Am I obsessed with my neighbor? Yes. Mac is a huge bear of a man, one with bright eyes and big hands—a man that you can’t help but drool over. He’s so kind, always asking me if I want help with my projects around the house. Maybe I’ll spend this Christmas in his arms, cuddled by a fire. At least, that would’ve happened if I didn’t … accidentally … kill Santa Claus. Look, I know how it sounds. But it was an accident! Now, it’s up to me to save Christmas, and I have to find the right person to take the Big Guy’s place. A man with a kind heart, a giving soul, and a laugh that can warm even the chilliest of grinches. A man likes… Mac. But can I give up the only man I’ve ever loved to save Christmas, or will I keep him to myself no matter the cost?
MINK's Note: Have a happy holiday with this sweet, safe, HEA, kitty included.
Santa Material is by Mink. This is a short, sexy stand alone perfect little magical story. I loved every single thing about it.
Jocelyn is twenty two years old and is officially obsessed with her neighbor, Mac. She has used every idea she could come up with to get him to notice her but nothing seems to be working. He’s a huge man who might seem scary to some people but not to her. But it looks like she’ll be alone again this Christmas.
Mac has worshiped his neighbor from afar but hasn’t seemed to be able to get her to notice him in the way he wants her to. He’s been dreaming of her for so long and he’s at his wits end to find a way to win her heart. He wants her in his home and in his bed. But when he’s around her, his words never seem to come out right.
Jocelyn is handy with just about any tool. She can make the most beautiful things. But she is also accident prone. So when a strange man in a red suit showed up in her work shop, she didn’t mean to kill him. Yes, she killed Santa! Now it’s her job to choose his replacement. The perfect candidate is Mac but that also means giving him up when she’s just gotten him. If there is no Santa, there is no Christmas.
This book was absolutely adorable. There’s nothing I didn’t love about it. These two were sexy and sweet and yes, I swooned. Mac was all alpha, growly and possessive and I loved it. This is one of those books that just makes your world a little bit brighter. I highly recommend it and hope it makes you smile just like it did me.
Our mcs are neighbors who have been secretly trying to get each other's attention, when the h accidentally dehats Santa the H comes to her rescue to help fill the now open slot and save Christmas!
******** Absolutely delightful and sexy read
No cheating Virgin h No details on H Lovely epilogues
The info about the “other Santa” in the epilogue. (Would have been interesting with a little more info about him and his life/love etc.)
➖ What I disliked:
The heroes nickname for the heroine (lil bit)
The overuse of the heroines nickname.
Even for a novella this plot/story was rushed and lacked depth.
The character development/description was lacking. (There was very little physical description of Jocelyn, How old was the hero (Mac) etc.)
A little bit jumbled and lacking in some details here and there.
The author tells us that the hero views the world differently than most… what does that mean?…. Because we are never told or shown why that is really? Is the author hinting at that the hero is suppose to be neurodivergent?
Fast pace and some fun awkward moments with tiny steam.
Idk what it is but this one was okay to me. Neighbore who are attracted to one another but are blind to make that first move. Jocelyn is a builder and always fixing things and is head over heels for giant beast Mac but she never tells him her feelings even when he always watching her and asking if she needs help. As for Mac he's a sweet guy who still hasn't asked her out or anything until he sees her being panicky that she "killed santa" and now a magical elf and a duty to find a replacement Santa. Until Mac puts on the hat and now hes Santa and has to be away from his woman. :( it's a sad moment.
Now both are miserable trying to find a way to change the rules.
No ow/om drama, no cheating, tiny drama, sexy times, no virgins or manwhore
A magical paranormal romance, in which the heroine accidentally "kills" Santa, and her big, burly, brooding neighbor has to step in. They have a lot of Christmas-y sex, and the book ends in a sweet HEA.
LOOOOOOVVVED!!! I loved everything about this story. Every. Single. Thing.
Mac is a sexy bear of a man, who’s has the hots for his neighbor across the street. He’s pure alpha... possessive, growly, and all sorts of delicious.
Not only was this story full of humor, it was magical and delightful and ADORABLE. By the end of Chapter 3, I had smiled and giggled numerous times.
The chemistry between Mac & Jocelyn was sizzling. The excuses they’d come up with just to see each other or spend time together was so cute.
They were both just so charming and delightful and sweet and lovable and all the other synonyms for the word adorable you can think of.
This well-written holiday story was chock full of heartwarming goodness and Christmas magic. I smiled SO MUCH. It gave me all the warm fuzzies and when I finished, my heart was happy and full.
This was my first book from MINK and … it was okay. It started off so cute! Who doesn’t love a big burly guy who’s also clueless when it comes to love. Halfway into the book though, things went downhill and then just became meh.
HERO - McMurphy, or Mac, and eventually...Santa. Former enforcer for a crime syndicate. Big and burly with dark hair, a neatly trimmed beard and blue eyes.
