Home for the holidaysā¦
That should be a good thing, right? Eggnog and Christmas carols. Mistletoe and family. Except my dad broke his leg hanging the family wreath. My brothers are at war over taking proper care of Dad. Oh, and I just found out our family business, the Kringle Inn, is failing!
The last thing I need is this mysterious new guy, who runs the Kringle tree farm, interfering. Heās big, bearded and grumpy. He wears a lot of flannel and he does NOT like taking orders. Especially from me. We canāt agree on anything other than saving the business.
Even if we have to kill each other doing it.
Or kiss each other doing itā¦
Because I might be falling for the guy.
My name is Kristen, donāt call me Kris, Kringle and this is a Christmas Romance Emergency!
| Title: | The Grump Who Stole Christmas |
| Author: | S. Doyle |
| Series: | Kringle Family Christmas (Book 1) |
| Pages: | 175 |
| Category / Genre(s): | Contemporary |
| Trope(s): | Christmas Enemies-to-Lovers Forced Proximity |
| Point of View: | First Person, Past Tense, Dual Viewpoint (H & h) |
| Location: | Salt Springs, Colorado, USA |
| HEA: | āļø |
| Release Date: | 1st November, 2021 |
 |  |  |  |
Fast, festive and hugely funny
Oh my Christmas stars – this book was amazing! Iāve never read S. Doyle before but having read this story, that will definitely change as this was everything I love in a romance. This is also the first story in a new, multi-author series about 3 siblings trying to save their familyās Christmas inn. Each story comes complete with its own couple and HEA starting first with Kristen, the eldest sibling.
From the minute Kristen and Paul meet, the electricity flies even if at first itās in dislike. I was worried when we first encounter Kristen as I feared she might be too abrasive and city-chic for me to get behind. But by the end of the first encounter I was hooting with laughter and just like that, I loved Kristen and her ever so slightly neurotic personality.
Paul (which struck me as an odd name for a romance hero for some bizarre reason!) wasnāt quite what I imagined. He was big, burly, bearded and sure he was a bit grumpy – but he was also so funny and met Kristen toe to toe. I adored him and every little (or big) thing about him! I did wonder if Kristen was meant to be the ‘grump’ in the title but in the end, I enjoyed this book regardless so I don’t really care who ultimately was the grump!
“Oh my Christmas stars – this book was amazing!”
The best thing about this book was – hands down – the interactions and ultimate relationship between Kristen and Paul. They had the perfect blend of, well, everything, that a couple should have. As well as their chemistry, they have the kind of banter that I adore in a romance – the back and forth over the Boss Lady mug nearly had me crying with laughter. I loved that they each instinctively seem to know each other; that they accepted each other and didnāt think the others flaws were actually flaws. So here for it, I canāt even tell you. But what was best was the smiles. I feel that the smile is so under utilised in romance novels but this story brought it back with a vengeance. Both Paul and Kristen would find themselves smiling after their interactions and I felt those smiles right in my heart. Definitely swoon worthy.
As I mentioned, this is the first in a series about 3 siblings. As far as I can tell, the 3 stories are all happening at the same time so we get snippets of whatās happening with the other siblings in a way that makes us want to know whatās happening with those stories, too.
I loved the writing in this story. It was so engaging that I just kept reading and reading – never wanting to put it down. It was also deliciously sexy and will warm readers up as much as it warmed up Kristen and Paul. I mean, itās pretty cold in Colorado, apparently!
If I have to make one teeny tiny complaint it was that I finished the book and pressed the button to move my kindle to the epilogue. And pressed. And pressed. I near started hitting my kindle but alas, there was not to be an epilogue. I would have adored an epilogue for this story just to round things off and also to spend just a wee bit more time with Paul and Kristen. As much as a lack of epilogue annoys me, I canāt let it take away from what is a fast, festive and hella funny romance. 5 stars.
* I received this book in exchange for my honest review. *
S. Doyle, a dedicated romance reader, began to pen her own romantic adventures at age sixteen. She began submitting at age eighteen and by twenty-six her first book was published. Many years later she still loves what she does as each book is a new adventure.
She lives in South Jersey with her cat Lex, and her two kittens who have taken over everything. When she isnāt thinking about escaping to the beach, sheās working on her next idea.
She also writes under the name Stephanie Doyle.
 |  |  |  |  |  |
Kringle Family Christmas Series:
1 Comment
Review: Very Merry Married by M. O'Keefe - Jo Reads Romance
1 November 2021 at 9:31 am[…] in the series but each book is actually taking place at the same time. Having read the first story, The Grump Who Stole Christmas, right before this one, it did irritate me that not all the facts, conversations, events and […]