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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
...more
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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
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 ...more
Dec 04, 2019
b.andherbooks
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
romance,
forced-proximity,
arc,
lgbtq,
contemporary,
novella,
holiday,
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 ...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 ...more
well, this was just delightful
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 lacking), 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 ...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 lacking), 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 ...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 ...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 ...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
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 ...more
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 ...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.
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.
Review at the Alliterates
- Set in Scotland
- Great British Bake Off butScottishandDominicanaqueerness
- There’s only one bed
- Food porn
- Grumpy heroine
- Heroinethirstsafter fellowDominicanachef
- 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, andDominicanaownvoicesinvolved. The stars aligned and Adriana Herrera came into existence to tell romance stories.
This is ...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 ...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 ...more
I had such high hopes for this, and it didn't disappoint! I had such a fun time reading this novella. I loved the setting, and I loooved the romance.
I will say the writing style didn't always work for me though, and this could have done with more thorough editing.
I will say the writing style didn't always work for me though, and this could have done with more thorough editing.
A dominican f/f done right with a lot of baking.
Except for some really obvious twists , a great holiday read with a LOOT of steam.
RTC
I got this ARC from the author and this has not affected my opinions.
Except for some really obvious twists , a great holiday read with a LOOT of steam.
RTC
I got this ARC from the author and this has not affected my opinions.
My only thing is that I wish I didn't learn about these characters' interests and motivations the way I did. Like when Kiskeya finally tells Sully about why she needs the competition job so bad, that's the first time we as readers find out about it, and that's like 80% into the book.
I'm so sad that I didn't love this. It's a F/F winter romance starring Dominican leads that takes place over the course of a baking competition. It sounded really up my alley, and if it sounds interesting, I would still say to give it a chance. I don't read a lot of romance novellas, so this might be more of a fault of my expectations not meeting up with what the genre is in actuality.
But this one really didn't work for me, mostly because of the writing. It's written in dual perspective from ...more
But this one really didn't work for me, mostly because of the writing. It's written in dual perspective from ...more
Sweet, hot, and funny foodie romance set in Scotland
I loved Kiskeya and Sully's love story set against the backdrop of a reality show baking competition set in Scotland. There are scenes that are sweet, funny, and deeply emotional while the love scenes are melt your face scorching hot. Great story.
I loved Kiskeya and Sully's love story set against the backdrop of a reality show baking competition set in Scotland. There are scenes that are sweet, funny, and deeply emotional while the love scenes are melt your face scorching hot. Great story.
For this one being only 150 pages, there was a lot to unpack here. I’ve never seen a novella developed so well, and I applaud the author for her ability to do this! The pacing was not rushed, the story moved along well + the plot was well involved. Really liked these characters + I’m excited to read more from Herrera! 3.5 stars!
Dec 15, 2019
The_Book_Queen
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
queer,
queer-heroine,
e-book,
romance,
dual-1st-pov,
queer-romance,
own,
read-in-2019,
arc-copy,
ff-romance
Loved this queer holiday foodie romance! There's a bit of the grumpy and sunshine trope going on. Teammates to lovers. Forced proximity -- "OOPS! Only one bed left in the hotel..." -- and so much more goodness packed into a small package.
3.5 stars -
Gorgeous! This short novella was the absolute perfect Christmas treat, in more ways than one a f/f baking romance set in Scotland with leads that we’re both Dominican WOC? Total yes.
...more
This Christmas-y novella set in Scotland for a Baking Competition isn't what I expected. I thought it would be more fluff than smut but the food descriptions and the characters' past were interesting.
I liked that they had different ways to express their culture (they're both Dominican). The parts about coming out and toxic masculinity were also really interesting
Tropes
- foodie romance
- rivals (sort of) to lovers
- baking competition
- there was only one bed
I liked that they had different ways to express their culture (they're both Dominican). The parts about coming out and toxic masculinity were also really interesting
Tropes
- foodie romance
- rivals (sort of) to lovers
- baking competition
- there was only one bed
Scotland
Christmas
Baking Show
f/f romance
Diverse + complex characters
Super duper delicious sexy times
= I found a romance novella that works for me
Christmas
Baking Show
f/f romance
Diverse + complex characters
Super duper delicious sexy times
= I found a romance novella that works for me
Mm mmm good!
This a short, sweet, and spicey holiday f/f romance by one of my favorite new-to-me authors! If you haven't read anything by her, this is a seasonally appropriate gateway to your next favorite romance writer!
This a short, sweet, and spicey holiday f/f romance by one of my favorite new-to-me authors! If you haven't read anything by her, this is a seasonally appropriate gateway to your next favorite romance writer!
- 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
How do you write an f/f/ Christmas novella? Just ask Adrianna Herrera. Mangos and Mistletoe is a book written by WOC, a woman of color, capturing the nuances of POC, people of color, and queeridentity that anyone can enjoy! With each book, Herrera proves why she's up and coming tour-de-force in romance. She's a much-needed voice in the genre.
Mangos and Mistletoe takes place in Scotland two weeks before Christmas and centers on a baking show reminiscent of Sugar Rush and the British Baking Show, ...more
Mangos and Mistletoe takes place in Scotland two weeks before Christmas and centers on a baking show reminiscent of Sugar Rush and the British Baking Show, ...more
Dec 15, 2019
Felicia Davin
added it
A reality TV competition! A castle in Scotland! Only one bed! Two headstrong Dominican women are forced to work together on a holiday baking challenge and they fight ferociously over whether they should put mango and guava and coconut in their pastries or go with some more traditional European flavors—until they realize that what they really want is to /kiss/ ferociously. It’s very good. I love seeing a woman get to be brooding and arrogant, and Kiskeya has the skills to back it up. I also love
...more
Did not enjoy the writing style (very YA) or the characters (also YA, except extremely randy) and I fundamentally disagree with the central conceit of the story, which is that you have to represent your ~roots in everything you do. There is an attempt at portraying Kiskeya's relationship with the Dominican Republic complexly (re: her sexuality), but that gets lost in the Dominican pride thing Sully has going, which the narrative ultimately pinpoints as The Right Way to be.
Also, for a book ...more
Also, for a book ...more
This book was a perfect Christmas Eve read as I snuggled up in bed in a food coma! We follow two bakers who travel to Scotland to take part in a Christmas baking competition. This is a f/f romance and THERE IS ONLY ONE BED. Honestly, that’s all you need to know, this book was so cute and wholesome.
I did wish the time didn’t jump so much, I wish we’d seen more of the competition and more of our gals exploring Scotland, but this is just a short book so the speed is to be expected hehe. I just get ...more
I did wish the time didn’t jump so much, I wish we’d seen more of the competition and more of our gals exploring Scotland, but this is just a short book so the speed is to be expected hehe. I just get ...more
Two Dominican women are forced to be on the same team during a baking competition and stay in the same room… but *gasp* there’s only one bed. At first Kiskeya and Sully don’t get along, but slowly they warm up to one another. Will their attraction for each other get in the way of trying to win the competition?
Overall I really enjoyed this. I thought that the sex scenes were super steamy and the reasons for the tension between the two women were believable. However, I felt like all the side ...more
Overall I really enjoyed this. I thought that the sex scenes were super steamy and the reasons for the tension between the two women were believable. However, I felt like all the side ...more
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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 novel, American Dreamer, has been featured on Entertainment Weekly, NPR, the TODAY Show on NBC and was selected as one ALA Booklist's Top ...more
Her debut novel, American Dreamer, has been featured on Entertainment Weekly, NPR, the TODAY Show on NBC and was selected as one ALA Booklist's Top ...more
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