RtP's Week in Review (12/14/25)

Reading the Paranormal's Week in Review

• Kringl by Tana Stone [Review] - Holiday alien love!
• Rudi by Honey Phillips [Review] - More holiday alien love!
• The Knotty Clause by Honey Phillips [Review] - EVEN MORE holiday alien love
• The Grump Who Stole Christmas by S. Doyle [Review] - Small town holiday love!
• Very Merry Married by M. O'Keefe [Review] - MORE small town holiday love!
• Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey [Review] - Holiday romance!

Bookish Delights

• Books added to the pile
• None? OMG!
• Currently reading 
• The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey [Review]

Merry Ever After (Under the Mistletoe #2) by Tessa Bailey
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: December 23, 2024

Under the Mistletoe
1. Cruel Winter with You
2. Merry Ever After - Kindle
3. All By My Elf
4. Merriment and Mayhem
5. Only Santas in the Building

Tessa Bailey
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Evie Crowe is starting over in a strange town with her newborn, and men are the furthest thing from her mind. If only the quiet, hulking farmer, Luke Ward, would stop coming into the thrift shop and piquing her reluctant interest. Evie wants to stay single all the way—she can’t trust anything more than friends-with-holiday-benefits. But Luke is in it for the long haul. He’s fixed on making this a Christmas Evie will remember forever. If she gives him a chance.

Thoughts on Merry Ever After: A new town, a new baby, a new job, and a handsome cowboy who keeps showing up at the thrift shop looking for jeans. Seeing as how Luke is practically a giant (I might be exaggerating a little), none of the jeans he tries on fit. Fortunately for him, Evie has a knack for repurposing old clothes.

Also fortunately for him, Evie has a bit of a temper and when she misconstrues one of his actions, she gets it in her head that she's going to show him that she has talent even though she's a single mom. So she makes him some jeans and sets out to give them to him. Then she finds out that what she thought wasn't exactly right and soon these two are making eyes at one another.

A little gift giving, some steamy kisses, a little loneliness, a man who is good with kids and animals and is convinced he needs to move slowly so he doesn't scare his special someone off, and a lady who definitely knows a good guy when she meets him. *thumbs up*

Very Merry Married by M. O'Keefe [Review]

Very Merry Married (Kringle Family Christmas #2) by M. O'Keefe
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: December 15, 2024

Kringle Family Christmas
1. The Grump Who Stole Christmas
2. Very Merry Married - Paperback | Kindle
3. Jingle Bell Beard

M. O'Keefe
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Ethan

I’ve got my hands full.

Running for mayor of my home town in Colorado. Trying to save the family business—and doing my best to survive Christmas without murdering my brother. Nowhere on this list is room for Lexie to show up a year after our epic one-night stand.

Vegas show girl, owner of the meanest dog I’ve ever met, and the star of every fantasy I’ve had since I came home. And apparently… my wife? And she wants me to sign divorce papers.

Hell no.

Lexie

I do not get drunk married. That’s what tourists do in Vegas, not locals. But even I am susceptible to gorgeous eyes and an excellent jaw line.

I was so sure Ethan was different from the jerks I usually fall for, until I woke up married without a groom or a way to get a hold of him. A year later, I finally see him splashed all over the internet—fighting with his brother at a Colorado airport.

So, what’s a showgirl to do? Put on my best heels, put my dog in a hand bag and go find my husband so I can end my sham marriage. But as soon as I arrive in Salt Springs, that plan goes out the window.

Ethan hasn’t forgotten me and the chemistry between us is real and explosive.

Now that I’ve found him he doesn’t want to let me go.

Was our wedding a Vegas mistake? Or a Christmas miracle?

Thoughts on Very Merry Married: Ethan, who got drunkenly married in Vegas a year ago and doesn't remember it AT ALL, is the next Kringle to fall and...maybe he was the first, actually. He just didn't know he was the first thanks to tequila.

Anywho. Thanks to Ethan throwing fists at his famous brother at the airport, Lexie is finally able to track her wayward husband down (there was A LOT of tequila, okay, and names sort of got lost in that tequila haze) so she could serve him divorce papers. Imagine his surprise when he finds out he's married. Now imagine Lexie's surprise when she realizes he isn't the inconsiderate jerk she's spent the last year thinking he was.

