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Waking under the Mistletoe

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What do you do when you wake up on Christmas Day and find you’re married to a stranger?

Rory Mitchell loves everything about Christmas, from the music to the decorations to the food. He spends weeks decorating his house and planning what to bake for the one day of the year that he loves above all else. Even being forced to spend an entire meal with his family can’t detract from his joy.

Oliver Moore doesn’t believe in Christmas any more than any other commercial holiday. He isn’t interested in Christmas miracles or the gaudy decorations. His holiday traditions consist of getting drunk on Christmas Eve, spending Christmas morning nursing his hangover, and later watching his niece rip open presents as though she isn’t going to forget the toys exist in a week.

When the two men wake up married to each other on Christmas Day with no recollection of how it happened, Rory and Oliver have no choice but to stick together until government offices reopen the following day, so that they can get an annulment.

Their chemistry between the sheets is without question, but is there enough time to realize that it could be so much more?

Is it possible to fall in love with a stranger in one day?

This is a low-angst, roughly 30,000-word HEA MM romance with mature themes; it is filled with snark, shenanigans and a borderline-unhealthy amount of Christmas decorations.

120 pages, ebook

First published December 1, 2021

26 people are currently reading
183 people want to read

About the author

Aurora Crane

15 books133 followers
Aurora Crane is an Australian author who loves to write romance with a healthy serving of banter, snark and all the swoon.

Her books are a mix of MM and MM+. She loves to write men in suits, sprawling universes with a plethora of side characters, and an abundance of steamy situations.

You can find all her links here: https://linktr.ee/auroracrane

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
Profile Image for Carol [Goodreads Addict].
3,047 reviews25.3k followers
January 17, 2025
RATING 4.5 STARS

Waking Under the Mistletoe is a MM holiday novella by Aurora Crane. This is my first book by Aurora even though I’ve had something else of hers on my to read list for awhile now. But I love the waking up married trope and this cover called to me. I’m so glad it did!



Oliver Moore is a bit of a scrooge. He owns a successful landscaping business with his sister who he is very close with. Oliver is a one night stand guy with no repeats. So you can imagine his shock when he woke up on Christmas morning with someone in his bed, and the both of them are wearing wedding rings, and neither have no idea who the other is and how those rings got there!

Rory Mitchell is school music teacher. He LOVES Christmas and decorates with enthusiasm! He loves to bake for Christmas as well! He rarely goes out or drinks so his behavior on Christmas Eve was completely out of the norm for him.



I have to admit here that I didn’t start out liking Oliver very much. But, he quickly changed my mind. He is snarky and sarcastic. While Rory is so sweet, he was still a perfect match for Oliver. After these two realized they were married, there was nothing they could do until the next day when offices would re-open and they could get an annulment. Rather than risk the other one disappearing on them, they agree to spend the entire day together, attending each other’s Christmas obligations together. But a funny thing happens during that magical day. They fall in love. Only, isn’t it impossible to fall in love in just one day?

“How could you get addicted so quickly to a single taste, to a single sound, a single name? Rory. It was everything.”

This was just such a sweet little book. Pretty steamy too! There is all kinds of chemistry between these two and I suppose they just thought, well, why not?! We’re married! I adored the way they were together once they got past the initial shock. I’m so glad I decided to pick this one up and now I need to read the other series I have on my list!

For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...

Profile Image for Kati *☆・゚.
1,299 reviews694 followers
December 19, 2023
4.25**** stars


Oliver slowly pulled away the light gray sheet, trying not to wake his bed companion. The uncovered face, while eye-catching, wasn’t ringing any bells.



* .・☆゚*・゚ Hell, this was lovely! I really love this trope (need to look up some more!) but I wasn’t quite sure about this one as I didn’t like Oliver all that much in the beginning. But Rory… god, I wanted to wrap him up in a blanket and cuddle him all day. Honestly, Oliver had no chance to not fall for his accidental husband.

You must suspend your disbelief a bit for this one but I enjoyed it a lot. And it was hot.


