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Mangos and Mistletoe
by
Kiskeya Burgos left the tropical beaches of the Dominican Republic with a lot to prove. As a pastry chef on the come up, when she arrives in Scotland, she has one goal in mind: win the Holiday Baking Challenge. Winning is her opportunity to prove to her family, her former boss, and most importantly herself, she can make it in the culinary world. Kiskeya will stop at nothin
...more
Kindle Edition, 152 pages
Published
December 16th 2019
(first published December 7th 2019)
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Y'ALL. This is the best smutty F/F romance I've ever read. It was SO smutty but also so sweet and pure and gave me all of the Bake Off feels. THIS WAS SO GOOD YOU NEED TO READ IT IMMEDIATELY
...more

An f/f novella set in a Great British Bake Off type reality show. In other words, it is right here to offer you comfort which may be much needed in these God-awful times. Two Dominican bakers with very different experiences working together in pursuit of victory and falling in bed then love along the way.
It's not cosy--the heat level is high and the relationship is often quite jagged and awkward as one of the women struggles to let the other in and, well, not be a jerk--but that means it shows ...more
It's not cosy--the heat level is high and the relationship is often quite jagged and awkward as one of the women struggles to let the other in and, well, not be a jerk--but that means it shows ...more

Mangos and Mistletoe is a sexy and awesome Christmas novella. The two heroines, Sully and Kiskeya are in Scotland to participate in a baking competition show. They are assigned to be partners and Adriana packs a lot into the novella. It's a Novella, so there's a bit of insta-lust, but when they are assigned to be partners in the competition, sparks fly. It was super hot and I liked that and also: ONLY ONE BED.
Both women are Dominican, but they disagree on how much flavor from their culture shou ...more

‘Mangos and Mistletoe’ is about two Dominican women who go to Scotland for the chance to win a bake-off competition. This is an opposites-attract romance as Kiskeya is pretty grumpy and I think a little introverted. Sully, on the other hand, is friendly and outgoing with all of the other contestants.
So, I don’t really know what about this one. I didn’t love and I didn’t hate it. I really liked the beginning and the main characters but it lost me somewhere along the way. I hate that I can’t put ...more
So, I don’t really know what about this one. I didn’t love and I didn’t hate it. I really liked the beginning and the main characters but it lost me somewhere along the way. I hate that I can’t put ...more

short and steamy, perfect for fans of Bake Off

Dec 26, 2020
Mara
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
recommended-to-me,
physical-owned
3.5 stars -- This is a fun holiday take on a romance set during a GBBO type competition that somehow managed to be very cute and very smutty all at once! The only thing that held me back from fully loving this is a weakness I think a lot of novellas have, which is that it is not going for a campy tone so the plot mechanics of having people fall in love so quickly have a high bar to clear

- The two first-person POVs were indistinguishable from each other. I frequently had to search for names to figure out who was narrating.
- The artificial antagonism in the beginning made Kiskeya look like a nut, tbh. And not just toward Sully. I laughed out loud when her assessment of the Cartoon Stereotype Villains was that "they were fucking snobby". Lady, before these two women even opened their mouths, you were shitting on their looks and their baking abilities. And of course, the narrative ...more
- The artificial antagonism in the beginning made Kiskeya look like a nut, tbh. And not just toward Sully. I laughed out loud when her assessment of the Cartoon Stereotype Villains was that "they were fucking snobby". Lady, before these two women even opened their mouths, you were shitting on their looks and their baking abilities. And of course, the narrative ...more

Dec 04, 2019
b.andherbooks
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
holiday,
forced-proximity,
arc,
novella,
romance,
contemporary,
lgbtq,
own-a-copy,
christmas
I finally finally finally got to read the Great British Bake Off inspired romance of my holiday dreams. Yay! Extra special because it is from Adriana Herrera and features a buttoned up professional patisserie chef who is completely unwound by her baking partner, the ray of sunshine and confident Sully who I totally have a book crush on now.
The push and pull between Sully and Kiskeya's differing opinions on expressing their Dominican heritage, both in their personal lives and for the baking show ...more
The push and pull between Sully and Kiskeya's differing opinions on expressing their Dominican heritage, both in their personal lives and for the baking show ...more

A book with two Dominican girls, filled with Dominican culture and talking about how two people can be from the same background and have vastly different experiences with it? Sign me tf up!
This book was so freaking cute and I flew through it. There were some grammatical errors throughout but I enjoyed it enough that it didn't affect my reading. I could definitely see myself rereading this again and it was the perfect read for the christmas/winter season. ...more
This book was so freaking cute and I flew through it. There were some grammatical errors throughout but I enjoyed it enough that it didn't affect my reading. I could definitely see myself rereading this again and it was the perfect read for the christmas/winter season. ...more