Now imagine that Lexie's personality is a perfect fit for the Kringle Inn and she has a quick mind and a lot of ideas and Ethan's kind of smitten with her even before he remembers everything that happened that fateful night in Vegas.

A pageant, some gossip, a sassy pup, a man who wants to figure out how well he fits with his new lady, and a lady who has never forgotten the man who rocked her world last Christmas. *thumbs up*

The Grump Who Stole Christmas by S. Doyle [Review]

The Grump Who Stole Christmas (Kringle Family Christmas #1) by S. Doyle
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: December 13, 2024

Kringle Family Christmas
1. The Grump Who Stole Christmas - Paperback | Kindle
2. Very Merry Married
3. Jingle Bell Beard

S. Doyle
| Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Home for the holidays…

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. He’s big, bearded and grumpy. He wears a lot of flannel and he does NOT like taking orders. Especially from me. We can’t agree on anything other than saving the business.
Even if we have to kill each other doing it.
Or kiss each other doing it…
Because I might be falling for the guy.
My name is Kristen, don’t call me Kris, Kringle and this is a Christmas Romance Emergency!

Thoughts on The Grump Who Stole Christmas: Heh. The lady with the high powered job in the big city is swinging back into her hometown to help her dad. Sort of. It's more like she doesn't have a choice since her dad broke his leg and can't handle the inn on his own while on crutches. So she heads back to the homestead and has to learn how to decompress.

Because Kristen? Is kind of a high-octane mess. Going from a fast-paced job to the slower pace (relatively speaking) of the inn is a bit of a shock to her system. She has to take it down a notch, learn to make nice with the new guy managing the tree farm, and drag herself out of some of the denial she's buried herself in.

As for Paul, the new tree farm manager is doing his own sort of decompressing. He likes his new job and has plans that extend into the far-ish future. If he has to work together with Kristen to make sure the inn doesn't go under and he can see those plan to fruition, SO BE IT.

And if these two HAPPEN to spark off each other along the way...well, I guess both Kristen and Paul need to figure out what's important to them and decide where the road will take them.

The Knotty Clause by Honey Phillips [Review]

The Knotty Clause (Horned Holidays #) by Honey Phillips
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: December 6, 2024

Horned Holidays
1. Krampus and the Crone
2. A Gift for Nicholas
3. A Kiss of Frost
4. The Knotty Clause - Paperback | Kindle

Honey Phillips
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Can a single mother create some holiday magic for a reclusive alien warrior?

Lured by the promise of steady work, Gemma accepts a job at a remote mining claim, only to find that both she and her young son are virtual slaves to the greedy mine boss. When a desperate attempt to escape finds them caught in an unexpected snowstorm, she thinks all is lost - until a very large and very not-human male appears and rescues them.

Their savior is gruff, reclusive, and unexpectedly kind. He offers them a refuge - as long as they don’t intrude on his privacy. He even draws up a contract, but the longer they stay with him, the more Gemma wants to break every one of his rules.

Ever since his ship crashed on K.R.S. Three, Yede has concealed himself in his mountaintop hideaway. A life alone with his memories is better than risking more heartbreak - until he rescues a fragile, tempting human woman and her determined little boy from a snowstorm. Now the icy walls around his heart - and other important parts - are beginning to thaw. Can he find the courage to take a second chance on love, despite the risks?

Thoughts on The Knotty Clause: We're back on K.R.S. Three and another alien has found himself stranded there. Truthfully, the being stranded part isn't a terrible hardship for Yede since he blames himself for something very much out of his control and thinks he deserves the solitude (and loneliness) of this planet. Then Gemma and her son walk into his life (more like stumble up his mountain in a snowstorm, but who's counting, amirite?) and suddenly Yede's lonely home is filled with life and laughter.

On Gemma's end, she was trying to make a better life for her and her son, but things took a turn. Not willing to let Liam be forced into the mine, Gemma gathers Liam up and escapes up the mountain. In a snowstorm. Which sucks, but a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do. Fortunately for them, Yede was there to save the day. Sure he was gruff and hermit-y, but it didn't take much to thaw the big guy's demeanor and soon THINGS were happening. Both romantic things and family things.

A whole lot of snow, more than a little danger, an isolated home (that's pretty darn cool), some holiday cheer, a male who needs to deal with his past if he wants to have a future, and a lady who knows a good thing when she catches sight of his horns. GOOD STUFF!