“I’ve known him *one* day,” Oliver argued.
“Sometimes that’s all it takes,”



━━━━━━━━━━ * .・☆゚*・゚━━━━━━━━━━
Profile Image for Vanna.
810 reviews96 followers
May 21, 2023
5 Loved it so much stars!! ❤️❤️ I normally do not read holiday themed novels or novellas during summer, but I just couldn’t resist picking this up after reading and loving another book by this author.. and OMG!! 🤗 I have found a few favorite author!! 😍 I really love her writing.. the banter between the MCs.. the old tropes that she presents in a refreshing way.. the endearing but opposite personalities of the MCs; the scorching chemistry between them. She has the winning formula and she’s not afraid to use it!! I loved this short, sweet, Christmas themed novella.. 😍 and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author. 💕Highly recommended!! 👍🏻👍🏻
Profile Image for Drache.... (Angelika) .
1,530 reviews220 followers
December 27, 2023
Such a lovely christmas novella!
I hate insta-everything, but strange enough this novella worked for me, despite the storyline basically covering only 2 days. The romance didn't feel rushed, the feelings felt genuine and the chemistry was awesome. Oliver and Rory were very different characters but really fit together.
4,25 stars.
Profile Image for Cat the bookworm (semi hiatus ish).
925 reviews184 followers
December 23, 2023
Very insta-everything, but Christmassy sweet if you suspend your disbelief 🥰

I loved the premise and the characters: Oliver wakes up with a hangover, and with a hot man in his bed. A man he obviously married, even though he obviously only met him the night before. A night both can’t remember.

Rory is a chaotic mess full of love, a love he pours into baking hideous (but very tasty) cakes and desserts, and who (unlike Oliver) LOVES Christmas:

He’d thought the outside of the house was where Christmas had vomited. Whatever had happened outside had nothing on the inside. Not one fucking iota. “It looks like the North Pole threw up in here.”

The entire novella takes place in 24 hours (apart from the epilogue). But it’s cute, and it’s hot. A quick Christmas fix that’s insta everything, but that has two very likable MCs. 3.5 stars rounded up because why not 🥰
Profile Image for Ellie.
790 reviews78 followers
December 16, 2023
4 stars

So the premise of this is completely absurd and impossible, but since the author acknowledges this in her note at the beginning, I decided that was leave for me to enjoy it anyway.

And enjoy it I did. It had flaws but it made me happy.

Rory was an absolute darling and I'm glad Oliver agrees he must be protected at all costs. Rory's family is horrid and I loved seeing Oliver standing up for him - and making sure they retrieved Rory's ugly but delicious desserts of course. He's definitely a walking disaster and I loved it.

Oliver, I'll be honest, I could take him or leave him, but Rory made the book along with Oliver's family. And I did love the reluctant thawing of Oliver's heart as they do cutesy domestic Christmas things like decorating and baking.

Recommended for: absurd Christmas fluff and adorable characters.
Profile Image for Len Evans Jr.
1,503 reviews222 followers
December 29, 2021
Wonderful Christmas Fluffy Fun!

This was 120 pages of pure delight! So much sweetness and joy! Loved every it of it! These two guys were awesome!
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
3,698 reviews330 followers
December 28, 2023
Cute and smutty.

This is surprisingly sweet and touching
for an instalust/love story. This book takes place over less than 24 hours with a cute 10 year epilogue showing them happy.

There's just enough serious stuff to give this some depth. But it's a nice light Christmas read.

Also, Oliver could be a bit much due to his grumpiness and past manwhore ways but when he constantly refers to Rory as "my husband" and won't take off his wedding ring and defends Rory and makes him feel safe... he is redeemed.
Profile Image for ~Nicole~.
851 reviews407 followers
December 1, 2021
Loved it! It was the perfect Christmas read- short enough not to be boring or dragging and it was hot without being too much . I loved the banter and the characters and what I liked best was that after they woke up married they didn’t stop having sex . They simply lived in the moment without torturing themselves thinking “Oh, oh, what a mistake we made!” The “I love yous” came as a bit of OTT and the epilogue was a little dry (although I loved that it was ten years into the future) but I had fun and it was good. I liked the writing too, I’ll have to check this author for more of her books.
Profile Image for Jamie.
1,164 reviews94 followers
November 17, 2023
4.5⭐️ - such a cute holiday romance! The premise is ridiculous and that’s what makes it so fun and swoony!! We get instaLove on speed and it totally worked!