3.5 stars.
An adorable F/F romance novella following two Dominican women who meet at a baking show, feat. dislike to love dynamic! And, did you know that there was only one bed?
I really liked this one - the writing might not always have been the best (the sense of setting was completely lacking¹), but the food descriptions, the relationship and the sex scenes were all well-written.
While Kiskeya and Sully are both Dominican, they have very different relationships with their culture, as Sully was b ...more
An adorable F/F romance novella following two Dominican women who meet at a baking show, feat. dislike to love dynamic! And, did you know that there was only one bed?
I really liked this one - the writing might not always have been the best (the sense of setting was completely lacking¹), but the food descriptions, the relationship and the sex scenes were all well-written.
While Kiskeya and Sully are both Dominican, they have very different relationships with their culture, as Sully was b ...more

Rated 4.5 Stars
Mangos and Mistletoe was amazing. I loved it. It was heartwarming and relatable. I loved the tension, the smoking hot sexy times, the heroines, the issues that were highlighted, it all just worked for me. I must mention the food, I've never been hungrier while reading than I was with this book, all of the food sounded so good and the fact that I grew up with some of these foods just made it that much sweeter. This was my first book by this author and have every intention of devour ...more
Mangos and Mistletoe was amazing. I loved it. It was heartwarming and relatable. I loved the tension, the smoking hot sexy times, the heroines, the issues that were highlighted, it all just worked for me. I must mention the food, I've never been hungrier while reading than I was with this book, all of the food sounded so good and the fact that I grew up with some of these foods just made it that much sweeter. This was my first book by this author and have every intention of devour ...more

I imagined us as little bits of soil, of earth, from the same place that had been picked up and scattered, and now were here, blending back together. Finding each other so far from where we’d come from.
4.5 stars. This is my fifth book by Adriana Herrera, and it's definitely my favourite. Not just because it's f/f, though that certainly didn't hurt its case. This little Christmas novella gave me so much of what I want from romance, with an added sprinkling of things I normally don't expect to ...more

a f/f novella who are bakers in a competition that takes place in Scotland? YES, PLEASE!
this was a quick, cute and smutty read. exactly what I needed.
my only “complaint” was that both of the characters sounded the same to me. there wasn’t really anything to tell them apart. it felt like I was reading from the same POV every chapter.
however, the smutty scenes were A1!
⭐️ 4 STARS ⭐️
this was a quick, cute and smutty read. exactly what I needed.
my only “complaint” was that both of the characters sounded the same to me. there wasn’t really anything to tell them apart. it felt like I was reading from the same POV every chapter.
however, the smutty scenes were A1!
⭐️ 4 STARS ⭐️

It started out strong and I really liked the beginning but then everything seemed to just happen way too fast. I just didn't feel like the two main characters knew each other well enough for everthing that happened to be happening.
I also had a hard time knowing which of the characters POV I was reading for so I had to go back and search for a name but that might just have been me though.
It was okay though, 3.5★ ...more
I also had a hard time knowing which of the characters POV I was reading for so I had to go back and search for a name but that might just have been me though.
It was okay though, 3.5★ ...more

DNF @ 25%
Pros: Diversity in characters and location. I liked that they features two mains from the Dominican Republic. Plus other minority contestants. Then set the American Baking/Cooking show in Scotland.
Cons: Kiskeya came off as such a judgemental ass. She was constantly criticising absolutely everyone even before she met them, and really didn't play well with others. She was no fun. (I get it, it's a thing, but there's only so much party pooping one can take... and she had the audacity to c ...more
Pros: Diversity in characters and location. I liked that they features two mains from the Dominican Republic. Plus other minority contestants. Then set the American Baking/Cooking show in Scotland.
Cons: Kiskeya came off as such a judgemental ass. She was constantly criticising absolutely everyone even before she met them, and really didn't play well with others. She was no fun. (I get it, it's a thing, but there's only so much party pooping one can take... and she had the audacity to c ...more

ARC kindly provided by Adriana Herrera
Rep: Dominican lesbian mcs, mlm side characters, Japanese side character
Mangos and Mistletoe is an f/f hate-to-love novella, so you know I'm kicking myself for not liking it as much as I hoped. It's a case of the it's-not-you-it's-mes again, where what I liked less about the book is completely personal yadda yadda yadda you know the drill. (Though, just a side note, three stars is still a good review and that's a hill I would die on.)
The novella follows Kisk ...more
Rep: Dominican lesbian mcs, mlm side characters, Japanese side character
Mangos and Mistletoe is an f/f hate-to-love novella, so you know I'm kicking myself for not liking it as much as I hoped. It's a case of the it's-not-you-it's-mes again, where what I liked less about the book is completely personal yadda yadda yadda you know the drill. (Though, just a side note, three stars is still a good review and that's a hill I would die on.)
The novella follows Kisk ...more

3.5 Stars

This book is so cute and sweet. I smiled the entire time I read this! Please read this if you haven’t already!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (technically 3.5 round up because I had the best time reading this one!)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (technically 3.5 round up because I had the best time reading this one!)