HEROINE - Jocelyn. Etsy shop owner, loves creating and fixing things. Height-wise, barely comes to the center of Mac’s chest, and has light blue eyes.
OVERALL THOUGHTS - It’s a cute story, but definitely loosey goosey with details.
What I Liked
Jocelyn. She can fix or create just about anything and sells her wares online. She’s good-natured, has a crush on Mac, and comes up with schemes to get his attention.
Mac. He’s a big guy and lots of people think he’s a bit dumb, but really he just thinks differently from most people. He’s got a crush on Jocelyn and offers his help frequently to no avail.
The humor. Let’s face it, this is an unrealistic story and it lends itself well for plenty of quirky humor.
The Signature Cat. His name is Sylvester and he belongs to Mac. He likes to sit in the window and judge people.
The premise. A hero that becomes Santa? It’s a great set up for a Christmas romance. I love that after the hat chooses him, even the POV name at the beginning of his chapters changes to “Santa”.
The holly jollies. It does a good job of conveying the Christmas spirit, especially the epilogue.
What I Disliked
He dragged his feet. Because both Mac and Jocelyn have firsthand recollections of the H/h from Snow Angel, that lets me know they’ve lived across from each other at least a year prior to them finally getting together in this book. For some reason, MINK loves years’ long build ups in her Christmas romances. I did wonder if the reason he didn’t all-out pursue her is because of the fact that he views the world differently than most, but we’re never told why that is and it seems to come and go as it suits the author. It actually made it a bit hard to connect to him.
I have so many questions. Is McMurphy his first or last name? How old is Mac? How/why did he become an enforcer? Why/when did he retire? How does he not know when a woman is hitting on him, but isn’t a virgin? How long were Mac and Jocelyn neighbors before the story started? Why was Mac not more direct in his pursuit of Jocelyn? Why didn’t Jocelyn get more of a physical description? If Jocelyn was so smitten with Mac, why did she turn down his offers of help? Who put Mac’s house up for sale? It’s never mentioned in his POV, so does he even know about it? Cinnamon knew who she was and why the previous Santa had been at her house in the first place, so why does he not mention the wife clause immediately when Mac wants to bring Jocelyn to the North Pole? In fact, why was the previous Santa willing to marry her in the first place considering what we find out in the second epilogue? If Mac’s hair went silver when he became Santa, did Jocelyn’s do the same when she became his Mrs? Did Jocelyn explain things to her family? Did she ever see them again? Did Mac ever reunite with his own brother? How was it that Jocelyn was so young and already owned a home (not saying it’s impossible, just want more background info)?
Neutral But Noteworthy
The callback. There’s a brief callback to the H/h of another MINK Christmas romance called Snow Angel. Here, Jocelyn mentions how those two used to go all out with their Christmas lights and now she’s trying to pick up some slack since they left. Although, Mac incorrectly remembers Ariadne as a travel agent...she was a travel writer for magazines. I’m not sure if that was a mistake, or if the author was driving home that Mac doesn’t care enough about any woman who’s not Jocelyn to get the facts right. I’ll go with the latter. We’re not told how long ago it was that they left, so there’s no way of knowing how far in the future this book takes place.
Absolutely magical . I freaking loved this holiday themed story. I'm not saying anything because it will give it away. But this is definitely a must read.
This had to be one of the most ridiculous novellas I've read in a while- and I love it all the more for it.
Despite not celebrating Christmas, there's just something about reading romance books on the holiday, that has no right being as addicting as it is (I'm well aware its the end of September 💀).
Anyways this was the usual MINK book, but to the max- it was so weird and I loved it 😭.
A feel good read with heat that'll have you melting this time of year. MINK knows how to write romance with feels and emotion. Add in the dialogue, banter and chemistry and you are never disappointed.
When our leading lady Jocelyn thinks she's ruined Christmas she's at a loss. Did she imagine it? Throw in her mission trying to gain the attention of her hot neighbour Mac and you have a laugh out read.
Mac loves Jocelyn but he thinks he has no chance. His size is intimidating and tends to scare people away, resorting to being where she is at any given moment he'll take these moments and treasure them while figuring out how to make her his.
When the chance comes to finally make her his it's nearly taken from him. When duty calls in the name of saving Christmas he has no choice but to go. But he'll stop at nothing to get back to her and make her his.
Talk about a rom-com! I loved this book! Mac and Jocelyn were super cute together. These two have been obsessed with each other that they have been trying way to hard that it was adorable! I loved how jealous that Jocelyn and Mac got over each other; Mac's will have you swooning and Jocelyn will have you laughing. I read this book in one sitting cause I just needed to know what happened next with these two. That little twist at the end was awesome btw! I highly recommend this awesome holiday insta-love book and all of Mink's other books (I haven't found one yet that I haven't loved).
I received a free e-book copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Santa Material is sweet, short and magical. I had a lot of fun reading the book. It reminder me of her other novels, Stuffed and Snow Angel(which is one of my favorite books from this author). It's like a combination of both books.