We got family drama, personal insecurities, sexy times, hand holding, neck kisses, horrible Christmas decorations and the sweetest declarations of love.

This was such a wonderful holiday novella that is just enough OTT to keep it light but balanced with emotion to keep it interesting!!

Definitely worth the read!! Rory and Oliver were the absolute sweetest!!
Profile Image for alyssa.
1,015 reviews213 followers
December 8, 2021
[3.5] this was completely and utterly unrealistic (the author kindly warns readers of this at the start so don't go in saying you didn't see it coming 🤣), and yet did the holiday cheer win me over in the end regardless? yes. yes it did.

i won't lie and say i was cast under a spell from the very first paragraph, because quite frankly it didn't start off very promising with Oliver trying real hard to come across as a sleazeball at the beginning lol. but the way Oliver defended Rory against his family, followed by the simple moments of christmas decorating and baking together, and then the time spent with Oliver's sister and her precocious daughter were all sickeningly sweet and stirred up ~feelings~ in my grinch heart 😌
Profile Image for Tare.
370 reviews31 followers
December 3, 2023
This was soooo good! My first time reading anything by Aurora Crane and I will have to check out more of their books.

Was this insta-love? Absolutely - this all happens within 24 hours - but Christmas novellas do tend to veer that way so I can look past that if the other elements are there. Were they there? Absolutely! These two had the best banter 👌, the sweetest small moments together, some great chemistry, and even some really decent spice!! The Christmas vibes were abundant and I lived my best life with this fun and sexy novella 🎄
Profile Image for Evelyn220.
655 reviews40 followers
November 19, 2023
4⭐️ Super sweet low-angst novella. Oliver and Rory are strangers who wake up married—I love the premise. There are so many sweet and swoony moments as they spend Christmas Day together. I loved the family dynamics and protectiveness they show for each other. I could have used a bit more of them together before the love declaration but such is the nature of novellas.
Profile Image for Marthea.
1,011 reviews16 followers
December 26, 2022
Mało realna, zabawna, słodka, przeurocza insta, na której naprawdę dobrze się bawiłam 😁
I choć słowa "I love you" podają zdecydowanie za szybko - w końcu akcja dzieje się tak naprawdę w wigilię, od rana do nocy - to epilog jest absolutnie urzekający i można to autorce wybaczyć 😁
244 reviews6 followers
December 20, 2023
This was a cute read. You’ll have to suspend a lot of disbelief though but it works.
Profile Image for Shelba.
2,696 reviews100 followers
November 15, 2022
A solid read. I would have preferred a little more length and a little slower transition from reluctant husbands to instalove. Also, while I appreciate the epilogue is actually set 10 years later, the fact that Rory was disappointing.

Also, a slight inconsistency, in which Rory is said to have gone out with friends the night before, and later on in the book, he had gone all alone.

Also: flip fuck!
1,005 reviews41 followers
December 2, 2021
Ok, just like the author says in the beginning, you have to suspend belief for this Christmas story to work. Truly, Rory and Oliver wake up in bed next to each other on Christmas morning, neither remembering anything. They discover that sometime during the previous night they met, got drunk, and got married. Rory is mortified, Oliver is to a certain extent but he also finds it funny. Neither is letting the other out of their sight until they can get it annulled and since it's the holidays no one is open. The two find out they are perfect for each other and maybe there is a thing as love at first sight.
Profile Image for Kerry.
1,718 reviews59 followers
December 29, 2022
This was exactly what I was looking to read...a light, fun, low-angst, sexy romance. I love stories where a one night stand turns into something more. Oliver was a little bit of a dick in the beginning, but he redeemed himself when he stood-up for Rory. Nice epilogue.
Profile Image for Anita.
2,017 reviews27 followers
December 5, 2021
SWOON!!! This was superb!! A brilliantly written Christmas romance about Rory and Oliver who apparently get so drunk that they get married and wake up and don't remember any of it. Emotional, funny and filled with uber sexy bits. I read this while at the hair salon and the stylist kept asking me, why are you smiling and giggling over there? What are you reading?! Oh how I loved this. This is a new to me author so of course, looked for her backlist. I cried for Rory and his unfeeling unpleasant family. Olilver was bit of a jerk at first but the way he handled Rory's family quickly changed my opinion. Very believable. If you want to lovely Christmas romance, please read this!!
Profile Image for Ann.
1,452 reviews135 followers
January 16, 2022
The author gives fair warning at the beginning to suspend disbelief and just flow with it and after reading Waking Under the Mistletoe I can say, that is a legit statement and a I'm glad I did just that when I was reading.

