Hello everyone!
We already had a heap of luck with our movie choice this week (have you seen My Norwegian Holiday yet?), and now our streak continues with the book I've chosen.
Or, well, had chosen for me! LOL.
See, when you open up your mailbox during a routine daily check, and see an email from your favourite contemporary romance author saying that the ARC for her next book in a series you adore is ready for you to read ...
You drop everything - and I mean literally everything - and set aside a time to gobble it up!
It took me a little longer than normal to finish this because work is turning into insanity as we head further into December, but, I thoroughly enjoyed every single moment.
So buckle up, we're heading back to New Zealand with Serenity Woods' latest installment in her Boss in a Billion series, Mistletoe and the Billionaire Boss.
Links to previous related works can absolutely be found at the bottom of this page - because after the Auckland and Wellington billionaires, here come the Christchurch ones!
Mistletoe and the Billionaire Boss follows the story of Belle's brother Alex (you know, she of Beauty and the Billionaire Boss fame) and the woman he meets through a program he and his team are running to help children with spinal cord injuries regain some form of movement, Mistletoe.
Yes, the name is a hoot, but she's an absolute darling, and I tell you that you're going to cry during the very first conversation the two have, as she bursts into tears a few times herself.
See, her late husband was in a car accident with their son, Finn, and while the husband unfortunately didn't make it, Finn was told he'll never walk again at the tender age of 10. Missie's friend, Juliette, suggests her for the program they're running, and so that's how Alex and Missie officially meet.
He immediately takes to Finn, and Finn to him, so what follows is a time period of healing and hard work for the boy, with Alex there to supervise (and tempt, as he gets a golden retriever puppy, ostensibly for himself, but everyone and their mother knows it's for Finn since Missie told him they can't have a dog in that moment in time). He and Missie also share some very heartwarming moments along the way.
It's a different take on a romance story because you can actually see the slow buildup of their relationship, as it creeps up on you; Alex is courting Missie right from the start, but because she's officially in mourning for her husband, they kind of have to wait a year, more or less, before they can even consider going on a date together.
A little background on the husband: Lee was an ass, he got Missie pregnant at seventeen and then was having an affair later, revealed and confirmed through Finn, who says he remembers that the woman was in the car with them during the accident and they were arguing about her leaving her family right before Christmas.
The only GOOD thing the man's ever done, really, according to Missie, is take out a life insurance policy so she has the money now to help Finn (as a primary school teacher, she's not exactly rolling in it).
The first sort of move in the romantic direction comes before Christmas, when Missie asks for help at her local school: her Santa is nowhere to be found and she needs a replacement, so Alex gets sucked into the festivities, even though he's a bit of a Scrooge, much to everyone's amusement. It's also during this school fair that our two protagonists admit they LIKE like each other, kiss for the first time, and he asks her out to the company trivia night.
Which, by the way, is also a hoot, and reveals undercurrents among the other bosses in the company which we'll be exploring in the following two books of the Christchurch trilogy.
From there on, Missie and Alex are practically inseparable, and he invites her along to Damon and Belle's wedding; Finn and Zelda (the dog) are perfectly content with other relatives for the duration, and Missie has the time of her life being welcomed with open arms into the Chevalier family who helped Alex immensely.
See, Alex's home life is a bit ... off. If you remember from Belle's book, their mother, a famous actress, had bad depression, their father cheated on her, she ran off, and her new beau abused Belle for a whole year. So Alex needed some stability, which he found with his best mate Damon's family, and they all consider him their fourth son really. They also welcome Missie like the prodigal daughter returned, and oh, the wedding festivities leading up to the actual occasion are sooo much fun.
It's such a beautiful rendition of friends and family gathering together to celebrate love, and there's so much wonderful emotion involved.
Also hot sex, but, well, that's a given LOL.
Missie and Alex now confess their love for each other, and she also finally learns his middle name's Clint when he takes her to a romantic getaway in a villa for New Year's, at which point there's several revelations that come to light.
Remember the life insurance policy Lee took out? Turns out, he didn't. Also turns out Alex had seen Missie sooner, before their official meeting, as he was visiting the hospital where Finn was laid up in bed after the accident, and immediately thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, deciding he was going to marry her on the spot. Told by Finn's doctor that the kid was a lost cause, Alex burned with a desire to get him walking again, and then had to rein everything in after setting up a supposed insurance company to give Missie the money she needed, pretending he didn't really know her, and letting her come to terms with her grief.
Listen, there's altruism, and then there's Alex Winters, and I AM HERE FOR IT.
The book wraps with him proposing to Missie, Finn in attendance (walking now!!!), and he's also going to be adopting Finn in future since the kid REALLY wants to be able to call him Dad. And if that isn't enough to win you over, make sure not to blink and miss the school speech Alex and his buddy Henry deliver when invited to career day, because, honestly, it's the best.
FIN
I'm so happy to have gotten the chance to meet Alex and unravel what he's like. Grumpy Santa isn't quite as grumpy as he's made out to be.
He's an absolute delight and his altruism knows no bounds. I think I cried about three times (but who's counting?!) reading about all the generosity he had going for him in this one.
Missie, too, was a sunshine and I genuinely enjoyed watching her become his match in every way. Finn is a delight and rounds them out perfectly.
I also loved catching up with the other couples from previous books, and Damon and Belle's wedding is a hoot, funny, engaging and heartwarming. My favourite scenes have to be during the stag and hen nights!
All in all, another win for Ms Woods, and I can't wait to continue with the other Christchurch billionaires.
He's an absolute delight and his altruism knows no bounds. I think I cried about three times (but who's counting?!) reading about all the generosity he had going for him in this one.
Missie, too, was a sunshine and I genuinely enjoyed watching her become his match in every way. Finn is a delight and rounds them out perfectly.
I also loved catching up with the other couples from previous books, and Damon and Belle's wedding is a hoot, funny, engaging and heartwarming. My favourite scenes have to be during the stag and hen nights!
All in all, another win for Ms Woods, and I can't wait to continue with the other Christchurch billionaires.
xx
*image not mine
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