My first Christmas read in a season! It was sweet, short and lovely. Absolutely perfect with that Christmas tree sprinkling in the background, fire in the fireplace and a hot whisky in your hand. It so reminded me about the very first novella by Mink that I loved so much, and the magic of Santa just added that little extra, which was lacking in the last few stories I read by this author.
Also, as Jocelyn, I might have a little sexy Santa Claus kink 😂🎅🤶
This was an entertaining read to say the least. I absolutely love serious it was when talking about ridiculous things. The drama was just so funny to me, I can’t
You wanna feel some Christmas Cheer? Of course you do, that was totally rhetorical. Let’s just call these two Christmas relationship goals soulmates. I know, I know right. I would give this book so many more stars if I could. It was some much needed Christmas Cheer, and exactly what 2020 needed....and me, what I needed for sure. These two were freaking awkwardly adorable, and I ate it up. This book had me laughing...out loud no less, and put me right in my happy place.
Safe read. Loved, loved the fun storyline. With the most adorably awkward couple, that will have you laughing so hard at all their cluelessness. I couldn’t get enough of these two, and right from the first chapter too. They both like each other, and do all these little things to get the others attention, not knowing they already had each other’s attention from day 1. And he’s a big tough guy, so when he wears a Christmas sweater to shovel outside and impress her....I about lost it on that scene. The visual was everything. It was so much fun. Adorable epilogues and the sweetest hea.
If you want a laugh out loud feel good book for 2020, look no further because you found it...you are welcome.
Psst...so sorry I am just now reading a Mink book…clearly I am not one of the cool kids...or I wasn’t 😉.
My eyes stop on an email from a man named Nicolas. Something makes me click on it. I read it three times, because I can't understand why a toy company wants to have a meeting with me. [...] I fire back an email saying I'm open for a meeting. They've caught my curiosity. What's the first thing that could happen?
This delightful Christmas story reads like your favorite holiday movie. Elves, Jingle Phones, and that Hat that won't disappear all infuse you with holiday cheer as you follow Jocelyn and Mac's story.
Something that really added to the story, was the fact that Jocelyn was appropriately freaked out by Santa and his death and disappearance. She wasn't a brainless 'along for the Christmas ride' heroine - she was suitably shaken up and it was the perfect time for Mac to swoop in and protect her.
There were a few minor things I didn't enjoy - like his lame nickname for her but for the most part, it was fun following gentle giant Mac and handywoman Jocelyn's path to saving Christmas!
Ok, this was super cute and funny. A story with a big, awkward, hunky H, a magic hat, smart mouthed elves, and the murder of Santa? Like I said...cute and funny. Dual POV, no others after meeting, no details on either past, no abuse, 2 epilogues several years out.
I swear, this author’s books make me literally laugh out loud. It’s so silly that it’s just cute. And imagine reading about Santa getting it on with future Mrs. Claus? 😆 That is some next level holiday themed shit right there. Hahaha. But it was pretty great and kept me entertained, honestly. I’m expecting a book about grown up Noelle and possibly Cinnamon Stick, hm? I could see it.... a holiday themed age gap slash forbidden romance. Ha.
I've read A LOT of Mink books and I can't recall a not suave mmc. I feel like all of the ones I've read are so smooth with the fmc and it's a part of their character.
This big boy, is CLUMSY and so so friggin cute. He's tongue tied and is a big ass mess in front of his love interest. It's so cute. I love shy boys.
This story is so laugh out loud funny! This story between Jocelyn and Mac is so cute and clever. It takes a bit for these two to figure out that they each want the same thing. There’s a bit of mild angst. The second epilogue is the best!
I'm honestly all for nicknames, but overusing them to the point where it's every other sentence of dialogue is something I couldn't get over. The only reason I didn't give 1 stars is because the storyline/plot was decent enough.
No strong representation of diverse characters or minority identities.
Overall: 3.5-stars
Safety Rating: Safe • No cheating • Does have brief OW and OM drama – OW gives the Hero her phone number but he's completely uninterested – OM flirts with the Heroine but she's also uninterested • Does have the Heroine pushing the Hero away • Does have a brief separation between the Hero and Heroine (less than two weeks)
Possible Triggers: None • No abuse • No OTT sad parts
Jocelyn has been obsessed with her neighbor, Mac, from the beginning. To the point that she comes up with different plans to try and get him to notice her as something other than his cute neighbor. Her plans were starting to work when a mysterious stranger shows up in her workshop. A man who claims to be Santa. That’s when things went downhill…somehow she kills Santa!
Mac had been in love with his neighbor from the moment he first saw her. The problem is that he knows she only sees him as the a big, bumbling oaf. When he notices that things are off over at Jocelyn’s house, he takes the opportunity to protect her. No matter what.
Mink has this way of writing that just pulls in the reader. Her stories are always cute and funny but with the strong chemistry between the main characters. Santa Material does not disappoint and is a great addition to the Christmas season.