh out loud. Dual narration was also perfection! I could listen to this over and over again!
This incredible audio book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
This incredible audio book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
November 19, 2019
I love this book! If you like romantic comedy then you will love it too. There is this grinchy hot billionaire and a curvy hot baker. Both come with family baggage. Add in a Christmas Bake-Off, a stalker or two and an adorable husky puppy to complete the package. There are so many laugh out loud moments. And plenty of hot steamy moments. And enough Christmas desserts to have you salivating. I did read this as an ARC for my honest review. After I had already pre-ordered, lol. But please do read this. You will want to read all of Ms. Jacobs funny steamy romances.
November 19, 2019
Holly loves everything Christmas, Owen, not so much. Holly has a plan to win the great Christmas bake off to pay off her debts. Owen needs to improve his standing with his employees. Owen is judging the bake off and he and Holly just seem to be meant to run into each other. Of course there are scheming women and crazy family members that try to get in the way. If you have read any of the other Alina Jacobs books then you’ll love this one just as much. You don’t have to read the others to understand this one but you’ll want to when you’re done!
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