Because, while the set up, mechanics, timing, etc., were completely unrealistic, all of it was still a completely charming love story and I wanted to believe it could all be true and work out the way it did.

I'm generally not a fan of enemies to lovers, but that bit was short lived and the two MC's thawed pretty quickly and the epic chemistry helped to move it all along.
Profile Image for Demetra Roussakis.
1,515 reviews14 followers
November 28, 2021
This is a cute short story of waking up with a stranger and finding out you are married. Both Rory and Oliver were freaked out when they learned this but decided to spend the day together as the courts would only open up the next day since it was Christmas. It was great to see how Oliver defended Rory against his family and the love that was between Oliver and his sister Harper and her daughter. Their chemistry is off the charts and they decided to start dating and see what the next steps would be. In the epilogue, it was nice to see their relationship was still going strong.

I received a copy of this book for my review
Profile Image for Darby Cupid.
Author 8 books83 followers
December 21, 2021
Freakin’ Adorable

Amazon recommended this to me on an email and I read it while drinking my morning coffee. It’s exactly what you think it would be: An adorable Christmas romance. Grumpy v sunshine with accidental marriage - it does the tropes perfectly.
Well written and cute AF, this will have me smiling and feeling festive all day.
Profile Image for Kim.
2,857 reviews178 followers
December 23, 2023
A cute, quick, wake-up-married, opposites-attract , Christmas love story. It sucked me in and I enjoyed seeing the dynamics between Rory and Oliver change.
Profile Image for Laina Gruver.
1,260 reviews59 followers
January 4, 2022
4 stars

Adorable, sweet, no angst holiday read. As long as you read the author’s note at the beginning of the book, you should be able to read this without finding things ‘unbelievable’. There’s really only one thing that is ‘hard to believe’ and, honestly, it’s not that big of a deal.

Oliver wakes up after a a long night of drinking to find himself married to a stranger, Rory. Because it was a holiday weekend, they couldn’t take care of it until Monday so, they celebrate the holidays with each other’s families.

POV… third person

Standalone or series… standalone

Hangover… slight

Recommend… yes

Reread… yes

*****
KU read
Oliver
Rory
Profile Image for Bekka.
1,288 reviews164 followers
December 7, 2023
Delightful! I mean they fell in love in less than 24 hours but it was very sweet.
Enjoyed the MCs dynamic a lot! Boi who loves Christmas but who has a terrible family x Grinch who has a family who immediately adopts the other MC.

Some quotes
"'I really married the Grinch,' Rory muttered. (p. 15)

"It looks like the North Pole threw up in here." (p. 27)

"He hadn't changed out of Oliver's clothes yet, and it did something to him to Oliver to see him in them." (p. 31)


NSFW infos:
- Two MCs, both out and gay
- vers
- flipfucking
- frotting

Nickname
Oliver -> Olly
Profile Image for Mandy (MP Book Reviews).
4,926 reviews45 followers
March 2, 2023
Rory Mitchell loves everything about Christmas even though he has to spend the day with his family. Oliver Moore does believe in Christmas or any other similar holiday and so he gets drunk on Christmas Eve and then nurses his hangover while he watches his niece open her presents. When the two men wake up married to each other on Christmas Day with no recollection of how it happened, Rory and Oliver have no choice but to stick together until government offices reopen the following day, so that they can get an annulment. Their chemistry between the sheets is without question, but is there enough time to realize that it could be so much more?

This was a sweet Christmas-themed novella with lots of fun, getting to know each other and their families, and realising that they actually really liked each other, then loved each other and that they really were physically very compatible. I enjoyed their banter, their need to understand each other and the way that Oliver defended Rory and opened his eyes to the fact that he did not need to accept the way that his family behaved. Easy to read, feel and understand. This MM story contains mature content.

**Please note this was previously published under pen name Alice Crane. No changes have been made.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews

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