If I’m ever going to catch up with my reviews, I am going to have to post multiple reviews at once and make them a little (read: a lot) shorter than normal. Maybe you’ll like that? Or maybe you want all the juicy deets? It is what it is.

Let’s begin with my Christmas reads.

Good Spirits, B. J. Borison

Everyone is reading this right now. If not in your world, then at least in mine. Well, at least people who read romance in my world. All those people have picked up a shiny, new copy of this brand-new holiday book. I will admit, the cover and spredges are alluring. (More about this cover in a sec.) So, when I was headed out of town for a writing residency two weeks before Christmas, I couldn’t resist picking one up. (I like to read super easy things—often romance—to unwind at night while in residence. It’s a tradition, and it makes sense—as long as it doesn’t distract me.)

Blurb: Harriet is just doing her thing, being kind to strangers and spreading merriment at the antiques store she inherited from her favorite aunt when a (very handsome man) shows up in her family room with bad news: Noah’s been sent to haunt her for the season so that she can repent of her bad ways and he can move on. Except… what has she done so wrong? Maybe this isn’t like every other assignment for the grumpy Ghost of Christmas Past. Maybe this year will be different for both of them.

I loved this book. With the exception of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, this book shot up to the top of my Christmas reads list by halfway through. It starts cute enough, too, though I had a hard time going immediately there because of the cover. (Still, wait a sec.) But the writing is clean and clear, and when I had created the main characters in my mind and sunk into this Northeast village on the water, I was really loving it. It’s fantastical, but only lightly. Magic realism, basically. Or urban fantasy light. These elements make for a great spin on the ol’ standard romance. I was totally into it with these characters (a now-typical back-and-forth between the female and male romantic leads). It delivered on all the romance expectations, yet left some surprises. It also had a lot of depth, and I really related to Harriet. (No, my family is not that terrible, and I am not alone, but there is a lot that I can still relate to.) And the ending is so satisfying.

As for the spice level, we’re talking 3+ (definitely open door and a whole lot of nitty-gritty.) I use the words “nitty-gritty” on purpose. While I know that many romance readers read romance—at least on some level—to be titillated and take their spice level at 3, 4, or even 5, I find detailed spice scenes to be… tedious and mood-killing. Now, hear me out. If a character in a book is baking cookies, I don’t want to watch as they put each ingredient in the bowl and stir. If they are driving a car, I don’t want to know they’ve put it in drive and depressed the pedal, then made a right turn on Oak Street. I know spice is different, but nuance and mystery in these scenes lead to magic for me. I am not reading a manual, people. I am reading a story. Again, I know many of you disagree. It was actually the only thing I would have changed about this book, because I’m pretty sure I’ll re-read it another holiday season. (To be clear, I’m not totally saying that higher spice levels should go, just that I would like them to be written consistently with the rest of the book; with style and literary gracefulness, layers and development (which there is some of here).)

About that cover. As I said, the cover is alluring. It’s pretty and interesting on first pass. On closer inspection, I was needled by Harriet’s—it’s supposed to be Harriet’s—face. The proportions are just a little off (forehead foreshortened, etc.) and why is she so darn red? Also, I didn’t know if I could make it through a book (besides Julie Chan Is Dead) with a Botoxed influencer POV. Turns out, that’s not who Harriet is. Harriet wouldn’t look like this, with a whole container of rouge on her cheeks. But the real problem with the cover emerged as I read the book. Harriet’s hair. Tell me if you’ve read this; you know what I mean. Turns out that Harriet’s hair is one of the main metaphors in Good Spirits. And her hair is huge, out-of-control, and wild. It’s a major part of her identity and of the story! In fact, when we see it smoothed in the book, it is an indication that Harriet has been repressed and is not at all happy. So, just like they’re always doing to Hermione (whose hair is less part of the story, but still), they have smoothed it out for us, in complete contrariness to the message of the book! I looked for a different cover. I thought of covering her with a taped-on drawing of her cute, wild self with her amazing hair. (I am taking this personally. I had gobs of frizzy hair when I was growing up, and I thought it had to be sleeker and straighter and thinner to look beautiful.)

But seriously, folks, besides one half of the cover and a few too many spicy deets, this is a great Christmas romance read—the best one I’ve read so far.

At least until I read…

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year, Ally Carter

Though it is not a straight-up romance. It’s a mash-up of Christmas, romance, mystery/thriller, and humor. I lurve me a good mash-up.

Blub: Maggie is the Queen of the Cozy Mystery, but her past year—or maybe her life—has been one disappointment after another. Ethan is a big-shot thriller writer who, as far as Maggie can see, has no soul. He’s charismatic and flirtatious and perfect and comes with zero backstory. He’s also quite good-looking. He can’t remember her name after five years. And he’s quite good-looking. (Did she think that already?) But when the two of them are thrown together in a snowstorm in a castle in northern England with the Duchess of Death (Maggie’s all-time favorite mystery writer!!!), they might need to team up. Because the Duchess has disappeared. And a legacy is at stake. And, well, the bodies are piling up.

I have not read any Ally Carter before. (I have also not read any B. K. Borison). But I have heard about her. And now that I’ve read this one, I’m going to have to read more. Because this was fun, ya’ll! I was laughing out loud, surprised mostly by Maggie’s internal dialogue, but also by the surprising situations. From the meet-cute, we know how this romance is going to go down. We do not, however, have a clue what else is coming. And it is like Knives Out, but funnier. Even once we see that it is also a mystery, we know how that is going to work (without knowing the details), but we still don’t see the ridiculousness or hilarity until it sneaks out at us from around nearly every corner. Quirky characters abound.

I may have had a harder time liking Maggie and Ethan (whereas Harriet and Nolan were so instantly lovable), but I was having fun with them. And having so much fun with the themes, the plot, and the humor. (Okay, I have talked the humor up too much—lower your expectations for me, please.) I thoroughly enjoyed how this book played with the tropes, partly by making the characters mystery/thriller writers and partly with a nod to us as experienced readers. Carter’s writing is clean and whimsical, but also direct. I felt like I had placed myself in an expert’s hands.

Loved it. It moved straight to the top of my Christmas reads with Good Spirits and A Christmas Carol.

Note: I began Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz. I enjoy me a Jane Austen adaptation when it’s at least fine. I DNFed this (short) book a few chapters in. Then I tried to watch the Hallmark movie of it and stopped that, too. So bad. So bad, and for different reasons for the book and movie. I maybe would have kept on with the book, but I had better things to read. And for the record, De la Cruz’s other books all have way higher ratings than this one and are nothing like this one. One fan commented that she is convinced Prejudice and Mistletoe was ghostwritten and not edited and it does make one wonder. So maybe just ignore this book if you are interested in any of her others.

The Borison series, Ghosted (just Good Spirits so far), is going to continue next holiday season (2026) with Grim Tidings. I will be requesting an ARC, and if I don’t get it, I’ll be standing first in line to purchase a copy. I have also heard great things about First Time Caller (Hearstrings #1), which continues with number two in February. Borison is blowing up and I’m happy to give her other books a try.

As for Carter, she is known for the Gallagher Girl series and Blonde Identity, but she has quite a few books. The first are YA mysteries but I have to imagine they are fun and funny. The Blonde Identity is a rom-com series. She also writes for the screen and younger readers.

For my ARC review of Merry by Susan Breen, click HERE.