Rudi by Honey Phillips [Review]

Rudi (Rescued by the Alien #7) by Honey Phillips
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: November 12, 2024

Rescued by the Alien
1. Lashe
2. Pyne
3. Khol
4. Gyft
5. Klaz
6. Kringl
7. Rudi - Paperback | Kindle

Honey Phillips
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Can an alien misfit and a lonely woman save the holidays?

Clarice is grateful for the chance to have left a dying Earth - she just wishes she hadn’t ended up somewhere quite so cold. But then she gets thrown into a rescue mission with a huge, muscular alien with glowing skin - and antlers! - and suddenly things on NorPol are heating up!

Rudi has long since accepted that he is… different from the rest of his tribe. He’s even convinced himself he likes it that way. But when a curvy little human convinces him to help save the holidays, can he be the hero she deserves?

Could this frosty planet be hiding a bit of holiday magic for both of them?

Thoughts on Rudi: An outcast alien male and a refugee human lady are learning what it means to find their person. Oh, and they're fighting back against the total jerk face who is determined to ruin the holidays for everyone in the village.

So Rudi and Clarice. He's a loner who is acutely aware of his differences from others in his village. His glowing skin and antlers have made him a target for the town bully and he's put up walls around himself thanks to said bullying. He doesn't want to take in the human lady dropped on his doorstep, but he can't turn away from the loneliness he sees in her. So he ends up sharing space with the lady.

On Clarice's end, she's on an alien world and the people in town aren't thrilled to have her there. This is mostly due to their limited power reserves which, in itself, is due to the jerkface up the mountain who controls the power crystals. She gets pushed off on Rudi and finds herself liking the quiet, scowly alien male more than she expected.

When the bad guy on the mountain makes an ultimatum to the village, Clarice convinces Rudi to try to help. It isn't long before it becomes clear that Rudi's differences might end up helping everyone and solve the power issues.

A winter journey, a little danger, a few steamy kisses, a male who needs to embrace his differences in order to make things happen, and a lady who likes the male sheltering her whether he's an outcast or a hero. *thumbs up*

Kringl by Tana Stone [Review]

Kringl (Rescued by the Alien #6) by Tana Stone
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: December 10, 2024

Rescued by the Alien
1. Lashe
2. Pyne
3. Khol
4. Gyft
5. Klaz
6. Kringl - Paperwork | Kindle
7. Rudi

Tana Stone
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

What’s worse than crash landing on an ice planet? Discovering that it’s controlled by a group of angry elves who escaped from the North Pole!

Kringl wants nothing more than to return to his home world, but first he’ll have to escape from the frozen world that’s kept in a state of perpetual, joyless celebration. Even worse, it’s always Christmas Eve, but never Christmas Day.

Joy is determined to escape the ice planet she and her fellow humans were marooned on years ago. She can’t stand the constant fake celebration or disgruntled elves who ensure they're never rescued.

When the handsome, blue alien and his crew arrive, Joy knows this is her chance. But when Kringl is captured, Joy must rescue him before they can both escape. That is, if the angry elves don’t stop them both.

Thoughts on Kringl: The holidays are fun and everything, but being caught in a town that celebrates perpetual Christmas (at least that's what it looks like at first glance) would be a real drag after a while. Especially if you were being held prisoner there by a group of kinda evil elves.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. It all starts when an alien prince is forced to make an emergency landing on an icy planet. Unfortunately for Kringl (but probably fortunately for the poor folk being held against their will there), the town near where they crashed is...not as friendly as it looks on the surface. As in, a group of elves (who aren't nearly as kind and cuddly as the stories tell us) are determined to keep the town in a perpetual state of Christmas. By that, I mean it's always the day before Christmas so Christmas never comes and they can celebrate into perpetuity.

Which is REALLY not fun for the poor people trapped there.

One of those people? Joy. When she sees Kringl's ship crash, she figures it's her chance to escape and find a way to help the others. As you might imagine, things don't go quite as smoothly as she planned. Soon she's breaking an alien prince out of solitary, hiding him out in her cabin, planning a little rebellion, and falling hard for the big, honorable alien.

Some kissing, some sneaking around, some thrilling heroics all around. *thumbs up*