Rating: 3 stars - it was good
One Sentence Summary: The Holiday Baking Challenge competition show brings Kiskeya Burgos and Sully Morales together in Scotland as teammates, but can two very different people work together and find love?
MANGOS AND MISTLETOE was a really cute and fun read filled with delicious baked goods. I've never really watched a baking competition show but I liked the set up for how our heroines meet. To make matters even more interesting, there's a mix up at the hotel and Sull ...more
One Sentence Summary: The Holiday Baking Challenge competition show brings Kiskeya Burgos and Sully Morales together in Scotland as teammates, but can two very different people work together and find love?
MANGOS AND MISTLETOE was a really cute and fun read filled with delicious baked goods. I've never really watched a baking competition show but I liked the set up for how our heroines meet. To make matters even more interesting, there's a mix up at the hotel and Sull ...more

3.5 stars. Thanks so much to the author for the ARC of this book! I enjoyed this holiday romance novella about two Dominican women who find themselves in Scotland together, paired up in a TV holiday baking challenge. As they clash over how much of their culture to incorporate into their baking, they also feel building attraction to each other. There were some things I didn't like--the villains seemed like paper-thin caricatures, and the final conflict the two leads had seemed way overblown--but
...more


Review at the Alliterates
- Set in Scotland
- Great British Bake Off but Scottish and Dominicana queerness
- There’s only one bed
- Food porn
- Grumpy heroine
- Heroine thirsts after fellow Dominicana chef
- You’ll want a Coquito
- Bouquets of chili mangos and mistletoe

Listen. I am a whore for contemporary romances set in Scotland. I need more of them. This time there’s snow, an f/f romance, and Dominicana ownvoices involved. The stars aligned and Adriana Herrera came into existence to tell roman ...more

Dec 06, 2020
AnnMaree Of Oz
marked it as did-not-finish
DNF @ 25% It felt like the writer was trying too hard to be provocative. And trying too hard overall.
Pros: Diversity in characters and location. I liked that they features two mains from the Dominican Republic. Plus other minority contestants. Then set the American Baking/Cooking show in Scotland.
Cons: Kiskeya came off as a judgemental ass. She was constantly criticising absolutely everyone even before she met them, and really didn't play well with others. She was no fun. (I get it, it's a thin ...more
Pros: Diversity in characters and location. I liked that they features two mains from the Dominican Republic. Plus other minority contestants. Then set the American Baking/Cooking show in Scotland.
Cons: Kiskeya came off as a judgemental ass. She was constantly criticising absolutely everyone even before she met them, and really didn't play well with others. She was no fun. (I get it, it's a thin ...more

I had a lot of fun reading this little story!! In fact, I didn't expect to laugh so much and I love that, I have several thoughts to share about the characters in my full review soon, but in general, I like how diverse they're & the plot itself flows very well, as well as the romance and despite being a short story, I don't think it felt incomplete.
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
FULL REVIEW TO COME ...more

The pacing and characterisation were great for a novella and Kiskeya and Sully had amazing chemistry. Plus this had the only one bed trope and was pretty hot, so that’s always a plus.
I loved the discussion of their Dominican identities and what it meant to be LGBTQI+ in their culture, and the “Bake Off” theme was so much fun.
I would say the cosy Christmassy vibes were lacking a little in this one, I kind of expected more with the setting. I also felt like their antagonism with each other when ...more
I loved the discussion of their Dominican identities and what it meant to be LGBTQI+ in their culture, and the “Bake Off” theme was so much fun.
I would say the cosy Christmassy vibes were lacking a little in this one, I kind of expected more with the setting. I also felt like their antagonism with each other when ...more

Christmas in July, anyone? This novella was absolutely delightful. I enjoyed the baking competition aspect nearly as much as I did the tension and connection between Kiskeya and Sully. Such a fun, sweet and hot read. Can I binge all the Adriana Herrera books now?

This book is so freaking cute and so much fun. It was easy to sink into and I didn’t want to put it down.
Also, while this may be a holiday novella, it’s fairly light on the holiday stuff. Much more focus is put on the setting of the competitive cooking show, so it really can be read any time of year. Don’t make yourself wait until December to read this story!
Full review: https://www.thelesbianreview.com/mang... ...more
Also, while this may be a holiday novella, it’s fairly light on the holiday stuff. Much more focus is put on the setting of the competitive cooking show, so it really can be read any time of year. Don’t make yourself wait until December to read this story!
Full review: https://www.thelesbianreview.com/mang... ...more

So y’all just we’re gonna give me cute bakers and adorable steamy moments and thought I wasn’t going to love it???? Well too bad cause I did. I will say that I think I sort of understood Kiskeya’s hesitation about cooking with Dominican flavors I still fell like parts were a little unclear for me. Obviously it was tied to her past and she explained it a little, but it did feel like a piece was missing. Other than that this was definitely a great read
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Play Book Tag: [Flurries] Mangos and Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera, 4 stars | 3 | 9 | Dec 21, 2020 10:53AM |
Adriana Herrera was born and raised in the Caribbean, but for the last 15 years has let her job (and her spouse) take her all over the world. She loves writing stories about people who look and sound like her people, getting unapologetic happy endings.
Her debut Dreamers, has been featured on Entertainment Weekly, NPR, the TODAY Show on NBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Oprah Magazin ...more
Her debut Dreamers, has been featured on Entertainment Weekly, NPR, the TODAY Show on NBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Oprah Magazin ...more
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