10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT MISTLETOE

An aspiring writer and a shop owner figure out how to fall in love in Hall’s romance series installment.

Mistletoe, Idaho, seems like the perfect small town in which to fall in love; things have worked out for siblings Merry, Nick, and Holly Winters, who are all happy in their respective relationships (as seen in other books in Hall’s series). But for Delilah Gill, Holly’s best friend, the burg feels more like a series of dead ends. No publisher wants her romantic fantasy book series, her parents nag her about getting a real job, and she’s sexually unsatisfied. Meanwhile, Anthony Russo is dealing with his mother’s death and has sworn himself to celibacy until he can find true love and build a life with someone. He and Delilah saw potential in each other the year before at a bachelor party and shared a promising kiss before insecurities and misunderstandings drove them apart. Anthony thought Delilah seemed hung up on his best friend Pike Sutton, and Delilah thinks Anthony doesn’t want her because she’s a plus-size woman, but they’re both wrong. After a night out (and puking incident), the two get closer, initiating a sexual and emotional connection that supersedes decorum and friendship, leading to some friction between them. As the holiday season progresses, however, and new obstacles arise, the intensity of their passion can’t be denied. Both Delilah and Anthony have believable emotional baggage that hinders their ability to effectively communicate. The timeframe means that the pace at which they go from acquaintances to lovers is quick, but their chemistry, rendered with brazen flourishes, makes their compatibility clear. Hall’s dialogue excels at conveying Delilah and Anthony’s wit, though it can sometimes veer into excessively quippy territory with Anthony dispensing lines like “does this earn me a check mark in the romantic column or the crazy-and-insecure column?” The small-town cozy atmosphere and the sprawl of secondary and tertiary characters set up plenty of future relationship opportunities, and readers will be eager to see how Delilah and Anthony grow beyond their initial coupling.

A breezy romantic romp with plenty of heat.